More Staycation Fun!

Sadly, the fam has been gone just over a day.  The fellas are asking to drive Grandma's car and wake up their uncles and auntie.  Oddly, they don't ask to wake up Grandpa and Grandma - it must be because they're always already up.  But here are a few more pics to wrap up the rest of the adventurous staycation we had last week.  The first is the funniest one of M that's been taken yet!  Aunt L told him to say "cheese" for their self-portrait and this is what he did!  I'm pretty sure it's her new facebook profile, we all love it so much!

Here we all are chowing in my dining room.  I'm so happy to have room to feed nine people at the same time now! You can see N's fuzzy head behind my Hubs, who deserves thanks for grilling up that yummy chicken (that I prepped)!  We make a good team.

Thursday was busy.  TheBig boys went to see the Twins lose to the Yankees at Target field in the evening.  We girls stayed home and did girl things, like paint toes, eat pizza and ice cream and watch Food Network and put Little boys to bed.

Valleyfair picnic lunch - the fumes from the old cars ride behind gave it just the right touch.

Oh, yeah, Wednesday!  Grandma and Grandpa watched the boys so that Hubs and I and his sibs could go to Valleyfair, which is a huge amusement park owned by the same company that owns Cedar Point, for you Michiganders.  I took my anti-puke medicine and did allright, but at 33 I already can't keep pace with those 20-somethings!  Maybe it has something to do with my poor body being wrecked by carrying twins?  Or (sigh) maybe I'm more out of shape than I thought?  Either way, I got dumped on a WHITEWATER RAFTING water ride, and "rode" it the whole way down without my raft!  I have a bruised shoulder, a scratched forhead and a wounded ego to show for the ordeal.  I think that's why they humored me and rode the ferris wheel at the end of the evening - made *slightly* less romantic than I'd envisioned with the presence of my three siblings-in-law seated across from me and Hubs, but, hey, it's better than riding alone.

The Original Six volunteered their Thursday Morning at Feed My Starving Children, a local ministry that packs food for needy people around the world.  Their group packed food for a missionary in Africa that morning.  I'm really proud of them for going along with my crazy idea, as I knew they would love it once they got there.  They even got to meet a Hatian missionary who also distributes the food at his location, something that hasn't happened in the times I've worked there!  And don't they look classy?

Valleyfair dudes

I forgot to mention that Hubs' family is serious about games!  We stayed up past midnight finishing an intense game of Trivial Pursuit one night, and we played Apples to Apples so many times that the cards started to repeat themselves!  They're very polite, too, and continue to invite me to play even though I can kick their tails. :)

Friday was pretty low-key, spent hanging out in our historic downtown, making an airport run, visiting our favorite pizza place, Punch, and hitting up a playground and ice cream shop along the way.  Yum, more pizza and ice cream!

Bonus Pic: I had to get one of N in here, shown on Tuesday leaning over the edge of the paddleboat.  Those scratches are from his fingernails, not a catfight, although that would be appropriate since he fights me like a cat when I have to cut his nails, leading to less nail-cutting than should be done, leading to him scratching himself with them.  Of course.  Oh, well.  Much fun was had by all.  Now I'm going to go enjoy the rest of my Sunday because a regular Monday morning is coming soon.