Learning to go with the flow.

Today I decided to chance running errands. The boys seemed willing. Aidan likes going to stores now. I needed to return something to Kohl’s and then check Children’s Place at the mall to see if some outfits I wanted were on sale yet. Everything is going great on the drive. Aidan announces we are having a fun day. Aidan and Owen are content. Aidan asks to listen to his new favorite song, Boomin. I play it a couple times in a row and we sing along. We get to Kohl’s and I get the boys out of the van. (Anyone who has had or has small children knows what a chore this is.) We get to the door and there is a sign that Kohl’s cannot process returns or purchases at this time due to a mechanical problem. Are you kidding me?! Do you know how hard it is to get these boys loaded and unloaded? Oh well. The mall won’t even be open yet but Aidan can play at the play area for awhile. No biggee. We get to the mall. The boys are content in the stroller. We pass Bass Pro Shop and Aidan asks to see the fish. Sure. We have time. He has fun looking at the ducks. Aidan and Owen watch the fish in the big aquarium. I even get a couple things bought. No other stores are open yet so we head to the play area. Aidan decides he would rather sit on all the coin operated cars instead of play. Good thing he doesn’t know they need coins to operate yet. Fine with me. Owen has a little snack. We browse the Disney Store. Now Owen needs his lunch. The boys leave the Disney Store without incident. Yay! I head back to the food court to let Aidan play while I feed Owen. Aidan runs around and has fun. He is much bolder on all the food. (The play area is giant foam like food to climb and play on.) Climbing and jumping. Aidan and I have our lunch. We head to Children’s Place real quick before leaving. I decide we might as well see if Kohl’s is okay at this point before heading home so we drive on over. The boys are still happy and willing. As we drive from the mall parking lot, I start to wonder, “Where is my cell phone?” On no! I left it in the stroller that I folded up and put in the back of the van. Is it still in the stroller or is it in the parking lot at the mall?! Please God let it be in the stroller. I am hurrying to find a parking lot to pull into and check the stroller, getting farther and farther from the mall. This could be a huge disaster. Finally I make it to the shopping area where Kohl’s is located. First place I can find to stop. I park the van, run out, lift the tail gate and Hallelujah! The cell phone is still in the pocket of the stroller. As I was trying to make it to the parking lot, Aidan is pointing out cars to me, trying to cheer me up. Sweet boy. After we discover the cell phone is okay, he asks me, “Did I make you happy Mama?” I tell him of course he did and tell him how sweet he was to help. Now we head to Kohl’s. I check the door and sure enough the sign is now down. We can make our return. I get the boys unloaded and we even find a double cart right by the door. I get my return made and the boys are still happy so I decide to look around. I never get to browse. We’re all happy. Aidan found some Matchbox cars to look at and is telling me how he “needs” them. I convince him he doesn’t and he’s okay with that. At this point, I still have time before diaper changes and naps. Well I was wrong. I look down at Aidan and notice a rather large wet spot on his shorts. Now he hasn’t drunk more than usual and he usually doesn’t need a diaper change at this point, but today he does. I start speeding through the store to the bathroom to change him. Get in there and realize. I don’t have other pants for him. I’m not going around the store with a 2 ½ year old in a diaper. So out we go and off we go to the van to change him. He is soaked. But he happily cooperates. We get a dry diaper on. And we are on our way home. Aidan announces, “I was a good boy today at the stores.” “Yes you were I tell him. Thank you.” *Heavy sigh* Will I ever learn? I never have an uneventful outing these days. Good thing I have such good boys who can go with the flow of my blunders.