Child Proof??

The Smith home has been "Ethiopian Child(ren)Proofed" the last couple of months. Some might read this and think I am a little off my rocker...okay, I admit I probably am, but sanity calls for desperate measures and our house was in need of that. I mention these things only for a good laugh sometime in the future, and so we don't forget what the first few months were like.

#1 I have a great stove/oven. I had to do some serious convincing to get Sam to agree upon this appliance when we were building our home. My favorite part about it (besides how it cooks) are the red knobs, they are beautiful to me, they call my name.

They also call to Dag and he cannot keep his hands off them. I have left the room for just a moment and come back to a roaring campfire going on at my stove, as he has ignited all 8 burners full flare. Hence, this is how my beauty looks now....

KNOBLESS

Along those same lines, I have had to fill my propane tank on the BBQ outside 3 times in the last 3 months, and I have only grilled twice. Nate will casually walk by it and turn the knob, not enough to light it, but just release the propane. I don't realize this until I go to use it a week later and there is no propane. If you see in the news that our house blew up, please explain what happened.

#2(Promise not to judge me) The next change is seriously the best $130 I ever spent. Why did I not install this years ago?

Yes, that is what you think it is...a lock on my pantry door. HEEEE! It makes me so happy to have such control. Nate and Dag inspired the idea because they could not leave this room alone. And it wasn't even so much that they wanted food out of it, but it was just amazing to see and touch that much food, I'm sure. (Oh, and play in the sugar, flour, oats...) Nobody in this house is starving because of this gadget either, it certainly makes you think before going in to grab a handful of cereal though. I LOVE, LOVE, LOVE this.

#2A: I have also installed locks on several other doors, just not as sophisticated, but this has maybe backfired a little, because now they both know how to lock them, and think it quite fun, and when you need to go to the bathroom the very most...the door is locked.

#3: The lights bulbs in their room have been removed. Need not fear for them, they do have a lamp, but I would get up at all hours of the night and they had turned their light on. They did sleep with the lights on at the orphanage, so it is what they were used too, but it also meant they would wake up at very early hours, and think it was morning...time to get up at 3:30am.

#4: I wish I could replace a couple of my tall toilets. When building the house, of course I thought the fancy tall toilets were best. My boys were big boys now and Elle and Sissy "sit". Well, Dag is a little man that tries to go pee in my tall toilets by himself often, but he doesn't quiet make it to the bowl, even with the lid up. Sooo, instead of new toilets, each is adorned with a container of clorox disinfecting wipes, and we just clean up pee all day long. If you enter my home in the near future and it smells like urine, please understand.

Did I mention we really do love these guys. That first month home it was HARD! The second month not quite as HARD, and this month I think we will actually keep them:)

It's a good thing they are so darn cute!