DANGER! Climbing Toddler Zone!

Okay, we already have established that at least one of my tiny trio is a climber.

Remember the Spiderman climbing feats and the way Kai could walk on the top of the play-yard gate like a tight-rope walker?

I had been very relieved to find out that he had quite forgotten how it was that he used to climb that play-yard gate.

I discovered this when we put it up around our Christmas tree in hopes of preserving it and most of the breakable ornaments from harm.

Now, I know that there is something far worse than a toddler who can climb his play-yard gate and walk along the top of it.

My toddler(S) can all pull the chairs back from the dining room table. They can all climb up into the dining room table chairs, even.

Heck, one of them can even pull his Houdini trick and escape FROM his feeding chair that is strapped TO the dining room chair, only to be found squatting in the center of the dining room table where the lazy susan USED to be, happily shredding napkins and wearing the napkin basket as a hat.

What, might you ask, could be worse than that? Let me tell ya, there is SOO much more where that came from!

Today, I innocently had to go potty, so I snuck away while the babies were all sitting in a row on the sofa, eyes glued to their Backyardigan's DVD.

I came back to find Kian sitting in the bottom oven, legs dangling over the edge of the door as if he was sitting on the tailgate of a truck at a party.

I couldn't figure out what it was that he was twirling. Upon closer inspection, it appeared to be Mardi Gras beads, but I knew better.

I removed the two lengths of decorative chain from his hand, got him out of the bottom oven, and looked up through the kitchen pass-through in time to see Kaiden standing on my dining room table.

The chandelier was suspiciously swinging back and forth, a bit too violently for my taste at that.

Apparently, in the thirty seconds it had taken me to try to go to the bathroom, Kai had managed to pull out the chair, climb up on top of the table, and remove three of the decorative chains from the chandelier, and hand them off to his brother.

The whereabouts of the third chain are STILL unknown, but I expect to find them when I clean up their toys after they go to bed tonight.

Then, by the time I was able to walk around to the hallway and get to the dining room, Kaiden had commenced to literally SWINGING from the chandelier.

I did manage to pry him off if it and leave the chandelier in tact, in place, and still somehow miraculously working.

Oddly enough, Vivienne had climbed to the back of the couch and was sitting there watching the entire thing very quietly.

Everyone jokes that I have a hard time finding the time or a safe way to take a shower. Now it seems that I am going to have to give up going potty as well. Eek! What's a Mum to do?