While Mommy and Daddy are Away

Thanks to Ali of Team Alaska (and Scottie too!) for not only taking a risk by watching Jake and Jadyn overnight when they had never really slept away from Mommy and Daddy before, but also for taking the time to document the experience with this guest blog entry.

The Overnight Adventure - by Ali Nelson

For weeks, Scottie and I anticipated the arrival of two little house guests, Jake and Jadyn. We wanted Joe and Jenn to be able to celebrate their anniversary; therefore, we offered to watch the kids. The only thing we were nervous about was how the kids would handle spending the night away from home. Our intentions were to keep them energized and busy most of the evening, with the hopes of them being way too tired to even discover homesickness.

After Joe and Jenn left for their night out, we immediately dove into the activities. Jake occupied some time playing the Wii, while Jadyn and I pretended to be horses while crawling all around the house. We weren’t just plain old horses, but horses who were transporting Jadyn’s toy kittens as passengers.

Jake and I played Zingo. He was pleased to win both times.

When Scottie arrived home from work, it was time for the daily outside chores. Jadyn wanted to help. The first chore was to feed the bunnies. Jadyn helped Scottie scatter food around the back yard for the rabbits.

Next, we moved to the front yard to water the newly planted tree. Jadyn loved helping me water the tree. She also notified me later on in the evening that the tree drank all of the water and was thirsty for more.

When we came back inside, the kids spotted a rabbit drinking from the water dish.

After a while, one rabbit turned into many. The kids enjoyed standing at the back door and counting the rabbits.

Before dinner, we enjoyed a game of Candy Land. I don’t recall who won, but I do remember finishing last.

Also, the kids expressed an interest in writing the letters of the alphabet. I would make several dots on the paper and then the kids would connect the dots to make a letter. Not only do we offer fun and games, but we also offer educational opportunities.


Following dinner, it was time to get ready for a movie. The kids got into their pajamas, while Scottie blew up the air mattress for all of us to lie on while we watched the movie. Of course, the air mattress held their interest for a while which slightly delayed the start of the movie. The kids were cracking us up while they showed us all of their favorite tricks which included jumps and flips between the couch and the mattress. You’ve probably heard the saying, “Don’t try this at home.” I’m pretty sure the kids are not allowed to jump on the couch at home, but it’s okay at Scottie and Ali’s house… right?

Somehow, we got the kids to settle down. They selected “The Lion King” for movie night. Jadyn only got scared during one part, but the popcorn served as a great distraction.

To our surprise, Jake and Jadyn showed great effort and endurance by maintaining consciousness until approximately 11pm. I figured they would pass out during “The Lion King”, but they held on for a little longer and wanted to watch another movie. Because they couldn’t agree on watching the same movie, Jake and Scottie stayed in the living room to watch the 5^th Harry Potter movie, and I joined Jadyn in our room to watch “The Little Mermaid”. After 15 minutes, both kids were fast asleep. In the end, we all survived the night, and I was incredibly impressed with how well the kids handled being away from home and their parents. Hopefully, the adventure was just as fun for the kids as it was for us.