Monkey Business

This Sunday we stayed after church so that Elizabeth could go to choir practice. While she was singing I was in charge of the kids. Sebastian had been roaming around the chapel with some of his nursery friends that were also staying for choir. Meanwhile, Paige was fussy because she was tired and hungry. Sebastian seeing that Paige was unhappy shared his prized possession, Curious George, his stuffed monkey with Paige to cheer her up. Paige was excited by her new toy and decided to smother her face into George's shoulder and left a fairly hearty booger deposit. Sebastian came back to get his monkey and immediately noticed the new snotty residue on his monkey's right shoulder. Sebastian then said to me "need to wash monkey" to which I responded "we can wash him when we get home." Thinking this satisfied Sebastian I turned away to console my now whining daughter. Several minutes later I looked around to check on Sebastian and he was nowhere in sight. I asked Elizabeth if she could see Sebastian from the choir seats, he could not be seen. So I put Paige near the choir seats so that I could go look for my lost son. I turned my back and Paige fell off a step and whacked her head and started wailing in the chapel. I picked her up and decided to take her with me on my journey for my son. Then a mother from another ward came in the chapel and asked me "is this your son roaming the hallways?" My first thought was "oh no, what has he gotten into now?" I told her yes and she kindly responded "he was washing his monkey." Once she left I asked Sebastian where his monkey was and also noticed the baseball sized water spots on his sweater. He told me it was in the bathroom. I followed him as he directed me to which bathroom George was in. He led me straight to the women's restroom. He walked in and started to look without a thought. A different kind mother helped him look while I waited outside; no luck. We checked the men's room and, voile, George was on the counter. Then I noticed the setting of the washing. George was on the counter laying face up in a puddle. The covered diaper bin was next to the sink and as I got closer I could see water everywhere within a several foot radius. Sebastian responded to my question about the mess with "I washed monkey." George was wet from his right fingers all the way up to his neck. For a split second I wanted to me angry, but then instinct set it and the laughter roared. Sebastian immediately smiled shyly and we laughed together. I rehearsed the story to my wife and we laughed all the way home from church. I dearly love my little boy, he is one of the major high points in my life! I lovingly told Sebastian that he needs to have someone help him wash his monkey next time and that he was being such a big boy by washing his monkey all by himself. I learned two days ago that kids grow up way too fast. This will be a memory that will stay with me for a very long time.