I SURVIVED!!

I survived.... not from cancer, a test, or a trip to the dentist.... I survived being a MoM for a week! Let me back up. No I didn't have my baby early, and no, I have not started my job at the bank yet (long story). I was recommended by a friend to a lady who needed a nanny for the week while she went out of town with her husband. We met, she liked me, and it was a done deal. I got to thinking that this would be a fun opportunity, and that maybe this is why Heavenly Father has found it wise that I not start a real job yet. Well H.F. has a funny sense of humor. I moved in early last Tuesday and moved out late Sunday night. I figured I was qualified. I have six brothers and sisters and taught 30 fifth graders for two years. Piece of cake! Turns out it was just rotten, maggot infested cake....

They lived in a beautiful home about 1/2 hour's drive from my house, out in the open, spacious country! They have a ground hog that pops up occasionally (named George Washington), a pond in the backyard with geese, and apparently deer have wandered across their lawn before. In the driveway you see the Land Rover that I was privileged to drive for the week. They have four cute kids, ages 7, 5,4, and 2 1/2. It's all sounding great, right? The perfect setting.

Cue Satan. 
Aka, Ella. 
She is sleeping in this pic. (The clouds parted and angels sang on these rare occasions). It didn't take me long to figure out why they are called the "terrible twos". This picture of innocence was as stubborn as all get out. It was her way or the highway. I endured massive meltdowns whenever it was time to change her diaper, get her in her carseat, get her out of her carseat, wipe her face, get in the bath, get out of the bath, not climb on the computer, not shove the DVD in the DVD player, not climb the top shelf of the fridge....etc, etc, etc. She may be little, be she is as strong as a tornado in full swing. Side note: her real name is EliZaBeth!! Yes, the name I love, the name I want to give my own daughter, the name no one has ruined for me, until now. Well, her family calls her Ella for short, so this is what I called her, continuously trying to forget the truth.

Well, despite all the conniption fits, she really was an adorable little girl. Melissa Porter saved my life on Wed. when she suggested we go to the park. She brought Hughey, and I brought Ella and she had the best time playing. I had a couple of hours to vent to Melissa (thanks for listening!) and when it was time to go, Ella fell asleep in her carseat, so I was able to pick up her sister from preschool without her screaming to go in too. This started a pattern that I continued for the rest of the week.

Oh what do you do in the autumn time, when all the kids are bored?? (Sing to the tune of the primary song :) Drawing pictures on the driveway was a favorite, interspersed with riding scooters. If I drew my name, they drew their names, if I drew a flower, they drew a flower. I guess imitation is a form of flattery. Alexandra liked to pose for pictures :)

When I drew this, they asked me, "how do you plus an S and a T?" So cute.

One afternoon, we spent hours doing puzzles. If you can see in the background, they had a really fun playground set in their backyard. It had a tic tac toe board on it, so one time I asked Catherine if she wanted to play. She said yes, then said she would be "O's", then her eyes lit up and she said, "no, you be O's because they are big and round like a pregnant tummy!" Haha. And she always called them pregnant O's after that.

Well, Trav had his first big Anatomy test on Friday, after which everyone went to go party and get drunk. So the Mormon kids got together at the Shaw's for a "rootbeer kegger". Haha. Well, we missed out on that, but we had our own kind of fun playing Operation and Battleship after the kids went to bed. Aren't you jealous? Yeah, it wasn't that cool.

Here's the whole gang Saturday night eating ice cream. Dontcha love the look Ella's giving? I have to hand it to Travis. He drove out to spend the night with me every night, helped with the kids on Sunday, and got me throught MY meltdown Sunday morning. He did have a tendency to get the kids more riled up when he was around than otherwise, but that's just the playfulness in him I guess :) He's going to make a great dad.

Well, Sunday night finally came and we finally got to go home to our quiet house. I'll admit that I was sad to say goodbye to their cute faces. I was not sad to be able to make a meal and eat it when it was hot, pick up a room and have it stay clean, sleep in past six a.m. (that's right, they all woke up at the crack of dawn), or spend a day not coaxing a two year old to let me change her diaper, then getting poop on me when she suddenly decided she was done letting me wipe her when the job had just begun. I have oh so many more stories, but we will leave it at that :) I felt the need to apolgize to my mom for ever giving her a hard time, not saying thank you, or taking her for granted. My babysitters probably deserve an apology too. Hehe. Here is me eating my fish fillet at Red Robin Monday night. We decided to treat ourselves! It's a good thing I'm already pregnant, because this experience was enough to make anyone choose a celibate life. Haha, just kidding... but seriously.