Babysitting fiesta!

Yesterday was crazeee!

I knew I was babysitting for one family from 5:30 til possibly 8 or so, and then I remembered it was a Holy Day of Obligation, and we wanted to go to Mass at 7pm, so I called back and mentioned that part, which worked out fine.

Then it was remembered to me that I was supposed to take certain children during a parent-teacher conference, around 2.

Then my very, very pregnant friend called and asked if I could watch theirs while they walked around and tried to get that baby moving, in the hopes that they could get going before an imminent induction today. I don't think it worked, and am eagerly awaiting news this morning.

So, at 2pm, four children from one family arrived, closely followed by two from another. Don't forget, I have four, too. So for a couple of hours, there were 10 kids and me, but the adults did continue to check in. A movie was called for and cookies were made.

Then I figured it was a good time to go get the car from the shop, since I had other adults with me. So two of us went to do that. When we pulled in, in two separate cars, my husband also pulled in. Another parent was pulling out at the same time. Three cars in, one car out. Another car had arrived while we were gone, containing four more children, so at that point, six kids left, four kids came, and we still had eight, plus now my husband.

Welcome home from your first day at your new job, honey, we now have eight children instead of four. :)

I did point out that we always wanted to be the kind of family that had the swinging door of people coming in and out. You know, the kind all the kids in the neighborhood come to. Really, we like that. We would just like to do it in a house double the size! That's ok, though. The kids are still too young to notice.

At 6:30 pm, the last parent returned, off to a scout meeting we were missing to go to Mass.

At 6:35, there was one lonely car in the driveway, back from the shop, and no people in the house at all.

The kids did behave at Mass, except the "baby", who is having a serious jump in brain development, and learned to crawl to the top of the bunkbed yesterday and is not even slightly interested in sitting through Mass, after a month of having done so. But otherwise, really, the day went amazingly well!

The moms and dads in this situation laugh because we know this will only get more ridiculous, as two of those moms are having their fifth baby soon, and it's getting to the point where, if we have three families in particular over, our four families will equal 19 children, and that's only because we don't have a fifth. Yet.

My husband did ask about a girl's name as we walked out of church. I asked if he had plans for a girl. Maybe we should call Leah, the Stork. That's what I call our former social worker, because one day, she just sort of delivered Brandon. And he never went back. Honestly, I still expect her to call me and say Brandon has a new baby sister, but it hasn't happened. Yet. Mom being in her early forties, I'm hoping that's that.

But this time I'm ordering a girl.

NOT YET!! Don't any of you hold me to it. Gimme at least another year before we get serious about that. Francis has the van right now, and I don't have enough seats in the car!