Rice Krispies, Boogers, Raisins & Poop

Yes, this is a story about the daycare babies. As you know from earlier posts, they’ve become an extension of our family, with Sam Skyping from college every chance she gets, Alex putting them on her list of good things, and Gabi greeting them every day that the oldest baby has school (she has class right across the hall).

This morning started out innocent enough. The babies wanted a Rice Krispie ‘snack’ before breakfast.  So I got them all set up – they were situated on the footstool, coloring and watching their favorite show Doc McStuffins…and I was on my phone, texting with Alex.

(Yes, daycare lady of the year!)

All of a sudden I look up and see Nicole with what I would have sworn was a booger coming out of her nose…stretched all the way to her top lip (all together now….EWWWWWW)! She does have a cold, so it made sense, right? I quick grab a tissue and get ready to swipe at her nose…..and realize it’s a Rice Krispie!  (As I breathe a sigh of relief and swipe it away.)

We proceeded through our morning routine of breakfast, games and cleanup, and I decided to throw in a load of baby clothes/jackets. The washing machine finished with its lovely beep, beEP, BEEP (love that sound, she says sarcastically)…and I transferred it all to the dryer.

That’s when I saw it.

In the back of the washing machine…

Something small and dark…

Let me interject a side note here…we’d had a couple ‘accidents’ this week and even though I’d washed the little undies by hand, my mind went to “I missed something”.

I literally said outloud…to myself…”God, please don’t let that be poop”.

I reached in anyway, knowing I had to get rid of the offending object…only to find it was a raisin.

{A praiseful “ThaNK YOU LOrd!” passed from my lips.}

And then I realized it was only noon.  What else would this day bring?

Time for lunch…I trapped placed them in their high chairs where they gladly chomped down their food.  Samantha called for a Skype date so I placed the computer in front of them…that’s when the oldest (Miss El) decided it was time to be an exclamation point!  Everything she said, she yelled.  Including telling me “You’re dizthe!”  Hrmph.  Being told I’m dizzy by a three-year old.  Boy they figure it out early nowadays don’t they?

Back to the day…remember that ‘my life is filled with chaos’ thing?

After lunch El decided to play with the Fisher Price phone (you know the one with the string attached to pull it?).  All of a sudden her one and a half-year old sister decided she wanted it.  Bring on the ear plugs boxing gloves. There was screaming, there was crying and an all out tug-of-war with the phone.  And a very loud Patty yelling “Stop” (drawn out, frantic hands waving, trying to grab the toy before someone got hurt).

Remember that Sam is still Skyping?  Yeah…this was the moment Sam said “I have to go get lunch”.  (Did I say she’s in college?  Yeah, smart girl! 🙂 )

After I threw on my referee shirt, I sat them both down and we negotiated.  One got the toy cell phone and the other the Fisher Price phone.

And peace was once again felt throughout the house.

{sigh}

What would the rest of the day bring?

Well, they hammered my cabinets, then used them as microphones announcing races, then as phones where I had to call them for help.  (By the way, those were Whac-a-mole hammers…I’m not that bad of a daycare lady!)

Did I say the babies were tired today?

Well, then the baby decided she wanted to play with the phone again.

By pushing it down the two steps between the kitchen and living room.

Over and over and over again.

Then Gabi arrived to save the day.  I put her to task giving the babies a bath while I vacuumed up all the Motzy hair and schmutz from the babies.  I swear I could make an Abominable Snowman from all his white hair…like EVERY DAY I could make one…ugh.

Out came Gabi with one baby wrapped in a towel.  Then the next one wrapped in a towel.  Now I have two wiggly, wrinkly fingered babies cuddled on my lap.  {sigh}  I love my job…

Then it was time for pajamas…hair brushed…and all set to go to Tim’s basketball game, where Dad would pick them up and whisk them home.  (Mom’s away at a workshop, thus we thought we’d help out Dad with the laundry and baths.)

Of course the game included popcorn and water bottles with straws, and running up and down the aisles of the bleachers and climbing over the bleachers…and stealing bites of Gabi’s pizza…and hugging Tim…and visiting with Gabi’s Grandpa…and…and…

And then Dad came.

We dressed and shuffled children, changed bags from one car to the other, and I helped buckle them in and said goodbye…

And then I apologized to their Dad before he drove away with two screaming children.

I tried, I really did…I kept them up all day, we played and played and played and ate and ate and ate, bathed, dressed, ran and ran and ran…

And I will be surprised if they made it past the city limits before they were asleep.

{sigh}

As goes the tales of the Adventures of Patty and the Babies.

Where am I now?

I stayed to watch the JV Basketball Game (that Tim coaches), and now I’m home…

Home Sweet Home…where it’s filled with…no sounds…

Just…Peace and Quiet…and Wine.

Cleansing breathe in…and out…

This is the life.

Patty O

Ps…Have a great weekend all! (said in hushed tones)