Cousin visit - eight is great!

In February, Laura and the boys were at mom and dad's house for two weekends and Paula and her kids were able to join us for part of Laura's stay.  All eight cousins were together for the first time!  It was CRAZY, but it was fun.  It breaks my heart that these visits are so rare, but we packed in a lot of playing when we had the chance.  We took a million pictures and this is a long post, but this still only scratches the surface.  It was an action-packed visit.

Did I mention that Tom was the only dad on hand (not counting Opa, who is critical).  Wes and Chad weren't here so Tom pulled triple duty with the kids and he was great with them, as he always is.

We spent lots and lots of time outside.  The Fairbanks kids thought it was summery, but Owen and Cora spent the cooler days bundled up.  Sam and Claire swinging.

Cora, warm and cozy with Nana.

Max was not at all in the mood for the cousin picture, but we made it happen.  You can see Laura hiding behind Max to keep him in his spot and Tom holding Cora up from behind.  What you can't see is the rest of us standing in front of the kids acting like fools to get some smiles. From oldest to youngest: Bo, Kate, Sam, Claire, Owen, Max, Charlee, Cora

Support staff.

We also tried a slide picture, but this is as close as we got.  Six kids on the slide and one held up behind. The weight of the kids at the top pushed Kate and Sam off the bottom. From bottom to top: Kate, Sam, Claire, Owen, Bo, Cora, Max in Laura's arms.

  The lollipops were photo bribes. 

It felt like we were ALWAYS having to feed the kids. Eight kids have eight different ideas about food.  Owen and Claire found common ground in hot dogs on pretzel sticks.

Finally... winding down with stories (Sam, Claire, Nana, Owen).

The second weekend of the visit was just the boys (and Cora).  Max, Sam, and Owen watching the cows move down the road.

More swinging.  Tom pushing Bo super high.

Laura and Max.  Nice ride.

The boys wandered out to see the cows who were right next to the fence in the yard.  Owen trailed behind, which is pretty typical.  Bo, Sam, and Max run in fast forward and Owen tags along at his own pace.   

This was such a special trip.  We love our family so much and wish we could be together more often.  Come back soon!