Aunt and Uncle Life. It’s kind of a big deal.

When I married Chris, I officially became the aunt. (It was unofficial up until then.)

When we got our own place, Chris was so stoked about having sleepovers with the kids and since 2016, every few weeks, we have all three sleepover.

Brooke, the eldest, loves to create and plan. About six or seven months ago, on our way back from a sleepover, she wrote down a list of sleepover themes while we helped brainstorm ideas: baking, karaoke, Magic School Bus, blue, pink, Jurassic Park, Power Rangers, etc.

Since the themes have started, we have done the following: baking, Harry Potter, Jumanji, Magic School Bus, travel to a hotel, and the color blue.

I get exhausted.
I can become overwhelmed.
I can be sensitive when the pancakes are “not like mom makes them.”

However, I remember how time flies.
I remember how I loved karaoke with my aunt on several New Years Eves.
I remember how talking to a nonparent adult relative felt exciting and cool as a kid.

I love these kids so much. They don’t need to be blood related; they have my heart. Having them over is a continual joy. Seeing them each week makes my heart glad.

Little Abi, middle child, is full of exuberant energy and unstoppable giggles. She used to claim every time that she stayed up all night with us when she would fall asleep during a movie and wake up the next day: “I can’t believe I stayed up all night!” Now, as a ferocious seven year old, she is the last one to fall asleep and has great potential of leading our first all-nighter.

Big little Joshy started out sleeping over at the ripe age of two! For the first year, we would forget to make him use the potty before bedtime so every time around 2am I would get up, change his diaper, change the sheets, give him a warm bottle of milk and watch him fall back asleep. Now he’s sleeping through the night and showing Uncle Chris his latest Pokemon cards.

Brooke is starting to wear lipgloss, borrow my clothes (if they’re small on me), and do her hair in the morning after sleepovers.

As much as I can get exhausted or overwhelmed about these events, I want to do them this way. I want to build an event that screams how much I love these kiddos.