Sarah's Baptism Weekend: Thursday & Friday

Sarah's Baptism Weekend was spectacular!  I prepared and prepared and prepared, and for the most part, things went off without a hitch.  But I was exhausted!  It is tough to steer a ship of 20 people.  But spending time with my family was totally worth the effort.  I hung copies of the schedule all over the house.  If we were going to accomplish everything we planned, we had to stay on schedule.  And for the most part we did.

Rachel and Devin were the first to arrive.  This cute young man is so much fun.  I spent the weekend alternately missing this stage in my kids' lives and being SO GLAD that I am done with it!  Devin didn't get much sleep, so neither did Rachel or Brad.  I don't miss that!

Sister Selfie!

Devin got to walk to school to pick up the kids!

We have developed this strategy to help keep the cup wasting to a minimum.  Everyone has a cup with his/her name on it that they are supposed to use all weekend.  This worked more or less.  Drea wins the prize for using her cup the most and never losing it!

Ben was fascinated with the baby chair.  He wanted to eat in the chair.  

Devin slept in Ben's room.  We were worried that someone might forget he was napping and walk in and wake him.  (I was worried about myself forgetting!)  So Libby made these amazing signs.  Can you tell that her teachers (last year and this year) feel that spelling tests are a waste of time?  (Urgh!)

James (the 3 year old) doesn't read, however, and he managed to wake Devin once by barging in to play with Ben's toys.   

The Randall Party van (or Captain Soren's Party Van) arrived on Thursday night.  On Friday afternoon we took Sarah to the Alderwood Mall to (finally) get her American Girl Doll.  I am way to cheap to buy anything but the doll there.  But the dolls really do have better hair than the knock offs.  Clothes and everything else comes from somewhere cheaper!  Sarah picked Josephina.  Somehow I didn't get a picture of that.  But I did take some of the amazing American History Legos displayed throughout the mall.  We visited all of them so that the girls could get the prize from the Lego store (a super lame poster).  

Then the kids went swimming at the hotel with Bryn, Brian, Grandpa & Derek.  My mom and I worked on prep for the next couple of days.  

AHHHH!  A hot tub!