Locked Out

One night a couple of weeks ago, we got locked out of the house.  It was a comedy of errors, really.  The three kids and I were enjoying a lovely day in the backyard after school.  Mikayla had woken up from her nap, and everyone was in a good mood, for the most part.  I was swinging Mikayla, and looked up because Luka had just slammed the door.  "Huh?"  I thought.  Wonder what he is mad about this time.  I pretended I didn't hear the door slam, because clearly he was after my attention.

About 45 minutes later, I decided to heard in to the house.  Saxon was clearly in the house, which was a good thing, because right after school, when I was riding the bikes to pick up the kids, we came home to find that Saxon had dug under the fence and escaped.  So I spent the next 30 minutes driving around with three kids, trying to find the dog, with no luck.  Wouldn't you know it that when we got back home, he was sitting in the backyard wagging his tail like he was all innocent?  Back to the story, and playing in the backyard.

I needed to go in, start dinner, and clean up the mess of a house, since I had been running errands and then working in the afternoon, and had not done many chores yet that day.  I think breakfast dishes were still on the table, which is actually pretty rare.  Well, the screen door was seemingly locked.  Must have jammed when Luka slammed it?  Seemed kinda weird.

For the next hour, I did everything I could think of to break into my own house, since I had no keys, no phone, no diapers, etc.  The kids were still playing fine at this point.  The hidden key would have been the best choice, but two days earlier, my own house key had broken off in the lock, and so the hidden key was now on my keychain (in the house) until we could get another one.  I tried to see if any of the windows were unlocked, so I could bust through the chain.  Carried the ladder around to each downstairs window to check.  Of course, Scott had been on a trip, and I am very good about locking all the windows so I can set the alarm, especially when he is gone.  I even went so far as to drag out the big extended ladder, and climb up the roof to check Mikayla's window.  No luck.  But then I panicked on the way down (I don't do well with heights, as it turns out) so I abandoned the thought of checking the other upstairs windows.  Mommy falling off the roof with 3 kids running around the backyard just didn't seem like a safe option.

Maybe I should check the hidden key, just in case.  Wow!  Scott had already replaced it!  Too bad I didn't think of that earlier, but who cares?  TJ ran with the key to the front of the house, and then he started yelling that he couldn't get it to work.  "Turn it the other way!" I yelled.  Sigh.  Off to the front I go to show my kids how to use a key.  Oh wait, it goes in, but it doesn't turn at all.  What??  Surely Scott hid a key that works in the locks?  Seriously??  What is Plan D?

Hmmm.  What time is Scott getting home?  I knew it was that night, but didn't know if it was 5:30 or 10:30.  No computer to check, and no one to call.  Don't even have anyone's phone number memorized except for Scott's thanks to speed dial.  I though about pulling something out of the garage freezer to grill, but then changed my mind.  We had our bikes, so we hopped on and went to a friend's house, who graciously took us in, fed us, gave us diapers, and listened to me complain.

I kept using her phone to call Scott, whose phone was off, meaning he was flying.  I even borrowed her computer to email Denise and Mark in Colorado, to see if Mark could check Scott's schedule to see when he'd be home.  But the phone number I gave him must have been bad, because I never got a call, and still had no idea when Scott would be home.  Kids are fed...do I try to put them to bed?  Mikayla was doing remarkably well.  8:00.  My friend put her kids to bed, and I just wanted to keep mine quiet, so I just let them keep watching TV so I could try to entertain Mikayla.

FINALLY, at 10:00, Scott called from the cockpit and had just landed.  Great, except that it would take another hour for him to get home.  Better late than never I guess.  Three tired kids and a very cranky mom, but we made it, and we had good friends to help us out.

Oh, and the door?  Turns out it wasn't locked at all.  Luka slammed it so hard, the entire frame bent, and Scott had to actually unscrew it to get it open.  Kids!