Thursday, November 7

My Aunt Duty


When my first nephew was born, my sister gifted me a picture frame which read "Aunt: like Mom, only cooler".  I still have that frame, but now it holds a few more kids faces.  I love my aunt duty more than I could have imagined.  Obviously, my Mommy job is awesome, but my sister's children mean the world to me, too. 

I thought about this post yesterday, when I was on my way to pick up my sister's oldest son, Quinton, from his daycare.   My sister had a minor surgery, and though I was making them dinner, I wanted to help ease her recovery time by watching one of her boys.  It's so natural for my Molly and I to walk into that daycare just to pick up one of my nephews.  And their face when they see us--seriously, my heart.  And they pile into my car and home with me without even a question.  I love that. 

As their aunt, I want to be a memory of warmth and security.  Of smiles and fun.  Of stability.
Because they are so much good for me, I want to be good for them.  They offer so much to my Molly, still an only child, because they're more than just cousins-- they're friends.  That bond will forever be there, because they're family, but I pray that it won't be forced, because they're friends, too. 

I enjoy my time and relationship with my niece and nephews more than I realized, and I just hope to always let them know how much they mean to me.  Especially with another nephew on the way, my heart's already making room for that sweet boy, and I hope he'll always remember his aunt full of love and warmth.  Because everytime I think of them, my heart is just full :)













See those sweet faces?
I'm not kidding, they're just the best.

I thank God for this Aunt duty, it's pretty awesome.

xo,

Lisa

Monday, November 4

First Weekend in November



















It's a boy!  Another boy!  What a sweet way to find out.  Honestly, my first glimpse at that ultrasound image had me thinking boy- and he is going to be quite the cutie! :)  My sister was so surprised, as she's been thinking girl all along.  What a pleasant surprise!  Now onto planning a baby shower for a boy!

My sister had some of the cutest decorations and props for this party- it was adorable.  And of course, the kids just loved it. And that cake was fantastic, not only as a reveal tool, but it was delicious.  I always stay close to Molly after the cake's been cut- she's really good at sharing.

My sister's big Gender Reveal Party was the perfect start to our weekend.  Although it's a two hour drive, we so thoroughly enjoyed it.  I was so proud of Molly, a new potty-user, who did quite well- two accidents the entire day, and both were caught before they were total disasters.  And that included lots of juice and cake and fun.  So we'll take it :) 


I'm such a newby DSLR user, and I'm seriously in awe of photographers.  We were indoors the majority of the time during this party, and I spent more time than I wish to share changing and rechecking ISO and shutter speeds, and quite frankly, I still couldn't quite get it.  I've got so much practicing to do. 

I got some nice quiet time stuck in the car with my family this weekend.  I used to dread it--worrying about toys and snacks and motion sickness, but I told myself to stop worrying so much.  And I prayed for a nice, enjoyable trip.  And it really was just that.  We sat and talked.  We enjoyed the last few leaves of fall.  We really enjoyed each other.  I hope Molly always remembers these sweet trips :)

Jesse and I are in for another road trip this weekend, and I am so, so excited.  A good friend from college is getting married, and though I really just love weddings, I'm really going to love the people we're about to see.  And it's our first time leaving Molly overnight- eek!  That means lots of snuggles are in the cards for this week :)

Have a great week.

Lisa