When their grandmother had a health scare, five cousins from central Pennsylvania decided to make their long-held plan of having an adult cousin’s sleepover a reality.
Linda and Ronald George were shocked as their five grandkids–Amber Hauck, 32, Kelsey Daddario, 32, Morgan Kratzer, 30, Jenna Daddario, 29, and Adam Fisher, 26–arrived at their doorstep on the evening of Nov. 25 in their pajamas, with pillows, pizza, and wine.
They bundled into their living room and began setting up their beds on the floor. All but Mr. Fisher are married and have young kids. But their spouses stepped in to take care of the kids so that the cousins could enact their sleepover plan after 20 years.
“[Our grandparents] had no clue,” Ms. Hauck told The Epoch Times. “Our parents ... were at their house before. ... They knew we were coming, but my grandparents did not. That way, we could get a video.”
Although it was a sweet surprise, Ms. Hauck’s grandma’s biggest worry was who was taking care of the kids, and she didn’t like that her grandchildren would have to sleep on the floor.
“[We] said we didn’t care; it was one night, we could do it just to spend the time with them,” Ms. Hauck said.
After the “initial shock,” the five cousins settled down with their grandparents and played dominoes, a game they used to play together during sleepovers as kids.
“We thought we were going to watch a movie too, but we played dominoes for so long that we didn’t get to the movie,” Ms. Hauck said. “We had a really good time doing that.”
The Georges and their grandkids spent the rest of the night reminiscing about sleepovers from the past and remembering Grandpa Ronald’s epic breakfasts that always followed the next morning.
“We joked around that we expected breakfast in the morning, which he did do!” Ms. Hauck said. “My grandfather made a big sausage and French toast sticks, and he'd bought some cookies at a bakery a day before. He didn’t even realize we were coming, but he laid those out as well. Then we all sat around the table and ate, and it was a good time.”
Needless to say, the sleepover was memorable for Mr. and Mrs. George too.
Ms. Hauck told The Epoch Times, “I actually work in the nursing home healthcare realm, so I know how lonely the elderly can get. I’m glad that this has become a trend, and people are taking the time for their families.”
Mr. George, who worked for a company selling animal feed to farmers, and Mrs. George who worked in a bank, live within 5 miles of all their grandkids. Ms. Hauck said it “would be weird” if her tight-knit family didn’t see each other at least once a week.
“We always look for reasons to get together,” she said. “We love gathering at my grandparents’ house because of the big homey living room that they have. ... I think family traditions and our family are super important. We have a ton of family traditions we do, and we all go a little nuts if we decide to change them a little bit! We like to keep things the same.”
Ms. Hauck and her cousins share a really special and precious bond with their grandparents. Ms. Hauck described her grandfather’s personality as someone who is “really funny” with “no worries in the world,” and a positive thinker who’s always willing to get down on the floor and play games with his great-grandkids. Her grandmother, on the other hand, is “a big worrywart” but is very caring, and she’s someone who would do anything for them.
