Keepers Of The Kids

Break out the apple juice! Get the graham crackers! There might even be jelly with the peanut butter (only a smidge.) The two oldest people in the family (that would be me and Daddy-O) are keeping the two youngest people in the family (Little Sister and Baby Girl, ages 4 and 14 months) for the next two weeks while their parents are doing "moving things."

Rest easy, Mommy, the juice will be watered down when we have it. Little Sister only got a half a graham cracker (two skinny sticks) for a bedtime snack last night. We haven't even done the jelly yet. Daddy-O is in charge of ice cream. I'm not taking responsibility for that one.

Our goal is to keep everyone happy and healthy, follow Mommy's rules (most of the time) and for us not to trip over any of the barriers that keep Baby Girl out of mischief.  I'm sure this is good exercise--stepping over this chair every time I go down the hall. I'm only 5'3" so it's a big step for me. Just think, it's much like the exercises I've done at the gym. And this time it's free.

We also are learning to walk the obstacle course that is now our den. We will try not to step on the little toys--those are the ones that will get you. It is imperative that we stay upright. No time for trips to the ER or broken body parts.

These little hands are super quick. I swear that Baby Girl has gotten taller in the few weeks they've been here. I have to remember to push things farther away from the edge of the table now.

We usually do lots of outdoor things with the little ones, but the summer temps are hovering right around 100 degrees now. It was 97 on the porch a couple of days last week. We now consider 90 degrees in the shade a cool day.

Plus, the fire ants have made more homes in the back yard. So far, only two ant bites. This means we might stay inside and see a few more episodes of Miss Spider's Sunny Patch and Curious George. Little Sister thinks that's a great idea! They have a nearly TV-free household. And I agree with Mommy that no television is a good thing for little ones. But these are desperate times. It is nice to be able to sit down for more than 14 seconds at a time.

Before Mommy left for the city, she spent some time cleaning out the closet of her old bedroom here. She was throwing out lots of things when she came across a packet of materials her first school gave to new teachers on how to handle the stress that comes with that job. Mommy left this "stress diet" plan for me. I think I already knew about this diet.

Yes, we expect to be very tired and probably frustrated (that's one of Little Sister's words) and maybe cranky as this time goes on. But we are also so happy to have this much time with these two precious little girls. It is a privilege to see them play and learn every day. We are thankful that we are healthy and able enough to keep up with them.

We will try to do you proud, Mommy. You take care of business there. We've got it covered here on the farm.