Weekend Update....

This weekend, Shelli and I had a full house. Our friend and fellow foster parent, Beth had a wedding to attend this weekend in NJ. Beth has two foster children, Layla, which is Luis and Christian’s 18 month old sister, and David who is 8 months old. She asked us if we’d babysit while her and her husband attended the wedding, and of course, I said, ‘Sure, how hard can it be, it’s only one night….’

When Layla got here the kids were beyond excited. When they found out she was sleeping over, they were ecstatic! I’m a firm believer the boys need to stay connected with their sister through this process so I (we) were glad to be able to help out.

Mid-morning, Saturday, we loaded up the car(s) and took all the kids to the park. I had Layla, Christian, and Luis in my car while Shelli took David and Zoe in hers. Shelli packed tons of stuff for the kids to play with and I made sure we had juice, snacks, diaper bags, etc. When we got there, the kids ran around for hours. They had so much fun playing soccer, football, throwing the Frisbee, playing on the swings, going down the slide, chasing each other, etc. I was lucky enough to get David to fall asleep while we were there so, I got to run around with the kids too!

When we got home, I made all the kids lunch and they ALL went down for a nap. Yes, all five kids took naps. I’m not sure how we got that to happen but, we did, thank heaven for small miracles! For dinner, we ordered pizza – always a hit. Then it was time to wind down.

Zoe had been asking me all day if she could help ‘take care’ of David so, I let her feed him and even help give him a bath. She did such a good job. Not only was she patient but she talked to David the whole time about when she was a little baby like him.

By 8pm, everyone had baths; their teeth brushed, books read, and were ready for bed. It was a long day for everyone. I don’t know where I pull the strength from in certain situations but, I manage to pull through. It was lots of work but lots of fun! Shelli wasn’t too bad either… She made it through with flying colors. We are a team! I’m proud of all that we’ve accomplished together. I couldn’t do half of what I do without her support.