Two sets of twins and a baby

We kept the girls -- 8- (almost 9-) year-old Piper and Camden -- for the weekend while their parents headed to the D.C. area for Rebecca's high school reunion.

And while I know it sounds crazy, sometimes it's actually easier to have two extra kids around for a few days.


Piper is a tomboy, and she and Niko immediately pair off as the best of buddies. Camden is very much a girly-girl, and she and Lena are fast friends. Gregory, well, he goes back and forth between the pairs and is friend with everyone. But the bottom line is, because Niko and Lena both have a friend of their own, they keep away from one another and don't end up fighting.

Besides, we kept busy. Saturday we went strawberry picking in the 100 F. sun and came home to host a family barbecue for 15. Sunday I took all five out for breakfast before going to the local Air and Space Center. And both days the kids spent some quality time in our new wading pool on steroids.