12 more people come to dinner!

I started to write "12 Different People Come to Dinner" but that didn't sound quite as nice or as innocent as I intended, so I scrapped that title. We did have a whole 'nother group in our home last night though and it was SO SO SO fun!!!!!!! I love having people over! I love that God blessed us with a great amount of space so that we can be "instant in season" for guests. lots of them at one time. My "Bloggy friend," Laurel from Washington State and 7 of her 13 children are on a 6 week road trip while her husband has their house up for sale. Its a bit challenging, to say the least, to keep a house show ready while home schooling a houseful of even the best and neatest and most low maintenance of children, so Laurel took the kids out of the house and on a road trip that will take them as far east as we are in Central Oklahoma and as far south as Corpus Christie! A mutual "bloggy friend" Michelle who is now also my flesh and blood friend, Laurel, another Oklahoma friend and I began to plan last week for a get together at our house to welcome Laurel and children and get to know them in person. Our other friend Anita couldn't make it, but Michelle with 3 of her children, Abby, Landis and Hannah came up from south of OKC to join the Big D Family and the Smith Crew for a hot dog roast, a lot of great outdoor fun, a bonfire thanks to the efforts of my boys in preparing the burn pile and Charlie for getting a great fire going. The kids were a bit shy with each other at first, some less than others, but before long there were kids from all over the globe tramping on our trampoline, swinging on the swingset, playing soccer, baseball, checking out the horses and milking the goats! We discovered that our older children had a lot in common in their strong-faith stands, their desire to live for Jesus and their callings to full time mission work (even in related fields ofoutreach...in Argentina and in Cambodia, but almost identical visions!)
After a yummy breakfast this morning of farm fresh eggs, grits and toast, AND a good round of back yard baseball, trampoline bouncing AND photo taking, Laurel and kids had to hit the road, but not until we had the opportunity to pray over them, Smith family circle -stlye. My kids have asked all after noon when their new friends can come back again. My invitation is OPEN!
Oh Michelle, BOTH Abby and Hannah left jackets here. SEnd me a physical addie and I'll pop them in the mail!!!