trip to indianna: PRICELESS

This last vacation of the summer was a trip of a lifetime! I hope it is one that my children will look back on for years to come and remember the fun memories that we made with cousins that are so dear to us. I can't even begin to describe the insanity that took place as my sister Louisa, her husband Matt (aka Uncle Ed), their 5 girls, along with me and my three, invaded my other sister Emily and her husband, Mark in their home along with their 4 kids! Out of control, I tell you! It was the kind of chaos that is totally bearable because the kids were happy 90% of the time and the other 10% was nap time, bed time, or putting just out small fires of hurt feelings. If you haven't done the math yet, there were 12 kids between the 3 of us sisters and the oldest was only 7 (although she was of more help than any 15 year old could have been!). Out of the 12 kids, 10 of them were girls...mostly sweet with just a little spice. The two boys were always in high demand because one of those 10 princesses ALWAYS needed a prince. We filled our days with lots of playing dress up, coloring, and even laughing. At one point, we even had the children put on a talent show for us. You can imagine with all the girls how many dances we clapped for. One day we went to Shakamack (I'm still not convinced that's the REAL name) state park and went swimming in the pool with a few water slides. It was beautiful! My dad was even able to fly out for most of the fun and I know the grand kids really enjoyed having him there. He was such a great sport and even went down the water slide more than any of the kids! I love to see that playful side of him like when he used to play a tripping game with us on the trampoline when we were young. He took the adults out to dinner one of the nights and we were able to hire a couple of young women from Emily's neighborhood to watch the kids. We had such a great time at Stable's and the food was delicious! Emily, Louisa and I decided to run a 5k one morning so we chalked out a course. Mark set off a bottle rocket to start the race and off we ran to the cheers of our sweet kiddos! Our dad SLOWLY followed along snapping pictures and handing us water...what a 'stage dad' :) On Sunday, Emily and Mark blessed their new baby, Sadie (the reason for our trip). She is so sweet. Louisa and Ed had their newest baby girl, Laura, in May. I could just feel her special spirit. I always wish babies could tell you all that they know because they are so close to our Heavenly Father and so pure and fresh to this world. I could see in their eyes the eagerness those babies had to share all they know. It was a special time for me. All in all, I was able to be there from August 1st to the 9th. I am so grateful to mark for all the sacrifices he made during his last week off classes for his master's program to shuttle me the 4 hours to and from the airport and let us invade his home. You're awesome! I am so glad we took the rare opportunity to get together like this. The memories are priceless and I am amazed at my sisters and their strength and willingness to selflessly serve their families. You are an awesome example to me!