Uncle James and Auntie Sam

It's that time of the year where my plate overfloweth! (Figuratively and literally!). We have so much going on I barely have item to record it but a visit from uncle James and auntie Samantha must not go unrecorded. As Isaac phrased it, "things are better, ten times better, even a hundred times better when they're here!"


The Canadian couple came out of the cold to join us for a week where we shopped, ate out, visited "a-doi-ah-ble" animals and played and played! In the evenings with the kiddos in bed, we chatted late into the night. There's a twelve year gap between James and I so by the time I went to college, on a mission and married, I never really got the chance to know him. It was fun to chat about memories we had of things so many years ago as well as to see in that some things remain the same. It was also a blast for me to have a "sister" with whom I could commiserate the idiosyncrasies of the Ngai boys! I liked having the excuse to shop for myself again. Having been mostly surrounded by boys all my life, I really relish girl-time and Keila seemed to enjoy it too!

First stop was to the state fair where Keila could love on some animals and of course our nearby park and pet store.

The kids were spoiled with gifts and playmates! They worked on breaking James into the frenic pace of childhood and took to Sam like a peanut butter to jelly. Elias especially liked Sam and would allow her to hold him, feed him and play with him. James tried to hold him a few times but Eli would not have it. I consoled James with the fact that Eli rarely takes so easily with strangers and besides, he had an adoring fan in Sunshine who took to marking him nightly with her scent glands in her chin. Someow this was not quite as pleasing to him!

The rest of the pictures were taken at the children museum. The initial ones are of a massive structure that people can climb and explore. I told Kent it reminded me of a cross between a construction site/nightmare/Dahli painting with its surreal bathtub with wings or a boat with legs hanging off the bottom with bizarre socks and shoes! It was fun to climb though and the kids had a blast doing crafts and playing.

The couple managed a two day trip out to the Grand Canyon and posted some beautiful pictures to their blog. James also took the chance to buy tickets to a hockey game so on their finally evening just the adults went out to dinner and Kent and I had a night out clothes shopping while I texted James through the hockey game tempting him to let Sam join us instead!

We all had a wonderful time and in Isaac's sentimental teary way he said we HAD to visit with them again soon. I couldn't agree more! (Hint, hint)