Friday, April 17, 2009

Unsupervised

I am thrilled that the girls are finally at a stage where they can play together unsupervised for short periods. In times past I was not too certain this day would ever come.



The only trouble with happily playing, unsupervised children is that they are almost always up to something... at least we find that to be true here 99% of the time.
For example:



Saturday we were at Nanny and Pop C's house around lunch time. After the girls finished eating and asked to be "scused" from the table, I let them go upstairs to play for a few minutes. I remember playing up there when I was a kid... it was great fun! I could hear from my comfy seat at the table with the other adults that the girls were playing well together. There was lots of laughter, some bossing from Ella, and a tiny bit of quiet. The quiet always makes the mother in me nervous, but I was too lazy to go check it out. When it was time to go home I trudged up the stairs to bring the girls down. They were none too happy about going home, but they didn't appear to have been into anything they shouldn't. I was grateful.



After naps were over we went to a birthday party for our friend Brody. The kids all had a great time. While the older kiddos went on a fantastic scavenger hunt, Brody and his young guests had an Easter egg hunt. By this point all my girls were pros at egg hunting. They headed out with the small crowd and found dozens of eggs each. After all the eggs were found the kids all sat out on the front porch steps inspecting their goodies.

It was while all the kiddies, mommies, and other adults were sitting out on the front porch that Sarah started whining about having something in her shoe. I took her shoe off, and when I went to dust off the bottom of her foot I happened to notice a sizable letter "S" there on the bottom of her foot written in ink. She said "Ella wrote it for me." After a quick inspection, there in front of a dozen other giggling adults, I discovered that each of my younger three had their initial carefully printed on the bottom of their feet.

Mystery of the quiet moments upstairs at Nanny and Pop C's solved!


***


This morning I had the audacity bravely decided to take a shower after feeding the girls breakfast, while they were all awake and playing happily in Ella's room.



When I turned off the water and opened my bathroom door I immediately suspected trouble. For one thing, no one had even one time burst in on my quick 5 minutes of peace to tell on someone else. For another I could not hear any crying, fighting, or whining. Instead, I heard the sound of water running in the girls' bathroom.


I quickly dressed and ran down the hall to find three quarters of my kiddos completely naked. They were all surrounding the sinks in their bathroom.... one of which was completely full of water and in the other the water was running full blast.


Apparently they had been taking turns "washing" their hair in the full bathroom sink because every one of them had a soaking wet head. There was about an inch of water the length of the bathroom counters, several more inches of water on the floor and dripping down into the cabinets, and being slowly absorbed by all the discarded pajamas and bedtime diapers lying all over the bathroom floor.


I immediately drained the water from the sink, ordered them out of there, and started to sop up the water..... then I thought and grabbed my camera to get a picture of the mess.

They all ended up in Ella's closet where she doled out some incredibly cute dresses and crocs for everyone to wear today. Thankfully it was just water and the clean up was so simple that I think the shower was totally worth the extra effort I had to go through for it.

Just another day in paradise.....


5 comments:

Anonymous said...

Oh my - I'm not sure I could have been as calm as you when I saw that bathroom. Although, sitting on this side of the blog, its pretty funny.
Isn't it wonderful when they can occupy themselves, even if only for a few mins.

Tara said...

ok, that post is so funny. Your girls are hilarious. I'm sure it isn't alway funny when your in it though.

Candace Hickey said...

These are the types of scenarios I am dreading with my 3...but I agree...when it is too quiet...something is going on!

Glad you captured the moment on film....he he he

Laura S. said...

So funny but at least the trouble that they are getting in is harmless and easy to clean up.

Stephanie said...

Ha! It's amazing what little ones can get into when left alone for just a few moments. ;)