In mid-July we got a visit from our friends Tim and Lindsy and their babies to meet our newest addition! I won't lie, I was anxious about hosting anyone in our house because of Ivy's unpredictable schedule and screaming, let alone 6 more someones. But it was a wonderful time and I should not have worried at all because Lindsy is the baby-wisperer and her kids kept my kids entertained and, though our conversations are broken because of -hello!- so many kids, it was awesome being able to have an adult to talk to about life and a new baby and 4 kids. When you are in the trenches of having a newborn along with 3 other children it is nice to have someone who understands and will cry with you and give you "atta girls" in support while also whipping up crafts and breakfast at the same time. We had a wonderful visit and miss their entire family so much.
This blog really needs to be broken up into 4 different blogs. But that ain't happenin'. So I am throwing it all into one super crazy long blog because that is honestly easiest!! Lindsy and Tim helped us out so much, from cooking breakfast and lunch every-single-day, to herding children out the door for playtime, to taking the boys to the splash pad and ice cream, to crafts, to holding Ivy so I could shower/pee/breathe...I cannot possibly express how much they actually helped. But there are a lot of great pictures....
Breakfast with 7 kiddos (there is one extra place for when Ivy is big enough to sit at the table!!)
A bunch-o-kids ready to go to the splash pad and feed the ducks and McDonald's for ice cream!
While on a walk in our neighborhood, Tim took the kids exploring in a creek while Lindsy and I walked and pushed the babies. They found a leech and a snake and crawdads and all kinds of other "cool" stuff!!
Craft time!!! Making slime and galaxy bottles! Messy fun means happy kids!
I am not sure what is behind this picture of Avery and Keagan, but it is hilarious to me!!
Ivy got lots of snuggles!!
Water balloon fight!!!!!!!!!! (there were also daily Nerf gun wars, but no one was brave enough to get pictures!)
While Josh missed a lot of the daily fun because he had to work, he worked the early shift so we were able to go out on the boat two evenings in a row! The first evening we hung out a little on the lake and then headed to dinner at a restaurant on the lake called Thirsty Turtle. It was delicious and the kids and adults all had a total blast!
Trying to get a picture of us girls, with a few of the kids around...something about a camera brings everyone around and the resulting pictures are hilarious and perfect!!
Maclyn's idea of a good boat day always involves food!! She is content to sit on the back of the boat with a bag of Cheeze-Its and a drink...
On our way to the restaurant!! Everyone loves a good boat ride!
Once we got off the boat at The Thirsty Turtle, we decided to get a picture of all the kids, from youngest to oldest. Lindsy and I have been friends since college (the bottom picture is from 2004), and I don't think either one of us would have imagined we would add 8 children to our friendship! In order of age, youngest to oldest: Ivy, Maclyn, Micah, Grey, Finn, Avery, Keagan, Kennedy.
Boat ride home...and a gorgeous sunset!
Our second boating day was more low key and we brought out the lily pad for the kids to play on and brought supper and snacks to munch on instead of going to dinner.
After Josh and Tim unrolled the mat, the kids literally flocked onto it. And as you can tell from their smiles, they were having an absolute blast!!!
After the big kids got some energy out on the lily pad, we booted them off so Maclyn could have a turn without being squashed or bounced off or drowned! And she LOVED it!!
Ivy wasn't having being put in her down in her pack-in-play for any length of time...very high-maintenance during this boating excursion...I was thankful for some extra arms!
As I wrap up documenting this visit from the Taylors, I feel a whole lot of sadness. The time flew when they were visiting, we had such a great time. I know that the next time we see them all of the kids are going to be bigger, and while it will be like no time at all has passed between Tim & Lindsy and Josh & me, our kids will need a reintroduction to each other. Luckily, though, everytime we get the kids together they love being around one another!! Looking forward to next year!! (95% of the pictures in this post are from Lindsy! I have not done the best job in documenting life lately...thankful for her photog skills along with everything else!)
