Happy Mother's Day!

This past Sunday, Ryan and I had the privilege of hosting our blended family here in Shafferland for what came to be known by the morning guys as "Mommapalooza."

My dad doesn't cook {anything...ever...} so I always feel sad for Mom when she has to cook on her own holiday. So we invited them over and then extended the offer to Ryan's mom and siblings, and we were excited that they wanted to come!

When all was said and done, we had 13 people here in our little house...which is why we were ULTRA grateful that God held the rain for us so we were able to have fun outside in our yard.

I got a boatload of darling pictures that day that unfortunately I can't share on the old blogaroo because some of Ryan's family prefers to be blognonymous, but just trust me...it was a fun day of joy here in Shafferland.

What I can show you...starts with the food! We decided to create our own hot dog/hamburger stand. Like the B and K we have here in town. So here was our layout:

We set up tables and chairs in our pirogi and tried to make it welcoming...

Even added a few little fun things to the food area:

Made a dried beef cheeseball for people to munch on while they were waiting for lunch to begin. {And by people, of course, I mostly mean myself.}

For lunch...Ryan grilled hamburgers and hot dogs, and then we added some cheesy potatoes and cups of fruit and cups of veggies:

Ryan and I loved watching people sit around and enjoy the day. Here are a few of the things I was thankful for in that list:

 Ryan helped SO much - the day before and the day of - including taking charge of all the grilling. What a huge help!!!

 Mom got to enjoy reading our scrapbook before lunch - which she loves.

 Nita loves all her kids so much, and I really enjoyed watching her open her cards from them and savor the words inside.

 My dad and Allen {Ryan's step-dad} solving the world's problems together. Can't tell you how thankful I am for dads who enjoy each other and get along well.

 My birthday celebration was part of the day...and I got many wonderful gifts, including new gel polish!!!

 The Mama and me. Very thankful for her!

 This would be Mom not smiling because she was actually TALKING. The picture before this one was SO GREAT but she made me swear I wouldn't post it. I'm not sure why I'm actually complying, but I am. Anyway. Thankful to have my sister Julie with us!

 One of my FAVORITE parts of the day was when everyone sat around in lawn chairs just talking. It warmed my soul so much.

 Ryan and his mother...I'm REALLY thankful for these two and the love they have for each other and for me.

And again, God, thankyouthankyouthankyou for holding off the rain and giving us a PHENOMENAL day outside. I felt loved. :)