My Bad

New Year's Eve.

It was New Years Eve. We took the big family picture in the morning. Got some great shots. I wish I had them to post, but not yet. We made and ate food, guys went golfing, girls to a movie. It was 10 p.m. and everyone was gathering from our two houses to the one, the one I was in. All kids under 4 were asleep in their rooms and those in the main area were ready for games, etc. to begin.

I had just returned from the movies (at a theater straight out of the 1950s. Staff in suits, an 80-year-old money taker/ticket giver. My ticket looked like the kind you get at carnivals to spend at the fishing pond. The theater was full of smoke due to burnt popcorn? Oh, and there was a grand piano in the lobby.)

So, 10 p.m... I had just returned and went in my cozy master bedroom to feed my baby. Ahhh. Love getting to quietly relax for about 1/2 hour and just hold my baby. I settled down and saw the fireplace which I had yet to use. Ha, I thought, I'm just going to turn that puppy on. The switch wouldn't work. I gave up and walked over to the chair to feed Kate. Right by the door I notice a keypad all lit up. Oh! Maybe each of those numbers turns on something in my room. Seriously, there were so many dang lights in that place and shower nozzles and on and on that I could never figure it out. So, I look at the keypad and by number 7 is a picture of a fire flame. Oh! THIS is where I turn it on. Weird. It says I have to push the number 7 and some other button at the same time. I do it and look over at the fireplace and nothing happens. I try it ONE MORE TIME.

The following clip pretty much shows what happened.

It was SO LOUD--right where the little ones had just fallen asleep. Everyone was running around freaking out. I took a big breath, walked out to the living room and just said, " My bad! It was me! No worries- no fire! It was me. Sorry! Sooo sorry!" Then I had to explain that I thought that the picture of a fire meant the fireplace and not a fire alarm. We had no code to punch in and stop the chaos. We had to call the owner who had never lived in the home and had no idea what the code was either. The fire department would have to come over. Young moms looked at me as if to say, "If you mess up the rest of my New Years Eve...." All of Brett's brothers were madly punching in random numbers and looking at me in between with, "Really? You can't tell that's an alarm system?"

After about 10 minutes, I think Dave finally punched in 4545. Voila. It was over. Miraculously, 95% of children who were asleep stayed asleep. I couldn't believe it. The brothers, however, will never let me live that down. I got teased mercilessly the rest of the night, especially by his sassiest youngest brother. You know who you are. They tease me anyway about lots of things and now this. Great. It's not over.

I'm sitting on the floor in the back corner of the kitchen where I decided I would be in time out. Kate came with me, because she supports me like that.