Farewell, Friends! (A Note From Mommy)

Ten out of twelve of us are in this picture-not bad! :)

Lots of you have been wondering how life has been with lots of company staying with us. It has been an amazing ride! Anna and Brian and their two kiddos, Sam and Katherine, arrived at the airport Saturday morning. We got them home and settled, and Jacob and Laura, Lucas and Cherissa, and their son Maximus arrived here Saturday afternoon. We were all together for the rest of Saturday and all day Sunday.

On Saturday night, all the guys bonded over a sneak peek of Ratatouille, and the gals bonded over giving the kids dinner and putting them to bed. All the adults had a chance to catch up together after the guys got home. The next day, we all went to church together, and then the gals bonded with walking, talking, and food while the guys bonded over naps-both for them and the kids. We grilled out (or as they say here, "barbequed,") and had a fun evening before Jacob and Laura, Lucas and Cherissa, and Maximus had to get on the road for their next destination. I know it brought joy to all of our hearts to be together and see the kids play together, and we had a great time laughing over old times and making some new memories, too.

I've been asked where we put everyone, so here's how it worked when we were all here at the same time: Jeff and I slept in the family room, Jacob and Laura slept in Jeff's office, Jonathan and Sam slept in Jonathan's room, Anna, Brian, and Katherine slept in the guest room, and Lucas, Cherissa, and Maximus slept in the master bedroom. (Cherissa is expecting and deserved the best bed! :) )

Monday was a big "destination" day with Anna and Brian and the kids-we pushed it pretty hard, and except for a few crying jags, we all had a great time. We made some memories in the rental minivan. :) When I get ambitous, I'll post pictures. We had looked forward to this trip for a really long time, and we weren't disappointed! The highlight of the day was driving on very curvy roads on the way home. Jeff was in the very back with Jonathan and Sam, and he taught them how to scream and raise their hands on the "rollercoaster" while Brian drove and exaggerated the curves a bit. The laughter coming from the backseat made the difficult parts of the day worth it!

Tuesday, we took it easy and ran a few errands. Jeff had to go to work, and we kept ourselves busy while he was gone. In the evening, the kids stayed home and played with the babysitter while the adults went to a celebratory meal. It was Anna and Brian's eighth anniversary, and ours is in less than a month. We enjoyed every moment of a special meal that would have been lost on the kids.

We are so thankful that all these dear friends got to be together at the same time. Things are really quiet here now, and it's a great time for a nap.

Where will we all meet up next?