Earlier this month, my brother Mark and his wife Sarah went to Japan. They took their 5-year-old and 7-month-old with them, but their 3-year-old twins Abigail and Elena came to stay with us! So for two weeks we had three times as many 3-year-olds as normal. In some ways it was harder than normal but in some ways it was easier. Jamie, Elena, and Abigail spent a lot of time playing together and often didn't want me to join in, so I found myself with more free time than usual. But on the other hand, there was a lot more drama than with one kid--there are never fights about sharing when there's just one. I think the girls had a fun time while they were staying with us, and I know Jamie liked having them here. When they left, he told me he didn't want them to go and that they should stay for 5 weeks instead. I'm glad that we could help out Mark and Sarah and that Jamie and his cousins got to spend so much time playing and getting to know each other better.
And here's what 2 weeks with 3 3-year-olds looks like... (a few of these were taken with my phone which doesn't take very good pictures. sorry!)
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| Jamie testing the Bumbo we got out for Christine (Sarah brought Abigail and Elena and of course Christine up to Knoxville and stayed the first night) |
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| trying out some power tools |
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| playing school--Abigail was the teacher |
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| We moved Jamie's little table over into our dining room. The three of them spent a LOT of time here, eating, coloring, painting... |
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| Jamie |
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| Abigail |
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| Elena |
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| playing Jamie's squirrel game |
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| our crowded back seat :) |
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| farmer's market |
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| Elena and Abigail with chocolate faces |
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| at the zoo with Uncle Thomas |
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| it's hard to tell what they're doing, but this was super cute, especially because I just discovered them doing it. They are playing with Jamie's cash register and he is selling Elena and Abigail groceries. |
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| movie night! watching The Land Before Time |
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| they sure loved hiding from us |
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| story time at the library |
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| a trip to Target |
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| Elena climbed in the crib, and Jamie and Abigail threw all the stuffed animals in on top of her. Then they wanted to get in too of course! They were being zoo animals. |
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| a Lego tower they built together |
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| playing at the mall |
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| grocery shopping with 3 kiddos... |
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| ...none of whom want to walk! |
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| playing at the downtown library |
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| we met up with Daddy/Uncle Thomas and went out for lunch on Market Square |
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| cousin pictures! The girls' last day with us. |
