Never Enough Cooks in the Kitchen

Ellie, Colleen, Aleah and Kenna chilling on the porch with popcicles.

You know you are friends when:

• someone visits you for 5 days and nights with their 4 kids and you are sad when they go!
• they feel comfortable cooking in your kitchen and cleaning your house
• they run a few loads of their laundry and wash and fold all of yours too! THANK YOU!
• you can debate politics and not get offended
• you consider remodling the workshop so they can stay there next summer
• you have agreed that their son can have his choice of your daughters to marry :)
• you are bummed that their husband doesn't get to visit and hang out too
• you are friends with the Cooks!

The Cooks came to visit on their way to Utah to visit family. Doug stayed Sunday to participate in blessing Kate at church and then went back to Lafayette to finish fixing up their house (he ended up selling it!). Tara and the kids stayed and we all had tons of fun.

Monday, Zoe and Harry learned how to ride two-wheelers in all of 10 minutes and were zipping around the church parking lot across the street from our house all day long. Harry was even doing tricks where he took his feet off the pedals and put them up on the handle bar. He wiped out a couple of times and left our house with a huge bruise on his cheek.

For Family Home Evening the kids did a skit about the pioneers and the Word of Wisdom and then got to run in the sprinkler with their clothes on! Wow - such nice moms!

Ellie was our baby holder - everyone else had to whine to get a turn to hold the baby. I got so spoiled - I am going to have to take care of the Kate now!

Tuesday we had an un-Birthday party for all of the kids. Emily, Zoe, Ellie and I had July birthdays and Colleen's is in August. None of us really had done anything for birthdays so the kids made decorations out of construction paper and we made homemade ice cream. Everyone got some ice cream and brownie and got to blow out their own candle. Then they got to sleep out in the tent. They all went to bed pretty well - Brian slept out with them - but we had a very laided back, VERY early to bed Wednesday because there were some grouchy kids.

Brenda resting for 5 minutes!

Brian's mom Brenda was also visiting and was a life saver. She watched the kids ride their bikes, took them to the library and on LONG walks, did dishes and weeded. Eight kids would have been MUCH harder without her help. I'm glad she gets to stay and visit even longer.

Thursday night the kids all started to rock out to the CD that goes with my piano book. Simple Joys! We will miss you guys!