Easter happenings

We had a wonderful Easter Sunday visiting my family. You could say it was… eventful. I don’t know if other young parents do this sort of thing, but during the 2.5 hour car ride that’s required to make it to our closest family (his and mine) we tend to sit and discuss the behavior of our children. Specifically, we count our blessings that so far they’ve never broken a priceless heirloom, or said something that embarrassed me beyond reason, or been terribly rude, or disobedient. Which isn’t to say we haven’t ever left someone’s house and gone “Did you see what he did??” It just means, considering the fact that they are little boys and automatically drawn to dangerous objects and really nice furniture, they are mostly well behaved.

So we drive down the highway and I go “What if they break something?” and Caleb’s automatic response is “Don’t jinx us, Baby.” It’s always a bit of a joke. Up until Sunday, 30 minutes after we arrived at my Aunt’s house, Jonathan sent a full length mirror tumbling down a flight of stairs. It shattered into a million pieces and inflicted minor cuts on himself, Jackson, and my brother Jon who was standing in the stairwell and tried to catch the mirror when it went over.

Thankfully no one was seriously hurt. But here’s the kicker. When things like that happen, you always assume it’s the worst that will transpire. Like surely they’ll be little angels for the rest of the day. Surely I don’t deserve more that one incident per 24 hours.

Except that later that afternoon, we were sitting on the deck, watching the boys hunting eggs around the pool. I had the gall to ask Caleb “What if Jon falls in?” He responded without hesitation “Then I’ll jump in and fish him out. Don’t jinx us, Baby.”

A few minutes later, guess what.

Yeah.

So that night, we’re driving home. Caleb is wearing borrowed clothes and no shoes, while his sit in a sopping heap in the trunk. Jon is dead asleep in only his pants, which we were able to fast dry before we left. I’m thinking about the events of the days and the way my Aunt Cindy hugged me and said it was the most exciting Easter she can ever remember. And also I’m wondering what would happen if Caleb had to get out of the car without his shoes on.  

I turn to him and go “What if—”

“Don’t even go there.”