More IS (sometimes) More

So much of our life these days seems to center on the concept that "less is more." And this is true, I think, when it comes to a lot of things, like toys and extracurricular activities for kids and time spent staring at screens. Simplifying life--in a multitude of ways--can make for a much richer daily experience. But sometimes more IS more, in a good way. One easy example: having four kids = way more fun than having three kids. Certainly you can never have too much love.

Last summer, just before our lion baby arrived, our friends Avi and Marc (along with their son, Elijah) invited us to join them for a couple of nights in a house that they were renting on Cape Cod. We threw caution to the wind, and joined them, as did our friend Meg and her daughters, Aviva and Liesl. It was our first time attempting a multi-family vacation, and I wasn't sure how it would go. The logistics of sharing a house, meals, and a schedule could have made the vacation feel like more trouble than it was worth.

our crew: Jaz, Lena, Zeb, me, Elijah, Avi, Marc, Liesl, Meg, and Aviva
missing from photo: Lukas

But instead, it was one of the best vacations ever. The presence of extra adults and extra kids made our time at the beach all the more relaxing and entertaining. Perhaps we are an unusual group, but sharing a house was nothing less than lovely: how fun for the grown-ups to get to hang-out child-free after all the kids were in bed! And there were six kids in the tub at bathtime, always someone to play with. I came home feeling sun-kissed and convinced: more friends on vacation together is absolutely more in the best sense of the word.

Marc reading a bedtime story to Zeb and Elijah

Lena, Luke, Jaz and Marc
cooking dinner on the beach

salt and sand and smoke and hot dogs, oh my

And if we thought last year was fun, we are surely going to be blown away this year. We started planning early with the hopes of finding a house that six families could share for a week this summer. And we found one! For 5 days in June, we will be co-habitating with 10 of our most favorite mama and papa friends, and their 7 beautiful children (all together, we will be 12 adults and 11 kids). We will be spending our days at the beach, making fabulous dinners, cozying up around ocean-side campfires, checking out P-town, and partying long after the little ones are asleep. I am so excited.

As we look ahead to summer--and warmth and sun--I find myself feeling especially grateful for our amazing community of friends who enrich our lives so entirely. They are everything I ever wished for; we are the luckiest.