Whew! The last five days have been quite a whirlwind. My cousin Brooke and her two seriously adorable little ones, Kennedy and Jameson, came to stay with me while Brian was out-of-town (he was off hiking the backwoods of Yosemite like the mountain man he is).
Brooke is like a sister to me and getting to spend quality time with her and the kids is a treat- we played, we swam, we bbq’d, we did facials, we watched movies, we danced (Jameson can really shake it) and we spent a day at Disneyland- the most magical place on earth for everyone…but me! I kinda feel like a horrible human for admitting that- I mean who doesnt’ like Disneyland?!? Only a soulless person, right? That place just tires me out, man. I find waiting in insanely long lines in extreme heat…painful. I find the sound of Disney princesses’ voices irritating. I find having to pay 30 bucks for a churro, hurtful. I find crowds anxiety inducing. I mean…where’s the Xanax? The whole place makes me feel like I am being slowly tortured. BUT, I love those two kids more than life so off to Disneyland I went. I even wore a crown at lunch. A CROWN. I’d like to think my complaining was kept to a minimum, but, then again, I’m sure Brooke would have a different take.
I will admit that it was nice to see Disneyland through the kids eyes. They were both totally wowed by everything (I mean Ariel from The Little Mermaid spoke to us for christ’s sake!) and it’s nice to be present in the joy of it all. I also have to admit that every time I spend extended periods of time with small children in general I always end up thinking…huh…maybe I can wait a few more years till I do this whole baby thing. I mean babies are no joke. They are soooo hard to please. Like what the? They also like to wake up super early! And they are ready to party the first second they wake up. It’s a bit alarming. The small ones also really like to touch everything in the house. You gotta keep your eye on those ones.
But I survived (with only one broken glass) and was heavyhearted to see them go. I mean how often does one get to come home to a million post-it notes decorating the front door to welcome you home? Especially when one of the notes depicts you dancing under a disco ball.
365til30.com 
It’s days like these that make life FUN!! As for having little ones,, Well, I never got used to the early bird wake ups..I think I’m still sleep deprived all these years later 🙂
I hear the sleep comes back in the teen years…..are you there yet? Please say it’s true!!!
So, so love this. I could do my own rant about Disneyland (I mean it is called the happiest place on earth but really, have you ever people watched there? All the parents are exhausted and cranky and the kids are overstimulated and prone to melt downs and then there is the pressure of living up to all the expectations you had for being in a magical place together……ahem, I digress, so sorry.), but so glad you found the joy of it through the kids’ eyes because it that place really is all about them and if you are too, it’s way more fun.
Loved your comment! So glad to know that I’m not alone!! Ha
I have a very close friend who I went to high school with, and her and her children come over to see us a few times a year. I love every minute of them being here, and I even wrote a childrens book with them in it, just to keep them interested in coming over. But I have to admit, now that they’re older (13 & 10), they are much more fun. Little ones definitely take a lot of energy and it’s a mixed relief to see them leave. Love the crown, by the way…
Ha! Couldn’t agree with you more! The older ones are much more fun…