Uh Oh - My First Incident

I don't have any new pictures - I am spending all my time trying to keep up with the rascals these days and can't get the camera out :-)! They really are all over the place and getting so smart and sneaky. The only place they want to be is outside, but once they are out there they go in completely different directions looking for trouble. I let them ride their ride-on toys in the street last weekend and thought I was managing pretty well until I turned to help Tyler get his little truck unstuck and next thing I knew Katie was two houses down yelling whee as she was riding out of control! Needless to say we moved to the backyard (where they can't ride on the toys) but where they can fight over who gets to go up and down the slide, climb up and down the deck heightening my anxiety since Tyler thinks he has it and doesn't realize that at some parts of the deck it is a BIG step down, or pick all of the "flowers" to bring to me, or try to eat depending on their mood. They are starting to mimic and understand cause and effect, which was evident during "the incident" yesterday. I have been pretty cocky (thanks to my back-up sensor that beeps if I am too close to something) about mine being one of the only mini-vans that doesn't have dents and bumps in the back bumper or taillight. Take a minute to notice minivans in parking lots or driving down streets and you will see that almost all of them have obviously backed into something - at least around here. Well, I have never proclaimed to be a good driver, and I especially can't back up or park in tight spaces but I was pretty darn proud to be accident free in the time that I am getting used to the van. So, yesterday I was having to back out of Pam's driveway after picking up the kids and thought I was going straight and doing good only to hear a horrible scraping noise, followed quickly by two little munchkins saying uh, oh and oh no! I get out and realize that I have scratched the whole side of my van with one of those metal yard flags that was in the ground beside the mailbox (and I was only inches from clobbering the mailbox). I get back in and pull up as fast as I can (parents waiting to get into the driveway) but I am stuck in the grass and have to gun it and just yelled "crap" (thankfully that was what came out, because what I was thinking definitely wasn't as benign). I get back on track and finally back out to a chorus of "cap," "cap" coming from the backseat., said in an upset way. It made me laugh and was the best remedy to get over my mortification. We moved on to what does a cow say, what does a duck say, and ohhhh look - outsi and it was forgotten.