family weekending

Since my brother and his wife had their second baby back in January, they have come to visit twice.
My younger brother is the only one in my family who doesn’t live on our Virginia “commune,” so when his family shows up, the weekend turns into an extended family reunion of sorts. For example, People are going over to Mom and Dad’s for soup and sweet rolls? Sure, we’ll come! Or, Does anybody want to come over for Sunday waffles? Yes? EVERYONE?? Alrighty then—it’s a party!

 For this latest weekend visit, my sister-in-law’s mother (who is here from Japan for five weeks of new baby duty) was along for the ride. Saturday night we all got together at my parents’ house for supper (and bacon-wrapped, curried shrimp!) and an evening of singing and holding babies.

The next morning we went to church (my sister-in-law’s mother’s first-ever Mennonite church service). When our family returned home afterward, she and my sister-in-law and brother were already busy in the kitchen frying up three pounds of sausage and chopping up the peppers for the sausage gravy. They had also brought a bunch of fresh strawberries, a whole rotisserie chicken, and juice. I made a quadruple batch of waffles, a berry sauce, and whipped cream. Aside from one measly cup of rotisserie chicken, there were no leftovers. My family knows how to eat. 

And then crash-n-nap. At one point when everyone was spread out over the house sleeping, my mom said, “They say it’s the highest compliment when people come to your house and fall asleep.”

I’m not sure who “they” is, and I’m not sure if that’s true or not, but I’ll take it.

This same time, years previous: the quotidian (3.10.14), adventuring, now, blondies, and we’re back from seeing the wizard.