This summer, one of my sisters and I thought it'd be fun to swap kids throughout
our days of summer break. Her four and my four. And for the record, it WAS fun!
It began with my family getting sweet Bridgett for a week. She's the most pleasant, helpful, tender-hearted girl! Our time with her included a fun trip to Zonkers!
Then it was Katie's turn to go to their house (2 1/2 hrs away), and her favorite part was the fantastic shopping spree at the mall!
When she came home, little Miss Catryna came with her. Cute little "Teenie" enjoys being the center of attention, and she's QUITE the fashionista! :) While here, she was able to get in on the birthday action for Maddie, and that was priceless.
Next, it was Jacob to their house, and Aerian to ours. During Aerian's stay, we especially enjoyed gourmet cooking/eating and time at the pools, where she showed off some of her graceful, athletic talent. She is also an AVID reader (I really mean AVID). So, we hit up the library and several bookshops as well. (I caught her reading her own library book when we were shopping at the charming and quaint Reading Reptile bookshop in Brookside. LOL)
Then Maddie had her turn at their house.
The big exchange ended with my nephew Brendan, prince of Pet Kingdom.
We found a beautiful tortoise (pretty sure it was an abandoned pet) at one of our area ponds, so Uncle Joe declared that Brendan was the true and perfect caretaker, and we relinquished custody to Brendan. Then, with his spending money from his mom, Brendan purchased a Robo hamster. They are lightning fast, trust me, and he was aptly named, Speedo. He could almost make his hamster wheel SMOKE when he was running on it! Three different times, the little booger escaped his box while at our house, and it is truly a miracle he was ever found!
It sure was a fast summer. Can't believe that it's over. But, we can honestly say, it was time well spent. What a privilege to care for and enjoy time together with these sweet kids. Our time together is becoming more and more sporadic as they all grow, as we all become more involved with extra-curricular activities. So, this provided a perfect opportunity to keep the precious bonds of family maintained and held close.
