Camden and Ethan week

This week we spent at Miranda’s house caring for Camden and Ethan. It really worked out better than I’d expected. For the most part the boys played well together. When Camden was in school, Ethan was pretty good at being self-entertaining.

We tried to keep them in a routine. It was interesting to go back and have to decide each “yes” or “no” very carefully. Because we were stuck with that decision once we made it—whether it was yes, you can have a snack, or no, you can’t climb on the walls with nails poking out, or if you swing that toy and hit your brother again, the toy is going away. And be willing to accept the drama that accompanies each choice.

We really didn’t even have a lot of drama. Yes the kids didn’t always like our decisions. But we essentially said, “Too bad. This is how it goes.” And gave them space to wind back down. And then tried to do something different to distract.

We were overjoyed that Ethan potty-trained himself while we were there. There was lots of leftover Halloween candy and he got a treat each time he went. Goodness!  Every 15 minutes!!! That boy produced. So on Wednesday we said, “It’s sticker time. Every time you go you get a sticker and tonight we’ll go out for ice cream at Andy’s.”  While the stickers were met with less than delight, the thought of ice cream soothed the transition. Then on Thursday, we said, “You’re wonderful!  You’re great! No more treats.”  And the bathroom trips dropped down to maybe 4 a day!  He even transitioned from the potty seat to the real toilet to standing up to pee. Maybe more than you want to know about potty training. But I always felt like such a failure as a mom getting my kids trained, it was a delight to step into a totally ready to be potty-trained kid. I can take the credit without any of the work! 

Some afternoons we went on walk/bike rides around the neighborhood. And I got a fair amount of work done. Tom also kept busy. The kids helped him strip wall paper off the hall and he texturized it so it’s ready for painting… mostly. He also did some work in the bathrooms, planted bushes, and fixed the sagging fence. This was most interesting--- involving climbing over the 6’ fence to screw from the other side, without the big, barking dog bothering him. He also spent time on the garage door installing a high-tech coded door entry lock. Alas, it was so high tech, we couldn’t figure out how to make it work. Took it back to Home Depot and they spent 1.5 hours trying to figure it out. Eventually they concluded the outside gizmo is supposed to spin freely unless the proper code is given or the key is inserted, then pressed even further in and turned. Who knew?

Friday we skipped school and drove back to Mountain Home. We had a lovely lunch break at Deborah’s. It was a chance for Camden and Ethan to play with Christopher and Simon. I think Christopher and Simon are used to a gentler kind of play. They may have been happy when we left. I enjoyed baby Hailey.

 We got back to Mountain Home in time to go to the Ward Thanksgiving Dinner. It was a nice affair and the boys were remarkably well behaved. We rewarded them by allowing them to run like banshees up and down the cultural hall after they cleared away the tables. Following Miranda’s recommendations, we got them into PJ’s before heading home. I think it did make it easier for them to drop off to sleep.

 Saturday we dinked around the house. They boys delighted in playing outside. They loved the cats. We’d sit them on the chair and put Athena in their lap. They’d just pet the cat for like 20 minutes. She’s such a great purrer, and petting cats is very therapeutic. Camden would swing the zip line to Ethan then climb up the tree house and zip down. They’re pretty coordinated kids. They helped us prune some bushes in the front, too.

Can you find the two hidden boys?

Today at church I went to choir practice late. They boys played in the back of the room until Tom got them. Then a family offered to sit with us so I could go up and sing. I planned the bribes… er, snacks… just right so the boys were happily munching while I was singing. They went to nursery and Primary and I felt the joy mothers feel to be free for 100 minutes.

Tom had Bishop’s Youth Discussion here after church. The boys and I hung out upstairs and they were happy playing with beads, pipe cleaners, crayons, and cars. Tomorrow we will go and visit Jonathan and Kristy and then head back to Broken Arrow. Tom will hold down the fort here and take the cat in to be neutered on Wednesday.