Fun with Friends

A few weeks ago my dear friend Kate from Kennewick said she and Marielle, another good friend, wanted to come with their kids up for a visit. Of course I was all over that and said heck yes! I didn't tell the kids right away because it would have been "forever" for them to wait. But finally it got close enough to give them the news and they were certainly excited!

 

After some car tire issues, the gang got here about 8:30 Thursday night. We were all up till about 11pm or so visiting, laughing, playing and having a good time. And even our dogs Gumby and Stormy remembered Marielle and gave her lots of affection and licks. It was kind of sweet. She gave us the dogs right after we moved here because she couldn't keep them anymore.
 

Kate's youngest, Sabree is 16 months old and loves to hold babies. So when she saw Kosette all she wanted to do was hold her. This is how it went the first couple of times. It made me laugh!

Everyone slept decently the first night. It's always a process with kids, getting them settled in a bed that's not their own. And although we were tight on space with 7 extra people around, they were all champs and adjusted nicely. As I was putting the three youngest boys to bed (Jameson, Braden, Jefferson) Jameson says to me: "Mommy, Brady loves me, and I love him too." Since we moved here, at least 3 or 4 times a week Jameson has said something regarding his best friend Brady. It's been sweet! 

Slumber parties are always fun, no matter how old you are!

Friday morning we had a nice breakfast and the kids were outside with the sheep and dogs for about 4 hours. Kate and Marielle were troopers and helped me prep and freeze 40 lbs of chicken. We had some lunch and then headed to the park to play. Marielle stayed with all the kids while I went with Kate to get her car checked out at Les Schwab. While they were gettig it all fixed up we headed back to the park. 

Then it was time to get to work. Because you can't come visit a farm family and not work a little ;) So we headed to the farm and loaded hay!

We did about 4 loads this size. It took about 4-5 hours, but everyone did awesome and he kids had lots if fun! 

Marielle and Kate took all the kids home and started dinner while Kody and I finished up the last load. That was super nice of them! 

After dinner we got all the kids settled and ready for bed,  and Kody was a good sport to watch all 10 kids while us moms went out for some ice cream! I've got the best man ever! 

We headed to Zips, sat in a booth and some of us enjoyed ice cream and some of us enjoyed diet Pepsi. And we just chewed the fat! It was so great! We laughed and laughed, told funny experiences, laughed some more, got caught up on each other's lives, laughed some more, and then we laughed some more! It was quite blissful! 

We got home about 10pm and we were on such a sugar high we decided to have a pedicure session in the laundry room! Thats right, the laundry room. Kate was an awesome Asian white nail lady and put our feet in bread pans and everything to get the "real effect" of a pedicure. Lets just say when you get three tired, sugar rushed moms together late at night, we could become some great entertainment! 

We finally went through detox and headed to bed at about midnight. But not before lots more laughs durning nail painting, of course. 

I think everyone slept a little better the second night, especially after all the hard work. 

Saturday was great too. Cereal for breakfast was quick and then the kids headed out with the dogs and sheep again. Kate made some super yummy cinnamon rolls that we all enjoyed. And ya better believe I got the recipe!

And then she changed my life and showed me how to make freezer jam! Can't believe I haven't done it before!! So easy and sooo tasty. I think I will nearly vow never to buy another jar of store bought jam again. And like she said, she's changing the world one household at a time and soon will put Smuckers out of business! 

Then we had lunch and headed over to the farm again. Marielle and Kate got some vegetables, the kids picked about 30 squash from the garden and we enjoyed a walk around part of the farm down to the lake and dam. 

Then it was the time we were all dreading...time for our friends to leave. We headed back home and they got all packed up. Sabree and Kosette became friends...10 minutes before they all left, but I got some cute pictures. 

We are sooooo glad they came to visit! It's always a trek to make with kids and traveling, but I'm thankful for dear friends who love us enough to come visit. Because we sure love them A LOT! So a big shout out to my peeps Marielle and Kate for being Awesome! Love your guts ladies! And our kids certainly love yours too! 

Can't wait until you come visit again!!!