100 Adventures in Childcare - #1 - Adam and Hailey
It's been a while since I've written anything, and I decided to change things. I used to have a blog called Nothing Temporary About Love, about the lessons I've learned over the years taking care of kids (my younger brothers, cousins, kids I babysat, etc). I deleted the blog, but wish I hadn't. But instead of harping on the loss, I decided I'd use the journal I have already and the motivation of unofficially signing up for the 100 Things Blogging Challenge to get my journaling mojo back. Needless to say, I'm going to be writing a lot about the various kids in my life. True stories of loving them and at times, the challenge of taking care of them.
Last weekend, Tara and I began a new adventure, babysitting two new kids. They are seven and four, and they are fantastic! I'll call them Adam and Hailey. Both are cuddly and sweet, even upon waking in the morning. They ate breakfast and then we played a marathon game of Play-Doh. Hailey was the pet store, and Adam was the bank. I don't recall what I was but we were really into it. Creations included: a bumblebee in a bed with a flower to eat, a river teeming with marine life, and books, skillfully made by Adam!
Tara took Hailey outside to play, while Adam and I kept playing inside. Apparently, Hailey had big adventures in mind. While riding her bike around the driveway, she said, "I'm going somewhere and you can't come!" When Tara asked where, Hailey clarified, "Vegas. It's where you are." Okay then. So funny.
We finally cleaned up the Play-Doh just before lunch. We watched part of a movie and did puzzles. Then we had lunch and I went out with the kiddos to play. Adam asked, "Can you play catch?" I assured him I could, if I was on my knees. His response? "Okay. I'll be on my knees, too." So, we played catch, then bowling, then blew bubbles. Then Hailey came out and decided they wanted to dig for all the different sizes of worms under a particular tree. We talked about treating the tree nicely, and Hailey said, "Because the tree is growing. The tree needs to focus on growing." They pushed a stuffed monkey in a stroller around the driveway, until Tara took over, then both kids wanted stroller rides, which was fine with us. When Hailey got the monkey it was interesting because she came in and asked Adam if it was okay. He cautioned her not to go under his bed and I assumed it was because there were toys he didn't want her touching. Instead, he was being a protective older brother. So sweet.
Adam and I came inside, and I told him there was an extra puzzle we brought if he wanted to work on it while I ran to the bathroom. I decided scooting down the second set of stairs would be more efficent, and Adam hung around and watched me. The novelty of watching someone walk with crutches still hasn't worn off. So, I just narrated as I went along, telling him that was how I got down stairs when I was a kid. He said, "Oh, I do that all the time! It's so much fun!" When I told him it was probably more fun when I was a kid than it was now, he added, matter of factly, "It would probably be funner if you were lighter." So true!
Then there was more puzzles, and we played the Wii, which was completely foreign to me. I'm a child of the '80s and therefore only familiar with the Nintendo Entertainment System and two games on Sega Genesis. I found the Wii overstimulating and couldn't find my character on screen because there was so much action. But Adam was patient and eventually switched controllers with me, saying, "Here. You can be the big monkey, so you can see yourself." Ha!
Then it was outside, where we played zoo. Adam tossed stuffed animals off the deck for Hailey to catch. They brought them to the zoo (beside a particular tree,) and we played that for a while. Then it was into the house, where we played hide and seek. I'm a terrible hider, but Adam is a champ. Hailey is still learning the game, so it was fun to watch Tara teaching her.
It was a great time. They were so good. Can't wait to go back in a few days.
Last weekend, Tara and I began a new adventure, babysitting two new kids. They are seven and four, and they are fantastic! I'll call them Adam and Hailey. Both are cuddly and sweet, even upon waking in the morning. They ate breakfast and then we played a marathon game of Play-Doh. Hailey was the pet store, and Adam was the bank. I don't recall what I was but we were really into it. Creations included: a bumblebee in a bed with a flower to eat, a river teeming with marine life, and books, skillfully made by Adam!
Tara took Hailey outside to play, while Adam and I kept playing inside. Apparently, Hailey had big adventures in mind. While riding her bike around the driveway, she said, "I'm going somewhere and you can't come!" When Tara asked where, Hailey clarified, "Vegas. It's where you are." Okay then. So funny.
We finally cleaned up the Play-Doh just before lunch. We watched part of a movie and did puzzles. Then we had lunch and I went out with the kiddos to play. Adam asked, "Can you play catch?" I assured him I could, if I was on my knees. His response? "Okay. I'll be on my knees, too." So, we played catch, then bowling, then blew bubbles. Then Hailey came out and decided they wanted to dig for all the different sizes of worms under a particular tree. We talked about treating the tree nicely, and Hailey said, "Because the tree is growing. The tree needs to focus on growing." They pushed a stuffed monkey in a stroller around the driveway, until Tara took over, then both kids wanted stroller rides, which was fine with us. When Hailey got the monkey it was interesting because she came in and asked Adam if it was okay. He cautioned her not to go under his bed and I assumed it was because there were toys he didn't want her touching. Instead, he was being a protective older brother. So sweet.
Adam and I came inside, and I told him there was an extra puzzle we brought if he wanted to work on it while I ran to the bathroom. I decided scooting down the second set of stairs would be more efficent, and Adam hung around and watched me. The novelty of watching someone walk with crutches still hasn't worn off. So, I just narrated as I went along, telling him that was how I got down stairs when I was a kid. He said, "Oh, I do that all the time! It's so much fun!" When I told him it was probably more fun when I was a kid than it was now, he added, matter of factly, "It would probably be funner if you were lighter." So true!
Then there was more puzzles, and we played the Wii, which was completely foreign to me. I'm a child of the '80s and therefore only familiar with the Nintendo Entertainment System and two games on Sega Genesis. I found the Wii overstimulating and couldn't find my character on screen because there was so much action. But Adam was patient and eventually switched controllers with me, saying, "Here. You can be the big monkey, so you can see yourself." Ha!
Then it was outside, where we played zoo. Adam tossed stuffed animals off the deck for Hailey to catch. They brought them to the zoo (beside a particular tree,) and we played that for a while. Then it was into the house, where we played hide and seek. I'm a terrible hider, but Adam is a champ. Hailey is still learning the game, so it was fun to watch Tara teaching her.
It was a great time. They were so good. Can't wait to go back in a few days.