A/N: This story discusses the entire week of their Spring Break. Of course, Tuesday through Sunday haven't happened yet so the Red Sox game on Thursday is made up. Monday's Red Sox game is real.

Monday April 18, 2022

The children got up, well except for Kate, she was sleeping in. Jane had to go upstairs and get her. Jane carried her down to the dining room and sat her in a chair at the dining room table so they could have breakfast. She was still a little groggy. MJ had her lean into him as he didn't want 'his Katie' to fall over.

The children all wanted bunny waffles again. Jane and Maura had a feeling this would be their new favorite meal. Maura got the waffle irons out and set them on the kitchen island. Jane got out the blueberries, she didn't want to forget that again. Kate might get mad at her and she didn't want that. She wasn't quite sure what kind of mood Kate would be in today.

Nicky and Giana saw the lights on and came in from the guest house. They asked if they could help Jane and Maura make breakfast. Giana starting squeezing the oranges and Nicky plugged in the waffle irons and took over making the waffle batter from Jane who went and sat with Kate. Maura was cutting up some fresh fruit to have with their waffles.

Jane made sure to tell Nicky to put some blueberries in one of the waffles. He complied, after he fixed the waffles for the children, Giana plated them and passed out the plates. Nicky then made waffles for himself, Giana, Jane and Maura. Nicky thought blueberries sounded great so he added some to his waffle. When MJ finished his waffle he asked, "Mama what are we going to do today?"

Jane replied, "How about a Red Sox game, they are playing the Minnesota Twins at 11:10. Do you all want to go to the game?" The children all said 'yes.' "Well, I guess you better go get ready then." They all ran upstairs and got dressed in their jerseys of their favorite players and were back downstairs and ready to go to the game by 9 AM. Jane already had her jersey on like she did quite a few times when she was off of work.

Jane handed Nicky and Giana money so they could buy jerseys when they arrived at the stadium. She would have had jerseys already if she knew they were coming. The jerseys she had of theirs would no longer fit them. Nicky asked, "Aunt Jane, why is your Red Sox jersey yellow and blue?"

"The yellow and blue uniforms are part of the Nike's MLB 'City Connect' series. The colors represent the color scheme of the Boston Marathon, which is being held today, Patriots' Day." Jane replied. "So, the children will be wearing their yellow and blue jerseys that we got them last year. You can either buy the traditional colors or buy the yellow and blue jerseys. Just so you know everyone in the family is wearing yellow and blue so you might want to get the yellow and blue jerseys or you will stand out in our box at the game. On Friday the team wore special jerseys with the number 42 on them for opening day to celebrate Jackie Robinson and then they wore the yellow and blue uniforms Saturday and Sunday. They will be in their white jerseys with red letters today but we decided to wear our yellow and blue jerseys."

Maura quickly changed while Jane, Nicky and Giana cleaned up the dishes from breakfast. Maura knew they were going to the game but the children didn't know and she normally didn't wear her jersey so Jane asked her not to wear it yet, as she wanted to surprise the children with the fact that they were going to a Red Sox game.

Jane knew the children would be excited when she told them that they would get to see two Red Sox games this week. She had worked hard and making sure all the children loved the Red Sox just like her. Actually, she didn't have to work that hard. They loved her and she loved the Red Sox, so they watched the games with her. They screamed at the TV and jumped up when a great play happened just like she did. Maura wasn't too happy about that, but she loved their enthusiasm.

Maura had asked her father if he could get them his friend's box at Fenway as it would be easier to keep track of the children. Arthur's friend, who own the box, didn't often use it so Arthur asked if they could use the box for the two games. He also asked Maura if he and Constance could join them. "Of course, father, you can join us all week long for every activity we do with the children. I know they would love that."

Arthur wasn't a big fan of baseball, but he did enjoy attending the games with the family, as did Constance. They just never understood the game until a certain Rizzoli came into their lives. Jane explained the game to them in great detail and they loved how animated she was. They could see why Maura had fallen for her, she really was special, and very good for Maura.

Constance, Arthur, Arianna and Mario met them at the house and they all rode to Fenway together. The children were so excited when they arrived at Fenway. They loved the box and all the large TVs screens in the room and all the food. Jane almost thought they were more excited about the food then the fact that they were attending the ballgame. There were tables to sit at or they could sit on the sofas or in the row of outdoor seats.

They attended the last of a four-game series against the Twins. The Red Sox lost the first game, 4-8, and won the next two games, 4-0 and 8-1. Jane hoped with all her might that the Red Sox would be victorious today. The game didn't start off well with the Twins scoring two runs in the first inning. The Red Sox didn't score. The children weren't happy because Jane wasn't happy. Neither team scored in the second inning. The Twins scored two more runs in the third inning, to make the score 0-4, neither team scored in the fourth inning.

Jane and the children were screaming when the Red Sox scored a run in the fifth inning. They were so happy. Neither team scored in the sixth inning and they screamed and shouted when the Red Sox scored a run in the seventh inning. The score was now 2-4, the game wasn't over yet.

There was a serious tone in their box, everybody wanted the Red Sox to win. The Twins score four runs in the eighth inning and the Red Sox didn't score. They held the Twins from scoring in the top of the ninth but only managed to score one run in the bottom of the ninth and lost the game 3-8. It was a good game, just not the outcome they had hoped for. They still enjoyed each other's company. They put on their happy faces and went to the Shake Shack for a burger and shake. Not Maura's favorite place to eat but with eight young children it made sense. She felt it was better than McDonalds. She would just make sure that the children had healthy snacks for the rest of the day, and week if she could swing it.

Tuesday April 19, 2022

Jane and Maura had consulted the 10-day weather forecast when they planned the week's activities. They knew that it would rain on Tuesday so they planned an inside event. They selected movies and games. The only question that remained was what movie and what game. That is why they had drawn names to see who would select the first game and who would select the first movie.

Maura had selected five movies and three games. The downstairs media room was fully stocked with everyone's favorite drinks and plenty of popcorn and sliced fruit. AJ and Kate's names had been drawn, so they got to choose. AJ selected the game, 'Sorry' and Kate selected the 2011 movie, 'Hop.' Jane took out a twenty dollar bill out of her pocket and discreetly handed it to Maura. She thought for sure Kate would have selected 'Here Comes Peter Cottontail,' but Maura had guessed correctly.

Lilly and Giana went into the little kitchen area with Jane to pop the popcorn and get the bowls out. The boys had all gone to play in the Millilumen Falcon play area. They loved playing downstairs. Maura was sitting with Kate as she was still tired. She had brought her giant stuffed bunny downstairs with her so she was cuddled up with the bunny and her mommy. Jane announced that it would be about ten minutes before all the popcorn was ready. Giana and Lilly brought the popcorn out when it was ready and they all sat down and watched the movie.

The children were all quietly watching the movie. Maura sat next to Jane and just rested her head on Jane's shoulder. She had seen this movie so many times. The boys were sitting on one side of the viewing area and the girls on the other. A loud thunder sound was heard in the distance. Kate jumped into Jane's lap. She was scared. Jane comforted her by bringing her into a huge hug. Kate settled into Jane and turned so she could see the screen. Half way through the movie Kate was curled up and asleep on Jane's lap. Jane looked at the clock and thought, 'yep, it is her naptime.'

The children were quiet until towards the end of the movie when the chicks started moving to the drum beats that EB was playing. The children jumped up and started dancing around like the chicks. It was so cute. Maura pulled out her phone and started videotaping them. When the music ended, they sat back down and finished watching the movie, until the credits rolled and they got up and started dancing again. Kate woke up and joined them. They were singing along to 'I Want Candy' and having fun. Jane and Maura just snuggled up with each other and watched their children having fun. Maura resumed filming, she wanted to preserve these memories.

When the movie was over. They made pizza for lunch and then played Sorry. Lilly asked, "can we watch another movie?"

"Of course, sweetie. That is why I have five movies selected. I figured you would want to watch at least two movies today." Maura stated. A few minutes later Lilly popped in the movie, Here Comes Peter Cottontail, and pushed play on the DVD player. Kate sat in Maura's lap for this movie and a few minutes into the movie she was laying across her lap with her feet in Jane's lap. She was so tired. Maura was worried that Kate might be getting sick. She normally wasn't like this.

When the movie ended Jane picked Kate up and had her resting against her shoulder as they moved over to the table to play another game. Jane had her left arm wrapped around Kate to secure her. She knew if she attempted to lay her down, she would wake up and be grumpy. On rainy days like this Kate loved to be with one of her mothers. She wouldn't sleep for long so Jane didn't mind.

They played a game of 'Go Fish' and then settled in for another movie. Maura received a text message notifying her that her parents were at the front door. Maura went upstairs to let her parents in. Constance, Arthur, Arianna and Mario arrived just before they started the next movie. They said hello to everyone and noticed that Kate was sleeping soundly on Jane's shoulder. The children moved out of the seats to let Constance and Arthur sit so they could watch the movie. MJ, AJ and Lilly decided they wanted popcorn and MJ said he could handle making it. Maura just smiled and said, "Okay, please let me know if you need any help."

"Okay, mommy, I will." MJ said as he pulled out the bags of popcorn. AJ came out and asked his grandparents, Arianna and Mario if they would like some popcorn or anything to drink. Jane and Maura just smiled, their children had such great manners. After the movie, they decided to order Thai food for dinner and had it delivered. They were on vacation, no one wanted to cook.

Before it was time for bed, Jane and Maura asked the children if they were enjoying their week off so far. All of the children said they enjoyed spending time with the family. Lilly asked if Constance and Arthur could read their bedtime story. They were honored and said yes. Three stories later all the children were tucked in their beds and the adults were downstairs talking. It had been a fun rainy day and everyone seemed to have enjoyed it.

Wednesday April 20, 2022

Jane and Maura didn't tell the children from day to day what they were going to do each day. They wanted to surprise the children. Angela came over and fixed them breakfast and had brought the other four children with her as well as Constance, Arthur, Arianna and Mario. At the end of breakfast and Kate asked, "Where we go today, mama?"

"Your grand-peré has a special place he loves to take you to. Do you remember where that is?" Jane asked.

Kate looked puzzled for a minute and then said, "Moo see him?"

"Yes baby, grand-peré and grand-meré want to take us all to his favorite museum, The Museum of Science. Is that okay with you?"

"Me love the moo see him." Kate stated excitedly. She really did love the museum and Constance and Arthur knew that and figured it would be a perfect place to take them. Jane thought to herself, 'nine adults, eight kids, we can do this. The children are all well-behaved. Besides Maura will wow them with all her facts, we got this.'

The first exhibit they visited was the 'Emotions at Play with Pixar's Inside Out.' This exhibit explained about emotions, memories, and imagination and their role in everyone's day to day life. Kate was a little young for this exhibit but she still had fun with it. Maura tried her best to help Kate understand the exhibit. Maura knew that exhibits changed frequently at the museum and she knew the other children would understand it and that is why she wanted them to see it before it went away. That was one of the things the children loved about this museum, things changed and it meant you could keep coming back because you would see different things every time.

They visited another exhibit and then had some lunch. After lunch they visited a few more exhibits and ended up in the Engineering Design Workshop Exhibit. Maura knew the children would enjoy being able to learn about the engineering design process and to practice what they learned in the young learner zones. She loved to instill science into their young lives and loved that her parents also loved doing that.

The children had an excellent time at the museum. Maura did in fact wow all the children with her facts about the exhibits and her vast knowledge of science. Jane was simply in awe every time Maura spouted off facts. It was one of the things she loved about Maura. They stopped at their favorite pizzeria on the way home. Before meeting Jane, Constance had never had pizza. She was being exposed to so many things since Maura met Jane and she loved it.

Before they went upstairs with Nicky and Giana for their bedtime story, the children all looked at Jane and Maura and MJ asked, "What are we doing tomorrow?"

Jane said, "How about I tell you in the morning after breakfast?"

"Mama, can't we know now? I don't want to wonder all night long." MJ said and the other children shook their heads in agreement. Jane looked at Maura and she nodded her head in agreement with the children.

"Okay, I will tell you but you have to let me and mommy sleep in tomorrow, okay?"

"Okay, we have a deal." MJ said as he offered his hand to seal the deal. Jane shook his hand.

"Tomorrow, the Red Sox are playing the Toronto Blue Jays at 1:10 in the afternoon and I thought you might want to go to the game again."

The children all shook their heads and said, "Yes," and went upstairs so Nicky and Giana could read them their bedtime story. Jane and Maura knew it would take them a few minutes to settle down to go to sleep. Jane thought it would be worth it though as she would get to sleep in. When Nicky and Giana came back downstairs, they had a chance to talk and visit. They filled Jane and Maura in on everything that was going on in their lives.

Thursday April 21, 2022

Boy, Jane and Maura were surprised, the children actually let Jane and Maura sleep in, not long but they didn't come in their room until 8 AM. They were quiet, they just all climbed up in the bed and cuddled up with their mothers. Jane had her alarm set for 9 AM. She wanted to leave by noon and they would have to fix breakfast for the children and make sure they were dressed and ready to go.

Jane and Maura had stayed up late, appreciating one another after Nicky and Giana had retired to the guest house. They were exhausted when the children came in. Jane convinced Maura that they had to take advantage of the time when they could or they would never have any quality adult time until the children moved out. Maura understood what Jane was saying and made sure the door was locked. When Jane got up earlier in the morning to use the restroom, she unlocked the door and made sure she and Maura had pajamas on.

The children didn't normally come into bed with them but with them being on their school holiday, they knew the children would be visiting them every morning and they loved it.

Angela, Constance, Arthur, Arianna and Mario were arriving at 11:30. They were bringing the other four grandchildren with them, as they were watching them this week, while their parents worked. They were all staying with Constance and Arthur. That was the new normal on school breaks. They shared the grandchildren as much as they could.

Constance had converted one of the guest rooms into a playroom for the children. She and Arthur loved to have the children over and wanted to make sure they were comfortable in their house. Arthur had cleared off a few shelves in his library so he could have age-appropriate books on hand for the children. He enjoyed reading as did several of the children.

If they couldn't find something that interested them to read, they would go to the bookstore and find something. He wanted the children to have an appreciation for the printed form of a book. He knew this generation was into reading books and magazines off of a tablet.

Within a few minutes of everyone arriving, everyone loaded up in the vehicles and they left for Fenway. The game started at 1:10 PM promptly. The Red Sox were favored to win against Toronto Blue Jays so Jane was hopeful that would be the case. As the innings progressed so did the Red Sox' lead over the Blue Jays. Everyone was excited. Kate had fallen asleep in Maura's lap a little after two, she tried so hard to stay awake but her little body needed rest. Lilly and AJ were getting tired also but they stayed awake. They just weren't as animated as they were when they first arrived. Alessandra was sound asleep on Constance's lap.

When the game was over, Jane carried a tired Kate and Arthur carried Alessandra out to the car. They were both wide awake by the time they stopped for ice cream before going to Constance and Arthur's house for dinner. Constance had insisted on the ice cream stop, she knew how much the children loved ice cream and she wanted to spoil her grandchildren.

Frankie, Nina, Tommy and Chloe joined them for dinner. It was Chloe's normal night off. Weekends were crazy for her at the restaurant, so she took Thursday nights off before the rush of the weekend. The children were so excited about the game and had to tell their parents all about it. Frankie and Tommy wished that they could have gone to the game with them but they had to work. They could only take so much time off from work so they had to plan accordingly.

Friday April 22, 2022

It was supposed to rain late Friday afternoon so Jane, Maura, Nicky and Giana just took the children to the park and had an early picnic. They let the children run around for a while and burn off some of their pent-up energy. After the park they went home to watch the movie, Sing, followed by dinner, and then the movie Sing 2. Constance, Arthur, Arianna and Mario met them at the house.

The children were sad that their spring break was coming to an end. The children had been enjoying their special time with their mothers. Jane and Maura worked a lot and quality family time was special for each of them. MJ continued to be curious as to what his mothers had planned so he asked again, "Mama what are we doing this weekend?"

Jane told him, "I didn't plan anything. It is supposed to rain tomorrow morning. Why don't you think of something and let me know at breakfast? After all it is a break for all of us and you should have some say in what we do."

"That sounds great mama, I will do that." MJ said as they all made their way to their bedrooms so they could get ready for bed. MJ's brain was going through all the things they could do this weekend. He needed to come up with something that his brother and sisters would like.

Saturday April 23, 2022

The children had asked if they could have another game day and with the morning showers, Saturday proved to be the perfect day for board games. Each child was allowed to pick one game that they would play that day. Maura figured the best way to select what game to play first was to put the children's name in a bowl and select. Lilly's name was drawn first. She had selected Chutes and Ladders. They enjoyed playing the game and Jane was excited that she had won the game.

AJ was up next, he selected Monopoly. They put a time limit on the game or they could have ended up playing the game all day. They selected one hour for the time limit. Kate didn't want to play. She wanted to assist Maura, so she sat on Maura's lap as they played and helped her move her little doggie piece around the board. Maura was very methodical in her strategy and was able to acquire the first monopoly. She led for quite a while until MJ was able to force AJ into a bankruptcy. MJ then took the lead and ended up winning the game at the end of the hour. Giana came in second and Maura/Kate placed third with Lilly coming in fourth and AJ fifth. Nicky beat out Jane barely for last place. They had fun playing the game and that is what was important.

Everyone from the Isles house had come over after lunch, they played Kate's memory game. They played as teams and Kate asked MJ to be her partner. After the game the children all went outside to play with Nicky and Giana supervising them. Jane had gotten the croquet set out and they were having fun smashing the balls around the yard. She wasn't sure if they really understood the game but they were having fun. They really wanted to go swimming but it was a little cold for that, even though the pool was heated.

Nicky asked if they could grill up some steaks and burgers. Jane thought that sounded like a great idea. Jane, Maura, Arianna and Mario went to the store to get the necessary items knowing that Frankie and Tommy would be over soon with their wives. They also knew that Frankie and Tommy would try to take over the grilling duties but Nicky said he was in charge of the grill after all it was his idea and he wanted to do something for his family. Jane was so proud of the man he had grown to become. He reminded her so much of Angelo when he was that age. Nicky resembled his father quite a bit also.

Sunday April 24, 2022

Sunday found the family at the local arcade/batting cages. After seeing both of the Red Sox games the boys had wanted to go to the batting cages. Jane took them there a couple of times a year and they really enjoyed it. There was an arcade so they could play games as well eat some food. Lilly and Kate found some games they enjoyed. Kate was really getting the hang of Skee-ball. Giana was a great teacher showing her how to roll the ball up the lane. The highest score you could get on each roll was 50 and Kate got it twice, she was so happy. She beat Lilly on her first game by 20 points and Lilly immediately wanted a rematch. Maura enjoyed the game with the girls. They played several racing games and Maura had to work the foot controls for Kate as she steered the car. The girls went out to the batting cages after Frankie and Tommy arrived with their children.

Angela, Constance and Arthur had stayed home and everybody was coming over their house when they were finished playing at the arcade/batting cages. Angela and Constance had gone to the grocery store and picked up all the fixings for ice cream sundaes. They figured that would be a nice way to end Spring Break.

It was Sunday and like every Sunday, it was family dinner night. Angela made a lasagna for dinner with all the fixings. They had an early dinner and then ended the evening as Constance had suggested with ice cream sundaes. While getting all the fixings out for to make the sundae bar, Angela told Constance, "Constance, thank you for making this week so special with the grandchildren. I really appreciate all that you and Arthur have done to help."

"No problem, Angela, we enjoy spending time with the family. We never dreamed we would have such a big family. We appreciate you letting us share all of the grandchildren."

Angela announced to everyone that it was time for dessert. Everyone fixed their sundae and then sat around and chatted. At 8 PM everyone said good night and departed for their homes. Arianna, Mario, Nicky and Giana were staying in town for another week. The grandchildren all had school in the morning and Jane and Maura had to go back to work. It had been a fun staycation and Jane and Maura thought they might try this again for a future vacation, it wasn't always necessary to go somewhere. There was so much to do and see in close proximity to Boston.