the rest of the family is just as crazy as we are...

In the past, I've been terrible about blogging when people visit. It's not that I don't want to write about it all... it's the exact opposite! Usually we are so busy and having so much fun together and making lots of great memories, and I'm left with a camera full of to-be-editted images and a heart full of love for our great family and friends. Yet when my house is empty again, I realize that I've gone a week without doing laundry, cleaning bathrooms, bathing my stinky kids or doing any school with them, and then blogging ends up waaaay at the bottom of the priority list!

But not this time!

I really, really want to post pictures from Simon's birthday this last weekend, but I promised myself I wouldn't do that before dedicating a quick post to our most recent visitors.

Peter's brother, David, and his wife, Kristi and new baby Eli were here last week. We saw Parliament Hill, walked around Byward Market, celebrated American Thanksgiving (with all the trimmings!) AND threw one heck of a Super Hero Party for Simon's 5th birthday. They left Sunday morning and we already miss them terribly!

Here are a few pictures from their last night with us, including a sneak peak at a couple of the (many) crafts we did for the party.

cousins (from left to right): Eloise (5 months), Liam (8), Andrew (almost 3), Simon (5), Eli (4.5 months)

modelling felt masks that Kristi and I made for the party, and being rather good sports about it!

these two are only 13 days apart!

this, according to Simon, is his "superhero face"

poor Andrew was up until 10:30pm the night before and then 

had NO NAP the day of the party!

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What a good looking bunch!

...most of the time.

Thank you guys soooooo much for all your help getting ready for both Thanksgiving and the birthday party! There's NO WAY I could've done it all without you! Kristi, having someone to talk and cook and laugh with was a far better way to spend all those hours in the kitchen... maybe sister-wives isn't such a bad idea, eh?  ;)

We can't wait til the next time we get to see the three of you!

*Check out the cool minimalist superhero art that David and Kristi put together for the party! Those are definitely going up in the basement once it's finished!

at least I got this post in before Christmas

I'm the last kid on the block to post about Halloween. To make up for it, you get a video instead of only mere images.

(Warning, when I first watched this it was suuuuper loud. Maybe turn down your sound.)

My kids crack me up.

I was a lazy mom and didn't get a costume for Eloise this year. For her first Halloween! I know! Hopefully she'll forgive me one day.

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Clearly I haven't been blogging much since we moved back. I've just been busy. But good busy. Moving, unpacking (no, we're not done yet!), setting up house, homeschooling (again! yeah!), several photography sessions, and -oh yeah- A NEWBORN have all conspired to fill my days to the brink and leave no room for blogging. Pinterest hasn't helped anything either, if I'm being honest.

Thanks for sticking with me. I'll be back soon. 

Promise.