Next Stage of Independence

I am normally very excited when my kids reach the next stage of independence. I love to see them smile, then laugh, crawl, then walk, etc. The more independent they become, the less dependent they are on me. They start sleeping through the night and feeding themselves...its' great. HOWEVER, I realized this week that I wasn't ready for Masons next stage of independence. He recently learned how to open doors (including the pantry), reach items near the edge of the table, climb onto the couch, and open top drawers in the kitchen. Last week he chased Doug down with the pizza cutter...scary!

The above pitcher of generic brand sugar free strawberry flavored crystal light was and is very delicious. I buy it on a regular basis as a treat for the kids. This week I learned that if a child leaves their cup of this yummy drink near the edge of the table, Mason gets a drink too. Not only does he get to drink in in the kitchen, but also in the family room on the carpet. Maybe after one more carpet scrubbing, it will come all of the way out.

This plant is one of my absolute favorites. The reason? This plant has gone without water for weeks on end, has been tipped over SEVERAL times, and has been through every kind of abuse you can think of........AND IT IS STILL ALIVE! This is my kind of plant. This plant sits on a ledge that separates our kitchen from our family room. As I stated above, Mason can now climb onto the couch, thus reaching anything on this "shelf". Yesterday he managed to pull this plant onto the couch with him. It was a day I was very thankful for my powerful vacuum.

This is an ink pad...black. I didn't even know that we owned it. I bought a similar ink pad for my scrapbooking supplies about a month ago. Apparently it was in the top drawer of a dresser (that we currently use for desk supplies). Are you curious why I am showing you a picture of this ink pad?

Yep, you guessed it. Don't let that smile fool you....he's evil. :) Just a note...black ink does not come off of the skin very easily! Maybe after a few baths he'll be back to normal again.

So, this week I will be safe proofing our house, because I, apparently, was not ready for Mason's next stage of independence.