Things I just don't understand...

So I decided that I would take the kids to Spokane for a couple days since it's spring break this week and Paxton doesn't have Preschool. Mom and Joe are on vacation themselves for a week so I thought, Perfect! I'll take the kids and we'll just play at the parks, feed the ducks, go buy some groceries, and cook and "camp" at Noni's house. (More for mommy, because I seriously need a change of scenery and/or a break of some kind). So ......we packed up early and off we went. Have you been able to project where this is going yet? Yeah, no key to Noni's house. They DIDN'T LEAVE THE HIDDEN KEY! Yeah, I think I should have thought about making sure it was there BEFORE I packed three kids up in the car and headed east. Being spontaneous is a good thing, usually. :( Not this time.

So, after spending twenty minutes in my mom and step-dad's driveway, feeding Shepherd and trying to figure out what the hell we were going to do now, I decided that the kids should get some physical energy out before we turn around and drive another two hours home (and it was freezing cold outside). I took them to McDonald's to play on the indoor big toy. Here's the part where I get to the title of this post...what I just don't understand. Why, on God's green earth, do people think it's okay to bring their 4'11 10 and 11 year olds to play on the TODDLER toy? My poor children had to bob and weave like point guards to maneuver around those HUGE children. At one point another mom and I were terrified the whole thing was going to come crashing to the floor. Argh. Some parents.

On a positive note, my three children were amazing yesterday. They did well in the car, they minded so well in McDonald's and stayed right with me while ordering, unloading, going the bathroom , and loading back up in the car. Ella, knock on wood, has successfully potty trained herself (I only help when necessary--she seems to have a tiny bit of independence in her blood ;)). While I ordered, I had Shepherd in the carseat in one hand, Ella held my thumb and Paxton held myindex finger on my other hand. They even asked the lady behind the counter if she wanted to see their toys. So nice. We stayed there for TWO hours. I'm feeling like I turned the day around and it's back to being positive.

Then we get home. We pull into the driveway and Daddy is outside waiting for us while, I am sure, trying to hold back laughter. He usually helps me unload the kids and yesterday, he started with Shepherd. I hear from the backseat, "Oh, and look, you're not even buckled in.......at all." Holy crap! I drove from Spokane to Ephrata with my infant child in the back seat with not even so much as a lapbelt on! Just when I was thinking that this whole three-children-under-5 thing might be a lot easier than I thought.

Ahh....to be at the beach. Here's to you Mistalyn, Declan, Ausere family, Mom, Joe and even their DOG.