The Memorial Day Party

Let's start at the very begnning: a trip to Costco last Friday.  The twins and I went with a list a mile long, and I stuck tight to that list.  Usually, Costco sucks you in and forces (just  forces) you to buy five or six items you weren't intending.  Last week, it was just one item: Kirkland brand energy shots, but here we are a week later and I'm still excited about that purchase.  Holy smokes!  48 shots were $35!!!  Do you know how great a deal that is??  For perspective, I sometimes buy six, 5-hour energies at Wal-Mart for $12.  Often, I'm too cheap to buy the good ones, so instead I go with the Kroger generic, 2 shots for $3.  48 for $35.  Even DJ didn't say a word. . . he knows I drink one every day.  I got hooked on them when the twins were about six months old and I was nearly comatose, and now it's just habit. 

Saturday, DJ and I asked all three kids to take a nap, and of course, Faith would not.  After the twins napped, DJ let all of them go swimming.  Faith was in the pool for just a short while before she tucked herself in a corner of our houses exterior and fell asleep. 

Faith, later that same night, waiting for guests to arrive: 

Sunday morning, Faith and Brooklyn.  Brooklyn is the daughter of Greg and Kate Johnson.  Greg, if you'll remember was a very good friend of DJ's in college, and his best man at our wedding.

Faith has a little friend named Camdyn.  Camdyn's mom, Angel, has become somewhat of a friend to me. I'm not a tattoo kind of person, but Angel is and I have to admit, I LOVE one of her tattoos: she had Camdyn's baby feet tattooed upon her own feet.   

DJ watching a group of people in the backyard chatting: 

I was so excited about this idea I found on pinterest: individual servings!

Mid-afternoon, Emma, Eva and Cawood taking a nap together:

Cawood

Eva, by pure coincidence, wearing the same dress Faith was wearing for part of our Memorial Day party three years ago.  The girls look so much alike, it was shocking.

Greg, with Faith and Brooklyn:

Eva, jumping to Daddy Doug: 

DJ, as is tradition, playing cornhole.

Cawood is getting very good at this swimming thing: 

Eva and Faith, swimming together:

Eva, nearing the end of the party:

Faith and Cawood roasting marshmallows.

Eva, Faith, Cawood. 

Finally, a picture of my kitchen at the end of the party.  Why did I take this picture?  We had just been outside, roasting marshmallows and making s'mores that the kids wouldn't eat (they like all three things that go into s'mores, but they won't eat them once assembled.  Sigh.)  Anyway, I walked inside for one reason or another near the end of the night and looked at my kitchen and realized our friends have grown up.  For the first time in party history, the kitchen was not  trashed.