The best kind of chaos

I hope someone will share the pictures they took this afternoon with me, because I took exactly none and I desperately want to remember this day.

Rob's parents and his older sister Rachel and her family flew in from New Jersey this afternoon. They spent the afternoon and evening with us, and will be staying through Tuesday (at a hotel, boo for not having a guest room/rooms at our house!). The cousins haven't been together since Christmas, and it's just amazing how quickly kids change in 6 months when they are this young.

Robbie lost. his. mind. He was so excited to play with his older cousins Nicholas and James, and it's sweet to see how much he looks up to them. Within minutes he had gotten the full scoop on superheroes (N & J's current fascination) and was running around behind them declaring "I'm BATMAN! And James is CAPTAIN AMERICA!". Poor Nicholas was feeling a bit under the weather so he mainly snuggled up next to Grammy on the couch while the others ran circles around the house.

Ellie was thrilled with the influx of family and per usual, whenever we're around other children, she would pause in her play and look up at me as she exclaimed "KIDS!!". As in, "Hey mom? Why don't we do this more often? This is AWESOME, and I have social needs, you know." At one point she was just standing in the living room with everyone else, shrieking with happiness. It was hysterical. She and Katelin (who are the exact same age) are two pretty little peas in a pod. To say I am anxious to put them in their matching outfits this weekend is an understatement. They are both little sisters to older brothers, and although they can hang with the boys and are pretty tough, they both have sweet little feminine sides too.

We gave the kids a little snack to hold them over and then got busy fixing dinner. We grilled marinated chicken and had a big fruit salad, broiled asparagus, and baked potatoes with a side of citronella candles (the mosquitoes are awful right now!). At the end of dinner, which we ate on the deck, it started to sprinkle so we moved inside for a little birthday celebration in honor of both Grammy and Papa, and enjoyed chocolate cake and blueberry pie. The kids needed another reason to get hyper before bed.

This morning was full of anticipation for our guests to arrive, and this afternoon was the fulfillment of all Robbie and Ellie hoped the day would be. All 3 of our kids fell asleep almost immediately upon being placed in their beds, Maddie included.

Day 1, in the books. A very good day. :)