Jet's Party and a Really Busy Day

[liralen]

Tired. I'm very happy with how Jet's party turned out, but really tired from really packing it all in to get it done. It seems appropriate for an Aquarian (and the boy grown from the fetus that we called "The Fish") that we have his party in the pool.



Jet and I didn't get up until about 8, since he elected me as his Early Morning company. John had to leave by 8:20 to get to church by 8:30, so he helped Jet get dressed, including putting both of Jet's feet in one of my fleece slippers, and left. I put myself together, hopped Jet into his chair at the breakfast table, and got him his demanded bowl of Lucky Charms and drowned them, mercifully, in milk before he ate them all.

I went through my French press Coffee Ritual with Jamaican Blue Mountain coffee that John had roasted yesterday. John likes a bit more carbon than I do... but it was tasty enough.

By the time I had coffee it was time to go. Yes, it takes me that long to make coffee. :-)

Jet refused to go to church, he wanted to go to his party. When he realized I wasn't going anywhere without him eating, he ate a huge bowl of cereal. Then he got all his stuff on, and asked for his Lady-Engines, Elizabeth, Emily, and Lady. He packed them up carefully, and then got into the car. We then raced for Sunday school and beat his teacher by enough minutes for me to feel just fine. When he was comfortably installed, I took off and went to the local Pantry, a local grocery store, and I bought myself a slice of apple pie for my breakfast.

Better than bacon, eggs, and biscuit. I was tempted. But I got something lighter, and then went back and found the coffee at the church unmade. I made gallons of the stuff in probably less time it took me in my little French Press. Criminal that. Especially with older, pre-ground coffee. Sigh. But good enough for everyone there. And they drank a lot of it even before the service.

The service was really long, too. An installation of our new associate pastor AND communion. Whee. Some great quotes, though. The promise of the Law written within all hearts, exactly what it is that God wants of humans, and the measure by which people will pass into the gates of Heaven. In the midst of it was the children's message, and the kids were invited to stay with their parents, rather than go to Children's Church. Jet waved a cheerful bye-bye as he marched right past us with the other little kids that were just going to the toy room. It was a good thing, too.

When the service was done, I went and got Jet, and we got all his stuff, including a Crown they'd made him in Sunday school that said, "Happy Birthday Jet!!" Hee. He wore it out to the car, and we went to Crack Pots to pick up his mug and plate. When we walked in the young lady there said, "Jet! Hey, Jet, do you remember where you know me from?" Tired Jet just peered up at her and mutely shook his head. "I take care of you at the Rec. Center!" "Oh! Hi. Can you get us my train mug?" "You want, what?" "My little mug and plate with engines on it." "Oh! You're here to pick something up?" "Yeah." "Sure."

She led us over to the racks of finished things and Toby was looking out at us from the cup. "There." "Oh, sure, there's 'Jet' on both of these."

We got them, and she wrapped them in paper and a bag, and we took them with us. Jet and I paused in the van and pulled them out to look at them in detail. He delighted in seeing Thomas on the bottom of the mug and Bulgie on the bottom of the plate. It was snowing outside, but the inside of the van was warm from our drive over, and I strapped him back in and he asked if he was going to the party, now. I said we were going home to have some lunch and a rest, a nap if he could. He protested both, but perfunctorily, as if it were an obligation, and when we got home I made a big plate of snow noodles immediately, and he ate the whole thing. I ate my leftover catfish from Friday, and he watched a Thomas movie while lying on the couch. John came home with the cake, and he packed up the van with everything we needed. I packed swimming gear, and a bunch of other things as well.

At 1:30 we left for the Rec. Center. Jet insisted on wearing his "Monster Boots" from Cathie. On the way there he observed "My monster boots have TEETH!" "They do!" "They have big, white sharp teeth!" "Yup." "Hey! My Monster boots don't have a tail. They have eyes!" Postive noises. "Hey! They don't have arms! They don't have feet! Well... other than my feet." Many giggles...

When we got there, we put the crown on him, and I carried half the stuff in with a Thomas balloon and a Happy Birthday balloon bumping my head. John carried the other half. Calen and Grace with their parents met us there. Alex, on crutches, and Haley showed up with Joan in tow, pretty quickly, and joined in the fun. The Rec. Center staff was really happy to see Jet on his birthday. On the way in, one of the teen ladies who loves taking care of Jet in the Toy Room yelled, "Jet! Jet!" Jet laughed and stopped, turned around and waved at her, "It's my Birthday Party Today!" People were giving him grins and various staff were saying, "Hey, Jet! Happy Birthday!"

Usually, the white board has a very plain, "Jane's Party" on it to indicate the party room. When I went out to get something, I saw one of the staff ladies doing a very pretty and HUGE, "HAPPY BIRTHDAY, JET!" with balloons, streamers in rainbow colors and the Jet colored in. Hee. I guess they like doing it for someone they know. Jet came out to see, and jumped up and down and up and down with Haley, "Happy Birthday! Happy Birthday!"

Tanner and Macy and their parents were next, and Mikayla brought up the last of the crew. We passed out water toys. The cake, with the wind-up Thomas was quite a good entertainment for everyone until folks came. The water toys were soft and squishy so when they started flying around the party room, it was quite safe. We had everyone eat cake and I served sherbet with ginger ale for everyone to drink, and the chocolate cake was quickly devoured after Jet blew out the candles. He blew through the pile of presents with practice and great manners, thanking everyone for what they gave him. It was such a blast seeing how much Jet was enjoying it all.

I then ran out to the van with Everything, while John went with all the parents and kids to show them where to change into their swim suits. I followed up after double-checking the room, and getting everything into the silver van.

The Rec. Center had given us twenty wrist bands, ten came with the room, and we would give them the leftover ones in order to figure out how much more we had to pay. At only $2 a person, it was a great deal compared to the nearly $5 per out of city person. Everyone piled into the pools, with lots of parents as well as kids. All the kids had had either lessons or had demonstrated, over the summer, that they were well acquainted with water, loved playing in it, and were happier than clams to have something to float, throw, or catch. So the toys were flying everywhere by the time I got into the pool as well. I'd brought along a waterproof disposable camera, and passed it around, letting the kids that wanted to take pictures underwater or on top of it, as they pleased. We'll see what comes of it. Tonya had a blast taking pics of the kids while they were underwater. Hee. 800 speed film, to compensate for low light and action, so we'll see how grainy they are, but it might be good anyway. Kelly got a lot of great surface shots from the shore with a monster zoom lens.

I had fun just giggling with all the kids in the play pool, and they were doing a great job of entertaining each other. A few of them wanted to go down the slide, and did so, with John or I as the "catcher". Jet was happy to just be with everyone else. When a bunch of folks went for the Lazy River, he grabbed a lone noodle, and went it on his own! Eek. I was able to stick with him while Haley was willing to ride my back, but she had sudden need for independence as well, and I saw other parents level with Jet for a while, and then that his path was clear, and...

I don't know how parents of multiple kids do it, though I guess most people don't have twins in capability. I was also looking out for the other kids as I could. Those with parents in the pool I looked for less, and John was sticking pretty well with Mikayla and a few of the others; but I felt like I was getting whiplash when there was a dozen or so kids in the Lazy River all at once, and there were half a dozen Big Tubes in there, that if the kids went under them they'd have a hard time. Haley decided to be on a tube, so I put her up on one, and I could just keep my eye on Jet. He did great, though, with just his noodle he could wiggle between all the bigger bodies, and he could paddle enough to steer clear of the bigger pile ups. He didn't know to, all the time, but I could pull him clear now and again. People kept running him over, though, and he finally jumped from the noodle to my swim suit straps and my back. Luckily, he was on my back when Haley's tube hit a pileup and flipped it over. I pulled Haley up out of the water, and she clung to me for a bit before all of us went back to the emptier kid pool.

Whew.

It was much easier watching the two of them in there. Jet got cold and tired, though, and John rescued him and took him to the showers. Haley and I played catch. Macy and Mikalya and Grace were already out, in towels and laps, and Joan came in to get Haley. I got to shower, then, and amused myself. There are two 'private' showering stalls in the women's restroom, and both were locked, but one didn't have anyone behind it. I finally looked underneath and, indeed, it was completely empty. So I slipped in under the door, with all my stuff. Hee.

I got my shower, alone, with all my stuff. I dried off, dressed, and unlocked the door, and finished putting my hair in order and my shoes on back out in the public area. Since it was the only handicapped shower stall in the place, it seemed a crime to leave it locked.

I found everyone out in the hallway, so I got to say my own goodbyes. That was good. I helped carry everything else back to the van, with John and Jet. We got in. John strapped Jet in, and before we were even out of the parking lot, Jet was asleep. Wow.

He was exhausted. We got home, parked him in the guest room, and got to watch the Super Bowl for a good hour before Jet woke up, angry, and wanting to explore his bag of Toys from the party. He wanted me at first, but then he had an incentive to get out of my lap when the toys came out.

Dinner was John's green chile pork stew with quesadillas. Jet wanted snow noodles again, but we said he had to have something else, and he sulked for half an hour before he finally agreed to rice and hairy sprinkles and fish sprinkles and sauce. He inhaled the whole bowl. So he got cookies and milk and ice cream to boot and he ate all that as well as his vitamin. I guess he was actually pretty hungry, and I'm glad he figured out he couldn't just get his way on eating exactly the same thing all day.

Jet really wanted to watch the Simpson's, and there were some scenes where he looked really puzzled and looked at me, "Why did he..." kill his brother, hit the other person, pull his pants down... yow it's a hard tv show to explain to a really young kid, but he was satisfied with my explanations and, I think, some of my reactions as well, as he could tell what was 'wrong' and what wasn't. That was a good thing to see.

It took a while to get him to sleep, after his last nap. He nursed well past my tolerance, so I laid him down and lay down next to him with the light on and when he stopped wiggling and I heard snoring it was time.

His nose cold has kind of just disappated. I'm glad. It was well past time we got just a regular nose cold rather that horrible lung thing. He has his yearly checkup tomorrow. I think he'll do okay. :-)

I'm writing while listening to Erotica with the iTune visualizer, and I love the darned thing. I know it's just generated patterns, but they're mesmerizing and often beautiful. Easily amused, that's me. It's a good thing, as it's touching my life with more beauty than it's had for a while. Especially the patterns from the simple sound of rain...