Weekend at Aunt Steph and Uncle Aaron's house

Our oldest niece, Taryn, turned 5 in January.  I guess she realized that she has enough dolls now, because all she wanted for her birthday from Uncle Aaron and Aunt Steph was to stay the night at our house.  I was a little confused at the request.  Did someone fib and tell her that we had moved into a giant dollhouse?  Such a birthday wish would have made a lot more sense coming from her little sister, who happens to adore her Uncle Aaron.  Of course we obliged.  After all, how could I not grant the wish of a 5-year-old? 

Unfortunately for Taryn (and me, for that matter), I had to study most weekends between her birthday and June, so she likely either A) forgot that we had promised her a weekend getaway or B) decided that her Aunt Steph is a little flaky.  I'm pretending the real answer is A, though she's a smart kid, so that's likely wishful thinking. 

Finally, a couple Saturdays ago, I granted Taryn's wish.  When I arrived to pick her up, I quickly realized that while I was granting a wish for one niece, I was completely ruining the day for another.  As Taryn and I got ready to leave, the tears started pouring down Petra's face.  For some reason, she didn't find much solace in the promise that she could come stay when she turns 5 in a year and a half.  I suppose that's kind of a long time from a 3-year-old's standpoint.

I was a little nervous that Taryn would be completely bored at our house.  We don't have toys, or a swingset, or a swimming pool.  We have a dog, and that's about it.

As it turned out, a dog is all we needed.  Taryn and Brinkley quickly became BFFs.  They followed each other throughout the house.  Taryn threw tennis balls in the backyard, and Brinkley actually retrieved them, something we're rarely able to persuade her to do these days.  Taryn realized our not-so-trained dog wasn't going to spit out the ball when she brought it back, and I watched with amusement as the little girl put my dog in a headlock and used her other hand to pry the ball from Brinkley's large teeth.  Impressive.

Taryn effectively lowered my expectations for entertaining children.  I've decided that when we have kids, there will be no need for toys, because we have a dog.

Taryn & Brinkley: Best Friends Forever

 

All in all, I think Taryn had fun at Aunt Steph and Uncle Aaron's Brinkley's house.

Petra was in a much better mood when I met her and her mom the next day to send Taryn back home.  I think the fact that I brought Aaron along may have had something to do with it...

Aaron and Petra: Best Friends Forever