THE LOWE FAMILY NEWSLETTER : VOLUME 116 AUGUST 2017

Dear Readers,

July 4^th was a glorious celebration this year thanks to some dynamite planning on my children's part! About a week before, Ming-Lee called to let me know that he, Lori, Blake and Claudia were coming over the following weekend as it was about the only time they could due to their activity packed summer. Since they would not be arriving until late Friday, ( as they could not leave until noon due to summer school for Claudia) Ming said they would spend the first night with Coryn and Jeremy as it would shorten their drive time a little. The plan was to have lunch at my house the next day.

In case they decided to sleep over at my house for the rest of their stay, I cleaned upstairs and thought of possible meals plans. Towards the end of the week I got a text from Lori telling me not to fix anything for lunch as they were bringing it over with them. I wondered if she meant all the way from Indianapolis … This meant that I decided not to go grocery shopping until they arrived and thus had a better idea of which meals Sean, Sarah and the Logues might be planning to eat with us all.

Joshua arrived back unexpectedly from Texas on the same Friday as the Indy Lowes - showing up at around dinner time. I thought he was going to be arriving the following week. I rushed up to the Hen House to pick up dinner, and instead of thanking me, Josh berated me for not having a fully stocked pantry and fridge at all times in case one of my children arrived – starving – unexpectedly on my doorstep. I replied that since all the groceries that mother would need were just a block away it was more convenient to shop their aisles than have groceries clogging up my fridge and pantry.

Saturday morning came , with another text to let me know that Ming-Lee and family were on the way with lunch. I decided to await their arrival pulling weeds in my front garden,and paid little attention to a white sedan that passed by assuming it was my neighbors. It pulled into my driveway and out they all tumbled laughing at me for not realizing it was them – they claimed they had even been waving frantically at me! I had been expecting them to arrive in their mini van but they decided to use Blake's newly purchased car to give him a chance to get in some practice!

Since it was a relatively pleasant morning we decided to lunch on the deck and I was thrilled with their choice 'Chick Filet' knowing how rarely they eat fast food! I was a little perturbed that Josh was not back from the gym – I had questioned the wisdom of heading to the gym at the same time that family and lunch would be arriving but he assured me that he would be back in time. However Sean arrived and distracted me from fretting about Josh. Lunch was finished by the time a grinning Josh stepped out on the deck, shortly followed by Craig who I immediately thought was making a flying visit to finish up his documentary on the American Royal Barbecue. I hugged him and asked if the other Remsbergs had come too – thinking probably not as I knew they were going to Dubque, Iowa later in the month and that Leslee-Ann also had a work trip to Boston as well. But as I stepped in the kitchen I saw my little Ray of sunshine and his Mom! I was floored! What a wonderful surprise, Norm would have loved that you all had pulled one over on me as he always enjoyed that sort of thing. Josh even left the house in his gym clothes with his bag so I had no clue he was on his way to the airport!

Later in the afternoon Coryn arrived with the kids and visited for awhile before leaving to help Jeremy clean up their Condo in downtown Kansas City before their new tenant moved in. The kids stayed with us and Ava Claire was very into “baby sitting” Ray. Owen was a little less aggressive than he was on their first encounter over Thanksgiving but I noticed that Leslee-Ann and Craig kept an eye on him when ever he was within striking distance of cousin Ray!

I started thinking about dinner but was promptly told that we were having Pizza and that my children were taking care of all the other meals for the rest of their stay so Saturday through Wednesday I was banned from my kitchen and the grocery store! What a gift, just having so much family around me and no pressure to produce my Martha Stewart quality cuisine!

At some point that Saturday afternoon I said it was a shame that Kay was missing out on seeing so many family members but she had gone to Chicago to meet her new boyfriends parents -Sean had told her the previous weekend about the surprise and she was bummed but had already made her plans. Ming-Jon missed out too but he had visited just a few weeks before and had concert tickets that weekend. I also remarked that it was too bad that Marc and Bryn were not with us either but knowing that they both hate the heat and humidity of the Midwest in summer - I doubted they would have been keen on making the trip.

During the course of the afternoon I learned that Sean and Sarah were going to be hosting us at their house on Sunday, that Monday we would all be at my house and Tuesday, July 4^th would be spent at the Logues with the grand finale being enjoying their neighborhood fireworks.

Coryn and Jeremy returned in time for pizza whilst Sean started checking his phone, with the excuse that Sarah -who was in Pittsburgh on a work trip -was trying to wrap things up so that she could fly home that night instead of as scheduled on Sunday morning. Claiming that she had secured a seat on a flight he eventually left to pick her up from the airport. This made perfect sense to me as I would want a good nights sleep in my own bed before being invaded by our big family.

Leslee-Ann decided to bath Ray and get him ready for bed so this meant of course that we all had to keep noise to a minimum so everyone moved to the downstairs family room whilst I attempted to clean up all the toys and party debris on the deck. Coryn and Lori joined me and soon we were chatting away. As I stepped back into the house I heard Owen screeching so I flew downstairs and threatened him with terrible consequences if he woke up baby Ray. I was so busy telling him off that I failed to notice that Marc was sitting in my recliner. Finally one of the kids said something about Mother not even acknowledging her own child so I whipped around and saw Marc and the best I could greet him with was “What are you doing here?”His siblings loved this and teased me for days for my seemingly less than enthusiastic greeting and eventually I realized that Bryn - who was hardly recognizable – was sitting on the couch! Sean had spun a very plausible tale to hide the fact that it was his brothers and not Sarah who needed a ride from the airport.

I started doing mental gymnastics with my bedroom situation with the Remsbergs and Josh already in residence but was told that Marc and Bryn were staying with Sean and Sarah and that the Indy Lowes were staying put at the Logues. It is so nice to have three homes to accommodate us all now but of course only one has the perfect location!

Time to return to Bryn – he has the worst haircut I have ever seen, a sort of a cross between Friar Tuck and a Mohawk and not unlike the style of North Korea's despot. I am afraid that rather than disguising his receding hairline it emphasized it. I think he may need to buzz it like Ming-Lee, Marc and Craig. I told Marc that if he and Bryn were out at the bars a girl would be more likely to hit on him than his brother - something unimaginable before this horrendous hairstyle! Bryn declared that his hair was cutting edge and very appreciated by his LA friends but we all noticed that he was wearing a ball cap most of the time after putting up with us all teasing him about it!

Craig was soon begging me turn my thermostat down from the very comfortable 79 degrees I enjoy to 75 degrees or preferably less – this despite the ceiling fan over his bed! I did turn it down a few degrees for the duration of his stay and had to wrap myself in my comforter to stay warm in my chilled bedroom. Craig actually left Leslee-Ann upstairs and moved to the too cool for me basement to sleep on the sofa, padded with the pillow bed I made for the kids! Why someone who hates being hot lives in Orlando, Florida is beyond me!

Sunday we met up at Sean's where he was firing up the grill for lunch! It was an extremely hot and humid, typical ninety degree plus Midwest July day so I secured a spot on their shady back porch and watched Ming-Lee, Blake and Claudia trying to set up a volley ball/badminton net which they had brought with them.. They were having trouble finding a wide enough spot with enough depth to play. After awhile I suggested that perhaps it was too hot for anyone to want to play but Ming was determined (he has always loved family games) and eventually found a big enough area on the side yard. I never budged from my shady spot but I think all the kids played in different combinations. Unfortunately Marc Andrew had to make a couple of barefoot runs after the volley ball as it sped downhill to Quivera. He badly bruised his big toe but kept playing although of course I had to look at it numerous times throughout his stay and assure him that he didn't need a trip to the ER!

At one point 17 of us were sitting on the carpet in Sean and Sarah's bare living room playing family games! We all stayed for dinner too and kudos to Sarah for hosting us all after a very early morning flight into Kansas City, she was so welcoming to the family, playing with the kids, feeding us all and playing volleyball on very little sleep. I left with the Remsburgs as Ray's bedtime approached but some of the other family members decided to sit around the firepit and make S'mores in Sean and Sarah's enclosed courtyard. It must still have been in the high eighties when we left but the kids were enthused about roasting themselves as well as the marshmallows I guess!

Monday was spent at my house. In the morning I took Ray and his parents to Deanna Rose so that he could enjoy the animals. He loved feeding food pellets to the goats but unfortunately he decided to give them a taste test himself causing his parents to be concerned but I assured them that they could not possibly be toxic since they were intended to be handled (though not consumed) by small children. They must have been quite tasty as Owen tried to eat a few more!He was very comfortable petting baby goats whilst Leslee-Ann bottle fed them – thankfully he did not attempt to take a drink from the bottle like his cousin Owen! I can only imagine how stressed his parents would have been! Craig took lots of great pictures of our time there.

Bryn and Marc picked up Barbecue for lunch. Leslee was in touch with Josh Dinwiddie , a former high school classmate, who happens to live near me so he, his wife, and young son, also named Ray were invited to have dinner with us. They arrived to find half my children playing basketball in my driveway as I screamed at them every time a ball bounced into my flower beds. There were so many of us that we had to use both my dinning room and downstairs pub table that sits 6 to accommodate us all. The boys made another trip to a different barbecue place to pick up some more food to supplement the left overs from lunch.

Ming-Lee and family had to leave on Monday as they needed a day at home to prepare for their summer vacation in Canada, starting that Wednesday, so they missed being with us on the fourth. But the rest of us spent the day in Lees Summit with the Logues.

Coryn and Jeremy had prepared a wonderful array of side dishes and salads to accompany Jeremy's barbecue meats, working that grill in the broiling heat! Some of the kids added their contributions – once again nothing was required of me! Coryn had even set up a dessert bar and cocktails were served too!

Ray was more reserved for awhile when we arrived at the Logues. It must have been quite bewildering for him to find himself in yet another strange house surrounded by so many relatives and of course Owen who was making sure that his cousin understood whose toys he was attempting to play with. Ava Claire was smothering him with her mothering so it took him awhile to adjust but by the time we were ready to eat he was comfortable enough to chow down. He has an amazing appetite and unlike his picky cousins will seemingly eat anything. I noticed that his parents kept him supplied with a constant stream of snacks in between meals!

The Logues neighborhood cul-de-sac has their own fireworks display which starts in the afternoon and goes on well into the night – we are talking flatbeds worth of fireworks here. They are permitted in Missouri but not on the more refined side of the state line of Kansas where of course I live! Jeremy had taken Ava Claire with him to purchase some fireworks, including some intended for the children's enjoyment. He was very fired up about having his Lowe brothers there to light up the sky with him but unfortunately Marc and Bryn had to leave to catch their flight back to LA at eight that evening so Sean and Sarah were leaving too to drop them at the airport. Marc muttered that Bryn had made all their travel plans and that he was not looking forward to arriving at LAX and possibly having to deal with masses of traffic in the midst of firework displays to drop his brother off in downtown LA!

For Jeremy this was a bit of a fizzle on the night's festivities but he was sure the kid's excitement would more than compensate. We all gathered outside in the driveway as he set up the first round. As soon as the first firework popped Ray burst into tears and was hastily taken into the house to be comforted by his mother. Jeremy had lost two more people. Next he coaxed Ava Claire to watch the snake fireworks and colored smoke balls she had picked out. She decided that since Ray was frightened by the noise and had gone inside that that was where she would rather be: she practically jumped into my arms and begged to go indoors. Now Jeremy was left with Owen, Coryn, Josh and Craig and all too soon he lost Owen and Coryn! I am sure Owen was aware that Ray was inside the house and playing unsupervised with all his toys! Not a tolerable state of affairs for a two year old who screams “Mine” every time a hand gets within reach of a toy, even if he hasn't played with it for months!

Leslee-Ann, Ray and I left shortly before Ray's bedtime, leaving Craig behind to ride back with Josh. At least Jeremy had a couple of fired up brothers to enjoy his fireworks !

The next day I tearfully dropped the Remsbergs off at Sean's house as he was taking them to the airport along with Sarah ,making yet another work trip, coincidentally to Orlando although she was flying on a different airline. So hard to say goodbye to my little Ray of sunshine as I know it will be months before I see him again and he will have changed so much!Thank goodness for Face Time!

Of course my children had fun with me – they loved it when I used my empty carbonated fruit water bottles to amuse my grandchildren by filling them with water, dish soap and food coloring, declaring the mixture a magic potion. One of the the children left their bottle on the table by my chair and being the same color as my real juice bottle I took a swig and rushed to the kitchen sink to spew it out! Yuck – wrong bottle. Of course I got no sympathy - although they did agree that the colors were very similar but even so only someone as dumb as Mother could have done such a thing!

They enjoyed family game time when I was acting out the word Jack Hammer and all my wobbly bits were threatening to fly off my body!The boys were ordering me to stop which only intensified my acting out!

One of the most stressful moments for me was when I caught my boys throwing ping pong balls off the deck into my solar powered water fountain bird bath, artistically set in one of my flower beds - more balls were landing in the flowers than in the bird bath. I made them set up far away from my garden beds , even finding containers that they could fill with water for their entertainment. They soon had an organized game complete with a scorecard. My children are so competitive that they can turn anything into a sport. The grandchildren enjoyed playing with the ping pong balls in the water filled containers too!

This time with so many of my family will be a treasured memory. I hope it won't be too long before we can have another family reunion with every one present. A few more of these surprise visits where I don't have to grocery shop, prepare gourmet meals and have my house in pristine condition will convince me that my children really are all grown-up and don't need me hovering over them with constant advice about everything in their lives – maybe! Thanks for making July 4^th such a blast for me this year ! My heart is exploding with love for you all.

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