thursdays with aurora

s. has asked me to watch aurora on thursdays from noon until about 5 pm. while i was a little bit nervous to see how such a long day with 2 kids would turn out, we ended up having a really great time.

first we had lunch together. i made grilled cheese and lentil soup, and the girls did pretty good at encouraging each other to eat more. then we all snuggled down into my bed with a pile of books and read for about 45 minutes of quiet time. when i could tell they were getting antsy, i took the girls outside for a walk and we roamed about my neighborhood and had a little adventure. afterwards, we played in the front yard. mother may i and simon says both came into play. it's much more fun to play those games with 2 little girls than with just me and ella, so that worked out great. then we opened the garage and the girls found boxes and balls and the sled to play with. we went in for a snack around 3:30 pm and they watched me dissect a pineapple before we had a picnic on the floor. then we colored with markers until it was time for a bath. both girls got tubbies and had their hair washed, and were pajamaed and diapered before s. arrived to take aurora home.

it worked out better than anyone could have hoped.