I've always been a bit of a tomboy, and growing up I definitely had more friends that were boys than girls. I like boys. I'm married to a boy. I have no problem relating to boys.

But this past week I have had my fill of boys - at least of the miniature variety.

Scott and I kept our nephews, Samuel and Noah, for 5 days (Wednesday - Sunday). I have to admit, things ran relatively smoothly (and much better than I had anticipated). It probably helped that I had mentally prepared myself for the worst, but I discovered that I'm quite adept and managing chaos and whipping kids into shape (note: I use the word "whipping" quite figuratively as there was no actual physical beating of children). We established good boundaries and smooth running routines that worked well for all of us.

The five days went very smoothly and included a trip to the park, trip to the library, swimming, church, a visit from Unsinkable and her tribe, and lots of playing with other cousins (Johnathon - 4, and Fisher - 2). I even discovered the wonderful benefit of multiple children in the fact that I was able to cook meals and do household chores without Caleb under foot constantly because he had other people to play with during these times. Strong. And I love having time to play and spend so much time with my nephews.

We even made it through the 5 days with no medical disasters! (The boys are highly allergic to...well...everything. And this was very stressful for me.) However, I successfully made 3 separate meals for dinner each night (Noah and Samuel won't eat the same kinds of meat and Scott and I really didn't want to stick to their crazy diet) and nobody ever got sick! It was fabulous.

The boys were picked up yesterday and tonight I went to work - running a group for boys ages 5-7. They were in true form tonight and were ALL uber hyper and uncontrollable. Even my two dependable kids who tend to follow the rules and set a type of example were completely defiant and boisterous tonight.

I am now sitting on the couch and I have a headache and realise how much more tired I am than I was one week ago. I blame the over abundance of boys that I have dealt with in the past week. And I have now decided that I am going to start praying HARD that my next child is a girl! (Once again, that is NOT an announcement of any kind. I'm just thinking toward the future and I figure the earlier I start getting my prayers in, the better!)

Labels: Cheryl, Misc, Nephews