Kid Appreciation . . . I'll lend you some!

Since Aaron and I have the unique experience of being blessed with triplets first then a singleton, we don't get a lot of time with just one child alone. Last week Aaron wanted to go to the mall to get us new cell phones. It was late afternoon and I knew he would be gone forever so I told him that he had to take one kid. Caden really wanted to go so Aaron reluctantly took him. Aaron was gone over 3 hours when he came back boy was he amazed at how nice it is to have only one kid with you. They walked around the mall, bought the phones, shopped in Kmart, and got gas. He couldn't say enough about how well he listened and stayed with him. I took Reese with me yesterday to my scrapbook class and grocery shopping so Aaron could take the older kids to the park. She was so good even though she wanted out of her seat at the scrapbook store to look around, it still was nice just to have one kid. A few weeks ago when Aaron was still working all those horrendous hours, I went to Galesburg to get us lunch and took Caden with me to get lunch. I went through the McDonald's drive up which took forever and I decided I couldn't stand to eat McDonald's one more time so I went to Taco Bell. That drive up line was super long too so I did something I would never do with the other kids with me: we went in to order the food. It was so easy to get him out and Caden waited in line so nicely and listened well. It was so quick and easy to get him back in the van and home. I've tried to take one or two kids with me at a time here and there shopping or running errands and going to appointments. It is so nice to spend time alone with them. They seem very different apart from the other kids -- maybe they aren't but as a parent you can really listen and talk to them without so much extra noise and commotion going on. Their behavior seems much improved too in a one-on-one situation but that may just be the fact that you can keep your finger on them better than when they're 4 of them. It's so funny to me when parents of one or even two kids complains how they could never go anywhere without help or that their children are so wild that they could never do half the things we have done. I don't have a lot of choice in taking all 4 with me sometimes. People aren't exactly beating down my door to babysit for me -- they are a lot of work. It's all about what you know. I've only known triplets so when Reese came along she seems so easy that I don't feel she is any work at all and I really don't think she takes up any time to take care of her. I was used to doing everything times 3 before all at once. Only changing one diaper or feeding one baby or dressing one is nothing. The thing that is the most troublesome to me is getting them all in or out of the van. I have to buckle them all in, then when we arrive I have to unbuckle, load them in their wagon (if we using it) and buckle seat belts, then we when we are done buckle them back in the car seats. By the time I make one stop where we all get out it's the same as a mom with one kid making 3 stops. It's exhausting and time consuming! When Aaron and I have taken one child with us, we are so amazed how easy it seems that we both say what are all these other parents complaining about? I always say that if we could loan out the trio to some people for a few days they would realize that having one or two is really not that hard but it is all in comparison and even one kid can be a challenge at times. I'm sure Kate Gosselin (the mom with twins and sextuplets) would wonder why I'm always complaining since I have half as many children as she does. Maybe I should borrow her kids for a week then I would shut up. Problem is whose kids can Kate borrow to make her feel better??????