Friday, March 20, 2015

#familyof6

One of the biggest blessings that came from our year in North Ogden was the opportunity I had to work for Dr. Cam Quayle. He is a pediatric dentist in Pleasant View, UT who has a passion for his family, the gospel, and serving & spreading goodness all around the world.  I absolutely loved working for him and had such a hard time leaving his practice to go to Hygiene school.

Last February, he took all of his full time staff to the Dominican Republic as a reward for a goal they had set the year before. I hadn't been with the office for that year so I was going to be home, without work, for a week while they were gone. We got talking one day during a procedure about who was going to watch their kids while they were gone and how his wife was trying to juggle 10 different babysitters making sure the kids had someone with them at all times. I went out on a total limb and said "If Mandee wants someone more consistent, Steve and I would be more than happy to watch your kids!" 

And the rest is history.

We watched their kids for the 8 days while they were gone in February, and again in June, and then August, and then December, and now March! We quickly fell in love with their kids and get more and more attached to them every time we babysit. I usually find myself with the little boys at Target at least one of the days we watch them to find a new toy car in the $1 section, and every time, someone calls me "mom" or mentions how darling "my little boys" are and I never correct them.  Once the person has walked away Jack, the 4 year old, will tug on my shirt and giggle as he whispers "they think you're my mom!" I would claim them any day of the week.

Cam and Mandee just went on a 2 week service trip to Guatemala.  They go down every other year to offer free dental work to children and people with special needs.  They came back with the most incredible stories of the children they helped and the lives they changed.  They are toying with the idea of going down with their whole family to live there for an extended period to provide dental services to those in need.  I cannot wait to go down with them one of these times and assist and clean teeth!

For now, I'll be content with staying home with the cute kiddos.



^^ Obligatory post-swig photo shoot in the 
Target parking lot with my little dudes. 





^^ Steven at it again building yet another EPIC fort.  
He never ceases to amaze me..or the kids! From the second they 
get home from school it's "When's Steve getting home? 
How many more minutes? Why is he taking so long?" 
They adore him. So do I.





^^ While the boys built the fort, we had some girl time play 
"nail salon." Best 20 minutes of my life.



 ^^ And one of that squishy baby because..look at him.



^^ 7:00 AM carpool glam shot. 
(PS. Their mom is super woman)




^^ This is called "church is a joke. 
welcome to the foyer" feat. Cannon




^^ We had the most beautiful weather all weekend long! 
Cannon ball and I were outside all day every day. 
He is so mild an observant. He sat like this for 
a solid 45 minutes watching some older 
neighborhood kids play baseball.  






^^ I wish I had gotten more pics, but we went to the 
Museum of Natural History and it was SO great! 
My mom came with us and we all had a blast. 



^^ They begged us to have "late nights" every night and 
we totally gave in.  Every night. 
Kate looks drunk, Charly is slap happy, 
and check out those bags underneath my eyes.




^^ We watched them two weekends in a row and 
had to go back to real life of school and work in-between. 
Come Tuesday, we were both in denial and just 
wanted to cancel real life and go back to Farmington and play.



^^Cam & Mandee brought the kids (and us!) some cool 
Guatemalan treasures! These earrings are my favorite gift.  
They look like simple beads, but it is actually newspaper rolled up 
in a bead shape, painted, and made into jewelry. They purchased 
them from a school of special needs children who make jewelry 
and decorations out of paper. They are thee most beautiful thing! 
Cam & Mandee and their good hearts bought bags and bags full 
of the jewelry and are going to be selling it at the dental office 
and sending all the money they make off of it back to the school. 



I am grateful for cute kids and good friends that trust Steve and I to watch them! I can't wait to have a house full of my own. Until now, pseudo mom & dad will do.

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