My baby does chores...right?

This is one of those "posts for posterity" or rather a reminder of what my day to day was like now, so that in some future moment I might look back and laugh.

I have a VERY active 14-month old. This may even be an understatement. His nickname is "Ctrl Z" because this is the "UNDO" function on a computer, because if we ever try to do something, he seems to come along and successfully undo it.

Today is Monday - my "cleaning (to recover from the weekend) day" - which includes laundry, meal planning, overall pick-up, kitchen clean-up, etc. Anyway, as  I was changing a load over, I discovered that a diaper had been put in the washer to be cleaned with the rest of the clothes. Ick! Then I found a package of wipes thrown in the toilet.  Then I found a bookcase that had been emptied of its books. Then I found a Costco box of trash bags that had been unraveled. Then I discovered a box of colored pencils spread out on the floor. FINALLY, I found the culprit with his hands in a box of cereal helping himself to a snack.

Then I GOT IT! I had an epiphany! My baby does chores! These seemingly destructive acts of chaos and disorder are all on his agenda for his own personal "cleaning day". He has been very busy - and this was only half way through the day, but I believe (or at least am going to tell myself) that this kid has been anxiously engaged in a ...well a...cause. He has a mission to discover, do, create, explore, and in his own little way help out. Hopefully as he grows in age and understanding I will be able to mold this little helper into doing things that are a little more constructive rather than destructive, but for now maybe I can TRY to appreciate that he is a curious, active mind that is pretty good at entertaining himself.

Explanation of pictures above:
1) He reached up to the counter and found a plate of butter...and yes, I took a picture of him eating it before taking it away from him.
2) Any time I am taking a picture of the big kids, he runs over in the middle of it and says "cheese".
3) Big sister left an unattended cupcake on the table - Sorry sister, it's gone, now!
4) The only way I really can get him to stop moving and climbing is to strap him into the jogger stroller. As long as he is moving, he is pretty content.
5) A day at the beach - he decided to sample the sand...again and again and again. Finally decided it wasn't that good and moved on to exploring the driftwood instead.