toddler's april fools

You know, I had kind of decided that the Andersen family wasn't going to celebrate April Fools Day this year.

I'm really not into the prank-type jokes, and I'm generally not good enough at lying to pull off the outrageous information/early in the morning phone call type of joke.

Plus, I thought, Nicholas is too young to get it anyway.

We'll celebrate more of these holidays when he's older.

I was wrong.

 It all happened in the short space of time it takes me to pluck my eyebrows.  

Here's what went down:

1.    Nicholas finds my cell phone--I knew because I could hear him "hewoo? hewoo? Ahahaha!  Oh man!"  (that's his usual pretend phone conversation, complete with maniac laughter. He must think I sound like a lunatic when I'm on the phone.)

2.    Nicholas finds the single marker I missed when I was putting them all away a few months ago.

3.    Nicholas colors on self.

4.    Nicholas colors on bathroom cupboards, toilet lid, and bathtub.

5.   Mom discovers mess in bathroom.

6.   Mom runs to grab camera. (Naturally)

7.   Mom discovers stairway:

Nicholas is cheering and clapping.  Seriously.

8.   Mom knows that the next step is to call her mom- must tell someone right away.

9.   Mom can't find her cell phone.  The one that Nicholas had been playing with...

10.   When Mom asks Nicholas where the phone is, Nicholas responds with a shrug and "no no?"  (I don't know)

11.  Mom finally emails Dad to ask him to call her phone.  

12.  The phone is ringing, it's in the computer room.  It's near the computer. It's not under the desk, in the drawer, behind the computer...  

13.  Dad calls again, and Mom finds herself with her ear next to the printer, thinking what in the heck? 

14.  Yes, my son drew all over himself and the entire house, and then he hid my cell phone inside the printer.  Inside the printer. 

Needless to say, I'm not letting this little prankster out of my sight again for the rest of the day.