A Fun Weekend with the Cousins!

Memorial Day Weekend was looking pretty gloomy. The weather forecast was rain, rain, rain. Our traditional camping trip was put on hold and we weren't sure quite what to do. A last minute change of plans left the cousins looking for something to do and we had been trying to find a weekend to get together so rain or no rain, we decided to play... and we played hard!

They arrived Friday night, just in time to say a quick hello (which means run around the house screaming with excitement) and then go to bed.

Saturday morning everyone got up bright and early. We went down to the church to play soccer and a game of kick-ball (it was raining).

I was surprised at how intense the kids played.

This is what I did.

Then, we came home and Tally and I got a nice quiet visit while Austin was sleeping and Jared and my brother Chris took all the older kids for a bike ride to the new donut shop and park. They were gone for nearly two hours which was lovely. After our late night visiting, we were glad to catch a nap. Once they got home, the kids watched a movie while the dads took their well deserved nap, we ate dinner, and then headed off to the roller skating rink.

Everyone did great although I will admit the first hour was rough. By the end, even Emma and Gavin could go around the rink on their own.

The boys got a little crazy, but that's nothing new.

Sunday morning came way too early. I'm not sure how we made it to 9 a.m. church on time, but we did. After a quick lunch, we announced an hour of quiet time. All the kids grumbled, but within minutes of laying down the house was quiet and all 8 kids and 4 adults slept for nearly 2 hours!

We went for a big family bike ride.. 4 adults, 2 bike trailers, and 5 kids speeding around us made quite the sight I'm sure.

The kids worked out some energy at these work-out stations. It was perfect!

We came back to the house and enjoyed a yummy dinner then relaxed a bit.

Monday morning my sister-in-law Tally and I took the two older girls and Austin and headed off to the mall for some shopping. It really was fun! Both Linsey and Savannah LOVE to shop and were thrilled with their new matching outfits. I wish I would have had my camera all day long to capture the moments when they found the different things we bought, skipped through the mall, and sipped from the same soda at lunch.

I did get a couple pictures once we got home. This was one of my favorites.

We found matching sports t-shirts for the boys too. They had fun walking to the store to get treats and then going to a movie while we were gone. I guess it poured rain on them, but hey... little boys love puddles and rain.

We went to a Mariners Baseball game Monday night.

Here is all of the group, all but Tally who is taking the picture.

The Mariners lost, but only by one run. We still had fun, the highlight of the night was when Hunter and Zach were dancing silly and made it on the jumbotron.

Austin was a trooper.

We finally gave in and got the ridiculously overpriced cotton candy for the kids.

Tuesday after packing up, we went to a nearby park for one last energy burning activity before the cousins had to load up and make the 5 hour trip home. Honestly, I don't know how they even had any energy left. I was exhausted.



Here in the Seattle area, a little rain doesn't stop us from having fun. Emma always reminds me that I LOVE rain because it makes her hair curly. It's true. I do love the rain!