high fashion.

We were cordially invited (by Mrs. & Miss. Kok) to the American Girl Fashion.

It was an event not to be missed.

And a very fancy event at that.

High end models, silent auctions, a red carpet, all the brownies one could eat, and 100% supporting Seattle Children's Hospital.

It was the perfect combination for making two little girls and their two little dolls feel like a pretty big deal.

science fair.

Hads came home from school one day with a flier, shoved it in my face, and said:

"Mama, I am doing the science fair.  It's at the end of March, so we have a whole month to get it done, and I have a million great ideas.  We should probably get started.  But we can't do it on Tuesdays because I have gymnastics on Tuesdays, and that would just be too much for me."

So we did it…on a Thursday.

The night before it was due.

And we learned all about density, hypotheses, control groups, background research, and that her mother is completely inept at helping with these kind of project.

Thankfully, she didn't need me.

A classmate demonstrating his project on Hads.

Explaining her project to Ms. Polly.

Zaide would never miss something as nerdy as a Science Fair.

She got a pat on the back, a ribbon, and a ticket for free popcorn.

I got lump in my throat the size of China.

I sure like this kid.

please don't go.

His last ditch effort to get Baba to stay.

A valiant effort.

If I do say so myself.

these two.

I don't know why I like these two yahoo's so much.

But I do.

Even when they are the least cooperative humans on the planet.

(for crying out loud…just STAND STILL!)

happy st. pat's.

We tried to catch ourselves a leprechaun...

...but the sneaky little bastard got away.

(maybe he was offended Hadley spelled his 'name' wrong).

birthday night.

Hads wanted to have a slumber party…with her friends from school.

I said 'No way, Jose.  There is not a chance I am having stranger kids here with their stranger parents dropping them off, for the night.  You're too little to have strangers spend the night.'

To which she replied, 'Well they aren't stranger to me, Mom.  And maybe you should go to coffee with their parents.  So they aren't strangers.'

Good point. 

But fat chance.

Because I don't like coffee with strangers.

And I don't like stranger kids that come with all sorts of strange rules, and the stranger parents that expect you to follow those strange rules.

Then she told me I was the strange one.

Fair enough.

My house.  My rules.

So she came up with plan B.

(because this kid is a problem solver).

She wanted all of her cousins to spend the night.

Done and done!

These are kids I can be on my worst behavior with and they still love me.

I can yell at them, I can bribe them, I can lie to them.

I can be myself.

And they come with parents that are most likely related to me and love me because of it, or love me in spite of it.

Either way, they trust me with their kiddos, and that's good enough for me.

And these kids. 

I love them like my own.

I mean I seriously adore them.

They are everything good, and everything bad.

They are pure awesome.

And they are all I have ever wanted as cousins for my babes.

Except at 11pm, when they finally went to bed.

And 4am when two of them thought it was okay to wake up.

(my daughter being one of them).

And 6:30am when they ALL decided to wake up.

Nobody was awesome then.

But I will say, Hadley never stopped smiling.

(except one time when she lost her mind).

And that made it all worth it.

(kind of).

(there's only one way to survive eight kids).

The telephone game.

Huge hit.

The dice game.

Not as huge of a hit.

(okay, maybe there are two ways to survive eight kids).

GO TO BED!