if you follow me on instagram, you know my brother flew into Alabama for a 10-day stay early this month. He came to visit right after Rylie was born (she wasn’t even a month old), but other than that, we only interacted when I’d visit Seattle which was always with others, brief and busy.
He had only met Rylie & Emmaline (in real life) and at that, they were almost two-year-old and 4-months.
I’ll be honest, I was shocked when he texted me and said he was looking at flights. I told him if he came, I’d probably cry. “I guess you’ll start crying then…” was his response along with a screenshot of his arrival date and time.
I decided to keep his arrival a secret from the kids, and they were so surprised when we picked him up from the airport instead of their grandmother (who was flying in a couple days later). We went straight to the airport to take Rylie’s 5 year old pictures and I was overwhelmed with joy that he was here!
the girls were so excited he was here. they loved talking to him through FaceTime so seeing Uncle Dan in real life was a spectacle.
Paisley wasn’t sure when she first saw him, but she quickly warmed up and he soon became her favorite person.
From there, he just walked alongside us as we lived our daily life. He did learning with the girls, helped me cook dinner, took walks, played games, and made crafts.
Then my mom flew in and even though she’s no stranger to Alabama life, it was still unique to have her AND my brother here at the same time.
we even got to go to the zoo, which was a lot of fun!
but of course, their departure day came and we got our last few fam pics before they headed out.
what a gift these last 10 days have been! I haven’t spent this kind of quality time with my brother in 6 years & it’s done my heart well. we’re so different & yet we’ve laughed, cried & grown these last several days. what a gift.
