Summer Singing

The early part of summer before Elsie got sick and we stayed home was full of time spent like this...

Hanging with my niece and her guitar, enjoying summer days, listening to her sing.  I will treasure it.

Blueberry Pixie

This kid....

our very own blueberry pixie XO.

Cruelty-Free Makeover Time

My niece loves make-up...so as long as she agreed to only use my own cruelty-free products,

we were game, ha ha....

It was such a good laugh.

And can I just state for the record that this kid has the best uncle in the whole world!

Sunsets & Smiles

It's been a rollercoaster 4+ months...

My niece will probably kill me for posting this photos but I just can't help it, I love them...
They are just so representative our of our time together these past weeks...

Just us hanging out, dealing with stressful things, soaking in sunsets,
goofing around and making each other smile...I am still 110% sure I made the right choice in
never having kids but that doesn't mean that I don't love this kid to the moon and back XOXO.

Sweet Friends

One of the best things about having my niece staying with us for a few months

was how she bonded with our Flynn and how he was so unusually friendly with her...

I felt proud of her embracing her animal nurturing side (which sadly hadn't been encouraged) and

I felt proud of my boy for trusting a stranger almost so suddenly and so so sweetly.  Good job flea.

Skipping Stones

Well my little bird is on summer holidays now and suddenly she's super busy and her time is

booked up with friends (remember those days!) so she's hanging out with us a lot less now...

 

That's okay because our schedule has changed too, but I sure did enjoy our spring & early summer together, especially the simple things like watching her skipping stones with her uncle supreme.

Babushkas and Nieces

I am working on a new babushka inspired character...

My niece sometimes draws for a bit too...cozy rainy summer evenings...ahhhh.

My Niece & The Power Of The Right Hair!

I figure that it's one of my jobs as this beautiful girls Auntie, not only to protect her sweet heart

but to help her find who she is as a person and to help her spirited character come out with strength.

One of the physical ways I've helped her do so is to take her for a hair cut that she so desperately wanted and I am astounded honestly by the change in her attitude & how she holds her head higher.

It's been amazing to me to see how much poise she has gained with one simple hair cut.
If it seems like I am a doting Auntie, that's cause I am!  She's been living with us 3 months today!!
and I just know she'll get a kick out of seeing herself on my blog today, ha ha.
(Little Bird, we're going through the roughest time right now but I am so glad to be your Aunt XO)

Golden Time

In the past three months my niece and I have spent more time together than

in all her 15 years put together.  It's been weird to have her so present in my life all the sudden

but it's been really good too and I know she's been loving her time with me and her uncle.

I am doing my best to be a great role model, it was stressing me out, wondering if I was good enough

but I decided the best way to go about it is to just be 100% myself with her.

I've seen her sense of self & kindness strengthen and grow as she stays with us & I am so proud.

Music On The Lake

Our niece plays the bass clarinet so we three thought it would be super cool

to have a little concert al fresco, out on the beautiful frozen lake.

(A few weeks after this she went on a big band trip to Orlando Florida to play at Disney/Universal)

The day reminded me of how abundant natural beauty is around here & how luckily near to it we are.

We took loads of pictures, we recorded some of the music with the camcorder.

The concert was followed up by hot chocolate at our favorite cafe...

She just loved the day...we loved it...and it'll be a fond memory for all of us to remember.

My Niece & Our Camera

My sweet niece is still living with us and as much as it's been all topsy turvy & stressful

we've been having a wonderful time together too and that's what we're trying to concentrate on.

 

We've been letting her use our camera as she has an interest in photography & it would seem that

her favorite things to shoot, besides macro shots, are her aunt & uncle...here's a couple of my favs.