Boy, have I been busy....
within the first 2-3 months in KC my name spread like wildfire in the "nanny world" and I sure have loved every minute of it! It's exhausting but by far the most rewarding and fun job I have ever had. I am so, so blessed for the families that have came into my life the last few months....especially my "main" family, The Cockrill's :)
Hold on tight...I have a lot of catching up to do!
So, I have 5 families I babysit/nanny for.....of course only 1-2 of them are my "main" families which I consider to be their nanny but the rest I stay crazy busy "babysitting" for as well whenever I have the chance. It's nuts! I counted the other day and I have 5 families, 8 kiddos (ranging from the ages of 4 months- 3.5 years), 4 dogs, and 3 birds (yes, birds? random...I know. haha!). And somewhere in the madness I decided I needed a part time job at Houlihans in Leawood/O.P. area for extra money, now that's just silly:) It's good for me though...keeps me outta trouble, right? The best part of my job is watching these kids grow. It's amazing how much each one of them grow every day. They are constantly learning new things and teaching me new things as well! And are so, so hilarious. I'm pretty sure I laugh at least a million times per day...which is by far the best thing in the world to me:) What I also love is how each child is completely different than the other. It's fun to learn what each kiddo is like (i.e. their favorite things, not so favorite things, and the way they live each day). Each one has their own "routine" or way of doing things. It took a little while to catch on...but I learned quite quickly, thankfully.
So, with that being said....come step into my "world" for a bit with my "main family"......
Owen- Age 3 (just turned 3 in January and proud of it!)
Owen is ALL BOY....he's adventurous, likes to get dirty, has a one track mind most of the time;), and likes to take charge. He can also be sweet as pie when you catch him in the right moment...however, as a typical boy he will push you away or brush off any kissies you may try to give him. His best friend is his beloved, stuffed frog named Cuppy. Cuppy goes EVERYWHERE with us. He's been through every mud hole, puddle, snow drift known to man-kind. If there is no Cuppy than our day is just not possible. Thank goodness for that lil' stuffed frog:) Owen takes very good care of him though as he makes sure he gets plenty of food to eat, naps when he needs them, baths when he gets "stinky", and lots of hugs and love as well....it's pretty darn cute I must say. Owen is a great "Dad" to Cuppy;)
Owen also LOVES Spiderman. He actually believes he's Spiderman most of the time....it's pretty entertaining to say the least. And Madagascar is by far his favorite movie at the moment. I hear the phrase, "I wanna watch Gascar! I wanna watch Gascar!" quite often.
Owen is also the funniest kid I know. I don't know where on earth he comes up with some of the things he says. One morning he told me he would like "honey in his coffee, please" and will call his baby brother "Lil' fella and partner" haha! During my time with Owen I have experienced many phases as he grows up in life...such as his first "big boy bed" and potty training. Oh potty training....boy, has it been a job in itself:) The hardest part was getting him to "poopie" on the potty.....I asked him one day why he wouldn't do it and he exclaimed, "Well I don't want animals to go up my butt!" Whaaaat? haha! When he finally used the potty for the first time he screamed, "YES! That's MY POOP!" Oh lord. Once again, I typical boy;)
On a non-poo related subject...I have gotten to share some of the best holiday seasons with him! Thanksgiving was wonderful but Christmas was a blast! It's so fun to see a kid during that time of year...and of course Christmas is my all time favorite holiday so it truly was "magical" this year. When I asked Owen what he wanted for Christmas he told me, "That Santa BOY is gonna bring me a train!".....Santa Boy? "Yes, he's a VERY nice boy." he explained :)
Owen also has a girlfriend named Mary who is "very nice" and "likes to wear her hair in a pony tail" and his "best buddy" at school is Collin.
The rest of the time Owen likes to drive around in his Fisher Price Car or Lighting McQueen motorcycle.
Probably my most favorite moment ever was when I tucked him into bed one night after story time and he said to me, "Goodnight Mandi. I love you!" Aww....and that is when I officially became attached. At the end of the day and no matter how exhausted I am after chasing his crazy lil' tush around I think, he's not so bad after all:)
Miles- Age 1.5
Miles...otherwise known as "Milo". *sigh* The love of my life!
If my kids turn out anything like him someday I will probably have like 10 of them (poor Ben! haha!) I don't want to say I have "favorites" but if I was...well, he is definitely it. He is the sweetest, most lovable, huggable, well-behaved kid in the world. I just wanna squeeze him all the time:)
He has grown SO much since I started working for them. When I met him he was just starting to walk...now he's running, talking, singing, telling me stories, etc etc. He loves his blankey and Elmo is his best friend!
Miles is constantly learning new things every day.....new words, colors, numbers, etc. His favorite color is "Orange" and he can count to "10" already!
I have also taught him to say "Goooo Chiefs!" and "Eric Berry" (but it sounds more like BarEeeee).
He loves to sing and dance! His favorite songs are Jingle Bells (but it comes out as 'Bah Bah Bah, Bah Bah Bah, Bah Bah Alllllll WAY!') and Old McDonald Had a Farm (he likes to say EI, EI, O). I hear him in his crib right before bedtime singing this to his stuffed animals quite often.
During my days with him I have taught him how to "Drop it Low" and how to "Shoulder Lean"....(as he bounces back and forth and says, 'showder ween") It's pretty awesome and I have to say I've made myself proud in my nanny duties;)
My all time favorite thing is he started calling me "Honey" about a month or two ago. I don't know where it came from but I LOVE it! So cute:) He'll say, "Hi Honey!" or when he's looking for me he'll say, "Honnneeeey?" I think Ben has some serious competition;)
Other than Miles and Owen I also watch
Macauley (3 yrs), Aynslee (8 months), Hazel (1.5 years), Samuel (3 yrs), Elizabeth (9months), and Elle (4 months). I would say Macauley and Aynslee are my other family I nanny for...and the rest are just kiddos I have babysat for a few times. Elle is the newest addition to my nanny world which I will hopefully start watching her next week:) She has the sweetest Mommy and they just moved here from New York! I'm hoping I can help them in any way possible and make adjusting to the KC life a lil' more easier:)
Macauley is so goofy and we just have so much fun when we're together!
Nothing but non-stop laughter:) Some of his favorite activities is reading and drawing and he LOVES trains! Oh yes, Thoma the Train is his life and I have learned so much about it. I think the funniest moment was when he told me he was going to be a "Snail" for Halloween....talk about creative!
Now, Aynslee I have been with since August as well.
She is a sweet baby girl that is full of smiles all the time! We really bonded the first few months as I struggled to learn her eating habits, nap schedule, and what she likes to play with. She is a very happy baby but definitely knows what she wants in life already...and all at 8 months old;) My favorite moment with her was the first time she fell asleep in my arms as I was rocking her....awww! *sigh* best job ever!
Onto Miss Hazel.....
she is SO cute! She has these big brown eyes and full of so much fun and laughter.
She is such a cutie patootie and although I have only gotten to watch her a few times...I sure did love every minute I was there! (I would just be a 'substitute' nanny for when her main nanny couldn't be there). She also has the sweetest family ever! The first day her Mom brought me coffee from McDonalds! Talk about a wonderful start to my morning:) I had a lot of fun with Hazel because she is the most "girly" one I've watched so far (but don't let that surprise you...she can be a tough cookie!) I loved reading about "fluffy cats" and "candy canes", playing in her princess tent, and helping her take care of her baby dolls:) We spent a lot of time going to the park and for walks whenever we had the chance and she re-introduced the wonderful book about "Poop" to me:) haha! I hope to see her again soon but if not I completely cherished the time we had together!
Samuel and Elizabeth I only got to watch a few times...but then unfortunately their change in schedule conflicted with mine and I haven't had the opportunity to see them in awhile.
Through nanny life I've had the opportunity to go to some really neat places that I would never generally visit. I love taking them on "field trips" and getting outta the house as much as possible. Playing outside is always fun as well:)
Probably the best trip was when we went to the Dinosaur Museum and Train Museum in January. It was pretty darn awesome and so sweet because the boys got to make their own stuffed dino at the end of the day (kind of like Build A Bear but Build A Dino) :)
Owen named his "Hunter" while Miles named his "Kitty"....I didn't ask;) haha!
I think they had a great time overall!
It's crazy that my Friday nights now consist of dinner time, bath time, story time, bed time, etc. instead of "party time" and my favorite place is Chuck E. Cheese and any indoor play area instead of "the bar" but you know what...I'm ok with that. I do need to get out more though because my best friend is a 1.5 year old these days;) haha! But, for right now I'm loving where I am "job wise" and I couldn't think of a better position for me. And the best part is....I get to give the kiddos back to their parents after a long day so if I do want to go "play" with the "big kids" then I can without anything holding me back;) It's truly wonderful!
Once again, I am so blessed I stumbled onto such a wonderful opportunity.
It has been crazy but so much fun and my heart is filled with more love than ever:) Beats that darn restaurant world anyday!
Hope I filled your hearts with a little love and laughter today!
Miss you all....all the time!
Infinity x's and o's!
Mandi
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