So here are the sitters:
And...
Here's who we sat:
Dave and Heather Eaton took a trip to Puerto Rico this month. Brooke and I were given the opportunity to take care of their daughters, Torrance and Azalea. (or Toto and Butter Pig)
Each afternoon Brooke would help Torrance with her reading and we'd take turns holding or caring for Azalea. Every evening Torrance, Brooke and I would say prayers together (which when Torrance would say them included a puppy, a lost friend, and Gordon B. Hinckley)
After Torrance went to bed we'd stayed up with Azalea. Then it was time to go to sleep on "Awesome", David and Heather's bed (ironically "Awesome" is not that great. It's a bit too firm.)
Speaking of dying, if you ever get the chance to change Azalea's diaper, you'll know what death is. First off you know it's coming hours before it hits. The toots start coming, then the smell. Oh the smell.
One would think a cherubic infant such as Azalea couldn't dare produce such an odor. But once you open that diaper, you learn pain.
I couldn't believe it, the consistency of mortar and the color as well. A dark gray paste that I think was used to set the capstone of the Salt Lake Temple.
This particular photo illustrates the lengths we would go to avoid dry heaving.
The last time I was given the opportunity to change Azalea she thought it would be a good idea to pee on me. That was just weird.
Torrance left us for a weekend of "High School Musical Three" and Cousin-fun-a-pa-looza. I missed her. She was such a treat. I loved hearing her read and watching over her shoulder. Sometimes she would see a word which she didn't recognize and would use another word that started with the same letter. I'd say the right word quietly to her and she'd repeat it and quickly move on with the story.
Saturday evening and Sunday it was just Azalea, Brooke and I.
I've been told by friends "oh babysitting is great practice for being a parent!" and then I watch four kids that are not mine. These kids have developed their lives without any teaching or discipline from me. That's not practice for being a parent, that's practice for taking care of someone else's kids.
I've also been told "oh having a puppy is great practice for being a parent!" no it's not, its a dog. You put a lease around a dog and tug on it if it disobeys.
But having to take of Azalea, three months old, that was a pleasant introduction to fatherhood. The first couple of days it was enjoyable to see her. She's adorable, she seldom made a fuss. When she did cry it didn't last.
As the days went by I began to feel the need she had for Brooke and I, she was truly helpless. You grow to love someone that needs you like that.
Brooke loved it so much. She said a few times how she couldn't imagine loving someone as much as she loved Azalea. It was the hours of service she gave her. She loves her so much.
There were a couple of accidental moments where Brooke called her Olive. You can tell how ready Brooke is for motherhood and how absolutely she will love our daughter.
Sunday came. Later in the evening Torrance came home. She fell asleep on Brooke's lap. Azalea fell asleep in my arms minutes before Dave and Heather returned. When they got home it was a sweet goodbye. I loved the experience and can't wait for January.
Oh yeah and the best thing in the world... a baby in a turtle neck:
Gessie (dark fairy); Brandy (vampire victim); Mallory (bumblebee)
Allie (Hannah Montana); Sarah (vampire); Julie (kitten); Madeline (vampire); Samantha (unicorn); Gessie (dark fairy)
Torrance (Hermione Granger); Neily (Harry Potter)
Will the real Dave Eaton please stand up? I just can't tell who's who...
Azalea (the cutest skunk in the world)
Cristian (Igor from Young Frankenstein)
Happy Halloween from the Barragans!
Torrance is 6 and she's in 1st Grade. I've always thought it was delightful to hang out with her, but this week I discovered what a really affectionate and pensive wonder she is. She loves to prance around and hum and tell you the details of her thoughts and what she's up to. Our morning routine was waking up at 8:00, getting dressed and brushing hair, eating a hearty breakfast of a single naked cinnamon Eggo, and waiting for 8:30 to come so she could go to the bus stop. My favorite part of that was listening to her blessing at breakfast. She seldom remembered to actually bless the food, but always remembered a million other things to pray about. Everyday I'd hurry to the window to watch her walk to the bus stop, and when 3:45 came I was looking out the window again for her bus to drop her off. Our after school routine was having a snack, doing homework and having "quality educational time" (per David's instructions), and then "free time". I enjoyed homework time the most. Toto was diligent everyday about getting her work done. She read to me for at least 20 minutes, worked on reading a poem that her teacher gave to her, let me quiz her on her spelling words, and did a math worksheet. If all that didn't take at least an hour, she showed me where some countries were on the globe or we'd read more. I was really impressed with how focused she stayed through all that. Torrance was open and affectionate and silly and funny. Last night when David and Heather got home, she had just fallen asleep with her head in my lap. I loved that.
Saturday was Conference, and then Chris went to dinner and the Priesthood session with the boys that night. Sunday was more Conference and dinner at the Cisneros' house. By the way, during one of the Saturday sessions Chris fell asleep and I took advantage of him by writing "POO" on his forehead. Here's a picture. What, I think it's funny.
