Jaci Dawn

On my way home tonight, I debated several ideas for tonight’s blog entry. For one thing, we had a beautiful sunset and I was trying to keep an eye on the changing reds and keep my eye on the road. That’s not as easy as it sounds because I was trying to watch the sunset in my side-view mirrors and traffic was stop-and-go. And I like to be a safe driver. But it was so beautiful and changing with every tick of the clock.

I didn’t have any safe place to pull over to get a photo of the sunset, so blogging about it became a moot point.

I thought about blogging about all the beautiful autumn colors.

I took this through my windshield during lunch. Don’t worry, I wasn’t driving. I didn’t even have the keys in the ignition.

But as pretty as it is, the truth is that most of the trees have lost their leaves already and we are slipping into winter colors rapidly. One good rain-and-wind storm and the deciduous trees will be naked.

Then I arrived home. My daughter was trying to make dinner with a toddler underfoot and a crying four month old baby. I took the baby and held him while she finished up dinner and set something before her toddler.

After dinner, I brought Zephan into my bedroom so he could sit on the bed and play with his blocks (he can’t get them out with the dog around because the dog tries to eat them). The dog is penned all day and needs some freedom in the evening to wander around the house. I can check my email and Zephan can play blocks and the dog can run around without stealing baby toys.

Sam came home very late tonight (he worked 12 hours today) and wanted to eat dinner. Arwen hadn’t eaten, either. So they took Zephan and went to the kitchen to eat and left me in charge of Javan.

And this is what happens when Grandma is left in charge of the baby.

And this.

Extended Parenting. I don’t think of it as babysitting because the kids don’t try to take advantage of me. I offered. And sometimes I say “NO.”

I try to remember how it was when I was young with two under the age of 3. And no help. One crying, one under foot and food on the stove. Wanting to sit and eat but having to hold and feed a baby first.

I think about how it used to be normal for extended family to live in the same household, helping with all the parenting chores.

And I like to think of this.

I’m just a sucker for that.