Big D

For the first two weeks of May, I had the opportunity to take care of my sweet little nephew while his mom went on a 10 day trek from Maine to New York to Boston {and a few places inbetween} and his big brother and sister stayed home in Arizona with their dad and grandpa. The last time I saw him was last summer for just a few days when I was in Utah and he was only six months old. I'll be honest: I was a little nervous to try and handle three kids who all still need quite a bit of help, and one who doesn't know at all, but it kills me that I don't live by any of my nieces and nephews, so I honestly jumped at the chance. 

Kate and I drove to the Boston airport to pick him up. First order of business was to remove his U of U sweats and put on a BYU hat. Once that was finished, Kate and Big D spent that evening and part of the next morning staring at each other down and just checking each other out. And then, when they both realized the other was sticking around, became the best of buds. It was really cute to watch them play and to look for each other when they woke in the morning or from naps. 

The only person Big D didn't like was Ryan. And when I say didn't like I mean he screamed and crocodile tears streamed down his face if Ryan tried to come near him. Luckily this only lasted the first day, it was heartbreaking and hilarious to watch all at the same time. 

We played and we played and we played. We ran in the field, we shared, they stole, we emptied bookshelves and toy bins, rummaged through the tupperware drawer 749 times, unraveled rolls of toilet paper, splashed in the bathtub, raced up the stairs, played in the tepee, watched the john deere mower, kept the halls busy at church, went on wagon rides, swung on the swings, placed lots of things on our heads, and put on a circus at the dinner table three times a day. 

But I made it! I actually survived two weeks with three kids. And I even had a good time!

But I promised myself I wouldn't have three of my own until at least one of them is out of diapers {and don't worry, I'm not putting any undo pressure on Kate, so it won't happen for awhile}. Let's just say our garbage cans filled up really fast during those two weeks.

When the 10 days was up, my sister rode the Dartmouth Coach up from Boston and stayed with us for another few days to celebrate Kate's big #1 before heading home to snuggle her big kids. 

It was a whirlwind 14 days, but I'm so glad I got to see him in living color, not just on the face of my iPhone. 

And now, way too many pictures.