Adventures In Babysitting

Thanks for the idea for a title, Kamber!

As many of you know, Reed, Aftyn and I are helping to watch over 6 of my nieces and nephews. It's amazing how much can happen and how much you can learn in only 5 days. Most days have been full of fun and quirky things, but so far I think tonight takes the cake.

Thanks to one active and helpful 3 year old boy, 3 of the kids bathed with a toilet brush. Which we thankfully figured out after questioning one of the kids about shampooing their hair, and then promptly sent them all back to bathe again but without the helpful germy brush. Ew.

Aftyn is almost walking! Thanks to lots of help from the kiddles, her new record for most steps at a time is 9, and growing every day. We're hoping by the end of our visit that she will be a full-time or close to full-time walker. And she's getting her 7th tooth. And her cousin is getting 3rd and 4th ones.

Some of my favorite times of day are:

- when the door closes behind the kids as they head off to school, and shortly thereafter when naptime ensues

- after dinner when the kitchen is cleaned up and some of the kids head out to play outside together. Love it!

- when Aftyn and her cousin come out of the tub smelling clean and get slathered with yummy smelling lotion. Nothing like clean naked babies!

Overall, this has been a great experience. I have learned a lot, but mostly how important mommies are in families. Thanks to my sister-in-law, everything is scheduled out and it makes it pretty easy since we have an idea of how everything should work out. And thanks to some awesome older kids of theirs, we have so much help with the younger ones that life is much easier than it might be.

Sorry there are no pictures, but really, do you think I have time to take pictures? After all, there are 7 kids here! :)