Summer Fun with Family

A few weeks ago I got together with three of my cousins, my sister and all their kids! It was a lot of crazy fun! Between us we had 15 kids and one on the way. Fortunately, a big backyard with water and sand provided all the entertainment they needed and the mommies pretty much stayed inside and visited. Awesome! My cousin Stefanie and I went to pick up food for the kids and came back with: 50 chicken nuggets, 3 hamburgers, and 3 large fries. We made up a huge pitcher of lemonade and by the time we went back out to check on everyone, everything was eaten up. Dishing that up for all the kids was fun and crazy. I had just gotten my braces on two days before and wasn't really eating much. My cousin Bree cooked some asparagus which was tender enough for me to chew. It was my favorite thing that sore-mouth day! Thanks Bree! The boys had a blast running around with all the cousins, (technically all but Hannah are second cousins, but for my kids, any cousins are cousins!) and playing outside virtually unsupervised! Tyler eventually came in on his own, but I had to force Trenton to get dressed so we could leave about four+ hours later. I was so glad there was another big boy there for him to play with!
Right before the outside fun began, my cousin Bree put out her bowl of sugar on the table for the kids. And boy did they go through it. I think we finally had to rein a few of them in, but sending them directly outside with all the built of sugar was pretty funny to watch. :)
Paige and Magnus had to stay inside, but they didn't mind having it quieter and with more room to roam around in. The next day I met up again with my cousin Bree for another go at the church history museum. Again, so much fun! You should go if you can!! When the 4th came around we did a few fireworks outside with Ben's sister, brother and his wife. It was fun and low key. Our neighbors came home while we were out there and we ended up all playing with fire for awhile together. Of course whatever child of ours happens to be three that year, the fireworks are too loud for them and we get nothing but pictures of them covering their ears. Cracks me up! We always get glowsticks for the kids this time of year. My awesome sisters-in-law played swords with the boys for quite awhile. Because of all the new laws about fireworks this year we were able to see lots of cool displays and shows right from our porch. A little more relaxing and low key than years past: perfect for me this year!