A TRUE SENSE OF ACCOMPLISHMENT

There aren't many things that I would term "A True Accomplishment." To earn that title, I feel you have to really work for it, AND it has to be something that was working against you from the beginning. To me, one of those things that I can truly deem "A True Accomplishment" is winning a niece or nephew over. But not the ones who just give it willingly (even though I love those ones too), but it's the ones who SERIOUSLY don't want anything to do with you. The accomplishment comes when I can get them to not only smile at me, but giggle with me, play with me and actually choose ME to go to!

Ruby (my brother Ben and Katie's little girl) was one of those nieces on my last trip to California. I was with Heather when she watched her for three days and at first she wanted to have NOTHING to do with me. She would hide her face in Heather's shoulder, or EVEN try and fold herself in half in the high chair just to hide from me. She was dead-set against having to make any eye contact or acknowledgement of me. I think she was SERIOUSLY hoping I was just a bad dream and would just go away. hehehe. If she walked into a room that I was in, her smile disappeared and she did a full 180 the other way. BUT I didn't take it personally. It just became more of a challenge. By the third day, she was like my bestest friend. She would run and giggle with me and smile for the camera for me, like in the picture above. What a cutie! I love bonding with my nieces and nephews. It's so fun! My sisters, I hope, can all say that I love their children each differently and have a different bond with them. Go Ruby! And yes, I have truly accomplished that feat! Let's just see if it lasts until the next time I come around. :)