John and I both know how important it is to get out on dates. We also know how expensive it is to both go on the date and pay a babysitter. And we know how much harder it is to actually jet off and play/adventure like we used to. So recently, we've been doing some swapping of child care with friends both formally and informally.
Earlier in the winter, our friends Mary and Austin offered to watch Cally for a weekend so that John and I could go away and ski. We've always loved going to Mt. Washington for some spring skiing, so we decided on a date in mid-April for them to watch Cally. This weekend we reciprocated--we had the pleasure to host their kids, a.k.a the Ganz clan (short for Ganzenmuller). Claire (8), Timmy & Auggie (both 5) came by for a sleepover last night. The Ganz kids are amazing. I can only hope that Cally will be half as loving, sensitive, friendly, independent, and cute when she is older. The best thing about these kids is how much they adore Cally.
These kids made babysitting so easy. In fact, they made us feel like totally lame caretakers because they were so happy to just sit in front of the tv and watch some "Chipmunks" movie and upon finishing they got themselves ready for bed and were out like lights. They even got Cally to snuggle up with them for a few minutes to watch some of it:
The boys woke us up at 6:45am because they wanted to play with Cally and couldn't get her out of the crib on their own. Twenty minutes later, all three kids carried Cally into our room wearing a green tutu, mardi gras beads, and red boots.
I keep fast forwarding to a time when these adorable kids will be studly high schoolers, and Cally will be a gawky middle school kid........ The boys will probably be incredibly handsome and Claire will be a fashionista, cool girl and I imagine Cally will have a major crush on the boys and think Claire is "all that". However, she'll be lucky if they even notice her, let alone get up early and ask if they can hang out with her. In the mean time, I'll cherish the relationship that they all have with each other now-- so loving, gentle, and innocent.
Next weekend, we're packing Cally's overnight bag so she can have a sleepover at the Ganzenmuller's. We're hoping there is enough snow to still ski Mt. Washington so that we can get out for our much anticipated adventure. Even if it's not, I'm sure we'll be able to take advantage of the time to hike or bike. In any case, we'll know Cally is having a ball with her buddies.
P.S. I couldn't resist adding this photo of Cally's two best friends, who happen to be pretty tight themselves:
