Aunts, Uncle and Grandma and Grandpa

On my post about babysitters I mentioned that I'd found the "best babysitter of all." That of course meant the best babysitter OUTSIDE of my family. Hopefully I didn't hurt any feelings when I posted that.

My family has been great to me, and I know I've mentioned this before, but I live next door to my parents. Most of the time that's great. There a have been a few times (both ways) that it has been rough. :)

I wanted to share some special things about the wonderful people in our lives.

My youngest sister, SARA:
Sara goes to DSU, so she is home a lot. She works at Onna's daycare, but she usually works on the "baby side." Onna and Sara have a special relationship. They are the best of friends one minute and the next they are fighting like sisters. I'm glad to have Sara so close. She has been such a big help with Onna. She has spoiled her with time, clothes, toys, treats, etc!

Lisa is also my younger sister. She lives in Milbank and is an RN there. She doesn't get home as often, but also spoils Onna when she is home. Her boyfriend is also named Mike, so Onna always clarifies "Lisa's Mike" or "Mommy's Mike". Lisa does fun things with Onna like Easter egg hunts, dying eggs, etc.
ERIC:
Eric is my younger brother. He owns a landscaping business in Rapid City. He doesn't get home nearly often enough for Onna's wishes. They have a VERY close relationship. Whenever my phone rings and his number is on caller ID I know it's for her. I answer the phone and he says, "Is Onna there?" and off she goes with the phone. They talk about deer hunting, riding four-wheelers, Rugar, the "good-lookin' dog" at my parents house, you name it. When he comes back for a weekend, Onna usually sleeps at my parents' house because she doesn't want to miss one minute with Eric. He takes her on the four-wheeler, sledding, or whatever she wants to do. She is TIRED when he leaves!! I'm so thankful that she has such a close relationship with him, and I know that it makes up a little bit for not having her dad around. The crazy thing about it is that when Eric and I were growing up we could not STAND each other. Actually he and I still really don't talk all that much. It's not that we don't like each other, we just don't have a whole lot in common, except for Onna of course!




My mom, Lela, is an RN for Good Samaritan Society-DeSmet. She is their Home Care Director. It was really hard to find a picture of her and Onna together. They spend a ton of time together, but Mom is really camera shy. Most of their time together is spent in the kitchen. They make bread, cakes, cupcakes, cookies.... pretty much anything you can think of, Onna and Grandma have made it together. Onna is very good at stirring and Grandma is very good at being patient with her! Grandma also spoils Onna with clothes, toys and SHOES!

My dad, John, works for the Census Bureau (Dept of Commerce). He and Onna are also very close and he has stepped up and works to fill some of the missing male role-model space in her life as well. They spend time together working in the garden, working in the garage, playing with puppies, and of course working on the computer!

So, obviously if it wasn't for my family, I wouldn't be able to do this "by myself"! The saying that it takes a village to raise a child is so true. They each contribute something to her life that I am not able to do. They each have a special gift that they give her. I'm so fortunate that we have this time and that they are so close to be able to contribute so much to her life!