Cousins

Sunday night (11-23-08)I had four great guests spend the night! My cousins Dillion (13), Erica (9), Brianna (10), and Nolan (7). We stayed up until 1 am. Well, when I say we, I mean they stayed up and I was on the couch coming in and out of sleep! We woke up Monday morning, had breakfast, played checkers, computer games, and Wii. Next we made crafts, those little plastic bead things that you put on a template and then iron to make them fuse together. Then we went over to Pam and Joseph's to play Disney Scene-It, eat popcorn and ride the rope swing Joseph made. Next we went to see Joseph at KB Toys and let the cousins pick out their Christmas gifts. After that we stopped by and picked up Xander and went to eat at Mama's for dinner. At first Xander announced that he would be sleeping with Jared that night. He was SO excited and kept saying it over and over. Jared came in the kitchen and said would someone tell that kid that I am not joking when I tell him that he is NOT sleeping with me. It was funny! Mama told him that he should sleep with Erica because she sleeps wild like he does. He quickly changed his mind and said he would sleep with her. While at Mama's the girls started chasing Xander around the house and treating him as though he were a baby. If you know Xander, then you know he usually thinks girls are pretty gross, but that night he fell in love with Erica! We headed on to my house and I went from 4 to 5 kids (remember we added Xander, he would not be left out of the madness!) We stayed up til 1 am again, playing the computer and Wii and watching movies. Erica had been having fun "taking care of" Xander. Erica had got Xander's pj's out of his bag (he insisted on putting his pj's right before he went to sleep. I guess he thought when he put them on then he would have to go straight to bed!) Anyhow, in his modest ways, he shooed everyone from the room while I changed his clothes. I was finishing up putting his pj's on when he grinned sheepishly at me and said, "Emily, I just can't stop hugging and kissing her (Erica)!" I replied with, "Oh goodness, what does this mean?" He yelled back, but grinning all the while, "Nothing! We're just friends, OK!" And then ran from the room. Well, I finished putting his things away and then started back to the livingroom when I noticed the dining room door closed. I opened the door and found Erica and Xander. Erica said that Xander wanted to tell her a secret. I told them when he was done they were to leave the door open and come in the room with the rest of us. I went and put the movie in. Erica came up to me and whispered, "Do you want to know what Xander just said to me?" "Sure," I said, I mean I was curious and figured it was something silly anyway. She said, " Xander said, 'If you marry me, I'll give you $50 bucks!'" Now we all realize he is in love! Erica said that he was NOT sleeping with her, so he slept on the floor between me and Dillion. Erica slept on the other side of Dillion! Bri slept in the bedroom and Nolan on the couch while Jared snoozed in our bed. We were gonna go to Pump It Up, but I got the free play times mixed-up and besides, Bri and Nolan called to ask their mom if they could stay one more night. She said yes so we decided to play for the day and go to Pump It Up the next day. We made more bead thingys and Pam had sent foam picture frames and foam shapes and paint so they all made one of those. Pam and Joseph stopped by and brought what they called "reinforcements"-in the form of Chris! The guys played Wii (Alex brought some more controllers and stayed for a short bit) while the kids painted plaster of paris figurines.


This is the cat that Xander painted for me!



That night we had church and then the kids spent the night with Pam and Joseph. They had Chris stay, too, for reinforcements! I told them that during the day it was just me with all five and that they are three to five- no fair! They said I was crazy and they were smart enough to out number!