Words cannot explain

the myriad of emotions. Caleb & his bestest buddy (we call them "Kick" and "Sidekick") were left alone downstairs while I curled my hair for a meeting with friends. I was up there maybe 15 minutes. Maybe.

I could hear them running through the kitchen. I figured it was a super hero game. It wasn't.

In the corner where two couches meet in the family room I have a table. They had stacked it clear to the top with anything and everything they could find:
All the pictures from the wall that I had taken down while Jess re-wired the A/C, including the kids school pictures in frames, the new camcorder Jess found for me at pawn shop to use for our trip and all the film and cables etc for it, the dishes from the table, including one of the kids cereal bowls that still had stuff in it, Cameron's camera, all of Caleb's trucks and cars, a bunch of the vegetables from my garden that had been in a bowl on the table, a couple of storybooks, my Proclamation on the Family, can after can after can of food from the pantry, ketchup bottles, legos, other toys, my pillows from my living room couch, the Wii remotes and a game, 2 DVD's, the TV & DVD player remotes, all the dog toys, glass bottles I had canned and more. And it was all laced with a broken quart jar of homemade tomato juice, a broken quart jar of homemade applesauce and a shattered glass bottle of A&W cream soda, and topped off with their cups of 100% grape juice... and they had THROWN all of it. There was a large can of pears that was deeply dented for how hard these little stinks threw it!


I did not think of taking a picture until I was over half way done cleaning it up.

If you look closely & you can see the two cups full of grape juice where they hit the wall at the top of the pile of stuff...that's how tall it was!


This is the remnant of tomato juice. I cannot believe how blessed I was to get it to come out of the carpet!! There is barely a pink tint along the wall.

I yelled, I screamed, I swatted butts, I cried and cried some more as I threw things away that could not be saved. Those two little men sat quietly in time out for over 2 hours. They were shocked to see me so un-corked I think. And I told them if I had to sit here for hours cleaning it up (because once I got half way through the pile I realized there was glass shards everywhere and they could no longer help me) then they could not play and had to sit there and watch me. And they did. They both kept saying sorry over and over. Caleb's BBF even called me from home with his mommy's help to tell me again... and it took a couple of hours for me to stop crying.

I know they are only things. I know that. It was just so disappointing to miss seeing my friends I haven't seen in months, and to spend over 3 hours shoveling out such a mess when I had so much other stuff I had to do to get ready for our trip!

Alas... I am the mom. That is my job. Damage control. And like it or not... I love these two boys with all of my heart and soul! And after all... if you think about it... Caleb said "We was jus' buildin' a tower"... maybe one day he will be a grand architect and he will take care of my messes as an old grandma! Bwahahahaha!!!