Although I am dreading what kind of trouble my kids will be getting into ten years from now... they are pretty ridiculous these days. The toddler years. The preschool years. The... duh duh DA... elementary school years.
Ayla, Jackson and Elliot have a keen ability to make the most mischief out of the time we give them. If we give them an inch, well, you know exactly what happens.
The other night we had put them into their beds upstairs. All three are sharing the upper floor of our cape cod house. (As a side note, I kicked Elliot out of his bedroom downstairs and turned it into my office/sewing room. He has the most adorable nook to himself and he loves it up there, hanging with the big kids.) So - all three are up there and not exactly willing to go to sleep.
But they were in bed. And we were done parenting for the day. We walked thirty feet into the backyard and layed in the hammock for about ten minutes before we saw a little face pop up in the dining room window. Jackson yelled, "Mama, where are you?" I yelled, "In the hammock. Jackson, where are you?" He replied, "In the house!" Now, all of that was settled.
He was instructed to go lay in our bed and we hoped that he was the only straggler.
About a half hour later, we went back in the house. BUSTED. Jackson had grown bored playing games on a cell phone. He knows better. So, he turned on the tv and was just watching a show. He knows much better! And he must have heard us come in the house and realized there was no safe place to turn. Not enough time to turn off the television!
He was easily put to bed. But at least upstairs was quiet, right? I am sure it hadn't been while we were outside. It looked like they threw a preschool kegger. All of the stuffed animals had been unearthed and thrown around the room. Elliot was literally sleeping on top of a huge Elmo doll. Ayla was sprawled across her bed with God knows how many little toys hidden under her pillow. They must have had a blast.
My thought is this: if they can get crazy in a half hour when we are still in the yard... what hope do we have when they are legally allowed to be by themselves? Will they rob the convenience store around the corner? Will they invite fifty friends and fill the house with popcorn? (You've read this book, I assume.) Will they make Elliot do the kinds of pranks I made my own sister do?
I should have taken pictures to document, I know. But sometimes it really gets difficult to keep up with the shenanigans. As I write this, they are all in bed.... Jackson was singing about 15 minutes ago... but I think we are safely out of hijinx for the night.
Famous. Last. Words.
