The Big Costco Adventure

This afternoon, after Avery got out of school, our whole family went to Costco. Most of these trips do contain a few minor incidents, but usually nothing worth writing about - or at least nothing that I want to remember forever. Someone usually gets lost for a few heart-stopping minutes and someone almost always gets hurt by falling off of a cart. At least one if not all three of the kids cry at some point and there are always, always at least 14 arguments (mostly between the kids). Today's visit, however, turned out to be the best one yet.

First, somewhere between the wine section and the guy passing out the fudge samples, Avery yanked her front tooth out. I'm sure I don't have to tell you the excitement that this event causes in a 6 year old and her siblings. I will tell you that we stopped mid-aisle, not caring who was behind us or trying to get past us. We all shrieked, jumped up and down and hugged each other, as if we had just hit the Powerball jackpot. It was a glorious moment.

There was some slight panic when she thought she dropped the tooth in Costco, but after a good 10 minutes of searching every spot we had been since it first fell out, we realized that it was just stuck to the Kleenex she had wrapped it in. Whew.

Next, the kids went off with their dad and found a little picnic table. Usually, when those four go off on their own, they come back with bags full of candy bars and boxes of every fruit snack you can imagine but, I must admit, this discovery was their best one yet. Of course, it wasn't as cheap as the candy is, but we've been wanting a little outside table ever since the wooden one we had rotted in the rain. Plus, this purchase doesn't cause hyperactivity or cavities. So I'm happy.

They are ecstatic about it. Avery informed me that they would be eating all of their meals on this table from now on, forever! I informed her that no meals would take place on the rug, but we'll deal with that when the next meal comes. (Side note: The table folds up so that it will lay flat or lean up against a wall. Able-to-be-hidden is one of my favorite qualities in a kids' item.)

The third, and final, life-altering event involved the gorgeously pink dress that Reese is wearing in the above photo. As we walked toward the checkout lanes, we passed through the clothing section. There was a rack of little girls' dresses, overflowing with all sorts of pink, fluffy, shiny, and rustly concoctions. Reese thought she had died and gone to Heaven. She stood there, wrapping her arms around each dress that she loved and then, as if her life wasn't perfect enough at that moment, her daddy said the words that every woman wants to hear: "If you want one, you can have one...they aren't expensive." She spent several minutes going from dress to dress, trying to find the perfect one. I saw this one on the end and, trying to distract her from the black and white horror with the monstrous magenta rose on it, showed her this one. She turned to look and her eyes got wide. She immediately dropped the offensive one on the ground and ran to me, grabbing the dress and twirling with it in her arms. "This one! This one! I have to have this one!" she said as she twirled. After the excitement had died down a bit, she looked at me and said "Momma, when I look at this dress it makes me want to go faster."

I know exactly how you feel, Baby. I have the same reaction when I see that Sephora box arrive on the doorstep.

Super Family!

Super Mom, Super Dad and Super Baby...I'll let you guess who's who. Have a SUPER day!

What the.....?

Sprinkles!

We love Sprinkles cupcakes. Unfortunately, the only place to get them is about a 40 minute drive away, into Dallas. Also, they are a gazillion dollars apiece. So we don't get them often. But, sometimes I buy the (also way expensive) Sprinkles mixes at Williams Sonoma. Economically, they are a total ripoff. The mix is about $14 and it is just a mix. You still have to add butter, milk, eggs and you have to make your own icing. (They provide the recipe.) So basically, you get a package of dry mix for $14. Oh, I forgot the signature dot to put on top of the cupcake. That explains the high cost. (not) But dang, those things are good. Sometimes it's worth all the extra expense. Sometimes, a Betty Crocker just won't do. Plus, $14 for a dozen Sprinkles isn't all that bad...a dozen at the shop is at least $36. Anyway, sometimes I just want one! For those occasions, we keep a Sprinkles kit in the pantry.



Guess what flavor we made today?


What the hell is red velvet, anyway?

Interesting Playdate

Avery had a friend over this afternoon...for most of the afternoon they played together, in the same room. Toward the end, however, Avery was just wandering around in the living room and kitchen while her friend stayed in the girls' bedroom with Reese. Assuming Avery was mad, even though she looked totally normal, I asked what was wrong and she said "Nothing." I asked her why she wasn't playing with her friend and Reese and she said "We're pretending like we're divorced." So basically, they spent a good 10-15 minutes in separate rooms, doing separate things. And here I thought the whole concept of a playdate was for them to get to play together.
What's next? Pretending to be poor? Out of work? Frustrated with cleaning up after kids who don't appreciate it?
I will never understand the mind of a child.

A Day to Remember

I received an email from Avery's teacher today, telling me that Avery wasn't her "normal, cheery self" today. She said Avery seemed kind of distant and maybe she was concerned about me being sick.
I was sick all day yesterday and on the mend today so I kind of thought her mood might have something to do with the fact that I was isolated in my room, with fever, on a day when we usually snuggle and cuddle together in the evening. Combine that with her daddy getting her ready and rushing her along on the first day back to school after a two week vacation and it's no surprise that she might feel a little blue.
When she got home (someone else brought her home because I was afraid to leave the house for too long), I asked her how her day was. She was perfectly cheerful and had the same happy attitude she normally does. I told her that her teacher emailed me that she seemed sad and she said "Yeah, I was sad today." When I asked her why, she said "Because you were sick and I was worried. I just couldn't stop thinking about you."

No, I'm not bragging or trying to be unnecessarily sappy, but I have to mark this day in history because I have a sinking feeling that, someday in the not-so-distant future, she'll be perpetually annoyed with me and wanting very little to do with me. When I feel like I might just strangle her and when she wants to run away from home, I can pull this out and remind her that, once upon a time, I was her whole world. As she is mine.