Firsts. Embarrassing… just a bit.

I hired a babysitter yesterday. First. Time. Ever. I’m not sure if it’s a sad fact or a testament to something else entirely. I’m not sure.

As a kid, I babysat. A lot. Often, it was 5-6 nights a week. I loved kids, and once I started babysitting, I had a steady stream of families calling for a sitter.

But, I have never had one. Chalk it up to generous friends and never going out, but I’ve never had to. Never tried to afford it, really. Our closest relatives are 650 miles away, but we have a great church family willing to serve if something arises. We’ve left them with friends quite a few times, but last night, when a friend from co-op offered her daughter, I took her up on it. Blaine had planned to stay home with them while I went to my meeting, but instead, he came with me. We came home to our children, many ready for bed, and I had enough energy to read them a book before bed.

Amazing.

While I’m sure we won’t be able to do it again anytime soon, it was pretty awesome.

And all today, I’ve heard about Charity. Turns out, she’s pretty awesome. She got a good dose of normal around here, from the sounds of it. Pierce took his pants off… multiple times. She just kept redressing him. She got here as the kids were finishing up supper, and got a firsthand look of my version of potty training. I’ve always used the potty as their booster at the beginning. It was uninterrupted time. Pierce has taken this to new heights. He always does his business at the breakfast, lunch, and supper table. If I don’t put him on the potty… I clean his pants. Poor girl didn’t know Pierce was on a potty until she picked him up. To hear Liberty tell it… she took it in stride. I can only imagine.

Poor girl.