Testing the waters of Parenthood

Later September, we would get our first opportunity to attempt parenthood for an entire weekend.  Yup, that’s right Ben and Becky trusted us with their two little ones, Addy and Mia.  Ben and Becky were heading out of the country to scout out Mongolia for Ben’s new job.  They left us the handbook for the week and told us this would determine how quickly we would have kids of our own.  Becky told us to base our decision on Addy’s behavior and not Mia’s.   What Becky didn’t know is what an angel little Mia would be the entire weekend. 

With the background information covered, and goodbyes said, we were now left in charge.  However, I must say we did surprisingly well.  We did all the things normal parents do- have them take naps, make meals, clean up, and get stressed when they aren’t 100% obedient.  Ok, let’s be real- I stressed out as Mike was laid back as always.  But we also did fun things as well like jumping on the tramp, watching cartoons, and even going to Addy’s soccer game.  Coming from my sports background, I was highly looking forward to the soccer game.  Becky had forewarned us that Addy was a little bit scared of the ball and to encourage her to touch the ball in the game.  We had a mission to accomplish.  We cheered so loud every time she touched the ball and gave our best words of encouragement, even Mia chipped in with encouraging cheers from the sidelines.  At the end of the game, Addy had touched the ball several times and we couldn’t have been any prouder.  Our favorite part was how most kids didn’t follow the soccer ball- instead they followed the other kids.  It was highly entertaining.  After the game Addy was kind enough to share her after game treat, probably the best part of soccer for most kids, with Mia.  Later that night, we lined up a play date with Dave and Amanda and their kids.  We went to the great Bomb Diggity’s, a cheeseburger joint, in South Jordan.   

On our final day, Sunday, we did the normal church thing.  A lady thought that I was the blood relative of Becky and not Mike.  I guess you could say I was starting to look like a Hill.  After church our work was practically done.  That night we would take them to Grandma Hill’s house and retire from our temporary parenthood adventure.  It was crazy how fast the weekend went between naps, fun, and everything else.  We realized why people say time goes by quicker as you grow up.  Later we would be rewarded with a screaming deal on a TV, not to mention all the free food which came with it.  However, the most important lesson we learned that weekend is parenthood isn’t so bad after all.