Catching Up!

As you could probably tell from my many posts, I've finally decided to catch up on the blogging world. Of course, this post is also to talk about the trip I got to take to KC in February to catch up with my oldest sister and her little ones while John was away on a business trip.

The week before Valentine's Day John had yet another business trip and I was yet left to my own devices .... again. Well as we already know, I don't enjoy sitting and waiting for his return (especially since this one was for a week!) so I decided to pay my oldest sister Michelle a visit in KC. Luckily, I got two birds with one stone as I also got to see my sister-in-law Colton and her girls while I was there.

By the time I got to KC I spent a few hours hanging out with adoringly cute Ashlyn and Preston. However, little did I know soon upon my arrival I would be stuck babysitting while Michelle had a Young Women's activity and Kendall stayed late at work. Instead of sitting at home we decided to venture out with Nick & Colton and their girls and enjoy a dinner out at Steak 'n' Shake. I all the sudden got to experience what life would be like as a single mom with two little ones (under the age of 3). Going from zero to two was quite a shocker! Especially trying to feed and eat while watching them. We were heavily outnumbered with the ratio of adults to kids but we managed...even amidst the stares of the onlookers.

The next day we enjoyed a play date at "Toddler Town" (This time Michelle joined us) and the three girls and four kids had a blast playing inside on all the neat toys. Ashlyn, Kayley, and I had created a obstacle course of sorts. I got the easy part. All I had to do was sit and tell them where to run and then time them as they did. It was hilarious to see just how well they memorized the many obstacles I sent them to. Halfway through they would stop, shout across the gym at me asking for directions, and then continue on the course.

Preston, the lone nephew on my side, was such an adorable little guy. He spent most of his time in heavy "Mommy Mode" so I only got limited moments with him. I was his official "nap putter downer" and we had quite a few moments of beligerance (from both of us). However, it didn't take us long to learn how to respect each other's space and enjoy each other's company on our own terms. Preston finally decided to let his hair down on our "movie night" and spent the whole time just giggling and laughing at everyone and everything. He's a cutie.

Ashlyn, also known as my permanent shadow the whole time I was visiting, was a great playmate. It's always nice to be followed around by someone that idolizes your every move. That is, until you just want to sleep in. She spent every morning playing downstairs just waiting until she could hear me upstairs and then beg and beg to come and get ready with me. We took turns putting on my make-up, changing our clothes, and kissing my belly. She literally never left my side so we had LOTS of bonding moments. On our movie night, Ashlyn sat on the floor and watched our movie so intently not wanting to miss a moment. At one point she decided to turn off the lights in the living room. After asking her mommy if she could, Michelle told her to ask everyone else if it was okay. After we all gave our permission, Preston was playing in the middle of the floor and jabbering away "uh uh uh". Apparently, after hearing this, Ashlyn went back to her Mommy and said..."Preston said uh uh" :( Kids say the cutest things sometimes.

Cora just recently came out of the "mommy" stage and all the sudden was my best friend. I wasn't complaining by any means! She's such a cute little tiny girl. Even her voice is the most quiet and shy little voice. I spent an afternoon over at her house and we all made valentine cookies. I was Cora's helper and would place the cookie cutter down for her to push through the dough. Every single time she pushed down the cookie cutter her cute little bum would bounce three or four times. We even silently watched for it to see and sure enough...every time!

Kayley is the oldest and definitely the biggest chatterbox! That must have been because she was the most excited to see me right? She was my first niece so we always hit it off with each other. When it came time for me to head back to Arky, Kayley got sad. So I told her that I had to go because if I wasn't there when Uncle John came off the airport he would be sad and lost. After listening intently she said...."Yeah and then you wouldn't have a John anymore! :(

All in all, the trip was a blast. I managed to get LOTS done and enjoyed spending time with the neices and nephew. It was a long week without John but with everyone in KC occupying my time it made it go by a little bit faster!