Dagen the

DESTROYER

Kallie has gymnastics every Tuesday and Jaidyn on Thursdays. 

Tuesdays are dreamy.  There is usually only ONE other lady there in the viewing room so Dagen and I pretty much have the entire place to ourselves while we watch Kallie to her stuff.  Dagen is usually calm as can be and eats her baggie of cereal happy as can be.

THURSDAYS are a TOTALLY different experience.  I have to remind myself as I’m driving home from this every Thursday, that this is all for my little Jaidyn who LOVES gymnastics and that I can suffer through ONE hour of chaos ONCE a week. 

This is how it goes… we get there 5 minutes early, the place is already packed with moms, dads, and siblings because it is after school hours.  There is no seat available for Dagen and I.  Someone usually feels sorry for me and gives up their seat so I can take care of Dagen.  Dagen starts to explore and takes other kids binkies, she starts throwing her baggie of cereal all over the floor, she’ll throw her sippie cup and almost nail someone in the head, and then she tries to sneak down the stairs about a million and one times, she steals other kids toys, I have to move the step stool from the drinking fountain about 5 times ‘cause this kid keeps putting it back to get a drink… and that’s not even the worst of it. 

Last week she turned the nozzle to the drinking fountain in the opposite direction, with her superhuman strength.  Then she goes to push the water on and it pours in a rainbow fashion ALL OVER THE FLOOR for about a minute or so, before I turn and realize what she is doing.  Totally embarrassed and beyond frustrated with this adorable child of mine, I grab her and try to plant her in my lap.  Then she screams as loud as she can and all the while I have this lady to my right giving me the look of, “I can’t believe this woman has 4 KIDS!” look.  This same lady week after week gives me this same look every time and then whispers sweet little nothings to her friends who have NO children  but the one attending the gymnastics class.  The first day I took Jaidyn, this same lady looked at me and said, “WOW, you’ve got your hands full, don’t you? Two kids… and one in the class?  WOW.”

Me:  “Yeah, I have THREE up here… and one in the class”

Lady:  “Oh my gosh!”

She has never spoken to me again since and never ever smiles at me.  Just gives me “the look”.  Did I mention how many times I hear the line, “Wow, don’t you have your hands full,” when I am in this viewing room? 

So back to the drinking fountain story.  I am humiliated and have been trying to follow Dagen around the entire time up until that one minute I took time to watch my Jaidyn do her first pull over on the bar and wave to me all proud of herself. 

Before I can clean up the big puddle Kallie walks right on it and slides across it and falls to the floor crying, while Dagen is crying because I’m forcing her to stay on my lap.  At this point, the look is making me want to give HER a look.  But I don’t… and I grab both of my crying babies to calm them down.  Isaac is taking his Lego motorcycles and sliding them on the floor as far as he can, clear across the room.  I look like a crazy mom with 4 crazy kids.  This is how it goes EVERY WEEK for this ONE hour.

YESTERDAY during my dreamy hour, I get there and Kallie runs right into class.  I have to register Jaidyn and Kallie all over again for summer classes and I’m talking with the front desk lady downstairs while Dagen sneaks on upstairs by herself.  As she snuck away, I saw no harm in letting her go up to an EMPTY room for 2 or 3 minutes while I tackle these classes.  I didn’t want to hassle with chasing her down and holding her in my arms while she screamed and fought to get down… so she went upstairs BY HERSELF.  It was like de ja vu. 

Just when I am heading up, Dagen is coming down the stairs with her shirt soaked down the front.  She made a huge puddle on the floor AGAIN!  Lucky no one was in there.  The puddle was so big I had to run downstairs three times to get paper towels from the bathroom.  No harm… WHATEVER!  This girl has a lot of nerve.

See how Dagen turned the nozzle in the opposite direction?

These pictures were taken yesterday during my dreamy Tuesday hour of watching Kallie in her class.  Notice how empty this room is.  She’ll usually stay within the row of seats just walking back and forth without ever getting down to the floor.  Ahhhh.  Peaceful.