Charley "Danger" Nelson

In most cases, the sight of a fire truck conjures up feelings of safety and security...in our house, it represents risky, dangerous, unacceptable behavior, courtesy of Charley James.

How unsafe can a brightly colored playpen be anyway? After all, we use this area to contain the C-Man so he doesn't hurt himself in other areas of our home. Well, thanks to his wonderful Aunt Maria & Uncle Billy, and the addition of a toy fire truck that he loves (and his parents want to throw out of the window due to the cacophony of sounds it produces), Charley discovered a way to use his new toy as a step stool to climb out of his enclosure.

As displayed by the incriminating photos below, our barely 7 month old stuntman figured out a way to climb on the seat of his truck, stand up, and reach for the adjacent desk as a means of escape or other form of mischief. This was accomplished in literally under one minute of silent determination while both of his attentive parents sat oblivious approximately 5 feet away.

Part of me was overflowing with pride as I witnessed my son's ingenuity, while the other part of me was simply horrified...