Crazy Weekend

This past weekend was extremely busy for me. My cousins were here from out of state- this happens once a year and produces lots of excitement and fun, but very little sleep. Friday was a full day, even though half of it was spent just hanging out at my parents house. The youngest of the bunch- Morgan- was highly entertaining, pulling magnets off the fridge and walking around like she owned the house. Large quantities of noise came from her sweet little mouth, but we didn't mind. All she had to do was say, "Hey, Mel-Mel," and I would have let her talk all night long.

It was her big sisters, though, who really liked to talk all night. They were thrilled that they could spend the night at my apartment. The whole family went to a fun fair that evening, along with Nils, who had a blast. After Nils was safe at home in his bed, I went home and prepared a tea party for the girls. We had cake and tea and dressed up a little for added excitement. I had 4 little girls, and it was after 10 pm, so the excitement level was way up! There was a lot of laughter as the girls reviewed tea party rules, such as "no slurping" and "drink with your pinky up". I was talking with a very poor British accent, but the girls thought it was hilarious.

The youngest set of twins left after the tea party, but Madison and Macalah stayed. I got the air mattress out and set it up. They insisted that I sleep in between them, which was cozy for them and rather too close for me. I ended up sneaking over to the couch around 6 am.

On Sunday, my parents and brothers and I traveled into south Chicago to go to church with everyone. It was a long day, but fun. Whenever we're all together, I seem to spend most of the time laughing.

The time was fast and crazy, and though I was completely worn out, I had a great time with everybody. I did learn a couple of things. Lesson 1-When you eat with children, ketchup is not your friend. Madison apologized for the ketchup that seemed to keep appearing on my jeans at the buffet on Friday. I was in awe that it could be in so many places. Lesson 2- if you are laughing too much at the table, ice cream can come out of your mouth and end up all over the table. ( This did not happen to me, but I observed it.) Lesson 3- children really are wonderful! I already knew that, but it's nice to have reminders- I felt very loved this weekend!