Locked Out!

For my daughter's first day of pre-K today, I thought it would be cute to get a few pics. with the front door in the background even though we were leaving through the backdoor, so she and I stepped outside for about 45 seconds to snap some pictures.
While we were outside, my 2 year old, who was inside by himself for 45 seconds (and boy did I learn my lesson about that), LOCKED THE DOOR!

When I tried to open the door and found it locked, I just thought, "No way am I locked outside with only my camera and my 4 year old, with my 2 year old alone inside!" It was surreal!

I flipped open the mail slot and told my toddler to unlock the door. I wasn't sure if he could, but he had locked it, so I figured maybe he could unlock it.

He tried and couldn't.

Remember my post yesterday about the "Dragging a chair" phase? I told him to drag a chair over, hoping being taller would help him work the lock.

Didn't work.

I had another idea. Maybe he could get the key out and pass it to me through the mail slot and then I could unlock it from the outside. So, I told him to take the key out and give it to me.

Didn't work. He couldn't get the key out.

My daughter, outside with me, began crying, "I'm going to be late for school!"

I began to think I needed to head to a neighbor's house to call my husband to come home from work to rescue us.

Then I had another idea. Surely the 2 year old could get my car keys (also with a house key on the same ring) off the hook in the kitchen and pass those through the mail slot!

I told him to take the chair and get Mommy's car keys and bring them to me.

He was gone for a few minutes.

Minutes where I could be found barking orders into the mail slot.

He returned and said, "I don't see 'em."

I had one last idea up my sleeve. I remembered my husband and 6 year old had been locked out in the backyard when someone (Hmm, could it have been me?) left for errands and accidentally locked the backdoor. But they were able to get in when my 6 year old went through the doogie door.

However, the side gate into our backyard was locked, so I was forced to climb the fence.

In a dress.

With my daughter standing below saying, "But Mommy, you might get hurt!"

I made it over and unlocked the gate to let her into the backyard. We ran around to the backdoor and she went in through the doggie door and once inside she unlocked the door to the house to let me in.
My 4 year old breaking and entering into her own house!

When I got inside I saw my purse on the floor. My toddler had gone through it looking for the car keys, so at least he had looked, but they were hanging right on the hook where I'd told him they were. What is it about males and not being able to find things?!!

I am exceedingly grateful for that doogie door that our dog doesn't use, and for my daughter who saved the day and wasn't even late for school!

Find more Gratituesday here and What I Learned This Week here and Wordful Wednesday here