Fall fun with cousins

Ten Towfighis arrived at our house at 4:00 on Friday. The kids immediately started playing with each other. We had pizza about an hour later. Awhile back I purchased four tickets to a concert at a church in our town (which is extremely rare because our town is very small). At first I planned on taking my three kids to hear Building 429 (the numbers refer to Ephesians 4:29), and then my friend, Cheri, wanted to join us for dinner and the concert so then the plans were that I would make chicken parmigiana for dinner and then Ian, Nadia, Cheri, and I would go to the concert and Oliver would stay home with Paul. Cheri decided not to come once she found out that my sister and her family would be here, and although my boys really enjoy concerts, playing with cousins trumps a concert. So two of the tickets I purchased weren't used by anyone. My sister had purchased four tickets for herself, Andrew, Jenna, and Joshua (her three eldest), and Nadia and I joined them. The concert was from 7-10pm, which meant that the six Towfighis who drove back to MD got home sometime after

2:00am.

Yvonne and Joe gave me some money to use for a special activity with the kids this week, which was very thoughtful and generous of them. I asked the kids what they would like to do. I threw out a variety of suggestions. I thought a trip to Knoebels would be the one they would pick, but surprisingly they didn't. One of my nephews asked for a trip to Chuck E Cheese, but we don't have any near us. I saw the weather was supposed to be nice Saturday and Sunday so I figured we should do something outside, and since it's October, I thought we'd go to a pumpkin patch. Let me tell you that corn mazes are absolutely not my thing. We had done one at Fort Ticonderoga last month, and so I thought I was done with mazes for this year. The kids enjoyed the 75 foot slide, rolling inside barrels, feeding goats and sheep, the corn maze, and shooting the corn cannon. We also took a short hay ride to the pumpkin patch, which meant we came home with eight pumpkins. I'm planning on having the kids carve four pumpkins later this week and then take the other

four (uncarved) pumpkins to Maryland on Friday so Yvonne can use them for making pumpkin pies or however she chooses. There is an ice cream shop across from the farm called the Purple Cow. I told the kids they could have dessert before dinner if they promised to eat their dinner when we got home. Four of the kids chose to have a slushie (two grape and two strawberry), and the other four of us chose to have ice cream.  During dinner Julianna asked everyone to share three "smiles," and something that put a smile on my face was that a few of the Towfighis said that dinner (chicken and dumplings) was one of their three "smiles." Had we done the "'smile" thing today, my kids might have mentioned dinner today as one of their three smiles as they love rigatoni and meatballs, but none of them would think of saying that about chicken and dumplings. As I was serving lunch today Nathan said to me, "you're the best aunt ever." I am certain that's not an accurate statement, but it certainly melted my heart to hear him say that!

This morning I had to leave for

church at 7:50. Julianna, Nadia, and Joshua went with me. Paul left with the others about 40 minutes later. Joshua and Nadia attended the 9:00 worship service with Paul and I. The other five kids attended Sunday School during the first service and went to the kids' choir during the second service. Joshua and Nadia attended the youth service during the second service. The choir is on the platform for a significant portion of both services, and then I attended a small group after the choir went off the platform in the second service.

Several of us were home the rest of the day. Nathan, Joshua, and Nadia attended the Bible study that Nadia usually attends on Sunday nights. Joel and Nathan watched the Eagles football game. Julianna and I made a batch of white chocolate macadamia nut cookies. I mowed the lawn in between doing dishes, making dinner, making cookies, and shuttling the kids back and forth to the Middle group this evening. I finished just as it became too dark for me to see the lawn. Aside from sitting in church a little (not too much as the choir stands on the platform) and the time I was driving, I was on my feet from 7:05 am to 7:55 pm. I'm pooped! I think the cousins are having a good week together so far. Nathan and Julianna are also really enjoying our guinea pigs albeit Julianna has the hardest time saying the word "guinea." At least the word "pigs" is easy to say!