It began about three years ago with six babies and six sets of new parents who decided to get together for a pot luck. It may have been the shared experiences that we mothers discussed at the baby and me group, it may have been the need for somewhere to go every couple of months without spending huge amounts on babysitting. Whatever the motivation, we have maintained this regular get-together over the years and it continues with the newest additions to the group – 4 baby siblings born in the past 18 months.

Behind the fun and laughter however, the Ishidas were guilty of one shameful fact. We were yet to host a pot luck dinner. I could spout off excuses – house renovations, travel to Australia, baby #2 – but there was really no excuse – we simply had not been pulling our weight.

So in April we put aside our embarrassment over half painted renovations, bare wood trim and missing kitchen baseboards, and invited all six families over for the Ishida Toddler pot luck. That’s 12 adults and 10 children in our 1000 square foot ground floor.

Of course it spilled outside to the sidewalk (our backyard is another source of shame).

But the enchiladas were a hit and the kids fell in love with Thomas’ bunk bed (of course I later read the warning that recommended only one child on top at a time… woops).

And all in all, the evening was a great success.

Samuel even made a new friend.

I’m not sure why we waited so long.