The week the Reddigs came to town

 Katie, Robert, Mary Ann, Rose, Peter, and Margaret flew in for their spring break.  We have been planning for this trip ever since we knew for sure we'd be moving to Florida last summer.  Originally, we'd thought we'd all go to Disney World, but as that seemed to be more and more complicated, we elected to just host them in our house.  Now adding 6 people to our house is no small feat, but I strongly believe that low expectations and everyone being extremely flexible about schedules led to a wonderful week for everyone.

The day that the Reddigs arrived was a beautiful one. 





So after a round of margaritas and chips and salsa, we loaded up the vans and headed to the beach.  Unfortunately, the water was freezing.  Something that all people under the age of 30 didn't seem to mind.

We also planned for another visit to a beach on Tuesday as it was also a warmer sunny day.  Again, the water was not very accommodating. I lost major cool aunt points by not getting into the waves with my nieces...and I'm fine with that.  That water was cold!  But, the sun was hot and the bunch of rookies that applied sunscreen had a few failures.  Everyone except Peter and Margaret got a little burnt.  Robert, I believe, was the winner for worse case.  Mine was oddly on my neck, so I walked around for a couple of days looking like I had been the victim of a strangling attempt.  I eventually covered it with a bright scarf and looked more fashionable than usual.  #winning

Wednesday was a stormy day.  A dolphin cruise we had tickets for was cancelled so we elected to visit the Armament Museum.  This worked for about 15 minutes before Molly indicated that it was no longer working for her...so we left.  This is where low expectations and flexibility really came in handy.  What could have been a really bad day (a bunch of kids being stuck inside) turned into a really fun one.  We let the kids watch a movie (or 2...or 3... I lost count), while the adults had the first of three epic foosball tournaments.  Though I was on the losing team every time, I had a great time.  #ironicallywinning 

 On Thursday, the weather was still a little chilly, though the sun was shining, so we loaded up after lunch and took the Reddigs to Baytowne Wharf.  The older generation enjoyed some adult beverages while the younger generation played on a castle/fort.  Then we walked around the area and found some tree houses to hang out in.  We topped the visit off with some Fro Yo.  #stillwinning

 Allow me to say here that our niece Margaret is a sweetheart.  Though she clearly loves her mom, she is a pretty laid back little girl.  And if we for some reason ever forgot there was a baby in the house (um..we didn't), Molly enthusiastically pointed her presence out on a regular basis. 

 Friday dawned cold and windy.  So, naturally, I suggested that Katie and I take the older three on a walk to the best place in the world:  The Dollar Tree.  After we spent some quality time in that Oasis, I led them an addition half-mile or so to the used book store.  Thankfully, due to the miracle of technology and the fact that the younger four children (and their dads) were cold at the nearby park, we met up with everyone at the bookstore.  From there we journeyed to the awesome McDonald's (with the indoor jungle).  Basically, this was the day we hit all the things I always tell Katie about, but would normally never have the opportunity to show her.  Except on a cold, gray day when really there are no other options available.  #ghettowinning

 Saturday was the last day of the Reddigs visit.  It was a beautiful day.  Eric and I took all of the kids (minus Margaret) to the school fields to fly kites and play soccer.  This worked out pretty well in that we got them out of the house, and Katie and Robert were able to pack up.  #winningwinning

We all couldn't get over how well everything went.  Let's face it, I sort of have a reputation for not planning very well.  And for those keeping track, we only made it to the beach twice due to the weather.  So figuring out little activities to do to keep everyone from going crazy was a pretty impressive feat.  Everyone was pretty sad when the Reddigs drove away.  Dom enthusiastically said he had a great time with Mary Ann and Rose.  Will said he really liked hanging out with Peter and wished he lived closer.  At which point I realized I'd hardly seen Peter.  He and Will were always off playing in their imaginary worlds.   And Eric and I really enjoyed hanging out with the Reddigs in the evenings over games and Seinfeld episodes....and a round of Irish Car Bombs!