Mid-March gave us the opportunity for a fun family picnic!
The more kids we have and the more adulty our older kids get, the more difficult it is for us to all find an opportunity to all be together at the same time. The stars aligned one day in March, and we were able to meet up in Lincoln for an awesome day at the park together! (Asa and his wife Eva, Justus and his fiance Kelsey, Elias, Malachi, Brayden, Keith, Matt, me, and our four foster girlies)
One of our goals when we get together is to find something we can do that we will all enjoy – from baby to toddler to preschooler to elementary kids to high schooler to adults. Oh, and it helps if we can find something that doesn’t cost much money. Of course. :)
On this particular day, we found a park with a fun playground for all the littles plus plenty of grassy areas for all the bigs to kick around a soccer ball. And the best part – we had packed the frisbee golf equipment we’d invested in one Christmas. So the boys set up our goal and created a course. After lunch, the bigs had fun playing frisbee golf for hours while the littles played nearby.
Also, it was a perfectly sunny, 67-degree day. Gorgeous!
I grabbed this picture of the big boys and in short, while we were together, I couldn’t stop staring at this scene. When our older boys get together, this is what happens. The four of them find their way into a square with a soccer ball at their feet. They kick around and chat without even realizing they’re doing it – it’s what they’ve always done. Be still my heart. God gave us amazing adult sons.
Meanwhile, the amazing babies.
Daddy was holding the littlest. These two had a blast on the swings. The other three were playing and playing on the playground (which I failed to get a picture of, phooey!).
Oh yes. And we also ate a super tasty picnic.
This ended up being a perfect lunch that was easy to put together and pack for an outing. Everyone got their fill and loved it.
The night before, I made a big bowl full of chicken salad.
I packed two bags full of chicken salad, croissants, grapes, applesauce, chips, salsa, and avocado cups.
I also packed water bottles, forks, a knife, napkins, and paper plates.
There was nothing fancy about our meal, but it was perfect for our needs that day!
Do you know how the Bible says that “Mary treasured all these things in her heart…”? That’s what I feel like I do on days like this. They are a gift, they are rare, and I love standing back and watching all my dear ones together. :)
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Stay tuned for more Big Family Food posts, where I share all about how I make food for our big family! And read here to catch up on other posts in this series you may have missed. :)
Yay for the picnic–sounds wonderful!
I love this Laura!! I know what you mean about your boys getting together. My guys went to different colleges in different states. When they were together at home, they would start talking about computer/AV/music whatever. I would stand and listen and if they would catch me, they’d look at me and say, “what?’ I’d just smile and work heard at not tearing up. I too had the Bible verse go through my head about Mary treasuring these things in her heart and that’s what I did. I’m so thankful for those times. Thanks for sharing your family and your heart!!