5 of them!

I've been looking forward to this weekend all summer!  Libby and Zig have been planning for a weekend away at the beach for the past few months, and we were so excited to be on babysitter duty.  Mostly the kids were thrilled to have two days to play together with Brooke and Hayden.  I was perhaps a bit apprehensive about the prospect of there being 5 of them (ages 7, 5, 4, 2 and 1)...but I ate my Wheaties on Friday morning and was excited for the challenge.  I may or may not have threatened my own three within an inch of their lives that they had best behave while we were there.  But whatever works.

 

On Friday night we had a pizza party (Thanks to Nana and Pap!) and the kids were thrilled.  They were just so happy to be together.  We got tubs and set up our air mattress city in the living room.  Everyone settled in to watch Frozen and eat some popcorn.  Mara proved the greatest sleeping challenge on Friday night, and it wasn't long before we both ended up in Libby and Zig's bedroom so that I could keep her from waking up the two bigger girls.

 

 

 

Saturday morning we all got right into playing.  I had brought some new activities with me and the girls and I got into building Legos together and doing some art projects.  I felt super accomplished because I managed a shower and even makeup on my face while the kids were playing.  I totally employed Dora and a few crackers as a distraction with Hayden and Mara, and was feeling pretty good!  My mom came by in the afternoon just as we were finishing lunch and getting Hayden down for her nap, and suggested that she would stay at the house while Hayden napped if I wanted to take the big kids out to blow off some steam.  So that's what we did!

 

 

 

This crew and I headed to the playground where we ran and climbed and played and SWEATED!  

 

So we made our next stop the only one that I could think of to cool off our clan.  McDonalds wasn't too far away, and their cones are safe for Joshua, so that's where we went.  They were so happy.

 

Saturday night we made a spaghetti feast with Nana and Pap, broke out the little pool for the kids to splash in, took a walk (and since I was pulling the two little girls UPHILL in a wagon I considered it my exercise for the day), and then tubbed again because they were all filthy.  Everyone crashed hard and I even had a little time for a tv show and some reading before I went to sleep.  Mara slept much better the second night, but Hayden had a little trouble around 2:30 am.  After we walked a bit, I got her settled back to sleep before 3.  We were all up, raring to go again, before 7 am on Sunday.

Lib and Zig pulled in around 11:30.  The girls were thrilled to see them!  (Me too!)  We were glad to have survived, but so grateful for the chance to spend that kind of time together.