Crazy Kids!

I seem to recall when my children were younger, I loved kids their age. For example, when Miah was four, I remember thinking, "I just adore these kids, they are so much fun to watch." I wasn't particularly fond of children older than mine, just the ones the same age. Well, my kids are teenagers now *gasp* and a funny thing has happened: I adore the group of friends that my kids are hanging out with. They are so much fun to have around, and they are funny! Suddenly all of the things that bothered me about teenagers when my kids didn't fall into that group are the things that tickle me the most with this group. I love to have them all over at our house (yes, sick, I know, especially since there are about a dozen of them at a time!) We even load up both vehicles and take them out in public quite often. (As an aside here, if you ever want to have a really, really fun time - go to Dollar Tree with them. Give them a two dollar limit each, and then watch the havoc they can create. The crowning moment of that trip? They thought it would be funny if all of them called me Mom in the store. Loudly. Often. I think I grounded at least ten of them that night! Okay, I lied... the real crowning moment of that night was watching them try to sneak their two dollars worth of treats into the movie theatre. THAT was funny.)

I had a long, long day at school today (classes started this week, and I'm old) and I forgot I'd told Miah everyone could come over tonight. For a few minutes, I seriously thought about making him tell everyone they couldn't come. My feet hurt, my brain hurt, I really just wanted a nap. Instead I suppressed my little tired whimper and stopped to pick up pizzas on the way home. Enter the kids. Enter the noise, the giggles, the movement, the chaos, the multiple games of hide and seek in the dark, the dishes and drinks and excitement that is "the Group". I thought I'd just chill and let them do their thing... but then, I started chatting with the girls and snapping photos of them trying to hide, and the next thing I knew, I was having a fun time, and they always make me laugh. I stopped being so tired, and I stopped noticing my feet hurt. And at the end of our evening, they handed me a thank you card signed by everyone with the sweetest things to say inside. I didn't burst into tears in front of them... but it took everything I had not to.

I want all of you kids (I want to name you all, but I'm a bit hesitant to put photos and names of other people's children on the Internet, so... figure out who you are: Miah, Erin, the Step, Erin's Sister, the NOT Brat, my four favorite twins, the NOT quiet boy who's also not Japanese, and the quietest boy who's very funny when he's not quiet) to know that I'm proud of all of you, and I adore you all. I think you guys are the COOLEST!

And I loved my favorite silly twin's Harry Potter reenactment!


These photos aren't from tonight - I'm too tired to upload the new pics - but these are both good examples of how much fun these kids are. The first photo is obviously Twister, and the second is Sardines.