An Adventure and Clothespins

Oh, no! There's a bear! Look out for that lion! Oooo, look at the bats hanging from the ceiling.

Those are all words I heard around my house Sunday night. No, we haven't been invaded by the Roger Williams Park Zoo. (Though if you're ever in the area it's a nice zoo to visit.) The kids and Joel were on "An Adventure." From time to time Daddy will ask, "Want to go on an adventure tonight?" This usually means they all wander around the house pretending to climb mountains or trees, swim rivers or lakes, evade man eating wildlife or hunt for something special. Sort of like a safari without all the travel.

The boys LOVE taking "Adventures" with Daddy. Sunday night was no exception. They even pulled out the toy binoculars, flashlight, watch compass, and lantern they received for Christmas (camping was one of their gift themes this year and here's why.) The flashlight was especially helpful in seeing the bats hanging from our dark bathroom ceiling.

By now you maybe wondering what clothespins had to do with the adventure. Nothing. Other than the boys. As I sat in my room I heard peals of mischievous laughter coming from the boys' room. I went to investigate, as any good momma would do. I found the boys chasing each other around their bedroom. Each held a clothespin in one hand. Clothespins that they used to make donkeys at church on Sunday. The poor donkeys are now legless.

Will informed me they were trying to pinch each other's tongue or tummy with the clothespin. Ben said, "It huwts." When I asked how he knew Will again piped up that he (Will) had tested it on his own tongue and he agreed it hurt. But that didn't stop them from gleefully trying to pinch each other. Later Will walked into the hallway with a clothespin clipped onto the end of his finger. "It hurts." Reeeally. Maybe you should stop then.

I don't know why it would surprise me that my boys are clipping clothespins on themselves and trying to pinch each other with them. After all, their Daddy, the same man leading them on "Adventures" through my living room, also built "guns" with wood, clothes pins and rubber bands a few years back. Before we had children. To shoot rubberbands at his friends Mike and Andy.

With such a fun Daddy leading my boys on the adventure of life, I'm thinking a day will come when I'll wish we could go back to just clothespins!