My Inner Vandal Surfaces

I'm not sure why or when exactly this started, but the boys and I have been on a mission to find wet cement.  Why?  I should think it obvious - we want to touch it, of course!  We find pictures or initials written on sidewalks all over our neighborhood and beyond, and each time we see one, we have to stop, read it, study it, talk about it, then excitedly revise our plans of making our own someday based on what we did or did not like about the last one.

So we have really been on the look-out for a patch of wet cement.  You wouldn't think it would be too difficult, given that everywhere we look lately, there is a construction project going on.  We have two old houses torn down and new ones going up within view of our living room window - and those are just the ones we can see without going anywhere!  There are countless road projects going on within walking distance as well as a giant grocery store slowly rising out of a once bare lot a block away.  Even with all this construction going on though, the timing really has to be perfect, doesn't it?  You can just wait around for a cement truck to drive by, follow it, watch the cement pour, then walk up and say, "Excuse me, we'd like to draw here."

Well, last night, the stars all aligned and I found my patch of wet cement!  It could not have been more perfect!  Good thing I missed my early morning run and had to do it in the evening, or I would never have seen the men smoothing out a section of sidewalk less than a block from my front door!  As I ran by, I smiled and gave them a nod and tried to study their work as quickly and innocently as possible, all the while thinking, "I have to make good time tonight so I can get home before this dries and before Matt puts those boys to bed!"

I have to say, I did make pretty good time.  Nothing like quickly drying cement to get those feet moving!  The moment I walked in the door, I got the boys' shoes on them and explained that we had a secret mission to attend to and we needed to be quick and quiet.  Mitchell's eyes got wide and he said, "Are we going outside in our jammies in the dark?"  I think maybe that was the best part for him - he had just about passed out on the couch before I got home, so the idea of doing something normally not done and the fact that I was so animated and excited myself really got him hopping - literally!

I didn't tell them where we were going or what we were doing, only that it was a secret mission and that we had to be sneaky and quiet.  How perfect for us that it was dark and there wasn't crowds of people milling about!  When we got to the wet spot and they saw the caution cones set up, it suddenly dawned on Ben what we were up to and he said, "Mom!  It's wet cement!  We found some finally!"  That is exactly how I felt too!

We got close, scoped out the scene, made sure no one was coming, then bent down and pressed our hands into the cold, wet cement.  It was awesome.  We finally left our mark in the neighborhood and it is right down the street where we can see it every day!  Now, if we could just buy the brand new house that is being built there, everything would fall into place!