The Lee Family: Cousins Visit!

Aunt Cynthia, Uncle Jay and the girls' cousins arrived on Thursday evening from Atlanta. They arrived just before bedtime, so we had a lot of excitement before the girls said their goodnights and headed into Olivia's room to sleep together since they had school the next day. Friday morning, I headed into the living room at my usual 6am to get lunches and breakfast ready and heard the pitter-patter of little feet. I looked up the stairs and saw three little sets of eyes peering down! I told them they were welcome to come downstairs, and they all ended up on the coach playing with their leap frogs and devices. Jillian helped me wake up the girls, who were completely asleep and had to be coaxed to get up and dressed. CK made everyone pancakes and milk and he and I took the girls to school since my car was at the shop and we needed to pick it up. Due to Hurricane Harvey, there is a gas shortage and few of the stations have gasoline! Those that do, have crazy long lines! Thankfully, I'd filled up on Wednesday, the day before the craziness started!

We got back to the house and Chad picked CK up and they headed to the airport to fly supplies down to Conroe, Texas. They dropped off their diapers, formula, sleeping bags, hygiene supplies and other things into a large hanger where the Salvation Army loaded everything onto trucks for delivery to shelters that needed the goods. There were over 50 planes involved in the effort and it was awesome to hear and see the photos of all the supplies that are so needed in South Texas right now! CK returned around 3pm and we hung around the house while he was gone. The kids played and swam and had a great time together. Jillian and Olivia are still big buddies and Jackson and Sofia play great together too!

For dinner, CK picked up Rudy's BBQ and invited Chad and his family to join us. The girls adore their boys, Nick and Jack, and they are the easiest kids. They just get along with anyone and have fun in whatever they do. They are great to have over and the girls get so excited every time they are over! We all hung out, enjoyed delicious bbq and caught up. It was pleasant enough to sit outside too, so we tried to avoid getting eaten alive my mosquitos and enjoyed the cooler evening weather. Chad and his family stayed until around 10pm and all the kids were ready for bed! Sofia was upset that she had to sleep in Olivia's bed while Olivia and Jillian slept in the "fort" they built next to Olivia's bed. She finally ended up sleeping in the hallway on the floor because "the night light bothered her so much." Chandler slept in Sofia's bed and Jackson slept on a blow-up bed next to Jackson.

On Saturday, CK made biscuits, scrambled eggs and bacon and the kids played after. CK and Jay got picked up by CK's friend to go to Cowboys' stadium to watch the Florida Gators play Michigan in the first game of college football. Meanwhile, Cynthia and I bought tickets to Legoland and got the kids ready. She made sandwiches for everyone and we packed waters, apple sauces and cheese sticks. We were soon heading to Legoland and arrived around 12:30pm. Unfortunately, just as we got there my favorite pair of black sandals broke! I left Cynthia with the kids and squeaked my way into Forever 21 to buy $12 sandals. My feet hurt just looking at the lack of arch support, but I had no other option. I met up with Cynthia and the kids and after we finally gathered everyone together, we rode the ride where we have to save the princess from the trolls. After, we headed to the mini-Dallas land and then decided to eat lunch. After lunch, the kids created cars and raced them down the various ramps while Cynthia stood in line for one of the rides. We finally made it on the ride and the kids all seemed to enjoy it. From there, we headed to watch the movie and then visited the Star Wars exhibit before the kids were able to drive the Lego cars.

After the Lego car driving, we decided to hit the splash pad. The kids got changed and were super excited, while Cynthia and I were both ready for a nap. Cynthia and I found a shady spot and the kids ran off to play. Jackson stayed behind and ended up falling asleep. Cynthia laid him down on the bench and he slept like that for over an hour! Meanwhile the kids built a HUGE fort out of the big rubber Lego blocks. Chandler started it and Sofia and the girls helped out. Soon, they had about six little kids running around collecting blocks for them and helping them build. It was so cool. At some point, Olivia got bored and headed off to play on the slide on the other side of the water play structure. I was busy watching Sofia and the cousins build and taking pictures of their attempt to add a roof to the fort. Cynthia called me and said Olivia had split open her chin, so I returned to the table and benches to find a very calm Olivia with an ice pack and towel pressed to her chin. I looked at it and couldn't believe how deep the gash was! I took a picture of it and sent it to Marco while Cynthia headed in to find someone at Legoland who could put a butterfly bandage on it. I talked with Marco and he said she should come to their house for the cut to be dermabonded. A Legoland manager arrived, cleaned up her cut and added a butterfly bandage to Olivia's chin. We grabbed all the kids, they changed quickly into dry clothes and the manager opened up the emergency exit so we could walk directly to the car. Sofia was really upset with me since I'd "promised" that she could use some of her birthday money for a Lego set. I explained that plans change and her sister got hurt and we could return in the next few days to buy it. Both girls brought $20 worth their birthday money to spend at Legoland, which they were really looking forward to picking something out.

As we drove home, CK called to say they were heading home from the Gator game (Michigan won), and wondered if Jerry Arthur, his wife and son could join us for dinner. I had chicken breast in the crockpot for chick tacos, and we figured out we could make a salad and order a pizza or two and would have plenty of food for all. Cynthia and I figured that the kids would be starving after such a long day and so much time at the splash park. We got home, and Olivia and I walked over to Marco's house and he looked at Olivia's chin. He decided the butterfly bandage was put on well enough that she didn't need dermabond. He said if it came off during the next few days to get her back over to get some dermabond. Olivia was still calm as ever and she said it didn't hurt at all.

We returned to the house, got the taco fixings set up and ate dinner. Jerry Arthur and his family seem like super nice folks and it was nice to visit with them for a bit. They live 3 hours away, but are staying nearby until Monday. Shortly after dinner, Jerry Arthur and his family said goodbye and headed out. The kids watched one 30-minute show and then headed to bed. Olivia read "Brown Bear, Brown Bear" to Jillian and I and then Jillian read "The Day the Crayons Quit" to Olivia and me. They then got into their fort and went to sleep. I know they must have been exhausted. Sofia planned to sleep on the blow up mattress at the foot of our bed, but it kept going flat, so she slept in bed between CK and me. Needless to say, CK and I didn't get a whole lot of sleep while Sofia slept like a baby.

Sunday was the last full day of the cousins playing together and they seemed to enjoy each other when they weren't hungry. CK picked up donuts for everyone to enjoy and then the kids swam and played together outside while Cynthia packed up all their things and got ready for their trip back to Atlanta. The kids took a swim break to eat sandwiches and chips before drying off and getting into dry clothes. The cousins were able to play a little bit longer before it was time for CK to drive the whole crew to the airport. Olivia and Jillian had such a fun time together and are inseparable when they are together, so it was sad to see them part. It was such a fun long weekend together with a good amount of relaxing and doing fun stuff together. We all look forward to our next time together.

Lunch with Olivia