Time away not somewhere else.

Recently I wrote about the "vacation" I took with the family. I realized very quickly this weekend that was time somewhere else and not time "away". That was us (Marcus and I) going somewhere else with the kids other than our home. Time away was this weekend... Just Marcus and I AWAY.

Wine tasting, long walks, meals on patios, massages and lots of laughing at the Pillar and Post in Niagara on the lake.

A two night tease but worth every minute. I didn't cry this time leaving the kids and practically ran to the car the night we left. It was because of the night before that I knew I REALLY needed this.

Alex was having a hard time going down for bed. His teeth were driving him crazy so we had to go in two or three times to calm him down. Anyway, we finally got him to sleep so I had a chance to walk around outside in the yard cleaning up after the mess we made that day.  Picking up a baby bottle here, putting a ball away there I was done in a few minutes. All that was left to do was take the stroller from the backyard to the front...easy enough. With a bottle in each hand I wheeled the station wagon model of our stroller to the front yard, dragged it up the steps and went to open the front door to go inside.

Well.... the front door was locked. Crap, I was locked out (at least of the front door).  Why didn't you ring the door bell you ask? For two reasons.
1). I knew Marcus wouldn't answer because he would think it was the ghosts. Yes...the ghosts. Our door bell goes off multiple times a day for no reason.  We realize it's probably not ghosts, but way more funny to look at one another when the bell goes off and say "ghosts".
2) If I ran the door bell or knocked more than once then there was a chance it would wake Alex...which was not an option.

The window I climbed through the last time I was locked out was locked and closed so around to the side of the house I went to check the side door...locked.
So to the backyard I went trying to reach over the fence for the latch...unsuccessful I was.

Still holding the baby bottles I ran in bare feet over to my neighbours house and knocked on their door, maybe I could just hop her fence? Yes, I know...I have no shame. I lost that a long time ago.

So knock knock knock and no answer.  Now I'm getting nervous because my pizza was in the oven that Marcus had no idea about. I decided I would just let myself in their backyard and quickly hop the fence without anyone seeing me...they weren't home anyway.

Navigating around her BEAUTIFUL garden I'm now tip toeing through soil in my bare feet getting ready to straddle the waist high fence when my neighbours who I thought were out (they were probably screening my knock - or maybe they have ghosts too) walk out on to their deck.  So picture this - hair all messed up, now sweating, barefoot and a bottle in each hand I'm hopping their fence. Awesome.

This reminded me of the time I was locked out of our old house and had to hop the fence preggers with Hayden ripping a whole in the crotch of my pants while my neighbours FIVE kids laughed at me.

At this point I explain the situation and our much needed "time away" not "somewhere else" with the kids.  She says nothing and just smiles.  My second foot hits our yard  and I wave my embarrassed good bye as she says "Don't come home with another baby now". 

I just kept walking.