Home Alone

I am behind on writing blog posts, and as Brad and I enjoy one last night at home, alone, before the boys come back tomorrow, I figured it was time to write about the last time I was home alone.

In the past, when Brad has taken off somewhere for any longer, than say, a day, the boys and I headed out, too, for our own travels. In summers past when Brad has taken our youth kids on mission trips to New York and Michigan, the littles and I head to Grammy & Papa's house for our own little vacation. We do this for a couple reasons: 1) so I can have a little help with the boys, and 2) so that I'm not home alone with the boys (let's just say I'm not at all a fan of this).

This time, however, we stuck around. Drew has several obligations (the kid is four and he has more on his social calendar than I do!), including soccer, t-ball, and Fun Fridays at school, and I didn't want him to have to miss any of it. So I opted to stay here at home, alone, with the boys. By myself. Just the three of us. Yep. Just me and the kids. (What was I thinking?!?!)

So on Wednesday, June 15, we gave Dad big hugs...

...watched him pull out of the driveway...

...and waved good-bye as he headed to the General Synod Conference in Grand Rapids, MI.

Let me first tell you that I do have some pretty awesome self-proclaimed Supermom moments. Look, I stay at home with my kids (which I honestly wouldn't trade for anything) so I'm pretty much responsible for everything child related. Sometimes I even surprise myself at what I'm able to do (successfully) while filling the role of wife and mother. Being without Brad is a challenge in terms of sleeping at night (I have a very active imagination that keeps me awake) and not being able to hand over childcare when I'm at my wits end. When anticipating my time as a 'single mom', I definitely had "I can totally do this!" thoughts. There are a gazillion single parents who do this everyday, I thought. I can definitely do this for a week! But - although I am not good at asking for help - I very quickly determined that I don't have to do this all by myself. There's no need to be Supermom. Or Superwoman. Sometimes it's a smarter move to realize that it's better not to be these things, and instead, ask for help, so that I can take a super hero's nap at some point.

So that's exactly what I did. I asked some friends to help. And some friends offered. And in the end, we had a really great (albiet lonely without daddy here) week together.

In the first four hours of Brad's departure, we battled dinosaurs, had Monster truck races, Drew gave Reed "prizes", and Sonic died. If that doesn't give you a preview into our week...

In actuality, Wednesday, Thursday and Friday morning were normal days for us. We did Craft Wednesday, tot soccer on Thursday night, and Drew attended Fun Friday at school, followed by Fun Food Friday at home.

Friday at noon is when the real fun began, though! Grandma and Lauren showed up just in time to play with and entertain the boys, giving me an extra hand (or four) as well as allowing me to get a few chores done around the house.

I was able to give the boys' haircuts with Grandma's help.

Although I had thought I might try, there was no way for me to do Drew's hair without assistance. He screams bloody murder at the mere mention of the clippers, but whether it was Grandma's help or the bribe of a trip to Walmart to pick out a new car...Drew barely batted an eye! Most successful haircut yet!

They also had water fun in the backyard,

read books,

played a lot,

and went to the park, among other things.

Grandma and Lauren stayed until Sunday after church, and then headed home. And by golly, if the fun that Drew had with these two is measured by how big his fit was when they left...then it was as if he had had the absolute best time of his life! Whoa, baby! Drew has never, n.e.v.e.r., thrown a fit the likes of what he did when Grandma and Lauren left. I don't know what it was - not wanting to say good-bye, being tired, missing daddy - but he threw himself on the floor and s.c.r.e.a.m.e.d. like no other. He did (eventually) calm down enough to get in a few bites of lunch before crashing in bed for an afternoon nap.

Thankfully he woke up perky enough to send Brad Father's Day wishes via Skype!

Monday and Tuesday continued to be extra special days for the boys and I, as we had accepted invitations from a few friends to entertain us and to keep us company.

On Monday, Mrs. Bland (Drew's preschool teacher and a friend of our family) wanted to take us to a petting farm, but because it was downpouring (and once we arrived we discovered the farm wasn't open on Mondays anyway), we initiated Plan B and she treated us to Chuck E. Cheese. It was the first time there for all three of us, and after getting over the initial over-stimulation of sights and sounds, and the fear of Chuck E. and the gang...

...both boys went full boar with all the games. Pizza and salad for lunch was quite good, and the company was even better.

Monday night, then, we headed to Gay and Wally's house for dinner. Fried chicken, sweet potato fries, and broccoli were served, and then outside we went to explore and play on their two acre lot. Gay and Wally are grandparents of young children, so they had just the right toys and play equipment to keep the boys active and happy. They slept very well when we got home!

Tuesday afternoon, then, the boys went to Chris and Rich's house for the afternoon/evening. I wanted to be able to run a few errands and get a few things done (interruption free) before Brad got home that night. When Brad got home just after 7:00, it worked perfectly for us to go pick up the boys. While Drew and Reed knew that Daddy was coming home that day, I think it had slipped their minds with all the fun they were having with Chris and Rich.

Their expressions are priceless as they see Daddy for the first time in a week!

The boys and I survived. With {a lot} of help from friends, we made it through the week with no major injuries, meltdowns, or mishaps; however, I'm still trying to catch up on my sleep (reference active imagination statement above). I have a much greater appreciation for single parents, and those that have to single parent due to their spouse's employment.

All in all, we really had a great week.

But boy are we glad Daddy's home!