Know Your Limitations

I volunteered to watch my nephews Noah (3 1/2) and Logan (2) for a few hours. I figured how bad could it be, it would be just the three of us - so we would get great quality time together.

The expression "God never gives you more than you can handle" was on my mind today. I realized that He certainly knew that a day like today more than once in my life would have been too much.

Here is how it went:

Up and getting breakfast at 7 (no problem I am an early person)

Me trying to check some work e-mail - Logan, Logan, Logan where are you....
I found him in the master bathroom trying to turn the water on in the tub.

Noah needed me to turn a game on for him - so we go to the TV that the kids play games on - which is always set for the game. Guess what, someone decided to watch TV in that room. I will sit here embarassed to admit I am remote control challenged - but only in my own home - Joe has all kinds of set ups and I have no patience for it at all. So I say to Noah ok lets get the remote - I now have three in my hand and I am trying to figure it out - Logan is sitting next to us and I hear him say "Dare you go" and the input changed - he had the remote we needed in his hand.

Me trying to get them in the car so we can go to Concord Mills so I can let them play on the little playground in the Mall - HONESTLY my only purpose for going as I am trying to stay out of the stores. Logan, Logan, Logan where are you....
I found him sitting on the chair in my office banging away on the computer keyboard. He looked up and said "I workin".

We get to the mall and since we are there for one reason I carry Logan in and hold Noah's hand as we walk in. We get to the playground I take off their coats and they are off and running. It is a small playground so one way in and out. I am standing right there - and I mean right there. Here comes Logan off the slide and bam he is off and running right out of the playground and into the Maidenform Store directly across. I am running and hoping the nice lady that is there with her son will keep one eye on Noah who is still playing.

This happens about 3-4 more times - I honestly lost count - and I promise you all that you have never, ever seen a 2 year old this fast. So I say ok time to go home and have some lunch. We bundle up and we start walking out - I am getting my keys - oh wait, no I am not because I can't find them. Back to the playground and we look around - NO KEYS. So I walk out to see if I can see them in the car, all the while looking at the ground to see if I dropped them. NO LUCK

So I call Joe - I lost the keys, WHAT, I lost the keys, your kidding, no I'm not - I am frazzled and I can't find the keys. Ok check customer service and call me.

Of course we were parked as far away from customer service as possible so not I have to carry Logan the length of the mall and hold Noah's hand. In just getting back into the mall I was exhausted. As we came in I saw and empty TJ Maxx Shopping Cart -and YES I put those 2 kids in the shopping cart and pushed them all the way through the mall.

No keys at Customer Service. Call Joe - he is on his way. Now walk all the way back to the van. Waiting outside of the van - kids still in the shopping cart and Joe comes. He unlocks the van but still no keys. Then he looks at me and says - and I quote "what are you doing?" "you are the ghetto queen of the mall with 2 kids in a shopping cart" - I was like, what? I am exhausted and I couldn't carry him all around - this seemed like a good idea.

We go back in the mall and look at the playground again. No keys so now I just want to get home to feed them. So Joe gives me his key to the van and we get in and I start the car. From the back seat I hear Logan say "Oh found the keys..." and no he didn't mean he found mine - he meant oh good for you - you found the keys. So I say no babe these are Uncle Joe's. This whole time we are 100% confident that Logan must have picked up the keys at the play area - Noah said he did and Logan said he put them on the table. So we looked on every flat surface in the play area - nothing.

I get home, make them some chicken nuggets and mac n cheese. We have lunch. I call Colleen and give her the whole story - without even telling her what Joe said about the shopping cart she says "No you did not put those 2 babies in a shopping cart and walk the mall" - so I am hysterical at this point because she just keeps going and going about it. I look over at Logan and he is taking the cover off of his cup - only water, but still - and he turns it over and poors it into his empty bowl and exclaims "TA DA". So I throw some papertowel on the floor and just leave it there. I figure at this point what does it matter.

My mom is pounding on the garage door to get into the house at about 1:30 - I have no idea how it got locked. So I run and open the door - and as soon as I do she just looks at me and starts hysterical laughing. She did know what happened but it must have been my appearance that tickled her so. I looked at the boys and said -"get your coats, Nana is here..." She was taking them home. Again she laughs. Then she looks around my TORN UP house and says - what the heck happened....n I said "I am afraid to take my eyes off of Logan for one minute, so this is all the results of that."

They left, and they were crying, they did not want to leave me. I was touched - but I still helped them get in the car quickly.

It felt so good to sign on my computer and work!!!

Colleen, Kristy, Tina and my other closest friends know that I am a TYPE A personality and in 39 years and 11 months I have not lost keys, my purse or my wallet. So this has set me back for sure.

I left my number with mall security so keep good thoughts that I get these keys back - the one for my van costs $75 to replace and I really don't want to go that route.

And here they are - the two responsible for all of this: