Auntie Em

Or Lemily as Leah calls her. Emily is the perfect aunt, sister, and friend. She is so selfless and caring and willing to help. She is also sooo much fun! If there is a party, Emily is there. More often than not she is the one hosting it and getting everyone together. She has an infectious laugh, and is always up for an adventure. Naturally, the girls just love her.



We started planning our trip to Utah before Sarah was even born, and Emily offered to fly back with me so I could stay longer with the girls. We are so grateful for her help. She took time off work to stay with us, and I couldn't have asked for a better flying buddy.

Flying with kids is never fun, and I was especially nervous about our late flight back. Leah had been going to bed around 5:45 or 6 pm in Utah, which was the exact time that our flight took off.

Now, I was smart enough to know that she wouldn't sleep, and she didn't. We were lucky to have two empty seats next to us, but unfortunately we were sitting about 10 rows apart. Knowing that Leah would be extremely tired and as a result very emotional, I decided I would stay with her. Emily would hold Sarah.

We prepared as much as we could before the flight. We put on pajamas, changed diapers, and handed out snacks. We boarded the plane last so Leah could run around as much as possible, and we could try to get Sarah to go to sleep. We boarded. I held my breath.

Leah settled in pretty easily and made an immediate friend with the person sitting next to us. I could see the back of Emily's head, and she seemed to be doing well.

As soon as the fasten seat belt went on and the plane started to prepare for take off, I heard Sarah start to cry. Oh no, I thought. I shouldn't have even worried, because less than two minutes later Emily had her fast asleep with a little rocking and her binky. Emily is a natural at taking charge of situations like this where other people might panic or worry.

Overall, the flight went really well. At one point, when Emily came back to say hi to us with sweet Sarah sleeping in her arms, she kindly told me I had a raisin stuck to my forehead. Great. I also managed to sit in silly putty. I guess it must have looked pretty bad, because a lady behind me on the escalator politely tapped me on my shoulder to tell me I sat in something nasty.