While the Cats are Away

As the saying goes...

While the cats are away, the mice will play.

Not that I think of myself as a cat or our children as mice.  If that were the case, I would be chasing them around the house in pursuit of a tasty treat instead of a good game of tag.  Yet, maybe we are more like house cats since they prefer to just play with mice instead of viewing them as a survival technique.  Regardless, while Mom and Dad were soaking up the sun in Mexico, our munchkins were soaking up the spoiling by Grandma.

Their first day alone, Oliver had swim lessons.  Grandma didn't tell me about this adventure until I was taking her to the airport.  It's probably a good thing because it about gave me a heart attack.  For the first time, they took the kids to the big pool.  Many of the kids, Oliver included, don't know how to swim.  There were several scary moments for Grandma and she watched Oliver and the other kids struggle, but he did show improvement.  I remind myself that this is why we hire people to teach our kids to swim instead of doing it our self.

Why?

Because, we would never let them jump in the deep end.

The boys had an amazing time and when we got home, Oliver looked me straight in the eye and said, "We had more fun that you did".   Movie nights, yummy kid favorite dinners, new parks and toy stores; in their opinion, they definitely had more fun.

Grandma got to know the kids at school quite well.  One boy was always quick to ask what was for dinner, then, he would tell them what his Grandma cooks him for dinner.  One of his suggestions was Mac and Cheese with hot dogs in it.  So, Grandma whipped it up for the boys.  They loved it!

They had craft time after dinner.

This is why Grandma is amazing.  She thinks of these things that would never cross my mind.  They worked on their fine motor skills while making bead jewelry.

They were SO proud of their creations.  Oliver is proudly displaying the jewelry that he gave his Mommy for Valentines Day.

Kellan is proudly wearing the necklace that he made for Mommy for Valentines day.

They even engaged Mickey in a horse race.

(I have NO idea why Oliver's pants are unbuttoned.  Maybe the Mac and Cheese and hot dogs were button popping good)

Grandma brought along her punches and introduced the boys to this fun activity.  Again, they loved it.

On Saturday morning, the boys got a special treat with a few minutes of Face Time with Mommy and Daddy on the computer.  We all LOVED it!

When I saw the pictures, I knew Grandma was pulling out all of the stops.  Cereal, pancakes bacon and eggs. Really?  That's like two breakfasts in one.  Can you say SPOILED ROTTEN?!

The boys had a daily treat from Mommy and Daddy.  This was great fun for them, plus, it helped them gauge how many days of spoiling they had left.

One day they got little green army men with parachutes which fell nicely from the second floor.

They also got some little foam animals in capsules.

They had some quality weekend time in the playroom, which is always a great treat.

Kellan's foam animals magically appeared after nap time.

They went in search of a new cool park.

The park even had pine trees, just like at Grandma's house.

They explored a new toy store, where Kellan pushed a shopping cart in circles around the store as he chased the train that rode on the tracks near the ceiling.

McDonald's provided for a super special treat.

Followed by downtime TV.

They ate and ate and ate.  Grandma must know a way to a boys heart, through their stomach (and toy collection).

They found this cool new stomp rocket at the toy store.  It's a big hit for all.

Another day of treats from Mommy and Daddy.

Grandma's birthday was the Tuesday that she was with the boys so Oliver treated her to Starbucks where they had a great birthday party, complete, with a special treat they each got to pick out.

Happy Birthday Grandma!!

With Valentines Day approaching, they put together their Valentines for their Someone Special.

They spent some time outside where Oliver worked on his perfect aim.

He was sharing the love with the neighborhood as he was shooting conversation heart candies.

Kellan snuggled on the couch with his friends after nap.

Bath time was always a fun time.

With all of this fun, there were academics involved too with new activity books.

Tuesday was Grandma's birthday AND a school field trip to the Colorado History Museum!!

Grandma got to go along as a chaperon and she even rode on the bus.

On the way to the museum, Oliver rode with Owen.

Learning about a buffalo and what the settlers used their parts for.  Yes, that's Oliver exploring the bison's back end.  Always a curious boy.

On the way back to the school, Grandma and Oliver got to share a seat.

THANKS Again to Grandma for spending time spoiling the boys while the cats were away at play.