Those Moments That Take Your Breath Away

I had one of those moments just the other day. As I was getting ready to take Zachary to gymnastics, I told the kids to wait by the front door while I gathered up a few last-minute things. I heard the front door open and told the kids to shut it and just went back to what I was doing. I figured that, even if they didn't mind (why, oh, why do I use the word "if" in this sentence?!), they wouldn't get very far. After all, we have a fairly large front porch, and Zachary's NEVER in a hurry to go anywhere. Ashley is still learning to maneuver steps, blah blah blah, so I thought nothing of it.

A minute later, I came to my senses when I realized that I couldn't see any part of either kid. I heard a dog barking outside, and I vaguely remember hearing a mixture of giggles and chattering going on back and forth between the kids. Though dogs don't usually bother me, having one loose around my babies (who are much too dang friendly toward strangers or strange animals sometimes) makes me very nervous.

Nothing prepared me for the heart attack I almost had when I finally spotted my 3- and 1-year old ACROSS THE STREET staring right at me with looks on their faces as if to say, "Oh, HI MOM! We were just going on a little trip to the park! How nice of you to join us!"

They're always up to something these days. I turn my back for just a minute, and I never know what I'm going to find. Double trouble, I tell ya...