Cousin Time

Last Wednesday and today I had the privilege of hanging out with my niece and nephew - Ade and Will.  Adrienne is 7 and Will is 4.  E-man adores them both.  They only live about 15 minutes away and it's so fun to spend time with them.  Their parents are both teachers and getting ready to welcome students back to school, so I have had a blast hanging out with Ade and Will and E-man - it's really good bonding time for ALL of us! Today I decided to brave the MN Zoo with the three kids.  We set up behavior expectations before leaving and they got a reward for their good behavior at the end of the day.  We all had a great time and all three of them fell asleep on the ride home.  Once we got home, E took his nap and I painted finger nails, baked cookies, helped with play dough creations.  We had a GREAT day and played hard - I think we'll ALL sleep good tonight. Here are some of the pictures from my cell phone!



The MN Zoo has some GREAT play areas.


We brought a picnic lunch which everyone enjoyed.




On the tractor on the way to the farm!

I'm really thankful for the time I'm able to spend with them, getting to know their unique personalities and what makes them giggle.  They are super great kids and I love being a part of their 'growing up' years.  It's also fun to watch E-man interact with them and love them.  "Will-will", as E-man calls him, can make E laugh so hard doing the silliest things - it's adorable.  Ade is a great helper with E and we've always shared a special bond.  I am SO excited to start teaching her piano lessons in two weeks! I have a full heart from some good family bonding time today and I'm grateful.