So about a month and a half ago, my brother in law was going out of town for about 6 weeks. I decided that I wanted to go and help with the adjustment. Madison did so well and I will tell you, it was an eye opener!
Now now, it wasn't in a negative way at all, but it made us realize how involved having multiple kids are! It wasn't a deterrent, but educational!
The ride to Newport went so smoothly. Madison immediately fell asleep as soon as we left Greenville city limits. She napped the entire way until about 20 minutes before we arrived. I was starving for dinner at that point, so we stopped by Bojangles and we enjoyed some yummy chicken and biscuits! She was in such a great mood, I couldn't believe it! My sister in law and the kids were already at a baseball game, so we unpacked the car and played for a bit until it was bedtime! I was so nervous about this. Madison hasn't really slept anywhere else besides Nana and paw paw's house and that didn't go over so well. So I was definitely scared that I was getting no sleep that night. We brought the pack n play and her noise maker, so she was set. I fed her and she went straight to sleep. She did wonderful all night! What a blessing!
The next day I was watching two of the kids. I am unfamiliar of the territory and rules of the house, and just haven't spent one on one time with them very much, so again, I was nervous! Aaron surprised me and came to Newport (originally he planned to have a deserved daddy day to himself!) and my fears were a little more settled. It's always good to have a partner in crime! The day went so well!
We played in outside. The kids played in the pool and I pushed Madison in the swing. Aaron played on the trampoline for a while too! After a while, I came inside to put Madison down for a nap and Caroline and I baked some cookies! At this point we are realizing... Kids are go, go, GO! We were constantly going from one activity to the next! I'm not sure what I expected. Or not even expected, but I guess I just didn't know. From what I remember in childhood, we played outside or inside with my brothers. We did Legos or played school or played with action figures, etc. My mom also did tons of crafts with us, but I don't remember being so busy all the time! Your view changes when you are the "Mom" and I have such an appreciation for my parents now! When Madison and I are at home, I do try to break up play time and go to the splash park or meet up for a play date or go for a walk, and we do play A LOT! I can see now that as she gets older, we can do things such as crafts, easy cooking, playing a game, play pretend, etc! It really got me excited for when she grows up and is able to do those things! Right now, the craziest we get in the "play" department is hiding toys for her to find and stacking blocks!
The other thing Aaron and I learned about is silly sibling fights. It seems so trivial (and sometimes funny), but it is something that gets left out when dreaming about having lots of kids! Brothers and sisters fight and are annoying! Gosh, I remember fighting all the time with my brothers, but Aaron and I have yet to experience this for ourselves! And how do you referee those fights?! Most of the time, they are about the stupidest things! "Casey put her toy in MY toy box. Mom!!!!!!" To us adults, it's like "are you kidding me?" But to them it is LIFE OR DEATH. How do you solve this dire conundrum (feel the sarcasm! Feel it!) while making those angel faces feel like you are taking their concerns seriously? We learned that sometimes... It's as simple as "Casey take your toy out of your brother's toy box and go play somewhere else for a while." Sometimes they are persistent little boogers and it's not so simple "but it's not HIS toy box, it was mine first. I'm the oldest." Oh boy... Now you have to explain in simple terms and vernacular that a young child understands about how hand me downs work. Bahahaha, Aaron and I have soooo much to learn in this department! Are we going to be perfect at it? Absolutely not. As we are always learning there is no such thing as perfect in parenting!
Okay, back to our day with the kids! We went to lunch at Dairy Queen and played arcade games and games that give you tickets and so forth. They played so well together and are a pretty cute and hilarious bunch of kids! Jackson, the oldest, spent time being a monster and hiding and surprising the other little kids in the play house. It was so cute how giggly those kids got when they found him! Madison got her first taste of ice cream and really enjoyed it!
After we went home, Madison went for her afternoon nap and at that point Aaron and I were ready for one too! Another learning experience... Parents don't always get to nap during the day. And not all kids nap at the same time... This seems totally unfair! Maybe my kids will be like magical unicorns and all take 2-3 hour naps at the same time! It happens right?! A girl can dream!
Aaron went home that evening and Madison and I went to Jackson's baseball game! Let me just tell you, I love baseball games. I don't care if it is kids or professional, I LOVE baseball. It happens to be a treat when you get to watch family play!
It was raining, but I honestly didn't care. Madison and I were having so much fun! Madison loves to watch the little kids play! It was fun for me to observe as well! Things I learned at the baseball game. If you are going to bring food/snacks bring enough for all kids! It cracks me up! Kids have no shyness to them. It's what makes the show "Kids Say the Darnedest Things" so popular! They don't care if you aren't their mommy. If you have snacks, they are going to come up to you and hold their hand out to get some! I also learned that when at a ball field, kids will get dirty, especially when raining! The youngest of the family went off to play in the rain and my sister in law fought it for a while, then embraced it! And let me tell you if that was not the happiest kid ever playing in that mud puddle! When in Rome and Life is too short!
Jackson's team didn't ultimately win, but the game was full of excitement! In the end, the players were respectful and had great sportsmanship! The same couldn't be said necessarily for some of the coaching staff, but I was reminded that actions speak louder than words and they should have remembered that young kids were observing this childish behavior. They should have set an example, but didn't. It makes you mindful of who you surround yourself with and your kids, including adults! After a silly exchange of words, we were headed back to their house and it was bedtime! Madison did absolutely wonderful again! How lucky am I? She is truly amazing.
The next morning, we woke and spent some time with the kids and Adrienne again. At morning nap time, I loaded Madison up and we made our way back to Greenville. At this time, I learned that sometimes, if a child is too tired, sleep will not happen, but actually the opposite. My sugar plum screamed the entire way home... The. ENTIRE way. We stopped in Havelock so I could take her out of her seat and hold her for a bit. That poor thing was so worked up and it was killing me to listen to her be so miserable! She calmed down and I held her a bit longer. I placed her back into her car seat and I didn't even get out of the parking lot before we were in full meltdown mode. I called Aaron over the Bluetooth and she calmed down for a bit listening to her daddy's voice. That is, until we lost reception... Bless her! We eventually made it home and as I predicted, she finally fell asleep as we entered our neighborhood!
Madison did finally take a wonderful nap!
We had so much fun, and as I said, so many learning experiences! We are still excited to expand the family and be able to experience those things for ourselves and figure them out for ourselves! Most of all, we really loved and enjoyed spending time with family! I can't wait to hang out with them again!
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