Life is extra wonderful when family comes to town! And this week it was Husband's brother who brought along his amazing wife and their adorably sweet little girl. We had a great time playing with them for the last few days.
On Wednesday, we met all of Husband's family for a family playdate at the zoo. Our big girls bounded around full of energy while AngelBaby watched much more sedately from the stroller. We especially loved the elephants and the showboating sea lion that was eager for their attention, playing and twirling in the water in front of them. AngelBaby eventually fell asleep in her stroller but the big girls continued on, squealing over each new discovery, chattering to the "skunk monkey" and sharing a popcorn snack with daddy. We loved the new polar bear exhibit and got to feel the fur pelt of a snow leopard in the big cats exhibit. The zebras have mysteriously disappeared (Butterfly is especially sad about this) but the rest of our visit was great. We played in the zoo's playground for a few minutes before we left and continued onto a different park where Grandma spread out a picnic banquet. The girls played more than they ate but AngelBaby made a new discovery of veggie straws and delightedly devoured them as fast as she could.
That evening we met up with them again at the infamous Train, which is not actually a train at all but a hamburger joint. A model train circles the restaurant overhead (often causing squeals of joy from my little brood) and there's a huge train toy table tucked into the corner that I use to bribe my girls to finish their dinners. (and if that isn't enough, their shakes are fantastic and come in every flavor imaginable. my favorite is the chocolate dipped strawberry shake. or mint oreo. or hot fudge marshmallow. or fudge brownie. it's a tough call.) After dinner we invited everyone to our house to celebrate my niece's 2nd birthday! I made her a cake (a giant purple daisy) and she got to open presents. I loved watching her sweet excitement. She's so tiny (especially next to my girls, even AngelBaby is almost as big as her already!), and beautiful--a picture perfect porcelain doll with a charming and sweet personality to match. She's as gentle as my girls are wild and yet they played really well together. Butterfly and Ladybug actually fight over her, wanting to play with her. And she gives the best hugs and sweetest delicate kisses.
On Thursday, we sent Daddy off to chaperone our ward's Youth Conference but me and the girls invited family to our house for another playdate. Again, Grandma provided the feast and we made sushi rolls using leftovers from the picnic. They are amazing cooks so I always watch them to see what kind of masterpieces they assemble from simple ingredients, usually a combination I wouldn't have thought of but love to try and imitate. So my rolls weren't as neat but sure tasted good! AngelBaby got especially spoiled because there were so many tasty things that she could snack on. Her favorite of the day was mango slices.
On Friday we got to have lunch with them at my favorite restaurant in town (featuring traditional Mexican food). Typically I avoid going in public without daddy because my three girls can be a handful but with Uncle, Aunt and Grandma there, I figured we were safe. The girls were great, coloring pictures on the paper tablecovering and devouring chips.
Friday evening was a blast. Grandma had a brilliant idea for a potato party and invited us over for a potato bar dinner. As the potatoes baked, we played in the yard to burn off some energy. The girls ran and chased and played duck, duck, goose. We played with toys and pretended to eat all the curious food my little chefs pretended to make (like root beer chicken, watermelon popsicles or pizza with chicken, mushrooms and strawberries). Then the girls assembled the table decorations, which was six or seven different Mr. Potato Head people (Darth Vader, a mermaid, a rockstar, a princess, etc.) The potato bar that mom created was amazing. Not just sour cream, butter and cheese, but pulled pork, bacon, sauteed mushrooms, green onions, olives, pepperonis and more. The girls loved it (Butterfly devoured the mushrooms!) After dinner we went for a short walk and Butterfly rode on grandpa's shoulders which worked out great for him because she spent the whole walk playing with his hair (a great scalp massage). Stubborn little Ladybug pranced around, refusing to be held but happy to lead the group. We finished the night with waffle bowl ice cream sundaes (including fresh strawberry/rhubarb sauce made by grandpa and the girls) that we ate while sitting on the back porch to enjoy the warm evening and gorgeous view of the mountains, and presents that grandma and grandpa surprised us with as a belated mothers day/fathers day/special occasion gift. It was pretty late when we finally arrived at home, happy and worn out from such a fun day.
And today was our last playdate--a brief stop at the park to run and play before my little niece and her family took off to visit more family. They played, we said goodbye, and then played for a few minutes until Daddy joined us! (unfortunately missing the send off by ten minutes!) Home from youth conference, he was definitely ready to see his girls so we played for a few minutes before coming home and the entire family crashed for naptime. ah, blissful naptime...
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