this was not at all what my weekend looked like. there were no intimate conversations over cocktails for james and i. this was the weekend we invited 5 of our favourite little ones, all kids of my cousins, for a sleepover. the youngest, twin 5 year olds, were the calmest by far. the 9, 10 and 11 year olds, on the other hand, wanted to play “who can stay awake the longest”, snuck makeup in (busted!), and pointed out, though grinning, that we were outnumbered.
but they had a blast–and so did i. i mean, they’re hilarious and we love being around them, which is why we invited them over. plus, there was a LOT of food. they were game to make pizza sauce from scratch, and then their own individual pizzas. a couple crashed early, the rest of us stayed up late, made popcorn from real kernels in a pot, and were amazed that 1/2 cup made enough for all of us. in the morning, breakfast for the group seemed effortless, because challah french toast made in the oven means not having to stand by the stove the entire time. they really liked making their own food and eating together. we spent most of our quality time around the table, away from the tv or video games. we actually lingered around the table, no one tried to wriggle away.
but getting my hands dirty with them meant i didn’t take very good pictures. take my word for it that one of the twins made the most perfect pizza, in minutes, another pizza was molded and topped to look like sri lanka and the maldive islands, and that the other twin rivals james for most ketchup consumed in a meal. later this week, the numbers will be in james and my favour, but it will be quieter around the dinner table. we were already saying “next time” minutes after they left.
in the meantime, we’re due for a night of cocktails a deux.