Our St George Adventure

So as you know, a few weeks ago, I took my kids and drove the 10 1/2 hour drive to my home town to watch my sister's kids while she went up north to stay with my niece while she had heart surgery. Here are a few pictures from our adventure. My sister Sarah and her baby came and stayed and helped us as well so we had 5 kids between us 3 of which were babies. It was oh so much fun and wild at the same time.

We took care of these kids for 8 days. These pictures were taken the day before. The one in pink is my brave niece Sydney that had the surgery.

We started off our adventure by getting sick. Sore throats, fevers, runny noses, coughs, no voices, and eventually a double ear infection for Rachel...Everyone ended up getting sick except my sister Sarah. It started with Maisy and Lexi and spread to me, Kent, Rachel and by the very end of it Brock started to get sick too. It was lovely, let me tell you.

We spent our time doing lots of 

playing, 

listening to music,

eating,

taking baths,

cleaning up messes (over and over again),

being silly,

and of course sleeping.

I saw this picture on Pinterest had it just made us laugh because with those 5 little little kids this totally applied to Sarah and I:

 

It was amazing how good it felt to take a shower (when we could get one).

We made it through and everyone survived and ended up having a lot of fun! I was quite sad at having to leave these extra little munchkins to go home. I was wishing so bad that I could just take them home with me. It is amazing how when you are doing service for someone else, you are filled with love for them and I totally grew to love these kiddos as more than nieces and nephews. The love I felt for them was more like they were my own kids. I also felt more like I was the one who was blessed in getting to experience this time with them. I'm thankful for my sister in giving us this opportunity to serve her and her family when they needed it. I feel like we had help from Our Heavenly Father to make it through this so well. I told Jacob afterwards "Okay, I'm ready to have twins now!" He was cute and humored me and said "Okay, come home so we can get started on that!" I love my husband. ;) I was glad to go home and have my family be together again. I miss that boy when we are apart!


And what of Sydney? She came through with flying colors. She is with out a doubt the bravest little girl I've ever met! It wasn't easy, but she made it through and looking at her now, the way she acts, you would never guess at the pain this little girl has had to endure in her short life.