Adventures in Babysitting

As most of you may already know from reading Rachael's blog (my sister), I had the pleasure of babysitting the four little monsters... um, I mean, angels.

Rachael had caught me off guard when she asked me if I could babysit the kids for a few hours, and I didn't have time to find anything else to do, so I said yes, no problem.

I waited at Rachael and Derrick's house, enjoying the quiet house I knew wouldn't last long, before the kids came home from eating ice cream and hanging out with their grandparents. They pounded their way up the steps into the house shortly after 7 p.m. with messy faces and energized for an exciting night, and I knew right then and there that we just HAD to stay busy the entire night, for fear they might get bored and get into trouble!

I called them all to the backyard right away and told them that I had to get pictures of all four of them together because I didn't have any (and I also wanted to prove to Lori, my other sister, that I can still take good pictures on MY camera! Ha-ha), so they told me that we should start on the trampoline, which actually worked out good, and while they still wanted to play and jump around, I remembered, in the back of my mind, that Auntie Lori was working in the ER that night, just in case, but I told all the kids that we weren't going there on my watch.

I then had to use persuasive skills to get them all off the trampoline to take more pictures in the grass as well as assure them, especially Kristen, that there was no doggie doo-doo nearby!

They sure liked the goofy face pictures and I had to take a ton of pictures because SOME were a little more difficult that others to stay looking at the camera until it actually TOOK the picture (don't worry, Ben, I won't tell them who it was...!).

After a few pictures on the play set, the kids starting bickering with each other, which reminded me of my special way of helping them all stay as good as possible. Give them each three pieces of something, usually food such as peaches, apples, potatoes, and onions or whatever we had three each of in the house then when they did something that wasn't good, one was taken away. Once all three of their 'somethings' were gone, they went to bed. Now, if they still had some left when the parents came home, then it was up to the parents to decide when bedtime was... While Kristen, Jack, and Ben were used to this and somewhat excited, it took us a few tries to explain to Katya why she had three potatoes (and that she didn't have to actually eat them) with what Rachael calls "pantomime" (I think that's the word). So, I'd point at Katya and say, "If you're 'ploh-ha' (which means "bad"), then one potato goes away" then I took a potato away. Then did it with all three "ploh-ha, ploh-ha, ploh-ha then bed" where I then laid my head side-ways on my hands and started snoring... I think she got the idea then... ha-ha.

At this point, I figured they probably wouldn't let me finish the book I brought to read, just in case they played innocently by themselves or wanted to just go to bed early or whatever... (which I finished tonight and was really good!), so I decided to take them to one of the nearby pier's to watch the sunset.

(Yes, that's Katya holding Jack up)

With the music turned up, the windows rolled down and all of us kids singing songs together, we all made sure Katya knew how to raise her hands when we go over train tracks (a mini roller-coaster ride of sorts, and I know Natalie knows just how I like to drive over those train tracks! ha-ha). Once we got there, we took pictures and then they all played tag, which turned out to be more like a race between Kristen and Katya!

Then, so the kids felt like they actually chose what activity to do next, I allowed them all to take a vote. Either go home or go to the park... yeah, pretty easy to figure out which one they voted for, huh?

On the way to the park, we then stopped by another place to watch the sun actually set, then made our way to the park, enjoying all the huge slides, merry-go-rounds, monkey bars with real life monkeys (aka: Katya, which I reminded again that we were NOT going to the ER on my watch!). Each kid continued to be really good and obedient and played well together and with all the other park guests too, and I was so proud of them!

Finally, when it started getting a bit too dark, I rounded up the troops and we headed home to the sweet sound of Jack starting the kids off with the cutest rendition of "Jesus Loves Me" chimed in by Ben, Katya, and then me and Kristen.

The kids also started opening ALL their candy we got at the gas station... oh, they were so cute, each was able to pick out one snack and one drink, Ben and Katya (who I've nick-named Katie-doodles) had the most trouble picking out a yummy snack so I 'helped' them like my mom 'helped' us all out when we were kids, making sure they picked out the right candy I just knew would be perfect for them. Ben = Snickers (yum!) and Katya = M&M's (she asked me if the ones in the orange bag were good, but I told her they were peanut butter M&M's and if she didn't like PB&J's then she wouldn't like those either, thank goodness, I like the plain ones WAY better!)

Jack was trying to be sensible and asked me what I would suggest without sugar, because he had had too much already, he said. How cute! But he left with a Hershey bar. And of course, each child left a little something-something in my car to help me remember the time I got all the kids food snacks and let them eat in my car.

Getting back to the house felt like the end of Adventures in Babysitting, the movie... rush and get pj's on, brush teeth, and then attempt to scrub all the dirt off their dirty feet in the tub, without making a mess!

We then made it just in time to the living room to read one and a half bedtime stories when the parents walked in to send them all to bed... I told them all to be good and go to bed or their parents wouldn't let me babysit anymore, then I gave them all little hug-kisses and made sure I thanked Kristen for babysitting me, which gave me the cutest facial expression!

Wow, what a night! I think I was more tired then they were, but I talked to Rachael, and while they may have gone to bed a little late, my bad, they actually stayed in bed too!

I'm not too sure if they really will let me babysit or if I really will want to again, but I did have fun and even when I was done, I still couldn't think of anything I could have been doing besides being an Auntie and capturing the mischievous adorable looks on each of 'the kids' faces...

Here's a few more cute pictures...

Self-portrait: us in the car, ready for a super fun adventure!

Jack: what a little hottie!

Katie-doodles: what a cutie!

Katya: on top of the monkey bars, when I told her that we were NOT going to the ER on my watch! Ben and Jack

Ben: attempting the big climb!

Kristen: what a cute little lady!

The sunset: I think it was worth dragging four kids out to see something this beautiful!