Company! Things have been pretty busy here, so this article was kind of delayed. This should have been my 24 weeks column, so here it is! :-) I have had a lot of visitors lately, some just for a play date, but some overnight too. I enjoy having people over, especially if it is people with kids who do not expect a perfect house. They do have to be able to step over toys, otherwise this is not the house for them :-) The first overnighter was my Canadian friend, who brought seven kids and her husband with her :-) It was fun having her over, her kids play together well with my kids. We went to the Montshire Museum with them, where they all had a good time. The picture shows one of the meals and not even all the kids are sitting at the table at that time! We ate in batches most of the time, we really need a bigger table! :-) Then I also had a friend visiting from the Netherlands. I met her when I was pregnant with my oldest, just like she was. We really clicked, and always kept in contact, even when I moved to the States. She has two kids, who are the same ages as my two oldest. We speak on the phone almost every day, so it was really great having her over in person. That cut back on my phone bill :-) She came on her own, and left the rest of the family at home, because her boys are in school. Her husband is self employed, and didn't have much work these days, so could take care of the kids. She stayed for 12 days, and we had a blast. We talked a lot and I took her to all kinds of places around here, exciting things like the karate school and the grocery store! LOL Well, actually we did more fun things too, but it also was nice for her to experience daily life in our family and to have a mental image of where we are going when we go to our weekly activities. I had a homeschooling friend over, for a playdate, and Tara (4yo) really likes to play with her 4yo son Nathan. They had gone off to Tara's room upstairs and were playing nicely and quietly. Of course the quietness should have warned us :-) We found them in the closet in Tara's room, with a green pencil, writing their names on the wall, and then comparing the letters. They were discussing how many of the letters were the same... Oh well, at least it was an educational activity! LOL We have lots of decorated walls here, so it was no big deal. One day my house will be spotless, but not yet :-) Page design by mabear | Send email to Karen | Page last updated: Dec 29, 2001