Fun at the Grocery Store

I know you're looking at this picture and wishing you were here with us!  Look at all the fun you missed!

I usually shop for at least one week at a time.  Sometimes, when I'm really organized, I can shop for a month (minus milk & fresh produce).  But since the kids have been out of school, it's been impossible.  During the school year, I had one in first grade and one in preschool a couple of mornings a week.  So, if I planned well, I only had to shop with two little helpers.  They were certainly enough of a handful!  But this summer I'm stuck!  I can't go in the evenings when Chris is home since we are at the ball fields most nights.  And the weekends are packed with everything we didn't have time for during the week. 

So, I took the kids to Dillons with the car shopping carts knowing that would entertain two of my crew.  They also have the mini shopping carts and I had the other two rotate pushing it.  This normally would work if we were doing it in the morning, but swimming lessons have gotten in the way of that.  So we were at Dillons at 5pm.   Most people there were grabbing enough ingredients for one meal -- and they gave me quite a few looks - most of them not so warm and fuzzy if you know I mean.  We took up a lot of space in the isles.  We were not exactly the best drivers.  And, we were a little loud.  But, I got everything on my list (a minor miracle in my book) and saved $26 with coupons.  So, I apologize to the teenage boy bagging up all my stuff, but I'm done and won't be back for at least a week!    

And maybe, just maybe, Chris will get a turn to take all four to the store for some serious shopping.  I'd love to see a picture of that! 

Sophia the Snake Handler

Saturday, we took the kids to the Great Plains Nature Center for their annual "Walk With the Wild" event.  The Nature Center is a great place for taking the kids on walks and Saturday they had 20-30 animal stations set up where the kids could view native animals, birds, reptiles & insects.  Some you could just look at up close like the owls, some you could touch like the craw fish and snakes.  Sophia LOVES animals of all sorts, but anything that I would consider creepy really captures her attention.  She's constantly asking me to google things on-line like sharks, vampire bats, and gross spiders.  I avoid snakes at all cost.  But Sophia was so excited to get to hold a bull snake.  She didn't want to leave.  I didn't want to watch.  I looked away. 

Yes, here she's petting it as it wraps it's body around her neck.  ICK!  All the kids loved the event  and if I would have remembered earlier they could have participated in a fishing clinic.  I guess there's always next year!  Or, since we back up to a pond, maybe we just need to carve out some fishing time with Daddy! 

My littlest helper

This summer I've been working with the girls, allowing them to be "mama's helper" once a week and letting them pick the meal and help with the dishes.  Sam has been watching.  He likes to know what's going on at all times.  Tonight when I started doing the dishes he pushed a chair in from the table (just like his sisters do).  I had already filled up the sink with soapy water so he grabbed some cups and spoons and started washing them.  It was so cute.  And, of course, I knew it would end in disaster, but it seemed like a bit of harmless fun. 

So I let him.  He knew exactly what to do, how to scrub the dishes, put them in the other side of the sink, and then on to the dish rack to dry.  But, since he's just shy of turning 2, he lacked a little in his hand-eye coordination.  And what started as a little mistake, soon became a great big amount of fun.  Scooping the cup up with soapy water and emptying it out -- sometimes into the sink, sometimes not so much.  Who knew that a little guy like him could literally scoop an entire sink full of water out onto the counter, the floor, the chair, and of course on himself. 

He was having such a great time.  If you look closely, you can see how wet the counter tops were, the cabinets, chair, floor, and of course Sam's clothes were drenched!  I learned a few things:

 

1.  Our sink holds quite a bit of water. 

2.  Some towels are more absorbent than others.

3.  Bubbles are fun indoors as well as outdoors. 

4.  Sam's way to get me to mop the floor somehow was more fun than my way. 

5.  He's my baby and he get away with anything. (I knew that already!)

6.  The chores will always wait - they're not going anywhere, but kids grow up way too fast and you have to take time to play. (I knew that, but I need regular reminders!)

7.  Sam looks awfully cute wrapped in his new monkey towel. 

Can I borrow an egg?

Our neighbor sent her daughter over this evening to borrow an egg.  Unfortunately, I had just used my last two eggs earlier baking chocolate chip cookies.  I told her I had completely run out.   But, Isabella started yelling, "wait, I've got one!"  She showed up at the door a moment later with a pink Easter egg.  So cute!  So, I sent the egg home and told her to tell her mom that the pink egg was all I had!   Funny kid.