Yu-Gi-Oh Girl, Rascal, Dilly and Neighbor Sis and Little Bro

I didn't think I would find the perfect graphic for earlier today, which is actually now yesterday, but I did!  LOL 

I had 8 kids here today wreaking mania and mayhem over the house and neighborhood.

Three are my own and I can't send them anywhere.  One is my cousin's son, and Aunt Dawn invited him to visit for the week, so he stays, too.  He would be the Dilly in the above title.

The rest were friends of the kids.  Neigborhood Sis and Little Bro live across the street.  Today was hot and I already had six kids in the house, why not them also?  That was how we got eight. 

Rascal is Fuzzy's friend.  He is such a sweet boy!  Yesterday, we were all at the town pool together and he played great with Fuzzy, Dilly, Hammer and Pumpkin, so we invited him over for the day.

Hammer's friend, who is a girl, but not a 'girlfriend', rang the bell at about noon, as she is wont to do.  She lives nearby, and even though she could call ahead, never does, but that is okay.

I call her Yu-Gi-Oh Girl because she loooooves the card game as much as my son, Hammer, and I previously thought that to be impossible.  She is a sweet, funny, and wonderfully quirky girl who is so scarily like my quirky Hammer that they are like opposite sides of the same coin.

Scenes from the resulting mayhem follow for your amusement.

7 of 8 play Hide and Go Seek, indoors.  They can use 5 rooms downstairs and the kids bedrooms upstairs.  This results in a lot of noise and movement, back and forth, up and down.

This also results in the 4 1/2 year old yellow lab dog bringing balls to any child she can corner, and also her tripping kids as they try to pass by ignoring her.  Occasional yips and yelps of begging for attention are mingled with laughter and arguements about counting and acceptable hiding places.

At one point, I needed the Dust Buster and I was informed by Hammer, (the only child not playing) that it was upstairs in his bedroom. 

Pumpkin passes me and I ask her to bring it to me.

Fuzzy passes and I ask him to bring it to me, or tell his sister to bring it to me like I asked.

No one brings me anything.  I holler up the stairs requesting the vac, and get told the usual - okay! 

Nothing.  Then Rascal shows up with the Dust Buster and a big smile and says 'Here ya go, Dawn!' 

I say, 'Thank you, so much!  I am sorry that my own children have ignored me and you did it instead, you are such an angel!'

He had the biggest sweet smile on his face! 

That got me through the first half of the afternoon.

At one point, Hammer and Yu-Gi-Oh Girl decided to play a board game called 'The Worst Case Scenario Game'.  As I read some emails, I listened to them play.

I don't know why, but Hammer lapsed into reading the cards to Y-Girl in a Mr. T accent.  I don't even know where or how he learned about Mr. T, but there he was, reading 'I pity the fool, who answers this question....' and he continued with the silly imitation as he read the game cards. 

And, Y-Girl's reaction?  All girly giggles!  At one point, my patience gone and my head starting to spin, I said, 'Hammer, stop reading them like that!' and he said, 'But Mom, Y-Girl loves it!' and she said, 'I do!'.

Well, what's a mom to do?  I just had to suck it up!

The best part was next though, Hammer was Mr. T-ing along and Y-Girl was giggling away, and then she said, 'Oh Hammer, you are sooooo funny!' in that giggly girly flirty way that we girls say those sorts of things.

I peeked over at my son and his face was beaming, as he stammered out a thank you!

That, my dear j-land friends, made the rest of the mayhem and mania perfectly bearable until 5 pm, when the various visitors began to either walk home or be picked up! 

And, believe me, there was some other mayhem going on... but nothing closing the windows and paying for the a/c to recool the house can't fix.  My dear Pumpkin just does the darndest things sometimes!

I just love being a mom!  I am so blessed to be able to be home with my kids, and get to experience crazy fun days like today that make wonderful memories!

be well,
Dawn