Snapshots from Yesterday....

Observer:
The green mini-van still hadn't moved. The children were loaded, but that crazy mother kept opening and closing the garage door and running in and out of the house! It was baffling...first she brought out a gigantic green bag, then a basket overflowing with books that she almost couldn't carry, and finally after backing away and closing the garage door, she stopped again and ran in for something small and round. Hmmmm. Wonder what it could be...

Yours Truly:
Honestly, they were all important! The green bag? It was the diaper bag, and since I have a two-year old in diapers, well...you can surely see the necessity there. And the basket of books? They are all library books, and since they are due and we are going to the library...it would surely be a catastrophe to leave them behind. No, the small round thing was not a donut, though it did have a hole in the middle. We stopped eating donuts around here months ago, on account of the hydrogenated something-or-other in them. I'll have you know it was a CD with Galations 5:22-26 sung on it. My daughter requested it, and this kind of fruit is something that I refuse to deny my children, no matter how many pieces they've already eaten.... ;-)

Observer:
The child flung open the restroom door, stuck out a naked hip and whined "Mama, I've got an owie....right thew." The mother examined the spot, and leaned over to remove something from the child with a device from her pocket, which she then flushed down the toilet. If that was what I think it was, then this woman must carry around tweezers in her pocket!

Yours Truly:
In reality, it was a fingernail clipper. I know, Jeanna, I'm supposed to gently grasp the head with tweezers, but the tick showed up in the library of all places, and I just didn't have a pair lying around.

Observer:
At the check-out counter, a little boy had his head in a book. The librarian requested it and he reluctantly handed it over, only to grab another book out of the basket and stick his nose in. Suddenly the mother turned around and said, "where's my son?" The lady behind them gestured grandly to book-head. "No, my other one." The librarian said, "how old is he?" The mother replied "two" and proceeded to search the surrounding area. He was spied in the lounging area nearby and an older sister retrieved him. I'll bet her hands are full....

Yours Truly:
He really is a very good boy, better trained than any child I've had. It's just that he's getting used to his surroundings. He thinks of the library as home:-) And book-head is....just a little distracted, that 's all. He's got prizes in his eyes...the ones he'll win from the library reading program. :-)

Observer at Verizon Wireless:
The lady walked in right before me. She had FOUR little kids in tow and I thought, "Oh, great!" They all carried books, the youngest one a sippy cup. At her request, they settled down against the wall and proceeded to read their books. I thought, "Ok, this won't be so bad." After awhile, that lady spoke quietly to the children, and then she kept tilting her head and wagging her eyebrows at them. "Why doesn't she just leave them alone?" I thought. They are being so good....

Yours Truly:
I knew that it would be a long wait, so I told them to bring the books. But then I began to ponder the word "interminable", and I decided book-head had better read to the younger kiddos to keep them occupied. When I gave the request, he looked decidedly unhappy and shook his head. I persisted. "The Eye", punctuated by wagging eyebrows didn't do the trick. I think he was just not wanting to read to an audience, for by this time the line had increased. Sigh. Your're right, they are being so good.

Observer in Walmart:
I saw them three times in the store. The first time all four children were gazing raptly at the fish tanks. I faintly heard labels of "Dorie" and "Nemo" accompanied by little fingers pointing at the tanks. The next time they were in the shoe department. It appeared that the girls were getting new sandals while the boys played. The oldest boy was letting the baby grab his hair and found it so hilarious that he was squealing loudly. His mom kept grabbing his nose and twisting it. How odd. Then the little girl, she must have been about 3-years old, put her sandals in the cart and began leaping off of the bench at the end of the aisle. It's getting a bit noisy around here.... I caught a glimpse of them again near the checkout. They were walking along, the 3 year old was in the baby seat, the baby was walking beside his mother with his hand in her pocket and the older ones were holding onto the cart. Then they spied the candy...

Yours Truly:
I know, you thought from my previous post on Walmart that I had this all under control, but now you know I'm a real person :-). But before you jump to the assumption that I always buy candy for my kids, please know that I only bought that pack of Rolos because my two-year old opened it (really). And I didn't even read the label to check for hydrogenated evils (forgive me Nathan?)... besides, the children had already seen me put the package of Dove Chocolates in the cart, so my reputation was already ruined (I did it all wrong, shopping hungry). Maybe next week I'll get it right.