Fun Fun!

So this past weekend we were able to tend my 4 year old niece Malia, my 17 month old nephew Dallin, and my 12 year old sister in law Lindsay (who was a HUGE help)- while almost everyone else headed down to Las Vegas to go see a concert with Josh Groban and a bunch of other big names. It was actually really nice to watch the kids (I would have loved to go to Vegas, but I was happy that I could help the family get some R & R). I was nervous at first, but the kids were really good! I thought that I would not want to have any more babies after this past weekend, but I found that I was actually able to manage quite well. Sure my day revolved around diaper changes, mixed nap times, snacks, dish duty, bathing, feeding meals, going on walks to the park, and numerous time watching a princess movie and Shrek- but it was nice to stay busy. My own child keeps me super busy as is, but it was fun to watch him play and interact with his cousins.

I learned a lot of new things while tending- that will help me when I have more kids in the future.

1. Never say "cool dude" to a 4 year old girl- she will get very mad at you for insinuating that she is a boy

2. When all else fails, little lolly pops are good tools for bribes

3. Never go alone to the park with 2 toddler boys that are soooo close in age. It is really hard to chase 2 kids running in different directions

4. A toy isn't really any fun until someone else starts playing with it. Then it becomes a must have wrestling match.

5. Figure out snacks and meals ahead of time. I swear I had to make like 5 different things per kid per meal.

and last but not least-

there is no such thing as resting or down time. It is a rare occurrence to have all kids napping at the same time, for the same length of time. Usually you can only afford a bathroom break and a quick snack before some commotion happens :)

Here are some fun pics to show the kiddo's in action. Dallin and Cannon are now best friends. Cannon was very jealous of me paying attention to other kids, but he got used to it after the first day. I think they will become the best of buddies as they get older.

(this picture cracks me up! Cannon climbed on there by himself and was STANDING on it! He also started shaking it and yelling like a monster. Now you guys can see why I have my hands full all day-lol )