This past week, I utilized some of my leave time from work to spend a week at home with the kiddos.  I like to do this on a holiday week to maximize my time off and minimize my leave usage.  Originally we were thinking about both parental units taking the week off and bumming around with the kids – maybe taking them to visit family members or do other various day trips.  Unfortunately, Tim couldn’t get the time off of work, so I dipped my toe in the stay-at-home-mama pool.  Just me, two toddlers and a sometimes moody 9 year old (okay, so maybe I was a just a teeny bit ready to go back to work).

I say sometimes moody because we are dangerously closer to the “tweener” age.  Coolness in equal measure with attitude.  Responsibility-wanting right alongside hormonal drama.  Help me baby Jesus, I don’t know if I am ready for it!  I’m sure this is exactly what my mom said when she said “someday you’ll have one just like you!”

The potential for an on-the-go week of field trips and adventures was there but complicated by the fact that it was hotter than the 7^th ring of hell last week.   It was 95 degrees outside by 10am which means no one was going to be a happy camper getting in and out of a hot car, let alone going on an outdoor adventure.  I’m not sure if all toddlers are this way – but Emma and James are still really sensitive to heat.  James especially gets flushed and lethargic pretty easily.  Emma gets cranky – and if you have witnessed an epic Emma meltdown you know that we try to avoid crankiness.

I was a pretty mellow week that followed a distinct pattern.   James and Emma let Mama sleep in till 8:00 to 9:00ish (HEAVEN).  Everyone under two got a new diaper and then oatmeal and milk for breakfast then we played in the living room all morning.  Emma and James had a ball exploring the living room because they normally play in the den.  The living room had new couches to climb and a hallway to run back and forth down.

Emma LOVED standing on the couch and peering out the huge front window at the farm across the street.  Our morning play time coincided nicely with the time the horses were out in the front field.  She could stand and watch them forever – that is until she got distracted.

James discovered that it is hysterical to hide in the hallway just out of sight and then run out when you call his name.  Honestly, seeing him crack himself so heartily made me love the game just say much.   We discovered that short colored pencils work really well to scribble with instead of crayons because Emma and James love to try to eat the crayons and get tiny bits of colored wax in their teeth (blech!).

Not now Mama, I am creating a masterpiece here!

Please ignore the hastily discarded PJs in the background.

There was lots of coloring, climbing on new things, running in the hallways, jumping into the bean bag chair and wrestling.

Hehehehe, this is fuuuuuuun!

Mamaaaaa, Emma is sitting on my lap and I don’t like it one little bit!!  Can you see me?  I’m back here!

Nap time or FoxTwins Wrestlemania?

About the time that the babies went down for their nap was usually when I had to go drag Mackenzie’s behind out of bed.  I promise you she would have slept till 3:00pm if I let her.   We enjoyed nice lazy afternoons, sometimes including a nap – who says it’s not okay to stay in your PJs till dinnertime?  When Tim got home we’d have dinner and all hang out for a while.  Mackenzie and I watched several cheesy Disney tweener movies after the babies went to bed.   We caught lightning bugs, watered the garden and even got to pick some “crops” as the sun went down.

All in all, not a bad way to spend a week.

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