Auntie Desha

My sister, Desha, came to visit us during her spring break, from April 3-8. She lives in Portland and is getting her PhD in Natropathic medicine, emphasis in midwifery. It was SO great having her with us! I don't know many people that would choose to spend their spring break changing diapers and wiping a snotty nose. But Desha loves babies, so she couldn't resist.

Desha was amazing to us. She took care of Tanner for a couple days while we were at work. They went on walks, read books, had music time, played crawling games, and had clapping lessons. (we're still working on getting him to clap). Desha also cooked nearly every meal for us the whole week. And she did dishes and kept the house tidy. Luckily, she did have some fun, too, because we went to the beach a couple times. We also had a great time visiting and just being enamored by Tanner.

Common site- Desha's camera in a baby's face. Desha takes hundreds of pictures of Tanner when she visits.

 We had to cuddle under the blanket at the beach because it was pretty windy. On this day, Desha took Tanner to the water and they played "run from the waves."

 That's right- Tanner can blow snot bubbles from BOTH nostrils at the same time.

Having Desha here this spring made me realize how much she has been there for me, esp since the time that I started college. Our personalities are very different, and our life interests and paths have sometimes made it seem like we are worlds apart, but despite this, Desha has always reached out to me. Whether it was a quick phone call, or letting me visit her when she lived in SLC, or posting videos about pregnancy on my wall, or sending me special gifts, or being that listening ear, she has been a great sister to me. 

When we were in Colorado for Grandpa's memorial, Desha and I had a chance to reminisce childhood memories about our grandparents. It was a neat reminder to me that Desha is the only person with whom I share many life experiences. It is fun now to be adults and to reflect on our childhood, comparing perspectives on the same experiences.

I hope Desha knows that I love her and appreciate her. And I hope she knows that I admire her today just as much as I did as a tiny girl. Actually, I might admire her more today. I am so impressed with her passion that she has in her fields of study. She has done some really amazing things in her life, inspiring many people through the various organizations that she is in. And she is, of course, the perfect Auntie that any kid could want!