Thursday, April 30, 2009

Because we would starve to death if the Weber ever broke...

I love this time of year.  Daylight stretches past dinner time, the weather is semi-bearable, and the backyard provides endless hours of entertainment for Dane and Aidan.  A nicely sized, fenced in, green grassed, swing set bearing backyard.  And I can see it all from the kitchen window.  I love that Dane and Aidan can run in and out barefoot throughout the day, while I watch them from the lovely air conditioned confines of my house. 

Yesterday, the boys were playing outside as usual in the backyard.  They had been adequately bug-sprayed (you WOULD NOT believe the mosquitos here after the rains from earlier this week) and had taken a few of their Ninja Turtle weapons out with them to "play pretend Star Wars".  I was folding laundry at the kitchen table and baby Harper was sleeping in the bouncy seat.  I took some laundry upstairs, and was up there for about 10 minutes putting it away.  When I returned to the kitchen, I looked out to check on the boys, and subsequently vowed to never take my eyes off them again when they were outside. 

Aidan had climbed on top of Brandon's Weber grill, and as I looked on, jumped off of the grill onto the grass while clutching a Kung Fu Panda sword and screaming something about Storm Troopers.

I'm freaking out a bit, imagining in my mind the grill breaking/toppling over with Aidan on top of it.  Or of Aidan falling off the grill, onto the porch, and having to explain this to the pediatrician.

Then I asked a question I wished I had not asked:  "Aidan, how did you get up there?"

"I climbed on that grey thing, Mommy."

"That grey thing?  You mean the propane tank??"

Images of broken, toppling grills and falls were quickly replaced by mental pictures of gas explosions and little-boy bodies flying in the air.

I reamed Aidan out a bit, and we all had a talk about how we NEVER CLIMB ON THE GRILL (it's funny the phrases we say as parents that we never expect to).  He- in all of his easily distractible nature, went right back to talking about Clones and Storm Troopers (I think these are Star Wars terms, but since I am the only person on the planet to never have seen any of the Star Wars movies, I can only venture a guess).  Then Aidan points to the top of the grill and says in his excited voice, "Mommy, did you see my Jedi Flip??"

Could someone that has seen Star Wars please tell me what a "Jedi Flip" is?  Is it where Hans Solo climbs carefully and responsibly off his Daddy's Weber grill, avoiding the propane tank completely?  While singing "Jesus Loves Me" and thinking loving thoughts about his mother?

Because if my child actually FLIPPED off the top of the grill and onto the porch or grass in the few minutes that I was dutifully putting laundry away, I may have a heart attack.  Or contract a case of mild, rarely deadly, "much less dangerous than normal flu" swine flu.

At the very least, I think I can make a case for never putting laundry away again.

The Leaping Jedi and his sister:

5 comments:

John said...

Han Solo isn't a Jedi... don't you know anything?

The Rays said...

I've never seen Star Wars either...you're not alone.

Anonymous said...

Star Wars, Schmar wars...Aidan is amazing.

Anonymous said...

I calling CPS. Harris County?

Unknown said...

I just noticed that in the picture here, Harper is wearing the outfit Dane and Aidan picked out for her what seems like forever ago...that is so sweet! :o)