My Delightful Morning with The Mob

When I was still teaching, my kids used to go to daycare right across our backyard at our friend Patti's house. Well, actually daycare is a bit of a stretch...when they started there Patti was staying home with her own two kids. Our current daycare had decided to close, and we were in a pinch...so I asked Patti if she would watch my kids, at least for a while, which turned into a permanent thing. We had become good friends with Patti and Heath after we attended our birthing classes together before our boys were born and figuring out we lived steps away from one another. Tate are Garrett are the best of buds...only 10 days apart. Then our daughters were born just 5 months apart. Patti stood me up on #3, but all of our kids really enjoy being together. So anyway, Patti's house turned into the Newman daycare, though she has taken on other kids since then. Tate told me once last year that he wanted me to go back to work so he could go to Patti's everyday. Nice, huh?? :)

So this year Patti and I decided that we were going to swap days to go Christmas shopping. So two Tuesdays ago I got an entire day to shop without any kids hiding under clothes racks or having a meltdown because "it was only a looking day" and they just HAD to have something. So peaceful. It lowers my blood pressure just thinking of it. Then this past Tuesday I took Patti's two kids and two of the girls that she watches, who my own kids have come to love as well. That totaled 7 kids ages 4 and under...which may sound crazy, but can I say in many ways it was EASIER that just having my 3??

So here's how the morning went...they had almost every toy in my living room out within about 10 seconds. They were all very nicely playing so I said, "Maybe I should take a picture of all of you..." so I ran to get my camera. When I came back, this is what I found...Seriously...they had all lined themselves up on the couch...and even lifted Beckett up there. They are from L to R: Raeana (2 today...Happy Birthday, RaeRae!), Garrett (4), Avery (2), Olivia (2), Tate (4), Breklyn (3), and Beckett (1). They were screaming "Cheese!" as I came back from the office with the camera. If only taking pictures of my kids were ALWAYS that easy!

So then they decided they wanted to go in the basement...I said, "Well maybe we should pick up first..." and within 1 minute that whole tornado of a living room was picked up. By them. By themselves. Including my own children! I sat there with my jaw on the floor. So we went downstairs, where they played for a while and then decided they needed a snack. So I said, "Line up against the wall and I"ll give you a snack. And they did, of course...
Then I asked the girls if we could play beauty shop since Avery will NEVER let me do her hair. The three that weren't mine were more than happy to let me do it. Brek even let me put 2 french braids in the sides, as long as there were pig tails at the end!
Then it was time for a Christmas dance party...Joy to the World Whitney Houston style...which really got them going!
And after that thoroughly exhausted all of us, it was time for an all P lunch. Pizza and peaches on paper plates! I know, not very green, but with 7 little mouths to feed and to clean up after and a full dishwasher to start with, it had to be done. Thank you, my little Mob, for an awesome morning. Can't wait to do it again!