I survived on my own

Last night Stephen started his new job. That means I had to take all the kids to Lauren's dance class on my own. Many of you might be saying, "Big deal" but taking care of Caleb and Abby for 45 minutes in a confined area IS a BIG DEAL! The studio has 3 or 4 classrooms all off of 2 tiny main halls and there are about 20 pre-teens running through the "halls" at the same time as the parents are trying to get through the building and back to the tots' dance class. There is little space for moving around as the parents are trying to see their little ones through the window. So one person is needed to keep an eye on Caleb and keep him entertained and another one is often needed to entertain Abby who spends most of her time in her carseat. And just about the time she is tired of being in her carseat, the teacher comes out and tells the parents it's time to switch the girls into their tap shoes. This really is what happened last night. So with Abby in my arms, I corralled Caleb into the classroom where he plopped down next to Lauren and took his shoes off like the girls. I sat Abby down in my lap and managed to wrestle Lauren's tap shoes onto her little feet. Then I had to convince Caleb that he could NOT stay and dance with all the adorable little girls no matter how far out he stuck his bottom lip. When we went back out into the waiting "area" (more like a closet), Caleb insisted on trying to open the door. I felt the glares shooting through the back of my head, I know some of the other mommies were wondering why my little boy was not sitting perfectly in a chair and waiting like they were but they didn't have even one other child to look after, much less a 9 month old AND a very busy, all-boy, 2 1/2 year old.

At the end of class, Miss Jessica and her 2 teenaged helpers gathered all the little girls in a circle for prayer. Remember what happened the first week? Remember how Lauren was lying on her tummy? Not this time! I suppose Jessica asked her helpers if they wanted to say the prayer but Lauren thought Jessica was asking anyone. Lauren blurted out her prayer and I couldn't have been more proud!

"Dear God, thank you for this day. Bless our bodies. Keep us safe and healthy. AMEN"
After class I talked to Jessica about this and she said that has never happened before. I think Lauren is going to be a leader!