Co-Op Crazy!

My wonderful friend Tracy and I have been trading off watching the kids since the middle of September so that we could both work a bit without sacrificing time with our families in the evening. And more important, we are not sacrificing by having the heartache or financial strain of daycare. She comes out to watch the boys while I go see some home health patients and then I watch her daughter while she meets with her families. It is such a great situation and the kids love playing together. And now, I can sound oh-so-Orange County by saying..."the nanny is with the kids!"

Not only are we helping each other out by watching the kids, but we are also cooking for eachother. Did I mention that I love Tracy? Once a week we are trying to provide dinner for eachother's family. So not only do I have a nanny...I have a cook as well. L-I-V-I-N!!!

This has taken so much stress off of my shoulders. In a situation where I just wasn't sure how to make it possible for me to add a little income, God really pulled through by placing me in Tracy's kitchen one evening and getting the ball rolling on this whole deal. I am so blessed to have Tracy in my life. The kids love her, love eachother, and I don't miss out on but a few hours a couple times a week.

This is Sulli at Tracy's where he told me that he had a baby in his belly. This is an action shot of the baby "coming out". There had been lots of talk of babies in bellies because of my friend Kate who was very pregnant at the time. This is Sulli and his co-op buddy Ainsley (previously blogged as the "betrothed"). They really enjoy playing with eachother but also have their moments. The other week, Ainsley headed for the stairs (Sulli on her heels) and she turned and told him, "I need my space." That is now a favorite phrase of Sulli's. There are lots of issues with sharing, stealing, and space invasion. But they really love eachother. Sulli had come down with a bit of a cold the other week and I was asking him how he felt. I told him that if he was feeling too yucky, we needed to tell Tracy and Ainsley not to come over. He said, "She has to come over. She will touch my heart and I will be ok." Oh my, that melted my heart.

We took a quick trip up to the cabin at the beginning of October and played in the snow. We were driving up there in a blizzard...still can't believe that it snowed in the beginning of October. We got to participate in the Trailing of the Sheep which we had never seen before. They have a fun parade in Ketchum and then run the sheep through town. Sulli and Ainsley loved seeing all of the sheep, dancers, bagpipers, etc. They also had fun making snow balls. Cute kiddos. Fun times!