I’ve been wanting to write a post for a couple of days and not had the time.  There are tons of different stories to share but today I heard Joel talking to Nicholas.  This, of course, is a common occurrence but what struck me was they were reviewing today’s events.  And it came to me, I don’t think we’ve shared a day in our life for you so here is what happened today.

This morning started at 6:30am which is actually sleeping in for all of us.  I woke up when Joel got out of bed.  I rolled over, looked at the clock and thought “WOW – the boys slept in.  I’d better get up and get the waffles going because they will be up real soon.”  So I hopped up, got dressed and was headed out the door when Joel came out of the bathroom wondering what was going on.  Still recovering from a nasty bug he had caught, he climbed back in bed and I headed downstairs.  I actually got lucky and was able to make waffles, get them cooking, and unload the dishwasher before Joel showed up and the boys officially woke up.  I had been ignoring their little, sleepy, wake-up noises for about ten minutes.  Up the stairs we went, Joel picked up Nick and I picked up Dexter.  As soon as Nick heard my voice, he demanded a parent swap so I got to carry the heavy one down the stairs.

Minimal cuddle time was all they would allow us before diapers were changed and waffles were served.   Nicholas and Dexter were served first.  By the time Joel and my waffles were ready, I had to give one up for the still ravenous little boys.  Good thing I had made extra that morning.  It was now around 7:30am and Joel and I thought, why not throw the boys into the shower with Joel.  This time, I got to go first!  Yippee!!  By the time we finished cleaning up, it was 8:30am and we had promised Malin that one of us would take her to the DOL in order to sign up to take her driving test.  The DOL was adamant that one of us needed to be there with her (to verify her residency).  They hadn’t read their own website which clearly states her J-1 whatever form is proof of her residence with us.  Stupid DOL.  Joel was tagged to go because of his lack of energy (i.e., unable to keep up with 2 toddlers, and simultaneously less likely to get feisty with the DOL clerks).  I got to stay home with the boys.  They finally left and Nicholas, Dexter and I stared at each other.  What to do now?  We played a little and then it was time to color.

Oh, they get so excited to color.  Nicholas could have colored forever but not Dexter.  He has a short attention span.   At a loss, I decided to feed them a snack while they were still in their high chairs.  Snack time was not a successful endeavor.  Dexter ate all of Nicholas’s food.  I guess you could say it was successful for Dexter.  Time to move on to the next event.  Hmmmm.  Let’s jump on the old mattress while listening to the Wiggles (Aussie children’s group – Laura, bless her heart, left us the most annoying CD that the boys adore to dance to).  This was loads of fun for Nick but then I noticed that both of the boys were just laying down on the mattress chewing on their monkeys while I did all the hard work.  What’s up with that?  At 10am I suggested a nap and Dexter almost ran to the stairs in agreement.  They’d only been up for a little over 3 hours and they had almost slept 12 hours the night before.  Very surprising but I ran with it.  In the end, they stayed down for 1.5 hours and I got to sit and enjoy the quiet for most of it.  I then attempted to be proactive by making us all lunch.

Today I realized that carrying both boys down the stairs at one time equates to carrying around 50 pounds of wiggling weight.  This time they had almost wiggled out of my grasp by the time we reached the living room.  I suggested lunch because my stomach was growling but they insisted on play.  We tried puzzles and blocks to no avail.  Finally I left them to their own devices and ate my sandwich.  Joel and Malin finally returned from the DOL around noon.  When they left home, there was a 7 minute wait.  When they arrived, the wait time had changed to 1 hour.  Fun for them.  Joel talked to a manager and Malin was able to get a driving appointment made.  Everyone wish her luck on Friday.  We hope she comes back with a license.

Joel and I played with the boys while Malin Skyped with family and friends.  Finally I forced Nicholas and Dexter to eat.  They really weren’t interested.  Sometimes the feeds get so frustrating.  Especially when they don’t want to eat what’s in front of them.  Back to the living room to play with trucks and planes followed by running around the house pushing a shopping cart.  The boys were rummaging through all of their books (this statement means they were pulling every book they owned off of the book shelf and tripping on them) in order to find the right one.  I begged Joel for a 20 minute cat nap.  He was laying on the floor at the time and actually said yes.  Off to bed I went for a power nap.  I usually don’t need one but for some reason, today I was tired.  Ahhh, I fell asleep to Malin speaking in Swedish and to shrieks below.

Bam – my alarm went off.  I sighed and headed back downstairs, refreshed and in a better mood.  Joel then asked for a power nap in return.  I have to say the boys and I weren’t as nice to Joel.   I got out the big metal bowls and let the boys bag away on them.  Oops but it was music time.  He fell asleep so I shouldn’t feel too guilty  (ear plugs).  :)  Joel returned from his nap to find us coloring again.  Fellow au pair Marte stopped by to pick up Malin for shopping and a movie.  Another snack followed the coloring session and because the boys looked so tired, we tried to put them down for a nap.  Instead of sleeping, this time Nicholas and Dexter chatted up a storm, laughed, and shook their cribs like monkeys in a zoo.  A cry announcing poop notified us that the nap was a failure and the boys joined us back downstairs.

Once again, we were faced with coming up with the next entertaining item.  Well, let’s get them in their rain gear and boots and head outside.  What’s a little rain going to do, stop us?  Seriously, these kids looked like little oompa loompas but in yellow instead of orange.  We explored the backyard and then hit the trail behind our house.  A couple of tumbles (rain boots are hard to walk in), a little basketball (Nicholas was very upset when he couldn’t make a basket – and more upset still when we couldn’t lift him up high enough for him to dunk it), and a walk brought us back home.  Dinner time shortly followed.  Whereas the first half of the day was punctuated with attempting to find something they liked to eat, dinner was the opposite.  I couldn’t keep food on their trays fast enough.  You should have seen their bellies.  Oh, Santa Claus would have been proud.  Joel and I ate in shifts.  The boys taunted us by climbing and standing on the couch over and over again.  Naked time (for the boys ONLY), reading time, and finally bed time.

I know this blog is boring, but these are our days now.  I’m tired now.  It’s 9:30pm and time for bed.  We’ll try to get the oompa loompa pictures up for you tomorrow.  Sleep well.  We’ll be up, bright and early at 6am to do it all over again.

-Katie

(Katie forget to mention the most psychologically devastating part of the day.  Joel asked Nic for a kiss.  Nic poked him in the cheek with his index finger.  Then Mommy walked over, Nicholas lifted his arms to be picked up, and then voluntarily kissed her on the cheek.  <sigh>  At least Dexter likes me…  A little bit, anyway…  Except when I tossed a pillow on his back and tried to use him for a nap.  And she didn’t mention when I yelled out to the house at large, “who fed them small black seeds?  And when???”)-Joel