Sunday night is family night. And family night is CRAZY.

Ok, so Staci and I decided we need to have family night every Sunday night. And each week, we alternate who is in charge of the meal. This was the Raborn week.

Oh, have I shown you all this portrait Don had made for Staci? Does something look "different" about this one?!

Ok, back to famly night. Big Don did the cooking on this night. The big boys always think they are going to get out of it, by telling us all about how everyone else is doing something wlse with their friends, yada, yada, yada. It doesn't work! In fact, the big boys are the primary reason we started family night! Hunter is only a couple of years away from moving out potentially and going away to college.

Ooooooh. Mexican fiesta!

And it just wouldn't be a night together without a "Presenting.... Madi" night! They announce each other over and over and change clothes incessantly. But by now, you know that!

NOT SURE where Ellie came up with this pole dancing costume. Surely it is just ripped up the side. Surely!

And in comes sweet little precious Gabbi Girl.. just happy to have on a tutu. Still in her play clothes underneath!

And yet, so satisfied, just to be part of the action!

They occasionally let her play with them. And act like they like it.

Ok, so now for the interesting part of the night. Sorry JinJin, it's what you get for losing all that weight! OK, so have you played Quelf?! It is the most bizarre, random game in the world! Here, I do believe that JinJin drew a card which commanded her to expose her middrift and do a belly dance for 30 seconds. Thank GOD, I didn't draw that card! If you don't do what it tells you to, you are penalized and have to move backwards a designated number of spaces on the board.

Staci and Hayden were getting a kick out of it, Hunter (above) couldn't even bring himself to look!

And here, we have MimMim and Staci slowdancing for an entire song that I believe, they had to hum.

Hunter, even as cool as he thinks he is, cracks up at this game. It is so blame random!

Here, I do believe, he is being a blind mime, trying to get out of a box.

Mary Allison has to stay for our Quelf battles.

One would think that this big ol mitten on Hayden's hand was part of the game, but nope! He just felt like wearing one big ol mitten!

It's really good to see him smiling! It's been a rough year for Hayden. Really, it's been a rough several years!

And of course, Ellie has to come in with some made up bobo for some attention from the g'ma!
Veronicia and Mary Allison had to play leap frog for 5 repetitions. That was hysterical!

ANd speaking of hysterical, anytime someone laughed, I had to slap my thigh and say, "waka waka waka". If I forgot, I had to move back on the board. Hayden is like the dadgum game police. He doesn't miss a thing!

Like for instance, Mary Allison had to snort every time she laughed.

When she forgot, Hayden was quick to remind.... and move her back on the board!

Here Hunter is attempting to lick his elbow. Apparently JinJin is offering moral support. And you KNOW we all tried this. ANd I KNOW you are probably about to try it too. It's hard!

Mary Allison, now tooting the National Anthem with her nostril. ANd Hayden, either a) reading his card and deciding he is NOT going to do what it says (he was bad about that) or b) pretending to do something while paying total attention to everyone else and what they are NOT doing that they are supposed to be doing, so he can rightly move them back.

This is the happiest I see him in a week. So, it is ALL worth it! We play even when we don't want to play. Because, we know Hayden loves games, and we know we will all soon be glad we are playing!

and will all soon be laughing our heads off. I think this is Staci using a made up language to recite a nursery rhyme.

Or maybe her making up a rap song. or writing a poem using certain words dictated by Quelf.

This is how Veronicia looked through an entire song as she was instructed to not change expression at all and not crack a smile at all. She seriously looked like a zombie. We were rolling.

Lots of bonding goes on on our Sunday family nights. And for several of you who mentioned how close our family is and "do you ever get on each other's nerves?". Well... of course we do! But the point is to keep on keeping on. There will always be times when we are aggrevating each other. It's how families are. But, we keep going back... week after week, because we know it is what is best for the kiddos. ANd in the long run, it is how traditions are formed.

The boys will someday, hopefully, bring their girlfriends, then wives, then kids, back to our houses on Sunday nights for full-on dinners and games, and even college friends so we can get to know their peeps.

So we put up with each others' aggrevating idiosyncracies, because, well, let's face it... who doesn't have them?!

But even when Hunter didn't think he wanted to play, he ended up laughing and having a great time! And Mary Allison, toilet paper and all, enjoyed it too, meaning high school kids even like board games!

Hope this encourages you to try Family night too!

Mo