Mealtimes

Now that the girls have left with their families things are a lot quieter around here and I've had some time to look through photos to highlight the events of last week . . . things, such as how do sixteen people eat together? 

Ten years ago we all fit around one table, but now we had to get a bit creative. It turned out everyone gathered at one of the two condos and each host would figure out how they wanted to serve the meal.

 Every morning everyone showed up in the condo we are in and the little ones usually got the kitchen table.

It was usually a busy little table and we all let out a quiet sigh when they were done and off to play. Uncle Chris added to the excitement here by serving up as much whipped cream as everyone liked . . . even offering to spray it into their mouth if they wanted.

Some went for it, others not!

(What are mealtimes without a little shared secret?)

On our first night together we picked up appetizers for our dinner. Maybe this was not exactly a kid's idea of a meal and the reason they inhaled the cereal offered to them at bedtime. I would venture to say that this was the easiest meal to put before them without having to beg them to finish. What is not to love about Cheerios?

And they always taste best just before having to go to bed.

The adult kids all took turns cooking dinner for everyone.  Chris and Julene grilled hot dogs for the kids and prepared chicken cordon bleu with twice baked potatoes and glazed carrots for the adults.  Shaun and Kristal served quesadillas and fajitas. Shaun also stood at the stove for a long time one morning, taking orders for omelettes. Ben and Kari grilled steaks for everyone and served them with grilled asparagus, mango cucumber salad, veggies and mini watermelon. These meals were fun to anticipate during the day. Here you see the coffee table taken out to the porch to serve as a table!

We had one dinner at California Pizza and one early dinner at Ruby's Diner, downtown PS, just before taking in the Thursday night Street Fair.

Sometimes the patio table became the place to sit at.

On one particularly bright day, the kids begged for sunglasses and adult sunglasses were passed outside.

They looked pretty cool out there.

And the adults? We found different ways to fit in as well. Near the end of the week we figured out that we could bring the patio table into the living room area. That was the best idea yet.
It was a week in which the fridge needed almost daily refilling, the dishwasher needed to run after very meal, the trash was always full and the happy noise level maybe more than acceptable.
I'm thinking of taking flowers to the lady below us, just in case.