today and yesterday and a few days ago

So the kids and I ran some errands this morning.  First of all, let me say that it could have gone a LOT worse.  All three kiddos were in good moods and that makes a HUGE difference.  First we went to Babies R Us.  Timber rode in the cart while Scout and Flora walked.  They didn't have what I was looking for but we stayed for a while to look at the toys.  Flora was very good about staying with me but Scout would get caught up in "toy mode" and not keep up with us or disappear around a corner.  Once I caught sight of him dashing around a lady in the center aisle saying, "I have to go this way to my Mommy!"  He was all the way in the back of the store before I finally caught up to him.  Two ladies were asking him where his mommy was -- haha -- uh, that would be me.  So then we left (but not before we rode the coin operated car in the entry) but when we got to the car Scout realized that he had left his sunglasses inside.  Awesome.  Turn our little caravan around and head back inside.  Flora and I searched the toy aisles for Scout's glasses while he continued to get distracted by the toys.  Eventually we found them in the book aisle wedged in between Goodnight Moon and Five Little Monkeys Jumping on the Bed.

So then we left again and headed to Hobby Lobby.  I remembered Hobby Lobby's carts were very small but in my mind they were still big enough for all three of my kids to ride.  Not exactly.  I put the two most destructive Borkerts (Scout and Timber) in the cart while Flora obediently walked next to the cart and didn't touch anything.  I don't know how many times I repeated, "Don't touch ANYTHING" while we were in there but it worked.  We got in, found what we needed, and got out with no broken glass or toppled displays.  Whew!  Target was our last stop.  I had purchased some chocolate covered pretzels at Hobby Lobby to ward off any hungry monsters so I was planning on a trouble-free trip.  We went inside and I had Timber and Flora buckled into a big cart before realizing one of Scout's buckles was broken, SO we switched everyone over to a different cart.  Then we went to the photo area to get some pictures printed and I discovered that I had left my camera in the van.  We turned our semi-truck/limo cart around and headed back out to the car to get my camera.  Thankfully the rest of our Target shopping went smoothly and we got home just in time for lunch and naps.  And I'm exhausted.  Remember what it was like to run errands without kids?  It was so simple.....but not as much fun!

Okay.....some other stories ---

I had to take Flora and Timber with me to get Scout's flu shot.  He bravely got his shot with no tears whatsoever.  Flora kept bragging on how brave he was.  She got her flu shot a couple weeks later....it was a totally different scenario.  She screamed and thrashed on the table before the nurse was able to give her the shot and wailed afterward.  I know I probably seemed like Bad Mommy but I couldn't help laughing at her theatrics.  I didn't tell Scout that Flora had cried because I thought she would be embarrassed and she didn't mention it to him when we got home either.
Today (three days later) we drove past our doctor's office and Flora said, "Hey!  That's the doctor's office where I got my poke!" with a smile that slowly faded as she seemed to be remembering the ordeal (Poke = Shot).  Then she made the following confession to Scout in hushed tones:
Flora:  Scout.....
Scout:  What?
Flora:  I cried when I got my poke.
Scout:  Oh....was it a big poke?
Flora:  No.....just a little poke but I still cried.  But YOU didn't cry when you got your poke.  You were so brave.
Scout:  Oh....yeah.
I don't know why but I just thought this little conversation was SO cute!  She was confessing that she had cried but was still proud of Scout for not crying.  They are just TOO adorable!!

And one more story of how sweet they can be to each other.  Yesterday morning Scout said, "Flora, we can watch your princess show if you want."  And Flora replied, "No, I think I want to watch the Stuck Truck Dora show." (Scout's favorite).  Granted, this was a rare occurrence (thus earning a spot on the blog) -- most mornings consist of them fighting over which show to watch and me ultimately picking the show because they can't agree.  Yes, that's right, we start each morning with a tv show.  I really need that half hour or so to finish waking up..... 

Now a funny story -- the kids were playing in Flora and Scout's room yesterday while I was busy setting my fantasy football lineup.  When I finished I went to see what they were doing (it sure SOUNDED like a good time!!).  I entered the room to find Scout in his underwear, Flora in a swimsuit, and both of them wearing snow boots -- "Superhero Boots" according to them.  Flora's not mad in the pic on the right....this is her Superhero pose!