Because my life is in such limbo right now and I just can't figure out what I want to/need to/should be doing with my days, I have agreed to the special weekly commitment of taking care of my niece and nephew once a week. They come over with smiles on their faces in the morning, we play, eat lunch, take naps, have snack, play some more & then they go home. All three of us love it and I really can't wait until the next time they come see me.
I have a large craft room upstairs that used to just be empty roof space (a larger metal roof was put on my house a few years before I lived here), but had been sectioned off to remodel an upstairs room with bathroom, etc...which had never been done. So, about two years ago, I invested in my cousin's carpentry skills and we cut out a huge hole in my guest room ceiling, built some stairs, and made a cozy craft room! (I hope to do a Craft Room Tour in a future blog post, but as you will see in the following photos it needs a little tlc before that happens.)
Anyway (holy side note), I have most of the Fisher-Price toys that my brother and I used to have as kids and some other favorite toys in a fabric bin upstairs for my niece & nephew to play with. I thought this was a great idea because while they are occupied with playing, I can be right there working on paper or sewing projects! And sometimes they go up by themselves to play if I'm making lunch or something and we do little verbal check-ins that are so cute...
Me: Kiddies, y'all okay?
Noah: Yeah...and Gilliam's not getting into any of your stuff Hannie,
we're playing with the people.
Well, here was the state of things when I went up the other day to work on a few things:
All I could do was start laughing...and say to myself "Hoooooooooly sh*t." But then I started looking around more closely and saw where they had set up little separate play areas which were just so sweet.
Notice the beds all lined up with people in each one...and they added a fourth one on a floor mat (second to left). I will add that they sleep in two twin beds right next to each other. I imagine their little hands carefully placing each piece of furniture or little person and it just melts my auntie heart.
I recently bought a new pack of Papermates, so I passed my old set down to Noah who loves not having to ask me if he can use them to draw his perfect geometric designs and practice his name. And I usually have to put about 5 tops back on, but looks like he's finally remembering to do that.
Check out the baby driving with the girl in the back looking out the window. And the ear in the top of Mr. Potato Head's head. Hee hee.
I feel like the above barn setup deserves its own post. We live on a working farm in Virginia, where my brother manages a herd of grassfed beef, pastured pork & poultry, and several milk cows. Well, Noah loves going to work with my brother and mimics what he sees and hears on the farm in his play. Sometimes it gets so hilarious...especially when he gets his "man voice" and starts telling me stories of his imaginary friend "Poot Salt" helping put up fencing and drinking Dr. Peppers. Well, you see that black bull on the top of the barn? You guessed it, he's waiting to go to slaughter. And you see that mama cow lying down in the grass? Yep, she's calving and that's her waterer behind her. I'm not sure what the tractor is doing half in the pond, but I can only imagine....
