Last week we went up to Park City with Russ' mom and brothers for a family vacation. I use the word vacation lightly. We had fifteen of us crammed into a two bedroom condo. Some days there were less of us, but we always had people sleeping anywhere we could lay down.
During the day the dads treked down to the valley to go to work and Amer (that's what the kids call Russ' mom) and I entertained, fed and cleaned up after nine children. The kids had a blast and went swimming
two or three times a day. They loved hanging out with their cousins and making crafts in the hotel room. It was a giant, week long slumber party.
We also took a few outings to the outlet mall to buy school clothes. My credit card is a bit more worn and so are my nerves. If you notice a twitch next time I see you, it is probably left over dammage.
On Tuesday morning, Courtney was being teased by her uncle while she was under a hide-a-bed. She jumped out of the way of his tickling arm, and scraped her back on the bed frame. A little ice and a lot of love and she was better.
A few hours later, Megan was showing me how she could do a flip into the pool. OH Wow! I said, "You be careful. You could hit your head." Not ten minutes later, Courtney came to me screaming with her hand on her head and blood running down her face. Glory! Why doesn't anybody ever listen to me. She ended up with two big gashes on her head that probably needed stitches, but since it is in her hair and I am not worried about the scars, we just stopped the bleeding and bought her a hat.
The next day, Sarah was constantly crying. Her cousin Lauren had reached her limit of sharing and was taking her aggressions out on Sarah. By the end of the day she had a scratch under each eye, a fat lip, and several pinch marks. That's when I told Sarah that she was allowed to fight back if Lauren attacked her again. It was a good thing that Aly had back to school night. I packed up Sarah, Aly and Megan and headed down to Bountiful. The break was needed.
Needless to say, we were ready to come home by the end of the week. The kids bring home lots of fun memories with their cousins, a few scars, and I bring home an appreciation for the fact that school is starting.
Here's my Aly. She is headed to ninth grade. I was really lucking to get this picture before she darted out the door. I am pretty sure she rolled her eyes at me as she left. 
Here's Megan headed off to sixth grade. Queen of the school. She is really excited and has an awesome teacher. I am sure she will have a great year.
Courtney is going to a new school this year. She is in an advanced third grade class at Centerville Elementary. I know she is nervous, but she will do great.
Here's Nate. Isn't he handsome?!? He is a big first grader this year. He is super excited for school lunch and three recesses. 
