13 kids

THAT'S how many we had around here for a few days on Labor Day Weekend.

My close friend watched my kids for me when Brooks and I went to a wedding in June in Virginia.  I was THRILLED to return the favor by watching her 5 kids so she and her husband could have a MUCH NEEDED weekend get-away.

I wanted them to have fun (and like me...DUH!) so I researched a new park 30 minutes away with a river and waterfall to go to. We piled everyone up in the Yeti and we were OFF. It was loud and crowded. See?

About 20 minutes into the trip Emerson asked where Aleeya was.

ha-ha real funny.

I guess he was serious and everyone confirmed she was NOT in the Yeti and we indeed had left her. We turned around and drove BACK the 20 minutes to the house. Of ALL kids I knew Aleeya would probably be hysterical and I would pull up and there would be 3 cop-cars around my house.

THANKFULLY, 1) only one of those happened (the Aleeya crying part) and she was safe and sound. 2)It was one of MY kids and not my friend's and 3) She stayed inside sitting on the couch (safe) the whole time. (actually she was praying there....poor thing) I apologized proFUSEly and realized why she hadn't gone out to the Yeti when everyone else did...... I had sent her to her ROOM 15 minutes before we left for FREAKING out and not being able to handle something. She just needed to chill and get-a-grip in her room for a while and didn't hear me gather the troops. #momoftheyear

Flashback: I remember being left when I was about Aleeya's age when my family went to Lagoon. I sat and stared out the window just PRAYING they would remember me and turn around. They did eventually when they were 1/2 hour away from home, so only 1 hour waiting.  I can definitely symphatize with Aleeya. But I turned out okay, right?!?! 

It was now to late to go the the park again so it was dinner and then playing with Legos (and apparently stealing my phone to capture this picture)

Then the LARGEST rainstorm came. One of those rainstorms that makes you VERY happy you weren't at a park, with a river and a waterfall.

This is how deep it got! The brick at the bottom of the picture is the first step up to our porch!

All the kids had a BLAST in the rain and playing soccer in it and getting soaked. So maybe it wasn't a HUGE fail that night after all?

The next morning we took everyone to Aleeya and Iris' soccer game. They probably had the biggest cheering squad there.

We then did a bunch of Saturday chores (aren't we nice babysitters? Like the most fun EVER?!).

I was STILL determined to take them to this "fun" park though. Later on we loaded them in the Yeti.....all of them this time......grabbed a bunch of doughnuts and we were off.

It was a super fun park. I knew I picked a winner.

Then we walked down the nature trail a ways to the river and waterfall.

Turns out with the huge rain it was up pretty high and flowing pretty fast so just the older ones could really get in.

They made their way over to the waterfalls and kept sliding down them. It looked like they were having a ton of fun. Bronson and Isabel (12 years old) did it the most.

I saw Isabel wearing her glasses and Brooks said, "should she be wearing her glasses doing that?" I commented she must know what she's doing and anyway, we couldn't yell over the sound of the waterfalls for them to hear us anyway.

The VERY next time she went down she hit a bump and the glasses went flying. We just saw her come up, walk over to the side and face plant it in the dirt. (I TOO know the feeling of losing/breaking many a pair of glasses at her age and the dread of telling your parents yet AGAIN). Immediately she got on her knees and started praying to find them. 

It started an all out glasses hunt in the river with Brooks even jumping in.

The poor girl never found them and I felt SICK for her.

While looking for the glasses Emerson slipped on a rock and split his lip too.

 At first glance Brooks figured he would need stitches when we got home. 

My BIG event that was supposed to be "soooooo fun" ended up ending in tragedy and misery. #babysittingfail

I texted my friend to make sure SHE knew what happened so Isabel wouldn't have to break it to her and apologized like crazy (and begging for our friendship to remain!) for not thinking to grab them from her!

It turned out to be a pretty good time to break news like that to her since she was still on a 

get-a-way-high and was very forgiving.

I took their kids home and put them to bed before the parents got home late Saturday night.

Moral of the story: apparently if you need a babysitter, we aren't your best picks.

As far as ol' Emerson..... it turns out he didn't need stitches. The lip started healing pretty well by itself but it was rather fat and swollen. The next day at church was fast and testimony meeting (where anyone in the congregation is welcome to come up and share their knowledge/faith on Jesus Christ, etc.). Emerson stood up to go forward and the VERY FIRST THING HE SAID was:

"For those of you who don't recognize me, my name is Emerson Smith"

I WAS SOOOOO EMBARRASSED!!!! He really thought people wouldn't recognize him with his fat lip. 

As bad as I thought our babysitting adventures were these same friends STILL wanted to go picking apples with us at our favorite apple orchard the next day on Labor Day.

We actually had such a nice time.

and Everly was sufficiently stuffed with apples found on the ground.

My kids love their apple cider and apple cider doughnuts. Emerson even brought his OWN money to buy his own jug of cider and a dozen doughnuts.......but I'm not sure if you can recognize him in this picture.

The main/only reason I go up there is really just for their apple cider icees. They are probably the most heavenly thing to me. #nectarofheaven

As eventful as the weekend was I STILL kept my friendships, I STILL had all my kids AND I recognize every one of them.

So maybe it was still a win, right?