Party time with those Polish Valentines!

Long, long ago in July we had quite the exciting two weeks with some very special cousins! As mentioned in the previous post, the visit started off with a bang when Jenny ended up in the hospital & Steve was stranded in Houston on the last leg of his trip back from Poland. The only exciting part about their situation was that I got to visit Jenny twice while she was an inpatient & we got to talk for about 6 hours uninterrupted. That certainly did not happen the rest of the visit! A few days after discharge the crew moved in to the Valentine Nest with lots of suitcases, snacks & smiles!

This picture was taken just moments before we sent them on their way. It's my fave of all the cousins together.

One thing we enjoyed about a weeklong stay was the opportunity to do some normal daily activities. For example, we spent an afternoon at the library looking at books & learning about bees. Quite possibly the most energetic bee keeper there ever was led us in song, showed off her beekeeper attire & sent everyone to table after table to taste honey, look at bees under a microscope & make some cute little antennae. There was a number of questions from a kid about pollination which ended with her saying "that's called the birds & the bees & you can talk to your parents about that!" Oh my, were we giggling!

We had a ladies outing that included lots of debating at Half Price Books about how to spend $3 & then Sonic for some frozen lemonade.

They really had fun together & were cute as they could be. I do think all those little brothers made them a bit annoyed but that's what little brothers are supposed to do sometimes, right?

Those little guys (don't tell them I called them little) took a trip to Central Market with Steve & Jenny. Isaac had a jam session in the car while Owen & Anson watched. That kid has some moves & I think he got them from Aunt Lala!  They had a blast running in the backyard or racing Hot Wheels on a track down the entire staircase......and picking on the big sisters!

One obsession ended up filling lots of time for the big girlies. It was an Animal Rescue Team which we are pretty sure stemmed from another obsession. Dolphin Tale, the movie had been on replay for a long time in both our homes & practicing animal rescue was on the top of the priority list. They decided to start small with roly-polys but quickly advanced to the most miniature frogs the park had to offer. There was a sign posted on the door of the Animal Hospital headquarters and lots of decorative posters on the door to where the animals were kept. Take note of "Save the BABBY animals!" During one of our drives we overheard the three of them talking about when they were 19, they would move to Clearwater, Florida to work at the Clearwater Marine Aquarium where Dolphin Tale was filmed. They decided they would room together & drive a Corvette. I guess that means only two could get around at a time...that's where the plan breaks down & shows that you still need your parents to help you make the right decisions!

The girls took notes & even brought a ruler to measure how far the frogs could jump. The rescue kit was filled to the brim with necessary items like water to make sure the frogs could stay damp if needed.

Here's the best bug catcher I know with a roly-poly.

We played a LOT! Char got a new Polish game called Nogi Stonogi & it is perfect for all ages. It's a battle to make the longest caterpillar by rolling dice. One night we played another game that Aunt Jenny thought would be awesome. It was, depending on who you ask. It is called Bean Boozled & is basically a game meant to see how many people can gag without throwing up. There are 10 colors of jelly beans but each color has two vastly different flavors. It's a guessing game & there is no turning back once the nasty flavor is in your mouth. Uncle Steve was surrounded as he took his turn.

Check out the possibilities without gagging..

It's hard to pick the worst but for me, the dog food & barf flavors just about did me in. If it wasn't enough to taste the flavor you picked, our children walked around blowing their nasty breath on our faces!  We didn't let Owen pick the color that could be rotten egg flavored as he gags if someone sits next to him with a plateful of scrambled eggs. I so understand! I would have avoided a color if it could potentially taste like a banana. Our favorite part was when Anson walked by the "spit cup" & his eyes said it all. YUCKY game but good for some laughs!

The park held lots of opportunity for burning off energy & taking pictures with goofy faces.

Safety Steve playing lifeguard with eight kids.

I loved getting to know Karis, Isaac & Olivia at their current ages since I still picture them as 5,3 & 1 when they left for Poland in 2015.

Bob & Jeannine hosted dinner at their house for the Valentine & Blanton families. It was loud & fun as expected! Last time we had a full family picture, Arlo was hiding in a baby bump & we didn't even know he was a boy. Special crew.

We made promises we couldn't keep like camping out in the backyard. I'm not sure what we were thinking promising that! The heat index was 105 degrees so we apologized as we opted for a sleepover in the playroom instead. We closed the blinds, turned on the lanterns, sang a couple songs & heard a scary story from Uncle Steve. It was fun for a little bit until people started bothering other people & were sent to their rooms, as expected.

Grandpa helped the kids make Charlotte's Snap Circuits work. It was interesting for all as you can tell, even Arlo!

Those are some happy grandparents!

Gigi even mustered up the courage to brave the Texas heat & join us to see the Polish Valentines. Her parents came to the United States from Poland....fun fact! Here she is with some of the grands & great-grands. I LOVE the picture of Livi-Lou & Owen!

Just a couple nights prior to their departure, Bob & Jeannine treated us to dinner at Uncle Julio's. Dinner was delish but dessert made me wish I hadn't eaten for the previous 24 hours! A chocolate piñata filled with churros, chocolate covered strawberries & plenty of other yummies was delivered to our table. I was nominated to take a swing & did a fantastic job allowing us to eat seconds later.  

We love these two (and their three) & enjoyed evenings of visiting after we got 8 kids to fall asleep. At the weeks' end, we were all tired but oh so thankful for our time together.