Sister time!!!

Last week my sisters and their broods came into town! We had an absolute blast, although my ears are still ringing from the constant noise!! We had 7 kids and 5 adults (where the grandkids go, Nana goes too! -- and one night Papa was with us before he flew out again!) all sleeping in our house. It worked out pretty well, with the exception of a tiny bug passed between Kylie, Regan and Nana... of course in the middle of the night.

I can't get blogger to upload my pictures in the right order, so here are some pics from the week in no particular order.

My sisters and I being dorks. I'm on the left, Brandi is in the middle and Sarah on the right, in case you can't tell. I swear the older we get, the more we look alike. It's a bit creepy.
"Quick, grab Nana's credit cards and let's hit Babies R Us!"
This is after everyone left. Regan got a new swing (for free!) and she has loved playing outside on the swingset ever since we hung it up. I think the first night we were outside swinging for 40 minutes before either one of them got tired of it!
Since there are 7 grandkids, I took the liberty of naming them after the 7 dwarfs. My sweet niece Aubrey is now known as Dopey, and trust me, if you've ever met this kid, you would agree that that name fits her perfectly! Aubrey is a hoot and always keeps us laughing!

The older of the twins, Harlee Barlee... that's my nickname for her and it's so cute to hear Regan call her that! Harlee is such a sweet little baby, but she just has her days, thus the dwarf name: Grumpy.
And Shyann, now known as Bashful...
This is the only picture I have of the bundle of energy we call Kyle. Man, that kid is constantly on the go... he's so cute to watch too, because he's so intent on everything he does. Because of his constant exploration of all things new to him, when Kyle hits the hay, he hits the hay!! It isn't unusual for him to sleep 13 or 14 hours at night (tough luck for Brandi, huh?) and then turn around and take a 3 hour nap. I do hereby pronouce Kyle the dwarf... Sleepy.
For some reason I didn't get a picture of Kylie by herself, so here she is with Regan, both in their 'big sister' shirts. Kylie is the oldest of the 7 grandchildren, a role she takes very seriously. She is such a big helper and is so good with all the little kids. Because of her take charge attitude, we shall now call her Doc.

That leaves 2 remaining names for my kiddos.... whoever guesses their nicknames (matching the correct one) will win.... nothing. :)

This was before everyone came. One day when I went to get Grant up from his nap, this is how I found him. How stinking adorable is he!?!?

Of course we then had to take a crib picture of Regan. And I'm glad we did because tonight we took the side off of her crib, so she officially has a big girl bed!! She was so excited to sleep in it and I don't even think the thought crossed her mind that she can climb out of it because once we turned the lights off, I haven't heard a peep out of her... am I crazy to hope it stays that way!?
Kylie reading "Brown Bear" to Regan. I will say it again, we highly recommend this book!! I also saw two other books in the series at Target this week. I'm thinking I may have found 2 Christmas presents!!
Harlee Barlee and Shiny watching Praise Baby. I'm pretty sure we had one of those movies playing constantly the entire time. Between three 6 month olds and two 2 year olds, those movies are a lifesaver!! More like a sanity saver, right sisters?! :)
All the grandkids playing on the swingset, except Grant, who was sleeping. The weather was beautiful while they were here, so the kids spent a lot of time outside.

We had such a wonderful time with everyone and it makes me miss my sisters like crazy. I wish we all lived closer so we could get together like this more often. I always see families who live in the same town and get to do things together all the time and it makes me want to ask them, "Do you know how lucky you are?" My sisters and mom are my absolute best friends and I feel so incredibly blessed by God to have them in my life. I can't imagine a day going by when I don't talk to at least one of them, and usually all 3 of them!

A lot of people have asked where everyone slept when they were here and when I tell them everyone slept at our house, the looks I get are usually incredulous. That's the way we grew up, though... I can remember sleeping on an air mattress with Beth Ann in the dining room at Granny's one year! That's just how we roll... we fit as many people as we can into one house (it works best if you only have 1 shower!) and then enjoy the choas that ensues! It just wouldn't feel like family time if someone was stuck away in a hotel.

By the by, that same attitude goes for friends too, so if you're ever in the area and want a free place to stay, feel free to drop by! You might end up on the futon in the stuffy office, but hey, we put ya where we can fit ya! :)