Super Saturday

Last Saturday was a special day.
When I looked out in the backyard, my heart was full of joy. I loved seeing Daniel and Christina and their friends, playing happily and creatively. We had a full yard that day! Everyone was getting along and the weather was beautiful. That's what Saturdays are all about in my book. I'd much rather use the other days of the week to wash the clothes, clean the house, and get ready for Sunday!
These three little munchkins (Christina, Tucker, and Sam) play most days and love to create a house in the back corner of the yard.  They make rooms, using rope, and even have a tacky flamingo (squirting water toy for summertime) stuck in the flower bed. I reminded Christina last night how lucky she is to have neighbor friends. It's a blessing and a new one for her! We remembered these sweet neighbor friends in our prayers last night.
Daniel had his church buddy, Jackson, over to play that day, and they had a ball. Literally. Baseball. Football. And this pogo-bouncing ball! In the afternoon, Nolan (Sam's older brother) joined in the fun with them. They loved showing off their jumps and goofiness for me! Look at cute Jackson fly! The kids love digging through our outdoor toy bin (a great big Rubbermaid) and seeing what they can find. It does take some regular organizing, but gives them lots to do. Bubbles, sidewalk chalk, frisbees, jump ropes, bats and balls, bug catchers, kid wheelbarrows, buckets, swords, etc. Now that Christina loves to be outside with her friends, I keep her necessities in it too - some play blankets and bags. I've just decided that these blankets will be outside ones and then I don't have to regularly wash them. She goes back and forth to the two friends' homes and always likes to have her favorite supplies. Some days they are in costume. I leave this Super "D" cape in the bin for Sam. It's his favorite accessory. Christina sometimes is balky about costumes, but was a darling Strawberry Shortcake on this day.
Tucker informed me (and she does lots of informing, if you know what I mean) that Christina sometimes hugs too tight. I'm starting to think of Tucker as my 4th child. She is at our house often and quite a character. Tucker and Christina's favorite snack is Ramen noodles. Not that there is anything nutritious whatsoever about them, but they enjoy them. Tucker's Dad and I joke about who is hosting the Ramen Noodles party today? Occasionally, she'll work the pity angle at our house, whining to me that her parents didn't make breakfast or lunch, and that she's hungry. Sometimes I feed her. Other days that I've already fed my kids, I encourage her to get something at home. She was becoming a bit grumpy this day, so I put out apples and chips for an outdoor picnic. Later on, when I wasn't feeling so manipulated, I made up a big pot of Ramen for the girls.
Playdates usually require a sweet goodie too. I discovered the long-lost Big Cupcake Pan last week and was dying to make one. Daniel wanted to make it with me and the three munchkins wanted to lick the bowl after it had baked. It takes forever to cook! I had to pull out three spatulas, so they all could get messy faces!It's a pretty clever pan! I definitely like the look better with colored frosting and sprinkles, but Daniel would never choose pink frosting or sprinkles. He likes his frosting plain. And chocolate.I made a homemade chocolate cake from an online recipe and we enjoyed an early birthday celebration that evening. Jackson was able to sample a little cake with us before we took him home. Because the pans are different dimensions, the bottom and top cook differently. I need to do some research next time to figure out how to improve baking the cake, without making such a crunchy exterior. 
Ben, by the way, loved the crunchy outside and moist inside. He thought it was like a brownie cake! Good ol' Ben. He tries to find the good in all my cooking, even if it's a stretch.
Don't you just love that glow on Daniel's face. It looks a bit like a UFO, if you ask me.