I got little Ryan up before dawn this morning...before he was ready to wake up...to get him ready to go to his mother's friend's for the day while I returned to school. While he acted quite shy in the beginning, I think he did okay. Becca said he didn't talk much until her children were up, and didn't eat anything, but he was happily playing when I arrived to get him at the end of the day.
Then it was time to take him to Grampa Phil's, to ride in his "big brue truck" to go to the airport to pick up Robin and Grandma Judy. Grampa is Ryan's favorite person in the whole world, so he was happy. I stopped at the grocery store for a few things, then came home to the couch and a glorious nap! Haven't had one of those in ages!
At 6:30 PM, the phone rang. It was Grandma Judy...ready, I think, for me to come get the children. Since she and Phil will have them during the day while I teach, I said I would take them overnight. Am I nuts??? When I got there, Ryan was just going crazy...but he soon settled down again. Of course, their parents called just about then. (This whole week, it seems they call at just the wrong times!) We returned to my house. Ry and Robin played for awhile at the kitchen table with another present that Robin got in absentia from Santa. Then, for no reason, Ryan bit Robin on the arm. It didn't hurt too much because she only whimpered, but it set the stage for the rest of the evening.
Both needed baths. I put them in the tub, and all went well for awhile...but then Ryan started splashing water in Robin's face. When I went in to put a stop to that, he started kissing her, but right before my eyes, bit her on the thumb so hard that she did the "ugly" cry. I yanked him out of the tub, spanked him, put him in his pajamas, and plunked him in the bumpy bed with a video and a drink. He conked out soon after.
Robin stayed in the tub for awhile. I told her to call for me when she was ready. When she did call, I found her out of the tub, sitting on the toilet. She pointed out that there was poop floating in the tub. Uh.... She had an accident that short-circuited the rest of the bath! Fortunately, the rest of the poop found its way into the toilet. Sheesh!
I got Robin in her nightgown and spent a little time with her on the couch. She watched a short video; we read a book; then she said she was ready for bed. I put her in the bumpy bed next to her sleeping brother, and she didn't last long. Ahhh.... Peace!
I don't know what it is about the sibling thing that turns perfectly lovely children into little devils, but I have watched the dynamic over the last three years. It is interesting, at best...and horribly frustrating at worst. These are two absolutely handsome children who are sharp as tacks, creative, and willful, in their own rights. They both have special places in the family heart. Someday, I hope they come to appreciate each other!
I got my grades in today. We also got our ISTEP results for the kids--comparing, interestingly, last year's scores with this year's scores. (Not the same group of kids!) In essence, it is a measure of teacher success. I guess I should feel fortunate that English scores only went down by 1% from last year's group, even though this year's group isn't nearly as mature or sharp. This will create more hoops to jump through...
I have a hip giving me fits today. Old age strikes again!
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