Weekend Babysitting Gig

Aaron and I have a fun-filled weekend ahead of us. Well...I think so, anyway.

Our friends Mary Beth and Kurt have asked Aaron and me to babysit their children from Friday afternoon to Sunday evening so they can go out of town for a little alone time just in time for Kurt's birthday . No big deal, you're thinking. That'll be fun.

Well...what if I told you that Aaron and I will be responsible for 6 children this weekend? That's right. Six.

When I first mentioned the idea to Aaron, I knew what he would say.

"What?" he said in disbelief. "Are you crazy?"

I was right.

After a bit of coaxing and reassurance, Aaron gave in to my plan. I assured him that these children are not like most other children. They're extremely obedient, almost completely self-sufficient (except for maybe the 3- and 5-year-olds) and so incredibly sweet. It'll be a piece of cake. I think.

After 10+ years of childcare experience, I'm pretty sure I've seen it all...and I'm positive that Mary Beth and Kurt's kids are some of the best around. I am a little nervous, however, that after a full week of Sam and Toby I may be a little frazzled when Monday comes around again and I haven't had a break from children.

Toby is usually laid-back and low-maintenance, but he caught the "whiny bug" sometime last week and hasn't gotten it out of his system yet. I play with him, feed him, give him milk, put him down for a nap, drive him around in the car, take him to fun places to play with Sam, but his whining only seems to cease for 5 minutes at a time. The only time he's completely quiet is when he's watching Sesame Street (thank you, Lord, for Sesame Street!). Liz thinks he's getting into that stage where separation anxiety is an issue (and I totally agree). Please pray that I can continue to practice patience in the next week and a half. My tank is already on low and it's only Tuesday.

Sam has been doing better with remembering that things don't always go our way and hasn't thrown a fit getting into our out of the car at school in a few weeks. He has also been keeping his pull-up dry in the past few days...so he's made some great progress lately. Today I was thinking back to when I first started watching Sam and Toby - and Sam has grown by leaps and bounds. I'm very proud of the changes he's made in his daily attitude and demeanor. I think we understand each other pretty well now.

Anyway...Aaron and I will stay with the kids this weekend and I'll let you know how it goes. I'm sure I'll have lots of great stories to share!