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.

Charlotte turns 8!

Sweet Charlotte might have had the happiest birthday yet with the best gift being to celebrate with Uncle Steve, Aunt Jenny, Karis, Isaac & Olivia.  On top of that, Gigi spent the night with us AND Gaga & Pawpaw were in town! What a hustle & bustle kind of day it was!

24 hours prior she asked if she could make her own cake. Talk about independent! She did awesome & was happy with the results. She chose a strawberry cake because that is Aunt Jenny's favorite.

As tradition requires here at the Nest, on birthday eve, the special boy or girl is banned from the downstairs & decorating commences. Owen & Anson used to be excluded but are now part of the festivities. This year they were fantastic at attempting to blow up balloons and succeeding in covering them with saliva leaving me to be the one to complete the task. YUCK! Germ sharing & all, it went well & bedtime was calling our name.  Her smile was big & bright when the sun came up & we headed downstairs.

My mom passed along her old camera & Charlotte took one of her first pictures of these delicious sugary treats in the shape of a number 8. I have been her mama for eight very special years. As far as the photo goes, I think she might have some talent with the flash turned off, candle in focus & the rest of the photo fading behind. She has certainly taken more selfies of silly faces than anything else but what do you expect from an eight year old little girl?

After breakfast she got down to business opening her gifts. Eloise convinced us to let her give Charlotte a stuffed cat which is certainly better than a real cat but just adds to the stuffed animal insanity. I will admit that it is really cute & snuggly & has been given the coveted spot on the bed.

A week before Charlotte's birthday, Robby was outside when a delivery person with an absurd amount of balloons (like at least 20) asked if she could leave them at our house for the next door neighbor. Charlotte was a little sad that they weren't for her and was super surprised on her big day to see her own little balloon bouquet on our front porch with a sweet note from Kate & Travis.

Another fun gift she received was from Uncle Scott & Uncle Kyle who got her an HP Sprocket printer so she could print pics on the go. They had her upcoming Colorado trip in mind & boy was it fun to have!

Earlier that morning I had been in touch with Jenny & Jeannine about an overnight delayed flight for Uncle Steve who was returning from Poland & a middle of the night trip to Urgent Care for Jenny.  I prepared Charlotte for not having anyone up here to celebrate at lunchtime as we had planned. Inside I was heartbroken & praying that someone could come. We were shocked to hear that all were en route to our casa by mid morning! Charlotte could not have smiled any bigger when Robby relayed the message Uncle Steve sent. He told the airline desk attendant that he HAD to get to Dallas because he would not miss celebrating his niece's birthday. He must have looked serious because he got on the plane ; )

This was our first reunion two years after they moved away. I was a puddle of tears seeing Charlotte & Karis hug each other.

We took on a few boxes of pizza.....

then moved along to the cake. Karis & Charlotte's birthdays are just over a month apart & Charlotte was insistent to share blowing out the candles with the almost 7 year old.

My favorite picture of all....

Cake was yummy enough to dab on everyone's nose. Oh Livi-Lou with all the big girls, she is a cutie!

Just a smattering of pictures of the party-goers starting off with the perfectly coordinated great grandmothers & grandparents.

oh my....first clue we were in for it. They looked like this for much of the following 2 weeks!

What a fun coloring book she got!

We attempted a family photo. Attempt is the key word. It was the only picture that Grammy & Papa were a part of & they were compliant but others were not. Weird faces, back of heads, grumpy child glaring from the chair, etc. They were there though...promise.

That baby that made us a mommy & daddy is growing up to be a lovely young lady. She is a delight, really funny, helpful, confident, creative & loving. We love her more than she knows.

1st day of school ~ 2017

Say what? It's already time to go back to school? These five + their mama were actually really excited to get back into the swing of things! This year it's 3rd grade for Charlotte, 1st for Eloise, Pre-K for Owen & Anson, then Arlo gets to tag-along. Everybody loves him.

and those little learners with their favorite teacher....

I don't think I am actually their favorite teacher all the time but I certainly love them more than any other teacher ever will : ) I guess Arlo was reluctant to go. It was only 8am & he had already started the belly button rubbing. The good news is that he survived with minimal amount of tears. He even let them dip his hands in paint!  Anson was just about the cutest little thing & did his very first presentation. I was shocked that he even stood up to speak. He had his cue cards. The first was his name & age, the second was Grammy & Papa & the third was a raccoon in a cage that was caught at Grammy & Papa's house. It was short & sweet.

 Arlo was attached to my leg when I picked him up.

The only bummer about being a tutor is that I miss out on being a part of the girls' classes. Thankfully they have incredible women (and friends) teaching them this year. I heard great reports about their first day. Here are the chickadees from the girls' classes.

The twins with their buddy Moses. They were sooooo cute & had to be separated for week two due to some wiggly-ness & tickling each other. It was awesome.

One new & exciting part of this school year is that I am teaching the 4 & 5 year old class! This will be our fifth year in a Classical Conversations Community & due to some changes among tutors I was asked to take over the littlest learners. I am beyond thrilled & am looking forward to getting to know the children & families in my class. It is really special to be in there for the boys' first year. I did call them the wrong names about 10 times that morning & I have no idea why. They had on very different shirts & I can tell them apart but maybe I was so distracted I couldn't get it right! This cycle of CC is my favorite. We are studying American History & Geography, Anatomy & lots of fun English Grammar facts along with many more things. I'm just highlighting my favorite parts!

We stayed for lunch then rushed home to get a look at the solar eclipse. What an incredible way to start the school year! We all looked about a million times between 1 & 3 then found out that Dallas will be a city that will experience a full eclipse in 2024. Countdown is on!

We love these five & are so thankful to have the opportunity to guide them in their education. I get to learn lots of things too! Here's to a great year!