Our Morning

To be honest, it is hard to think tonight. Since I heard the news about the Chapman family late this afternoon, my heart has been aching. I do not know the family personally, but have seen SCC in concert and heard him and Mary Beth speak about adoption. The fact that the Chapman's teenage son was driving the vehicle that accidentally struck their little girl only adds more heartache to a heartbreaking situation.

My kitchen is a mess and all I can think about is wanting to snuggle with my kids. I feel guilty for snapping at the X-factor right before dinner time. I want to sneak into their room and watch them sleep. I cannot imagine the agony of losing a child. Most of you know that Dr. N and I lost a baby to miscarriage before X-Factor came to be. That pain was piercing and I still think about our little baby "o." even though we never met him/her.

All that written, I want to write a journal entry of sorts about today. Because our morning was a good one. A fun one. And I don't want to forget it. Yes, it was an everydayish kind of fun...nothing anyone would write a book about...but for a book of memories, it is perfect.

This morning, as the X-Factor, Z-man and I were eating breakfast, I announced that we were going to the mall today. Our mall has a very nice indoor play area for tots and preschoolers. Z-man is a climber and I thought that this would give him opportunity to climb on objects without receiving a reprimand. Not that he heeds reprimands, but still. And the X-Factor, being an eXtrovert, loves the mall. So does her mama. I do. Not so much on Christmas eve, Black Friday, or New Years Day, but just about any other time of the year. I love the mall. I love walking in a climate controlled area and smelling mall smells, and watching people shop, and browsing mall fashions.

At the mall, I used a gift card I was given for a decaf mocha. And then the kids and I strolled to the play area. X and Z had a blast in different ways. Z was in climbing glory! X, found lots of little kids to befriend.

My girl cracks me up! She walked over to these two little girls who looked as if they trotted in for a play break after a Gap photo shoot. Cute girls. They both looked about a year older than X. But age does not matter to my little leader. She commenced a quick introduction followed by instructions.

"Hi! My name is X! OK, you (pointing to Blond Gap Girl), are going to play with me and pretend you are a baby fly. I am going to be the mommy fly, and you (pointing to Curly-haired Gap Girl) are going to be the big sister fly. OK, everyone got that? Good. Let's play!"

Some parents embellish the cute things their kids say to make them cuter...I'm not doing that here. Promise. That was the dialog...want to learn something even funnier? They followed! Without hesitation or questioning the bossy 35 pounder, they obeyed and had fun! How does she do it?

While I was watching my kids play I noted that several little boys were not content to stay in the play area. I sighed and thought "Well,probably in another 4 months or so, Z-man will be like those boys."

Four months? Naw, try four minutes! He went for the escape. And then again. And again. Hmmm...maybe there is something to the theory about first born leader and the wild child baby?

After lots of playtime, a cheap lunch from the McD value menu (except for Z-man), a twirl on the tot lot ride, and a bathroom pit stop (X loves family bathrooms. She thinks any room that has a small and large toilet and a small and large sink is just the bomb) we headed toward the exit.

We took our time strolling through Sears. They had a dress sale. The X-Factor and I looked at dresses in my size for about 15 minutes until Z-man started to squawk at us. I've disclosed my love of dresses no? I love dresses. Especially casual dresses that one can wear all summer long. I think before N and I married, I wore dresses nearly everyday...even on weekends. Sears was having a buy one get one free sale, but all the dresses were $60 and up. Two dresses for $60 is not bad, but also not in the budget. However, if I could have gotten two of any of those gorgeous frocks for $30, I would have caved and just asked for forgiveness. I was in dress heaven. Seriously, if you need a dress or two, go to Sears. Right now. Go.

So, for a few hours this morning, all three of us were in our respective elements and having a blast.

Precious Moments. Now I'm going to clean my kitchen so I can watch my babies slumber.