Miss Kaitlyn (7 1/2 years old) visited us for 11 days. (Kaitlyn is my stepdaughter who lives with her mom, stepfather, and 2 sisters in Utah.)
We see her once a year, which isn’t very often, so we really value our short time with her. It makes me sad whenever I think about it.
We liked to goof around. Here she was stretching to “catch a butterfly”, only to find the over-dramatization funny!
It was Melia’s first time having a “sleep over party” (that’s what we called it) in her room. Before Kaitlyn’s visit, the top bunk was kinda like extra storage space!
OMG, I can’t even tell you how well they got along! Kaitlyn is almost twice Melia’s age, but they played like friends! They liked playing the same things — arts and crafts, pretend stores/art galleries/doctor’s office/restaurant, and Little Pet Shop and all those sort of mini play people/animals! Kaitlyn’s 11-day visit was like having an 11-day long playdate for Melia! She loved every minute of it!
The first thing she’d do when she woke up each morning was climb up the ladder to see if Kaitlyn was awake. If she was, then they’d start playing immediately. If she wasn’t, then she’d give a gentle, but firm, “WAKEY WAKEY!” 🙂
I really like the serious shots of Kaitlyn, though I rarely saw this side of her. This was just for these photos.
Unless she was ASLEEP, she was smiling or laughing. Even when she was eating, she’d smile or giggle. Maybe it was because we played games during dinner, like question games. What is your favorite fruit? What sound is this? What animal starts with each letter of the alphabet?
Her laugh and happy spirit was infectious. I think we all smiled and laughed more during her stay with us!
I am so proud of my little Kaitlyn! She is smart, kind, polite, gentle. She loves to read and is good at school. She is extremely helpful with her younger siblings, which I appreciate immensely. She is super cuddly and loving. And she is brave.
There were a couple times she wanted to try something that she was scared about doing (something at the playground and something at Super Franks), but she conquered her fears and enjoyed those activities over and over! I wanted to hug and squeeze her tight for doing these things, but ended up holding back… I didn’t want other parents to think I’m mushy inside, right? 😉
Here is one of her creations out of bristle blocks.
Kaitlyn had never seen these before. So on her first day here, she would create very basic forms. Then, as the days went on, she’d create more complex and creative formations. Melia was the same way and loves building with this toy. So one night, Melia and Kaitlyn held an open house for a Bristle Blocks Museum! It was incredible. Lawrence, Ian and I were patrons of the museum. The girls even made signs with titles for each “statue”!
Sadly, Ian (19 months) wasn’t allowed to play with them. (Okay, this sign is kind of a crack up! But I felt bad for him because he always wanted to join in on what the big girls were doing!)
We enjoyed walking Henry every day. Below is a picture of Ian having a snack on our walk.
Kaitlyn was in charge of holding his leash, which she loved. She took this “job” seriously! She yelled at him if he started eating something he shouldn’t and would hold down the lock button if another dog was near. She was very responsible.
We brought chalk to mark our path, so we could follow the arrows back home. (I see every activity – no matter how big or small – as an opportunity to teach my kids something.) This was a fun activity for the kids, too.
Japanese cherry blossoms surround my neighborhood. They are gorgeous. We have pink and also white cherry blossom trees.
Here are petals that have fallen into the pool. I found the pattern of the flowers and the shadows to be quite interesting.
After kicking around in the pool, Ian’s feet were still wet, so he got to sit in the stroller with bare feet. I LOVE baby feet. And I liked my view from above, so I had to capture the moment.
My kids. I love them with all my heart. (I know, I’m being mushy again.) And I miss my Kaitlyn!!!
