ALL CAPS FOR ONE HANDED TYPING.
KARI WENT TO THE GROCERY STORE, MOSTLY JUST TO GET OUT I THINK. I HAD THE BRILLIANT IDEA TO OPEN THE BOXES AND SORT THE PIECES OF THE JUNGLE GYM, WHILE SUPERVISING FOUR KIDS. I KNEW IT WAS A BAD IDEA, BUT I COULDN'T HELP MYSELF. I THINK THE BEHAVIOR IS AKIN TO BEING UNABLE TO ASK FOR DIRECTIONS OR ASSEMBLING TOYS ON CHRISTMAS MORNING WITHOUT SO MUCH AS A GLANCE AT THE INSTRUCTIONS.
IT STARTED OUT WELL ENOUGH. I MOVED THE TWINS OUT BACK IN THEIR SCOOTER CHAIRS. YOU KNOW THE KIND WITH THE WHEELS AND THE SEAT THAT JUST LETS THEIR TOES TOUCH THE GROUND. SO FAR SO GOOD. I FIGURED THAT THE CHANGE OF SCENERY WOULD KEEP THEM OCCUPIED AND IT DID, FOR AWHILE.
OBVIOUSLY RYLEE AND REAGAN JOINED US SO THAT I COULD KEEP AN EYE ON THEM. I DO KNOW BETTER THAN TO LEAVE THEM UNSUPERVISED, EVEN FOR A MOMENT. THE BIG GIRLS ARE ALWAYS UP FOR GOING OUT SIDE. RYLEE WAS EVEN MORE INTERESTED (Kari just got home) when I told her that we were going to open the boxes.
Things were going pretty good for about 5 minutes. I opened the first box and found the directions. I was searching for the inventory. When I looked up I noticed that Reagan had removed several items from the box so I put them on the table and returned to the inventory list. Then Jordan began to cry, so I paused to pacify her. Now Reagan had moved several pieces from the box to soak them in her water table. As I was fishing those items out of the water she was making an other trip to the box. Now Rylee is helping her and Madi is crying. Have you ever attempted to herd cats?
At about this point all the wheels came off my plan and I spent several minutes with a wailing infant in one arm, making funny faces at the infant in her walker, and using the other arm to secure loose pieces of the, as yet unassembled, jungle gym and corral two toddlers. I was forced to retreat indoors witch did not please the big girls at all and they let it be known.
This is not a one man job.