accidental day at the mall

We headed out of the house without a plan today. And we ended up dropping my car off for a much overdue oil change in Cool Springs. "Michael's Taxi Service" picked us up and dropped us off at the mall. I thought we would only be there an hour, but one turned into two, and two turned into three. After some great playtime at the soft jungle gym we headed over the the mechanical cars that you have to pay to make them move. Each one was 75 cents and I only had three quarters in my possession...so I tried to get the boys to ride in it together which didn't work at all! Henry got the two minute ride in a Richard Scarry car with the worm next to him. I just realized that I kept calling it a caterpillar - oh well. This made Crawford very upset b/c I didn't have any money left. Thankfully he got over quickly. Then we were off to stroll the mall. It was extremely hard to keep Crawford in the stroller especially when he can get out of it on his own. For some reason, I put the wooden "spanking" spoon in my purse today, and that came in very handy. I didn't have to use it, but the threat and the sight of it was enough. I'm not sure how we survived almost three hours in the mall, but I know by the end of it, I was in a complete sweat. I finally called to see if my car was ready and it was...who knows how long it had been ready...it would have been nice of them to call me. Then I called Michael to see if he could come and get us, and he had just sat down to eat. Oh what perfect timing. I didn't think I could last another minute until I remembered the carousel! Both boys really loved it and I even got a short video of it. Upon picking Henry up to set him on the ride, I realized he needed a new diaper asap. I tried changing it in my lap in a chair in the mall (bathrooms were way way way too far away) and just when I thought I had done it, I ripped off one of the velcro tabs. It was the only diaper I had...why would I need more than one? While I was holding Henry in my lap, Crawford got out of the stroller and looked in his bag for a pull-up, but of course there were none. So, I pulled Henry's shorts up and made it as secure as I could. We were lucky this time. No leakage before I was able to get a new one on him.

The experience as a whole was pretty good. I had to wrangle Crawford in a few times before he jumped on the escalator, and we rode the elevator several times b/c that is the only way a double stroller can make it from one floor to the other. My lessons learned today are: 1. always bring more than one diaper 2. potty train Henry asap 3. it's ok to leave the house without a plan, but be prepared to roll with whatever happens 4. i do not lose my temper in public 5. i will not raise my voice in public (unless they are in danger) 6. it is exhausting taking two children to the mall by yourself