"YOU GIRLS GET BACK HERE!"

I'm back home! Yeah!!! But it's back to reality folks! Things have been going good, and I haven't been doing TOO much lifting so far. I have a doctor's appointment on Wednesday morning and I am hoping to get an all clear to resume normal daily activities.

Now about my title. Today after the kids got up from their nap I had Cassie (our new helper) take the kids out in the screened in porch to play since the sun was shining and it wasn't too cold out. While they played I ran to Toys-R-Us and Hy-Vee. Once I get back home and inside the garage door I hear Olivia screaming about Hannah pulling her hair, but she is quickly distracted when she sees a can of pringles in my grocery bag. Cassie is trying to get supper ready, and I assume that the kids are in Big Boys room playing since they didn't come mob me at the door. After I get the grocery bags set on the counter I go back out to the Suburban to get the rest of the stuff. When I am reaching into the back I hear this voice. "Big Boy???" "Hi there mommy!" he says in his muffly deep voice. "WHAT!!!!???? What are you DOING?!!!!" There he is in his coat, NO shoes, standing in the cold, wet, grass at the edge of the sidewalk leading to our front door, smiling from ear to ear. Mom mode has instantly kicked in as I run and pick him up looking towards the front door knowing that Hannah and Hayden would, or should, be coming down the front steps, but they weren't. Then I hear something... Giggles from far away. I look down to the road and there they are NO coats, NO shoes, past our neighbors house, ON.THE.ROAD!!! "YOU GIRLS GET BACK HERE!" I yell down the street running toward them still carrying Jonathan. And as they turn and start running away laughing and giggling, I knew I was no match for them since I was already starting to feel the strain from holding Jonathan. And that's when I yelled for Cassie, "CASSIE, GET OUTSIDE NOW!" Poor thing probably thought I was going to murder her, but I needed her to get out there now, and she had no idea what was going on, so my tone was very urgent and demanding. Cassie comes running out in her bare feet through the melting snow and sandy road as I shout out directions to her and she snags the girls. I couldn't believe it.

Once we were all inside, and the front door locked things calmed down. I know what had happened. I had unlocked the front door earlier in the day and had forgotten to lock it back up, it was my fault. So here's the thing...They were all inside when I arrived home, remember Olivia was screaming at Hannah, and I was only inside for maybe 2 minutes at the most, so ALL this happened within a couple of minutes. Hannah and Hayden were halfway down to the end of the cul-de-sac in 120 seconds! Thank God that we live on cul-de-sac that has very little traffic and Thank God that no one was hurt. This could have had a very unhappy ending. Life Lesson #104: Always keep your doors locked when you have young children, things can happen in seconds. Oh and this also affirms Life Lesson #76: Never assume anything when it comes to husbands or children.
Funny or not so funny thing is, is that I can distinctly hear that same phrase, "You girls get back here" coming from my Grandma Eekhoff's mouth many, many, years ago while getting into trouble when I my cousins and I would stay at their place. And I can remember giggling and screaming while running away from her too. (We had so much fun out there.) God Bless you Grandma for putting up with us!

What do you want to bet this won't be the last time I say those words?

Yep, it's back to reality folks...back to reality.