yesterday when i got home from subbing, there were three extra teens at my house. i started a pot of coffee, and got out the mixer . . . in amongst paper airplanes being made and volcanoe trials and in-and-out of the house and laughter and jumping on the trampoline and grass and leaves being drug in on bare feet and general goofiness, i made caramel chip cookies and drank . . . umm . . . the whole pot of coffee over the course of the evening . . . while three of them were at soccer practice, i walked chaco and did a few house-keeping bits (which did not include, but maybe should have included, sweeping the floor). then i made mac-n-cheese and brats and peas and fed four kiddos supper and watched demonstrations of the giant spiderweb capturing paper airplanes and volcanoes erupting before returning extra kiddos to their own homes for the evening.
i was tired by the time i crawled in bed, but i do love this time of a full-house and kids needing to be run here and there. i love knowing my kids' friends. and it's pretty fun to watch faces when i tell them that yes, those cookies are from scratch, and guess what? they are gluten free! (gluten free can taste oh-so-good!) i also love having music playing and laughter and kitchen dancing going on. (the grocery cart, the floss, some disco, the whip-it-nea-nea . . . and who knows what all else!) i'll tell you what, it's pretty impossible to be sad (even if i am missing ben like crazy) when i'm drinking copious amounts of coffee and getting all the happy vibes from this bunch of teens!
here's to five more years of this awesomeness!