Notes

Andrew and I went out for dinner the other week. Though I whine and complain about the kids getting older and bigger and oh-my-goodness they used to be so cute, one of the definite advantages of having older children is not having to rustle up a babysitter every time an opportunity to go out comes up. So when friends invited us to a local steak house on a Wednesday night, we just said yes.

Not having a babysitter doesn't however mean everything is always perfect. But we have a system. Erik is always is charge. He is responsible and both a problem solver and decision maker like me.

(ROFL - if you didn't catch that sarcasm, you probably just don't know me well enough.)

Anna is in charge of the phone if they need to call us. Grace gets to be in charge of snacks. This policy has been in place since we first left them on their own for the evening a year ago.

They get along really well. Honestly. But I'm aware that Grace likes to push Erik's buttons (we all do - he makes it so easy), and Anna is our peacemaker who keeps them from getting into too much trouble. Also, they're well aware that if we have to come home for anything other than a bona fide emergency, there will be consequences. (heh heh, because I'm mean like that).

It doesn't mean they don't keep track though, and on this particular Wednesday night, we got home to find a series of notes in three different styles of handwriting:

• Erik was squishing Grace
• They are being nincompoops
• Erik is annoying Grace
• Grace and Erik are tackling each other
• Anna is writing Erik and I notes. Oh no!
• Anna is being naughty
• Anna is lying about the notes

I laughed and laughed. Ah yes, the joys of children.