second annual.

Last year, same weekend actually, Emma and Julie and Mandy and our families all enjoyed a bit of a fall adventure together.

We decided it was too good of a time to not repeat.

Mandy couldn’t join us this year but Kate could.

Five of our children joined us.  Julie brought four of her five.  Emma has two.  Kate brought five of her six.

5 + 4 + 2 + 5 = 16.

16 kids + 3 adults = barely organized chaos.

Actually, the truth is – it wasn’t as crazy as it appears.

The kids played together beautifully.

And we filled our weekend to the hilt with non-stop activity.

Caesar’s Head to see the Blue Ridge escarpment and to try to catch a glimpse of migrating hawks.

No hawks were seen, but the view was gorgeous.

A campfire at our house for dinner – Mandy’s turkey chili recipe, hot dogs (which is the name that Cole thinks his new baby brother should be named), s’mores and fruit.

Kayla whipped out the guitar and played some dirges for us.  (I love the bravery of that girl – thirteen and playing in front of a crowd with many unfamiliar faces.)

Chatting waaay too late into the night with Emma.

(Man, I love hanging out with Emma.  Can I just say that?  Laughing is so good.)

And then the next day.

Oh, the next day.

We walked those little sixteen sets of legs all over the place.

(And by walked, I mean – Kate carried her sleeping beauty of a boy Theo and Julie carried her handsome prince David and I hoisted a tired-legged Willow and Emma hauled around a baby in utero all day long.)

Up to Sky Top Orchard, the loveliest apple orchard of all.  Picked apples – Gala, Mutsu, Courtland, Granny Smith.  Ate warm apple donuts.

Down and to the left to Hubba Hubba, home of (seriously) the best BBQ sandwich.  Picnic on the grass.  Hanging out and laughing and talking.

Really. You wouldn’t believe how well all of our kids behaved.  No breakdowns, no crazies.  All just good.  So good.

Then a slight drive down the highway and up the steep hill to Carl Sandburg’s house.

(That hill felt pretty steep too.  What with forty pounds of Piper on my back.)

Made corn husk dragonflies.  Played with goats.

Made sad faces when we couldn’t buy stuffed goats at the inflated price of fourteen dollars.

Eventually we made our way back down the hill, back to our waiting vehicles.

Back to our homes and back to our realities.

But before we departed from one another, we decided that we already had a plan for next year’s adventure.

1.  That it must, indeed, occur.

2.  That our children should all wear matching t-shirts with huge numbers drawn on their backs for easy identification.

3.  That we all really like one another and being together was such an enjoyable adventure.