Trouble.

That's my new name for Pierce.  He actually answers to it too.  (He also answers to Monkey.  Try to call him by his given name though and he puts on his selective hearing plugs.) 

At church on Sunday he took off.  First let me explain.  We go to a MEGA church.  We love it but there are, like, a gazillion people there.  We were there with my parents so we're already at an advantage:  four adults and two kids.  You'd think we could have handled it.  When we were leaving out the front doors, P took off.  As mentioned previously, the child doesn't answer to his own name, so screaming after him just doesn't work.  (And yes, you can question my parenting skills all you want.  Believe me, I know this is something we need to work on.)  I marched after him, out the huge doors, expecting him to be right there.  Um, there was no sign of him.  He had just *vanished*.  Of course I quickly looked around every pole and post - No Pierce.  Next horrifying thought:  Someone has taken him.  He's gone.  He could be anywhere.  So many people, so many kids, so much noise.  The greeter must have seen the panic on my face (and heard it in my voice) and he immediately started asking, "How old?  What color shirt?"  About two minutes later out popped Pierce from behind a planter, extremely proud of all the commotion he'd caused.  Oy vey.

Later that day we went to the pool.  I know, I know, I'm kicking myself too but away we went.  Now, Tristan and Pierce can both swim just fine in their floaties.  T is even putting his face under water now - A HUGE feat considering he wouldn't even get in the pool a month ago!  Tristan is our cautious child.  He always takes the steps into the pool.  Pierce is more of a jump-right-in kind of kid.  The trouble comes when he forgets he isn't wearing his floaties.  So.  Of course.  You can just imagine what happened.  He darted off with me right behind him, just thanking God that there is a life guard on duty.  I figured he's going in, at least there's someone that can save him if I can't.  My heart skipped imagining how this was all going to unfold and then I realized he was running right to Mark.  *sigh* 

This morning he tried to OD on a tub of Tums.

Tonight he was hell bent on putting a pea up his nose. 

Thank goodness God looks out for fools and children.

A child is a curly dimpled lunatic. ~Ralph Waldo Emerson