Granddaughter Immersion Therapy

The title of this post refers to a new technique I employed to circumvent my Favorite Panamanian’s usually harsh criticism of the state she finds her (I mean “our”) house in upon her return. We drove up from New Jersey on Saturday and rolled right into a Mother’s Day celebration featuring all three granddaughters as well as their familial units. Possibly the most important discovery in my matrimonial existence. She was totally distracted in the best way possible.

One Very Happy Abuela

We both find ourselves somewhat exhausted after the past few days due to our respective odysseys to arrive at our current location. We both set out, she from David, Panama and I from Worcester on Thursday morning. She, of course, had the much longer trip but was employing significantly faster modes of transportation. Our linkup point was JFK Airport in New York around midnight. My first navigation point was the New Jersey home of my daughter. She was heading out for a long planned girls’ night out and left me in the capable hands of Wingman, Wingmom, and, to a certainty, the FBR. Since I had a long wait, we went out to dinner where the FBR demonstrated how much more mature she is getting, despite the occasional lapses in 6-year-old judgment.

Dining with the FBR Thursday Night

I wasn’t leaving for the airport until after 11pm so after the FBR went down for the night I tried to doze on the living room couch. My tried-and-true technique for snatching some Zs is to watch a movie I’ve seen a bunch of times. I made the tactical error of choosing the Dirty Dozen which kept me awake as once again I tried to will Jim Brown to make it in the end. Pointless. I’ve never driven to JFK before so this was discovery learning. There are a lot of quick turns following toll booths and my GPS was not fast enough to keep me from taking an unplanned detour through beautiful downtown Bayonne, New Jersey. After that minor adventure I made my way to the airport with no trouble and found parking a short walk from the terminal.

Picture' of my Son(r) and his Grandfather
At Approximately Same Age - Spooky

I even parked outside the right terminal (lesson learned from prior airports). I arrived 8 minutes after my wife’s plane was supposed to land and I figured with customs and immigrations lines I was all set. I walked into the terminal and the big board showed that her plane had landed but I had not received the customary “back in the USA” text and if there is one thing my Favorite Panamanian does do, it is communicate. I therefore spent the next hour scouring the terminal’s nooks and crannies because I had not heard from her since both of us set off first thing in the morning. This was not normal. It turned out while her plane had landed it had to wait 30 minutes for a gate to open and then immigration and customs. She eventually emerged and all was right with the world. We later learned she had somehow turned off cellular data on her phone (thanks to my son who took 3 seconds to diagnosis that issue).

FBR in Mother's Day Dress

Let the Games Begin!

BR3 Stylin

We arrived back in New Jersey shortly after 2am and slept in Friday morning although there was a small break when the FBR came in to say hi before leaving for school. Friday was rest and recovery day which evolved into a First Friday celebration and movie night with the FBR. We switched the child seat into our car and first thing Saturday morning the FBR joined us for the trek back to Worcester. We made great time, Connecticut put up none of its usual chicanery and we arrived in less than three hours. Here is where my less than evil plan went onto effect. My Favorite Panamanian inadvertently assisted by scheduling a hair dresser appointment which consumed the time before the arrival of the other two granddaughters.

BR3 Trying to Hang with the Big Girls

Demonstrating Some real Artistic Flair

Granddaughters!

Very soon the entire house was rolling with the noise of three highly energetic young ladies bouncing off the walls. All the granddaughter toys that are stored in the basement migrated upstairs and I didn’t have to move any of them although the ABFA did bring up the kids table and chairs. These kids are getting bigger! The ABFA and BRS reunited like two lost sisters and were soon in their own little world. I felt a little bad for BR3 as she hung on the periphery and  tried to keep up with her sister and cousin but more often than not she was left in their wake.

Wife Using Pint Sized Heating Element

Tia has Arrived! BRS with my Daughter

Great Aunt Holding Court

Later in the afternoon, Great Aunt and the ABFA’s parents showed up to join in the fun as well as the late arriving New Jersey bunch. We attempted to sit out on Deckzilla for the social hour but even with blankets the cold weather eventually drove us inside. We seared some steaks once my Favorite Son showed me how to turn on my own grill. I delegated burning the dead animal flesh to him (good decision). We had an informal buffet style meal as the group, dogs, and the granddaughters swirled around the house. I could not think of a better way of walking up a sleepy abode than that fantastic concoction. I was appointed as the leader of adventures into the back yard forest. The FBR, who made that appointment, scheduled me as many times as possible to walk the felled trees and gather firewood.

Dinner Time

My Fire Buddies

We needed the firewood for the S’mores, don’tcha know. The wood in my stylistically challenged fireplace had been in place since the Christmas adventure walks so I wasn’t sure if it would light up, although it seemed dry. I decided to cheat before the granddaughters came out and used a little left over snow blower gasoline. Instant fire. My son asked what had happened because he had glanced away for a second and when he looked back a roaring bonfire was present. I couldn’t answer because I was checking to see if I had still had eyebrows. Typically I was only joined by the granddaughters and the ABFA for the fire because everyone thought it was to cold. They’re my fire buddies. I tried to point out the roaring fire to those inside, to no avail. My wife was still adjusting from tropical temps but she was the only one with a bona fide excuse.

Sunday Morning Wakeup Crew

Abuela on Hojaldra Duty

The day eventually dwindled into night and people started making their way home. My son and daughter’s families were staying overnight so we were left with a lively living room discussion late into the evening. Part of that time was spent tag teaming the potent combination of the FBR and BRS. They were bunking together and combining their sleep avoidance strategies to the confounding of their parents’ best efforts. We eventually went with the nuclear option and sent their abuela up. Instead of laying down the law she entered into a conspiracy with her granddaughters saying if they went to sleep after she came up, then she would win. Somehow that worked and they went to sleep. Go figure.

BR3's Protest

Coaxed Out by Her Mom's Attempt to Eat Chocolate pie

What's Yours is Mine Mom!

Shortly after 6m on Mother’s Day we had all three granddaughters in our bed with a very happy abuela. They herded her downstairs to make hojaldras while I was in charge of supervising. I don’t think they got that memo but we made it through breakfast intact. The parents eventually arose and my wife and I snuck out for church. When we returned we found BR3 hiding in one of the house plants. The ABFA explained that BR3 wanted to play on the stairs which is, of course, verboten, even with grandparents’ rules. She therefore decided to stage a protest by hiding in the plant. It was too funny.

When FBR Steals Your Phone - Selfie Time!

Favorite Panamanian with Granddaughters 

Play Ball!

Since the weather was a quantum improvement over Saturday, we were soon all outside as the granddaughters engaged in some version of homerun derby with a stray whiffle ball. BR3 appointed herself as the catcher which slowed the game down a bit but made up for it in sheer cuteness. We dined on the remnants of the Saturday meal as the afternoon arrived way too soon as it brought with it the departure of both families. That is the definitive problem with good times, they go by exceedingly fast. The better the time the more velocity time acquires so we were dealing with speed of light time passage for this past weekend. The best people in the world, all gathered in one spot, and not even realizing they were protecting me from my Favorite Panamanian. So good to have her home again.

Me Pitching to BRS

Catcher Hand Delivering Ball

She Eventually Got Around to Throwing it

Family Photo - Mother's Day 2022

The Moms and Daughters

The New Jersey Bunch

My Fellow Adventurers

She had a tumultuous last week in Panama. My mother in law’s elder sister passed away which made the second sibling she has lost in less than a year. My wife was rushing around trying to close up the condo while also attending to her mom and family members arriving for the funeral. She’s really tired and might not even have noticed the state of the house. Naah, my luck is not that good, but she was helpless in the face of three granddaughters at once. Now I can blame anything she does find on granddaughter depredations. Although the four month old milk I forgot in the fridge was a hard explain.

Wife Family Gathered for Aunt's Funeral

Finished Off Another Puzzle This Morning

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RECURRING CHARACTERS:                                        

ABFA – Amazing Best Family Athlete - my daughter in law; BR3 – Blog Reader #3 – granddaughter #3; BRS - Blog Reader the Sequel - second granddaughter; Cantankerous Friend – friend since grade school who likes to argue about everything, poses as radical leftist to attract women; Curbside Girls – close friends of my daughter acquired during her single days in Brooklyn; Deckzilla – our backyard deck which grew to monstrous dimensions once my wife got involved in planning; Favorite Panamanian - the wife (of course); FBR - First Blog Reader - first granddaughter; First Friday – celebrations to mark the First Friday of the Week; Great Aunt - my elder sister; Keene Friends 1 & 2 – friends since high school from my home town of Keene, NH; Kindergarten Friend – friend since kindergarten whom I reunited with after many years; Maine and Virginia Musqueteras – two close friends of my wife – her US sisters, my wife is the 3^rd musquetera (musketeer); Neighborhood Mafioso - wife's close friend and Panamanian mafia member; PanaGals – female relatives /friends of my wife from Panama; Panamanian/Latin Mafia – inevitable group of Latino friends my wife accumulates wherever we have lived & their spouses; Pittsburgh College Roommate– high school friend, also a “Minor Celebrity” in Pittsburgh; Riggins - also known as the Grandpuppy, son's dog; Soxfather - my brother in law; Tia Loca – wife’s younger sister; Wingman – my son in law; Wingmom – Wingman’s mom, of course