House Guests

My sister-in-law, Jenny, and I have started a bit of a yearly tradition.  I get to have her two youngest girls come stay at our place for a couple of days while she attends classes at BYU's Education Week.  It is a great opportunity for my children to make fun memories with their cousins, and it is wonderful motivation for me to clean off the bed in the guest bedroom (which oftentimes serves as a "dumping ground").

I have to say, it is so much fun having these two darling, spunky, energetic girls in my home. They are fearless in their sense of adventure, they are entertaining in their conversations, and they are cheerful and bubbly.  They also remind me of their dad, and every time they visit, it's as if he gets to come along, too.  I love having that reconnection with him through them.

On the night of the girl's arrival, Jason's family had all been invited to a pool party at his sister's home.  Sophie and Addie got to tag along.  They loved it!

It has become a tradition to bake Rolo cookies at the beginning of Sophie and Addie's visit.  We make an obscene amount of cookies, and we try to see if there are any left to send a few home with the girls when their stay is over.  That is no small feat, I'm telling you!

I think the children thought the cookies would turn out better if they

all placed their hands on the Kitchen Aid during the mixing process.

 

 

Sophie was really interested in helping Ella get ready for each day during her visit.  She asked to pick out her clothes and insisted on doing her hair.  I was surprised to see how well Ella did during these grooming sessions.  I was also very impressed with how she looked when Sophie was done with her.  I was, however, not quite as impressed with how well I did when it came to Sophie and Addie's hair.  (In my defense, please know that I offered, but they weren't interested in having me style their hair.)

 

 

 

Since the girls seemed to like playing in the water so much, I figured I'd take them to the Spanish Fork splash pad and adjacent park.  It is the perfect place to entertain children and keep them cool at the same time.

 

Jenny should consider installing a bidet in her home. 

I think the girls would love it! (Sorry.  I couldn't resist.)

 

 

 

For the last day of Sophie and Addie's stay, I thought I'd take them to the Grotto Trail up Payson Canyon.  After all, places with water seemed to be a hit with all the children.  I found the drive time to and from was just as much fun.  We listened to a CD of recently downloaded pop hits, and the children sang We Are Young and Call Me Maybe at the top of their lungs. I'm relieved to know that there are other children in the world whose voices carry like my own children's do. Yep, my van was full of the cutest little loud-mouths around.

 

 

 

By the time Jenny came to pick up the girls, the cookies were nearly gone and there were very few clean towels in the house, but my camera's memory card was full.  My heart was full, too.

 

I've loved having Sophie and Addie over and I look forward to next year's visit.

 

This post authored by Amber