I survived two days with the kids by myself!

September 21st marked the 10 year anniversary of Claire and Alex's marriage, so I convinced them that they should take a well deserved vacation while I stayed home with the kids. In case it was ever in dispute, let this act of kindness prove as evidence that I am indeed crazy. Take on a job of 3 adults by myself for 36 straight hours on very little sleep? Where do I sign up?!

It actually wasn't all that bad, and in many ways, it was easier than when the parents are home. Because the boys have been enduring an overwhelming amount of tough transitions, they haven't been behaving like themselves. Their emotional frustration that comes with having a new sibling, moving three times in 4 months, and going to school in a whole in new language, demands constant attention from their parents. This kind of stress can turn amiable, adventurous, and resilient children into...(I'm choosing my words carefully)...unbearable fighting fussballs.

They baked their own pizzas!

Anyway, with the parents gone, the children don't have to compete for attention. Instead, I got to be with the boys that I once knew in Seattle. They understood that I was taking on the difficult job of taking care of them all by myself, so they were actually quite helpful, and fun to talk to and plan our days with. Instead of complaining about the meal that I prepared them, they complimented and thanked me for it. And away from her parents for the first time in her short 6 month life, Annika did really really well. I slept beside her crib, and clumsily fed her bottles of milk when she woke up in throughout the night. Unfortunately, I didn't sleep very well. At 4:30 in the morning, Oliver flung open the door, rubbed his eyes and asked me, "Chelsea, um, um, um, um....when's it going to be wake up time?" "Oliver, it's 4:30 in the morning, check back in with me in 4 hours." "Okay," he said, then went back to bed. But at 6:15, both boys were up and playing on their beds, hitting their shadows on the wall. "Chel-sea! Chel-sea! When do we get to make pancakes?!" they yelled happily. At least they were excited to start the day!

Jasper's pizza

Pizza cutter! Do your thing!

Red Bell Peppers and Basil pizza

And this one was for me :)

We filled the day with baking projects, making anniversary cards and banners, and an outing to the Saturday Market to get flowers. We decorated the dining room table with the bouquet of flowers and signs on the wall that the boys had created to welcome home their parents.

The next day, during family meeting, Oliver announced his appreciation of the week: "Chelsea is the goodest person for taking care of us while our parents were on their second honeymoon." The first day that the parents were back home, I spent the entire day in and out of bed. I was so out of it that I had a hard time processing and understanding simple conversations, even asking, "Whoa, are you speaking English right now?