July 10, 2016

Childish Things

I spend everyday with kids. My best friends are between the ages of 3 and 11 years old and I couldn't be happier.
I love children. As a child I loved adults. Kinda backwards but it is working out in my favor.

I really wanted to be a nanny this summer and have been so blessed to work with some great families.
Children are refreshing and exhausting all at the same time.

I love the blunt honesty you get,
The pure joy at the simplicity of life,
The fast friendship and quick forgiveness,
I love that they love me, want me and need me. That's what we all want in life isn't it? My little people fill my tank.

It has been the best way to make money- I paint bird houses, make play-dough, run around splash pads, explore children's museums... as well as be a human jungle gym, calm tantrums, take 10 trips to the bathroom in an hour and best of all get lots of hugs and snuggles.

The combination of a couple families this summer has resulted in me loving 11 children that aren't mine. I've thought a lot about the way I want to raise my own family watching the dynamics play out at different houses. Everyday is something new and I'm learning lots of do's and don'ts.
This last week we saw "Santa Claus" at McDonald's when we stopped for ice cream. Santa was super friendly.  He warned us to be good as Christmas magic sparkled in children's eye on a hot July afternoon. It's little moments like that. It is when I show up to pick them up from preschool and get wrapped in hugs, proudly handed paintings and told multiple stories all at once.

I love coming home from work with sore arms from having a 3 year old on each hip (twins are an adventure), with greasy hair from little hands that play with it all day, with occasional mystery spills on my clothes and stickers on my legs and paint on my hands. My big craft bag has a permanent home in the back of my car and I've become a pro at car seats. I honestly love my job!
They are full of life, funny and ambitious. They are good for me.

(PS could I have more run on sentences or fragments? I love having no rules and no grading rubric.)
Snap chat filters were made for easy babysitting entertainment.
Paper bag puppets were a hit of an activity.
classic kool-aid playdough
We had a Christmas party complete with presents and Graham cracker houses that sadly resulted in sick tummys. I'm not the healthiest nanny they have ever had..oops.
This was such a fun day though. They were so proud of the presents they made me. So sweet and thoughtful they were in their drawing of the activities we had done all summer.
This was a cute Pinterest idea and awesome for the hot St. George sun. Freeze little treasures and then use a hammer to smash them free.
I like to try and see the world through their eyes- sometimes it's upside down or inside a castle fort.
Some days we play so hard... exhausted kids are the best reward.
It's fun to be a 21 year old kid. One day they asked me if my friends were as "kid-like" as I was. Living life like a child is healthy. Be happy and excited, show emotion easily, be bluntly honest, love without judgement or expectations. My summer job is 50% playing mom and 50% playing kid- perfect balance. xoxo Summer 2k16 :)

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