Senior Year Blues

On Saturday, Robb, Meri, Leon and myself headed north with a truck carrying the futon and a van loaded down with several boxes and bags that Maddy had had packed and ready before her Colorado adventure.

It took FOREVER to get Meri and Leon out in the car and down the road.  In fact, even after we got in the van, it took 30 minutes to go 8 miles...  I kept an eye on the odometer after filling the tank.  REALLY??!!  We need batteries NOW?  And it took way too long to find a movie in stock at Redbox that Leon would actually watch.  Then he dropped his milk cup and juice cup down the side of his seat where neither Meri or I could grab it.  So I had to pull over for that.  

Then a ditch break later when Leon mistook a #2 indicator for a #1 indicator.  Didn't we just stop ten minutes ago and you used the restroom there?

Well, that stop was ok as we saw some wild turkeys in the ditch AND we were able to retrieve a Lego piece that he'd dropped earlier.

But we finally all showed up about the same time.  Robb had had to stop at a client's on the way up, so he'd left a lot earlier than us.

So Maddy has a new futon this year as the one she used for the first three years kind of bit the dust.  I bought this from a sewing buddie's garage sale a month or so ago.  It is SO much more comfortable!

I've gotten the measurements and plan to make a new cover for it sometime this fall.

Since Maddy is an R.A. and the only other person in the hall until her roommate (another R.A.) showed up 2, all the other dorm rooms were empty.  And Leon needed a nap.  He and Meri chose an empty room across the hall and napped on the bunk beds for a while.
Apparently we needed Leon refreshed the rest of the day activities.

We loaded the empty plastic tubs back into the van with bags of clothes that we'd accidentally brought along.  It was a miracle as we took more things home with us than we'd brought.

Well, she got moved in and most things put away.  The Christmas lights were up so our work here was done.  I managed to grab a pic with her and the guy before we headed off to dinner with his family at their home.

While Robb and I visited upstairs with Matthew's parents, we heard a CRRUUUUUSSSSH-SHHASSSSHH downstairs in their family room.  It's an interesting noise and one that I had actually heard many times before back in Iowa.  Matthew had dumped his three bins of Legos onto a huge heap and the girls, Matthew, Leon and his two sisters dug in.

Pure heaven... If you're under the age of 22 and don't have to worry about being the one to find the odd piece under your foot when you're walking through the room in the middle of the night.  His mom and I eventually couldn't resist and we joined them.

At the dinner table, Leon grabbed Matthew's usual spot and pretended to be Matthew for the duration of our visit. And Matthew had to pretend to be Leon. Kind of a Freaky Friday kind of thing...

We asked Leon Matthew how does Matthew behave? He grabbed Maddy's hand and started kissing it, and then proceeded to kiss up her arm. Matthew Leon claimed that he doesn't do that and acted embarrassed.

:)  Kids are pretty observant!

Leon was in rare form and ran around the living room almost crashing into a wall and informing us that it's no big deal because he has armor under his skin.  He got it from eating snow.  

???

Meri cooked up a plan to stay the night with Maddy and come home the next morning in her truck.  After a successful presentation, she and the girls all went to a movie, then she stayed the night on Maddy's new futon.

So when the rest of us were leaving after dinner for our long drive home, Leon Matthew acted like he was going back to his house with his new family.  Deb seemed concerned, "Um... what doesn't he like?!"  I told her vegetables.  So she said "Leon Matthew, we only have carrots, broccoli and peas in the house to eat!"

He was cheeky and said that he likes to try new things.

Liar!

So I had to go retrieve him and he sobbed saying that he wanted to live there and be Matthew.

Sigh.  Don't we all?...

I mean... LOOK at those Legos!!!

The sobbing only lasted until he was in his seat and I was getting a movie started for him.

About half way home, Leon finally went to sleep and woke up screaming with a bloody nose.  

Oh dear.  It was rather tricky to help him with kleenex and stay buckled up.

He howled, "How does this always happen???!!!"   I asked him calmly, "Did you pick your nose?"

"YES!!!!"  As if he was just following directions and this just happened anyway.

"That's why dear..."

So, just following directions and ending this post now.  It was a long but fun day.

And I'm going to miss Maddy.  Sunday was pretty emotional for me.  I hope we see her soon.