Cousins, cousins everywhere...

Last weekend was a total BLAST!!! Ivy K. and Sammy J. were here from Henderson. Every year (well almost every year) their parents Sam and Jess celebrate their anniversary by spending a weekend in Zion National park. This year they were celebrating their 10th anniversary! So awesome. Anyway... Ivy and Sammy have got to be the sweetest kids on the planet. We love to hang out and do fun kiddo things when they are here. This is what we accomplished.


They played the Family home evening game. This game is sooo fun. Casa de Coop has been busting this game out for many years. We decided to make new cards and they are super silly. One of them says "You went to stage stop and forgot to get me a drink. Go back one space." Another card says, "You helped Grammie fold the laundry, go forward 2 spaces." My personal favorite is, " Hug your Mommy." The little pieces are too funny too. There is a pig, a dinosaur, and a rhino just to name a few. I am always up for this game. It is fun for ALL ages.

We made a tent in the living room out of a sheet. It was the coolest. The tv was under the tent so the munchkins could enjoy their favorite cartoon while enjoying the fabulous tent. We were going to put up our real outdoors tent downstairs, but it was too big and they would not be able to see the tv as well...besides big tents are kind of a pain to put up. I am all about the easy when it comes to small people and sleep overs.


This is a picture of the three of them with the cutest "sleepy baby faces". I am a sucker for a kid with that sweet just-awoken look. Kelly could ask me to do almost anything and I would do it if it was when she first got up. The girls were soo good that night. They went to sleep pretty early and didn't make a peep at all in the night. I know because I was up and down all night checking on them to see if they were cold, or sleeping well. The furnace made a poor choice and decided to up and quit on us. Not awesome. We made do with a huge fire and Aunt Sarah space heaters. Thanks Sarah!

Next thing you know it is CRAFT TIME!!! YES! We did lots of different projects together.

• A puppy card
• A green coil snake
• A project folder
• A silhouette (spell check rules)
  
• A finger puppet for a play that they wrote

It was fun! Sadie even came over to see where all of the action was at. She scribbled a sweet picture of what I am pretty sure was French fries or her dog. I am not sure though. I should have taken a picture of it so you could see it. Dang it. Ivy was a huge help with all of the cutting and gluing. Nine year olds are the wolds biggest helpers. I love it.

Next they made cookies with their Grammie. They mixed and spooned out the dough like the good little elves that they are. I wasn't there when they made them, but I am sure that tons of dough went into their bellies. Cookie dough just screams out "don't cook me! Just eat me like this!" Kids have no choice. I think it might be in their DNA or something, either that or it is just yummy.

I was absent from the cookie making because I was going to get my niece Charlee! I hear your thoughts. "What Lex? Hanging out with 3 kids just wasn't enough for you?" No, it wasn't. I like to live my life on the edge. I am so hard core. - Not really, but by the end of the weekend I did feel a little worn out. Waaaah. I am such a baby. The fun continued on.


A puppet show was put on for us. It was about friendship and bananas. I am not sure how those two things tie in together, but they do. Kelly made a blue girl with green piggy tails. Ivy made a lion, "Li Li" her favorite stuffed animal. He goes on all of her road trips. Sammy made a purple guy. He was just a purple circle, so I added a yellow hat and arms to give him a little flavor. It was sooo Sammy. Charlee made a monkey that was holding a banana. I liked it when they sang the song at the end of the show.

They weren't the only ones to put on a show that night. DJ played his guitar for a everyone and it was fierce. The small ones would dance, even Grammie got in on the dancing action. Ali and Savy put up their cell phones for the slow songs. I was busy making grub for our little guests, so I couldn't chill. Listening to him play is one of my favorite things so I was a tiny bit sad that I missed that. Oh well, there will be other jam sessions another day. :)


Deej and Mama Coop took a kiddo time out and watched the Jazz game in the tent! It was entirely too cute. I thought that they were going to take the sheet down to watch it. Nope, they like to live life on the edge as well and snuggled in together and enjoyed the game in there. Sheesh. I want to watch tv under a sheet tent. I should have before we took it down. I am going to make one tonight and watch my shows in it.


All in all it was a wonderful weekend. We had fun making crafts, singing and listening to each others talents. I am super happy that Kelly got to spend quality time with her cousins. She thought of it all as her belated birthday party. That is fine with me. It certainly was a celebration. Kelly even got to learn how cousins treat each other. She now tries her best to be nice to her younger cousins. Thanks Ivy, Sammy and Charlee! We love you guys.