For my day job, I take care of toddler twins, Goober and Goobrette. That means primary care — everything from meals to naps to potty time — for about thirty hours a week. People always exclaim in amazement when they find out that I take care of twins, but it’s not so hard. When I started they were four months old and it was pretty labour intensive; these days they’re independent and quite capable of amusing themselves (and each other), and so taking care of twins is not much different than taking care of any two siblings.

It does produce some odd moments, though.

Right now the weather is fine enough that we can spend great swaths of the afternoon in the back yard. Since Goober and Goobrette are old enough not to eat rocks, mostly I sit and read on the steps while they do their thing. Heck, sometimes I leave them out there and go make dinner (don’t worry — I can still see and hear them fine out the kitchen door). (Maybe don’t tell their folks, though.)

Favourite outdoor activities: putting rocks in buckets, taking rocks out of buckets, putting rocks back in buckets, pulling up grass, putting rocks in the water, taking rocks out of the water, putting rocks back in the water, pulling up flowers… and piling lawn debris at my feet.

They’ll run up, singly or as a pair, and bring rocks, sticks, leaves, grass clippings, dandelion heads — whatever’s lying around. They make little piles around my feet and throw greenery into my lap.

This must be how temple idols feel.