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Sunday, June 12, 2011

The story of an escapee and a dance recital.

The escapee did not attend the dance recital.  Just thought I should tell you that upfront.

Our latest Quinn issue these days is that the boy is skillful with a lock and thinks that it is oh-so-fun to run out of the house unaccompanied.  Scratch that.  He is often accompanied...by Ike.

Sometimes Q has clothes on when he runs out of the house and sometimes, well, sometimes its not "running", its "streaking."  Yep.  We're those neighbors.

Yesterday, Q escaped about 18 times.  You see, we had the yard sale and Drew (or, Mr. Grew, as Q calls him) and Loralai came down.  The four kids ran in circles in our emptied out living room for hours.  And then they would go play upstairs and then Q would leave the crowd and escape out the front or back door and run out to see us on the driveway.  But, alas, we were all back and forth, in and out, and it wasn't such a big deal.

What those 17 times during the day did was teach him proficiency so that when the 18th time came around, he could let himself and Ike out the front door of the  house in under 2 seconds flat.

Which happened.  While I was on the phone with my mother, the girls were in a zone in front of the TV and Chris was out watching a soccer game.  I threw down the phone and went tearing after the two boys while screaming their names and that they had better get back inside that house or else.

Once they hit the driveway, they decided it would be best to split up.  Ike took off across the street and into the neighbor's backyard.  Q took off for the playset.  The more I hollered, the more they both ran.  Jerks.

I thought for sure that the girls would notice that their brother was on the playset in the backyard and come out to join him.  Or maybe that it was suddenly quiet in the house...that they were left all alone...that the dog and their brother and their mother were all missing.  Or that the front door was wide open and my phone was left on the front mat.  Or that they would hear my shrill voice echoing through the neighborhood.  But they didn't.  Imagine that.

So, I'm in the neighbor's backyard across the street trying to sweet talk Ike into coming home for a cookie when Q decides he might like to join us.  By running across the street.  So I start yelling at him to stay where he is...but what fun is that???  So he began zig zagging across the asphalt.  Ike squatted to mark his spot and I grabbed the back of his harness.  Q ran up the hill to us.  As soon as Ike finished peeing, I snatched him up, grabbed a hold of Q's arm and began marching back to our house.

The sky was quickly darkening, thunder rolled around us and the storm approached.

Quinn screamed all the way back to our house, "Let go me!!!  You hurtin me!!!  Let go me!!!!"

Big sigh.

The girls never noticed that we were gone.  And when I called for someone to help close the front door (being that I had the dog in one arm and the boy in the other) all Chandler had to say was, "Oh, Mama!  Look at the giant dragonfly you let in the house."

Like I had opened up the door and invited the dragonfly inside for a little party.

Sheesh.

And then I had to spank children and send them to bed.  I shouldn't actually say children.  It was just one child.  But I sent the other two to bed too for good measure.

When Chris got home we discussed our plan for the increase of locks on our doors.  I am super excited about that.

****

Today was Casey's recital.  And she was awesome.  Phenomenal.  The girl can move her hips like no other nine year old I have ever seen.

The show was fantastic (as all of the North Georgia Dance and Music Factory recitals I've been to have been).

And, like last year, I did not take a single picture all day.

I just don't think that I am going to win Mother of the Year at the rate I am going.

Quinn stayed with Loralai, Miss Christy Beth and Mr. Grew for the afternoon.  Such lifesavers they are.  I really don't know what we would have done without them.  Because clearly that boy would not have been a suitable audience member.

3 comments:

Emily said...

I heard about the escape earlier. Sadly, I think those genes come from Chris. He used to escape from the nursery at church and burst into the sanctuary. I hope that you will photograph and post the lock situation on your doors once you have it installed. And I'd love to start a betting pool as to how long it will take Q to bust out. He has some mad MacGyver skills. :)

Land family said...

OMG-exhausting just to read. Luckily, I never had a runner. Of my two girls, one was content to ride in the stroller FOREVER..as in, I'd bring it for the 2 year old and the 4 year old would ride in it. My little one had the potential to run off, but thankfully never used her powers that way! I'm glad he was ok, but that sounds terrifying too.

You can still take some pictures of her in her recital costume!

www.StarHughes.com said...

Oh my gosh, kids are the funniest! Thanks for sharing!
Star Hughes Living