Signs of Growing up

Where has the time gone? When did my little boy start turning into a young man?!

Experiences, last night, made me very aware of how mature he has become.

Joe has been out of town all week, for work, (if you can call a "work" retreat in Monterey, California, work!!) and so everything that has needed doing, has been done by me. Last night was a pretty tricky set up, because of this. Originally, I had 4 things happening at the same time: Soccer, Young Womens, Cub Scouts, and the School's curriculum night. I had thought of various ways to accomplish this feat, but alas, the only sensible thing to do was to cut out half of it. So, out went Young Womens and Cub Scouts. Now, I know that this looks bad, heavily weighted to the church side of things that got the axe. I promise that was just how the cards fell. The truth was that Soccer was from 5-6:30 and everything else was from 6:30-8:30, so soccer got to stay, because, it didn't truly conflict with anything else. Curriculum night, out of the other three, was the top priority because it is when the parents get to confer with their kid's teachers and learn more about what is happening in their classes, sign up for parent/teacher conferences, and volunteer for things in the class, and it only happens once. Yes, you are indeed experiencing my guilty conscience, that I couldn't do all three. Sorry about that, it can't be helped! ;)

Anyway, moving on to the important part of this story. Even though I had cut things in half, I still had a bit of a conundrum on my hands. Joe was gone, all the babysitters (AKA the Young Women) were at their activities, and kids weren't allowed at curriculum night. What's a girl to do?!

I came up with a plan. One that was, I'll admit, a little bit on the daring side. The curriculum night was supposed to be 2 hours and 15 minutes long. I decided that I would take Kaelan with me and have Levi babysit the other two boys. Levi is almost 10 (in two months) and a pretty responsible kid, but I still was a little worried if everything would be alright. The school is only 2-3 minutes away from the house, he knows my cell phone number, and is clear on the rules at home. These facts are what persuaded me that it would be alright. After all, if he had any problems, he could call me and I would be home in just a couple of minutes. Calder and Ansel are very compliant and will listen to what Levi has to say. Over the years he has proven to them that he can be trusted, and if he says things should be a certain way, they will fall in line. He is really great with them that way, and he has an amazing amount of patience for one so young.

There was a bit of hurried jostling before the big event, I had to pick up Levi early from soccer practice, get them fed, get the instructions laid out, and head out the door. Upstairs, I had set up a movie, for them to watch, after dinner. They were instructed, as usual, not to answer the door or the phone (unless it was mom), and to listen to, and obey, Levi. I kept everything pretty simple so that they could all carry out the instructions with minimal stress. Then, Kaelan and I walked out the door, while they were still in the middle of dinner.

Curriculum night was, as always, informative and very helpful. I was very glad that I was able to attend, even if Kaelan made things a little on the crazy side (ripping things off walls and making several breaks for it, out of the classroom, and many other lovely, 16 month old, tricks). Luckily, Calder's teacher has a baby (her first) the exact same age as Kaelan, so she loved it (she told me it made her wish she was home with her little guy). She was very cool about the whole thing. Levi's teacher (and the rest of the parents) got a real kick out of Kaelan's antics. He had them rolling in the isles, every time (I kid you not) that the teacher said the word "math" Kaelan would put his hands in the air and yell "Yeah!!!" at the top of his lungs. EVERY time. It was hilarious, and I couldn't figure out why he was doing it either. I still have no idea. Maybe someday it will be his favorite subject in school, or maybe Kaelan thought he was saying "bath" and thereby celebrating his good fortune (Kaelan loves baths).

After it was all over, it had gone over by 30 minutes, Kaelan and I walked the LONG walk back to the car, in the dark. I had had to park very far away, as I was one of the last to arrive. Kaelan made the walk even longer, by stopping at every stick, leaf, rock, or bug he could make out in the dark. When we got to the car, his hands were full of small pebbles that I, very effectively, got rid of by having him "throw the rocks". I am sure that it was all a part of his dastardly plan.

The house was all dark when I arrived home, giving me a moment's panic. When I walked into the house I could hear the movie going and I knew they were watching it in the dark. I went into the kitchen, turned on those lights, and the lights to the outside, and stopped in shock. The whole kitchen was CLEAN! The counters were washed off, all the dishes were washed, and nothing was left out. The rest of the downstairs was also clean. I couldn't believe it! As I walked upstairs, I was met by a little Ansel, all dressed in his pajamas. Wow, I was impressed. When I entered the entertainment room I found Levi and Calder also dressed in pajamas. They were watching the movie, and Levi's homework was neatly set on the table in front of him, all finished. The boys were happy and well taken care of. He had done a better job than most of the babysitters I pay to watch my kids. When did this happen? How has he grown so fast? It has given me serious pause for thought on the matter.

No longer a child, but a growing young man.