We started the morning with some outside time, since the weather has finally cooled down enough to really enjoy being out. We played in the sandbox for a half hour... which is a long time when you're holding your feet up out of the sand like Addison was. (Gosh I hope the girl stops hating the feel of sand before we go to the beach!) The good news was that both kids forgot about their sunhats for a few minutes. (Normally, they pull them off instantly.) After the sandbox, we ran around the driveway for about 15 minutes with our bubble maker blowing. This may not seem like a lot of effort, if you (like I) assumed that the bubble maker would keep the kids in one spot. It did. For about 30 seconds. And then they were off, running back through the bubbles every now and then in between driveway adventures.
Having one eye on each kid all the time and trying to keep them both in the same vicinity and safe is more tiring than you think. Addison is now giving you a look right before she's makes a break for it, and the look really seems like she's trying to decide if you're distracted enough for her to get away with it. Yikes! It's during this period of the day that I learn about the kids fascination with pushing and pulling the wagon. Not a big deal if there were just one of them. Or if one were old enough to have decent balance. However in between running after rogue babies who were sprinting down the driveway and keeping them from eating sticks, I had to add wagon cop duty to the mix. That, and bubble cop. Caden loved sticking his fingers into the bubble blower, causing it to grind to a stop.
Fast forward past our morning snack (where incidentally I learned that Caden can eat a banana like a monkey, holding the peel and snacking down to the end) and fast forward past the morning nap... and we're up to the mid-day playtime. We began playing in the kid-proofed part of the kitchen area while I cleaned up. I knew it was only a matter of time, but today was the day. Caden popped up into the seat of a kitchen chair like he'd been doing it for ages, with Addison close behind him. Did it bother me that they were climbing furniture and the fall would not be soft if they didn't climb down correctly? Yes. Did it bother me enough to prevent me from grabbing my camera and snapping a pic before rescuing them? Nope! (I think I just earned another parent badge.)
Seeing that this spot was no longer safe, we headed to the den. Having already moved our sofa in front of the fireplace so there'd be no hearth climbing, I felt safe enough to leave the kids for a few minutes to clean up the kitchen and quickly check email. I had been gone a grand total of about 3 minutes when I suddenly heard the TV click on. The fraidy cat parent that I was would have hurtled the baby gate and snatched the culprit off of whatever piece of furniture they'd climbed in about a half a second. Instead I smiled as I tried to predict the scene I was about to find, quickly ran to grab my camera and clicked away. I have never seen Caden more proud of himself. He was seriously delighted that he had scaled the ottoman and figured out which button turned the TV on. Of course this delight was not lost on Addison, who quickly did the same (with a little more grace). I made my babies uber-irate when I pulled them down and blocked their path from climbing Mt. TV again. As fun as it was, it was just unsafe. So I had to kick into creative drama-mama mode in order to keep the kids' attention off their new found adventure-land until lunch. Again, you'd think it wouldn't be so hard to deal with 14 month olds... but you try keeping two shark's attention off the chum!
Fast forward to the afternoon (where I got so busy that I could no longer take pictures). During the afternoon nap I moved the den furniture all around so I could safely get through the rest of the day. Changing table/dresser... now blocking the TV stand where the ottoman used to be. Ottoman... now where the sofa used to be. Oversized chair, end table and tall table with diapering supplies.... now where the changing table/dresser used to be. Super-soft changing pad... on the floor, since I couldn't put it where it should go anymore.
When the kids woke up we had a snack and I decide that more outside play would be best, since they are climbing everything in sight indoors... I set up the water table and our bubble machine (I thought I'd give it another go since it was already out). The whole time I'm listening for screams. (Insert Addison's scream here and imagine me sprinting back inside wondering what she could have climbed.) You guessed it, I think she had been standing on the changing pad and got off balance sending it shooting off to the side as she fell away. She was totally fine, just scared, like me. As you can imagine, I'm really ready to get outside now so we loaded up and out we went.
The water table is awesome. The kids love it. Problem is, they love freedom and being chased even more. The fact that I brought a chair out for me to sit in makes me laugh now. I spent the whole time running down the driveway to block one naked baby, as the other one made a break for the backyard... I retrieved that kid as the other then made for the wagon... then Addison would stick some sort of plant/stick/leaf/mulch in her mouth as I ran to head Caden off from the fan (moth to a flame, that boy and mechanical stuff)... and they both made for the covered sandbox if I looked away for a nano-second (you guessed it, both kids can also climb that).
At this point, I'm ready to break out the big gun. I unplug the fan and plug in the bubble maker. I cross my fingers and put on my hats (safety officer, bubble cop, wagon cop, perimeter security, electrical safety officer, and defender of baby skin). Somehow I manage to keep everyone on the driveway and independently occupied, because imagine my luck, no one wanted to play with the same things. I felt like a flounder (in reverse I guess), like one eye was moving from one side of my head to the other so I could see better. I'm here to tell you, you have to have some moves... some stamina... some theater... and some gumption to keep up with twin Action Jacksons! What a sigh of relief I breathed when we saw Travis' car driving up.
In reality, the day was practically over when he got home. But in my mind I was just so glad to have another adult on duty with me. Someone to leave the kids with while I got dinner ready. Someone to tell the day's stories to. Someone who, despite his own pressure-filled workday, blew into the house with all the energy of a Dad who'd been missing his kids all day long. Someone who didn't even ask where all the chocolate covered espresso beans had gone when he heard about our day :) :)
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