My Special Niece

My niece, Madison, made her first plane trip ALONE to come out from California to stay with us for a week. What a special time!

I'm so thankful that her parents share her with me every summer. I enjoy getting to know her better and she enjoys getting special time with her cousins. She is great with the little ones, entertaining them and coming up with fun games. And she really, really loved loving on the baby.

We did a bit of shopping while she was here - there's a surprise, girls like to shop. We shopped at the mall. We shopped at Wal-Mart. We shopped at Target. We even shopped at the airport. At each place she used her own money to buy gifts for me, my kids, and her family. She has a generous heart! I've watched this grow in her each year and it always amazes me. She also brought stuffed animals for my kids that she had sewn herself. Matt especially appreciated his cookie monster and carried it around the entire first day she was here.

We did a lot of swimming too. A LOT of swimming. We have a small pool in our backyard which she used several times a day. We made two trips to our local water park as well. It's a small water park but it has a really great area for little kids so that even Moriah was able to enjoy it.

There are a few "traditions" we have done each year when she comes for her summer visit. One is taking a picnic to the park. Though this time a nice thunderstorm rolled through and rained us out. Another is playing games. During naptimes or after the kids went to bed, we enjoyed a few games of Guesstures, Cranium and Hoopla. Madison was getting really good at the charades. Games are a great way to get to know each other's strengths and just enjoy laughing together. And the last tradition is watching Little House on the Prairie. I love that show and Madison has caught my enthusiasm for it.

Lane introduced Madison to a couple activities that he and the boys enjoy. Fireworks and 4-wheeling! We are amazed that fireworks are sold everywhere here, even the grocery stores. Coming from places like San Diego, where fireworks are illegal, this is amazing to us. Lane carefully picked out a few favorite things and had to try them out. The kids loved it. I stood close by the water hose, worrying, but, ok, so I did enjoy it some too.

After Lane rigged up a car seat in the back of the Jeep, we were able to get all 6 of us in there to enjoy some off-roading adventures. The boys love doing this. They love whipping circles in the grass, sliding in the mud, climbing hills, getting out to wander through the forest. I am still quite nervous about it but beginning to enjoy it. I think.

What else did we do... Well, Madison wrote and directed the first scene of a play. Pirates and the Prisoners. Matt, Moriah & I were the pirates. J.D. was a the prisoner. Madison played a dual role as a prisoner and the pirate captain. It was pretty funny. She wrote some clever lines. I was amazed how J.D. quickly learned his lines and knew exactly when to say them. I really didn't think he would get it. Maybe it'll spark his interest in doing this more often. Madison is also hoping to continue on with the next scene when she visits next year. Could be a fun new tradition.

And our last adventure of the week. (Aren't you exhausted already? We sure were...) We decided to camp in the backyard for her last night with us. But the rain moved our campsite into the living room. Roasting marshmallows in the fireplace, singing campfire songs, and watching a movie until we fell asleep. What could be better than that?

Am I the coolest Aunt or what? Don't you want to come visit?! But not this week. Please. I need some time to recuperate.