When Your Uncle is an EMT....

....you never know when he's going to get a call. Sometimes, he gets called out 5 minutes before you show up at the station to visit. So, you go and hang out at the park behind the station until he gets back.

Luckily, on this particular trip, you brought along your cousins, so you have playmates while you wait. Time flies fast when you're having fun! Before you know it, your Uncle is back at the station and you hurry over to see him and the ambulance.

Your Uncle even brings out some of his gear to show you how it works. He answers all of your questions about what kind of calls he's been on today (although he leaves out the gross details) and why he was gone when you got there.

He stays long enough to take a few more pictures before he needs to go inside to rest.

But, he won't be able to rest because he gets another call. So you get to see him in action, getting the truck in motion and turning on the lights and sirens.

And you wave to him and the paramedic as they zip off to help someone else.

Thanks again Uncle Danny for letting us all visit you at work today!   -- Your Nephew, T

Biting Babies

So the other day we were hanging out with our nephew....

On the way back from our miniature golf adventures, our conversation turned to the topic of his mother and her relationship status. Basically it went like this:

Mother: T said the other day that the divorce needed to hurry up so mommy can get remarried and have another baby.

Danny to T: Do you want a baby brother?

T: No. A sister.

Danny: Why not a brother?

T: They bite!

I think someone has learned a thing or two from his uncles!

Weekend Adventures: Putt Putt

Last weekend we got to spend some time with our nephew. He said he wanted to go putt putt golfing, so that's what we did. 

Of course, before you can actually play a round of golf, you have to stop and look at the alligators.

Our nephew, we'll call him T, really wanted one of us to hold a live alligator. By "one of us" he meant anybody except him. We opted not to hold the baby gators this time around, but I did buy some fish food for him to feed the koi fish next to the gators.

Once we got onto the course, there was a little bit of a learning curve for T. Uncle Danny should him how to hold the club and hit the ball. In the end, T chose what we call the "shovel" method for moving the ball around. Overall, I'd say it was a success! We only had to fish the ball out of the water once (and luckily mom was smart and sneaked an extra ball just in case!).

After putt putt, we grabbed some pizza and then headed back to our sister-in-law's place to play some video games. The boys took it a little too seriously if you ask me. I'm not kidding. Check out Dan's "concentration face!"

Hehe! He'll probably kill me for sharing that on here. But I figured if I already posted it on Instagram, the blog wouldn't hurt either :)

Before we left, we played a round of Apples to Apples. Only in this version the red cards are pictures rather than nouns. Although I liked the fact that it made it easier for our nephew to play, some of the pictures were just out there in left field.

Overall it was a great day! I'm glad we took the time to go and see T and his mom - its not something we get to do all that often. I think we've decided that next time we all get together that we're heading to a bowling alley. No more Wii Bowling. It's time for the real thing!

Aunt & Babysitter

Since I'm a teacher, I typically have the same holidays off as my niece (we'll call her A1) and nephew (A2). But, I teach in a different district, so our holidays don't always coincide. When I do happen to have the same days off as these guys, I usually volunteer to babysit them. One, it keeps my sister and her husband from having to take time off of work to stay home with them. Two, it saves them money by not having to take them to a daycare. And three, it gives me the chance to hang out with the kiddos and catch up on what has been going on in their lives.

So, when President's Day weekend rolled around, I told my sister not to worry about who would watch the kids. She dropped them off early Sunday afternoon. After the kids got settled down, Dan and I took them down to the playground at our apartment complex. It's nothing special, but it gets them outside and gets them active. 

A2 has been in this technology phase. If it doesn't have batteries, animations, or a screen, he's not really interested. But, we convinced him to go down to the playground and have some fun for a little while. We might have bribed him with sugar...

Our niece, the monkey.

A1 had this cute panda hat to keep her head warm in the cooler weather.

Even Uncle Danny got in on some panda action.

After the playground we headed back upstairs and relaxed. A2 played on my iPad for a little while and A1 sat on the balcony and reconnected with her favorite furry friend. Seriously, these two have an unspoken connection. The minute A1 sat down in the chair, Periwinkle climbed right up into her lap and got comfy. They must have sat together for an hour.

After dinner, A1 asked if we could go for a walk - something she and my sister do. So we put on our jackets and made one lap around the complex. We thought we'd stay out longer, but we underestimated how quickly the temperature was dropping. A1 tried to keep A2 warm on the last leg of the walk.

This is my favorite picture of the two of them. They may fight and bicker with one another on a daily basis, but deep down, they still love each other. It's a brother/sister thing.

Monday, we woke up early and met up with my friend and her son and headed out to the Webster Flea Market. I don't know what we were thinking... holiday weekend.... cold temperatures.... 2 children and a toddler... But the kids were champs. The big kids helped keep the toddler entertained. They even decided on their perfect lunch: fresh strawberries. Yep, I bought half a flat of strawberries for the kids to pig out on for lunch. I've never seen kids eat so many strawberries.

After my friend and her son left, A1 & A2 and I had some quiet time. It was more for my benefit than theirs. But I promised them that if they gave me an hour of quiet, I would take them to a new park before taking them home.

The monkey enjoyed the jungle gym, while A2 kept it simple and hung out under the pavillon.

Overall, we had a good time. I seriously love spending time with these two. Sure, they can test my nerves, but I also know that the time is going to come where they aren't going to think having a sleepover at Aunt Hannah and Uncle Danny's is cool, so I need to soak up as much time as I can with them.