On Saturday night, the Fleiss family arrived close to midnight. Fortunately for us, Teddy was up for the welcoming reception he got, and promptly proceeded to show us his newest trick - hide and seek, saying, "hide, hide" as he hid behind us on the couch. Within a few minutes of his arrival, I apparently taught him a new word ("mine"), so I am now credited with teaching him the two worst words a toddler can say - "no" and "mine." What an aunt!
On Sunday, we took it easy... we had the crew out on the beach, building sand castles and playing in the water. We also logged some time in the pool - it was a picture perfect day, and Jack & Kate enjoyed having a new playmate to chase around (except, that is, when Teddy wanted to ride on the ride-on "stop and go" car, which Kate had adopted as "hers," despite the fact that it is made for toddlers). Good thing I taught Teddy the word "mine" - I knew it would come in handy!
On Monday morning, Annie and Zachary arrived to find us all swimming in the pool, along with some family friends of my parents. We had fun passing the kids around - Kate was now officially "dangerous," as she gave up the swim jacket for good. Zachary and Jack were a bit more cautious, and Teddy was following Kate's lead - showing us that he had no fear of the water, and was ready to swim on his own.
On Tuesday, we did more of the same - taking turns on the beach, pool, and runs for the grown-ups in between. We also started making all the side dishes for Thanksgiving - it was so nice to cook with real appliances.. in a big kitchen with a huge oven and two refrigerators (since half of our gang was staying next door in the neighbor's condo)... heaven for someone used to her Swiss kitchen, which is efficient but limited on space.
We took the kids out to the beach for sunset, which ended up becoming our nightly ritual - it was a great chance for them to run around (and run they did - usually in opposite directions). Jack particularly liked his role of policeman, roping in the escapees.
That night, Eric returned from a business trip in Florida, and picked up Mattie along the way - bringing our total count to 11... it was nice to have everyone there, and we were excited for the last family member (Jay) to arrive the next day.
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