Kids and Halloween

I really didn't know what I was getting into as I went into this past weekend.

Seriously.

I was asked some time ago by my brother and sister-in-law if I could babysit their girls because they had a wedding to go to that my brother was in. I said sure, love those girls!

I guess they really make the whole thing look easy. Because I showed up Friday night, my mom was in town and watched them solo until I got there. But since I have been around them more during bedtime routine, that was my area to take over.

I teach sixth graders. That's as young as I really know.

So when it was time to put on pajama's and Elle, the eldest at three, gave me these so-called "pajama's," I believed her. I mean, surely a three year old knows the difference between pajama's and summer sitting-in-the-sun clothes, right?

Well apparently they don't.

(And apparently I don't either.)

And everyone got a big laugh when mom and dad got home and realized I had put on their summer clothes.

But then they made the statement, "well at least you did the other important stuff like brush their teeth and give them a bath."

Ummm....yeah. About that. I thought they were still on a every-other-night schedule for the whole bath thing. And ohhhh....brushing teeth.....don't those fall out anyways? Cause I kinda forgot about that.

But I did manage to read them the entire book "Bambi," which deserves some sort-of medal if ever there was one for reading a children's book. Because I am pretty sure they didn't cut a second out from the movie script.

Ohhh....and I gave the eldest a nice cold sippy cup of water before she went to bed.

But then I didn't screw the cap on tight and when they went to check on her later ALL of the water had seeped out and she was soaking wet with ice cold water.

Which basically left me with, well your children are still alive and breathing (and will never hunt deer), as my accomplishment for the evening.

But for some reason they still felt confident in my childcare to leave me for the next evening (well with my mom, but I am the one really in charge, or so they make me believe). And this evening they actually left us at 3 and for an overnight stay.

I do have to say that my getting-to-bed routine greatly improved the second night. I mean, the kids had baths, they brushed their teeth, they learned the real story of the Little Mermaid (or what seemed like it could have been), they got actual pajama's put on them and, most importantly, I closed the cap on that sippy cup properly.

Now the next morning, that left something to be desired. I have never had to be on that end of the child-care. Kids don't mess around with waking up. 7:30 am sharp the youngest, Grey, woke up. My idea of taking care of that was go and get her and let her watch cartoons until my body decided to wake up too.

But that doesn't cut it with kids. Because about 5 minutes later Elle came in and the thing about kids is, they don't give up. They really had other plans than just watching cartoons. Apparently, at that time they want to be productive and not lay around.

And apparently they want to eat.

But I had other things on my mind that I wanted to do, like sleep.

I was so glad when through my half-glazed over eyes I saw my mom. I pleaded, "please will you feed them?"

Which held them off for about 15 minutes.

But it was fifteen minutes I really needed.

After that it was a strech until mom and dad got home. I mean, there is only so many, "that was mine," "no it was mine," arguments that I can referee before I start asking, "so when are your mom and dad supposed to be home anyways?"

But they are so cute it is hard to let that effect you for too long.

Especially once they put their Halloween costumes on. I mean, how could you ever get tired of arguments when they are from these two:

Grey was Jessie, Woodie from Toy Story's girlfriend.

And Elle was Princess Presto from Super Why. Which may as well be a foreign country's television show because I would know the same amount about it.

But the surprising moment of the evening came from my ex-boyfriend and new wife's newest addition, their baby Ryder. I really hadn't thought much about what it would be like to meet their baby. But what I had thought about it, I thought I would want nothing to do with him and would want to keep as far away as possible.

But actually, that was not the case. Because maybe it is God's funny way of making things mold smoothly, but their kid is the cutest thing I thing I have ever seen, in the "I have never seen a kid as fat as that," kind of way.

And I am not trying to be mean by that. I really think he is the cutest little fat thing (dressed up as Yoda)!

He is four months old, and was twice the size as the eight month old also there! His mom said he is in the 100 percentile of his age. This is my sister-in-law holding him.

I really couldn't help myself in telling them that their kid was cute (or fat, seriously, but in a nice way). He honestly is. But they really had to part the sides of the bumbo to get him to even fit in it.

But the best comment about him was from my brother, who said, "he really does looks like Ryan." To which my sister-in-law and myself just nodded our heads in agreement and then he said, "I mean, in a 'someone ate Ryan' sort-of way."

Which is so true, I couldn't even put my hands on it, but that is exactly what it looks like!

And here is Ryder in what looks like what kills my niece from his over-weight. He does look like he must weigh just as much as she does!

So here's to cute babies eating ex-boyfriends, and to cuter nieces digging into the fruits of their Halloween labors!