Tales from Walmart

As you can see, this blog is quickly turning into a photoblog. That is what happens when a person has no time to write anymore. They upload pictures of their offspring (for the grandparents!) and call it good. Seriously, I don't remember the last day I didn't have to work. It's been a few weeks.

But today - I gave myself the day off today. At least the daytime hours.

So what, you ask, did I do with all this time on my hands? Well, let's see... I washed the dishes. I reconnected with old friends on Facebook. I read some blogs. I played with Caleb. I made lunch.

Then, I went to Walmart with two kids. In the rain.

It felt like an epic adventure, taking my 2.5 year old and my 2.5 month old to Walmart by myself. My little one blew out her diaper on the way there, but at least she didn't cry. A quick diaper change on the driver's seat of my car, baby deposited in the sling, and toddler in the cart (fun time lifting him in there once the baby was already in the front sling, even though earlier I had made a mental note to do it the other way around), running in from the rain, the doors opened and there we were: "Hello, Walmart shoppers!"

I bought the whole store. Let me show you. In addition to groceries, I also bought clothes for the children (as if they don't have enough already), toys and books for Caleb, FURNITURE (yes, on my first shopping trip with the two of them I BOUGHT A STORAGE OTTOMAN - for Caleb's toys! of which we have so many!), a comforter (so pretty), a variety of exotic spices, and oh so much chocolate (this one was fueled by Caleb's requests). Apparently I haven't gotten out much lately.

It was a pleasant trip. The baby slept most of the way through (she is very happy in the sling), Caleb loves to shop with Mommy, always behaving very well, helping to put all the stuff in the cart, and not once needing to go to the bathroom, both children slept on the way home allowing me to sing "Saturday in the park" uninterrupted, well at least until we turned into our development and Ariana started to cry...

It must be said that she hates car rides and I've yet to take a ride of more than 10 minutes without her screaming at the top of her lungs. ANY TIME AT ALL IN THE CAR without her screaming is considered a success. I know, this does not bode well for our upcoming trip with 3 hours' drive each way. I am being hopeful that somehow, magically, when she hits the 3 month mark, she will do better. Or in other words, I am in denial.

So, with whispers of don'twakeCalebdon'twakeCalebdon'twakeCaleb, I pull into our driveway, unload the screaming baby, unload the groceries and the FURNITURE as the rain is pouring down, and lastly come back for my sleeping son to carry him inside...

It must be my lucky day, for the one minute it took me to deposit sleeping Caleb into a bed, she took a break and stopped crying. Running back to her, whipping out her food, with groceries still sitting on the kitchen floor, dripping wet, waiting their turn, I now sit here, both children quiet and amazingly, I am actually writing a post on my Blog... I'm so proud of myself.