3 Days and 3 Kids

So, I started keeping my niece, Bella, during the day this week. She is 4 and for the most part, she and Aidan get along great. This is a perfect time for her to be here because Aidan wants someone with him all the time...basically, she is saving me from being that someone every day! Don't get me wrong, I love my son dearly, but all you moms (and dads, aunts, uncles, grammys, grampys, etc) know that 12 hours of little boy play every day can get old. Plus, it frees me up to be with Gavin when I need to. And, it takes Aidan's mind off of me being with Gavin...probably the most important piece in this phase of his life.

Anyway, we have had fun so far. The first day was comical...3 accidents (wet underpants) within a couple of hours...guess they were so excited to be playing with eachother that they forgot to go. So, I have been doing a lot more reminding the past 2 days. The second day, the older kids were a littler more testy. So, I decided we needed to venture out of the house today. We went to Inflatable Wonderland and they jumped their hearts out. There was only one mishap...Aidan got bonked in the mouth/nose with someone else's head...there was some blood involved, but he is fine. It was not bad enough for him to want to leave! I was worried about managing all three of them out of the house, but they were great. I know people do this every day with 3 or more...Jon and Kate do it with 8 every day (I don't know how they do that) for goodness sakes. But, it is new to me, so I was a little nervous. But, all went well. And, for 3 days now, all 3 kids have napped at the same time so I've had a good chunk of down time in the middle of the day! : )

Here are a few pics of our time so far...

This is what two 3-4 year olds can do to a room in about 10 minutes! : ) Yes, they are both in underwear...this was the day with all the accidents! : )


Gavin playing with a new toy.


The crew before our first outing.


I promised Aidan and Bella a prize if they went straight to nap when we got home today...no, I'm not above bribery! : ) So, they got a popsicle when they woke up. This is them sitting on the back deck eating their prize!


It's been fun so far...I think parents of twins probably have it harder in the beginning, but better in later years. They really do keep each other busy and happy (most of the time)!