Gifting sisters

After Abigail opened the cool slap bracelet watch that she wanted because all the counselors at Cedar Lake Camp had them, she asked Anna where she got it.  Anna replies, "The cash register". 

Gross talk at the table

Yesterday, we were eating lunch after Louis got home from a meeting. While we were sitting and eating, Abigail goes to the kitchen and comes back with ketchup.  After she declared they were for her chips, she asked if Daddy would like to try the combo. 

"That's absolutely GROSS"...then everyone agrees and laughs. 

She says my famous, "Don't knock until you try it". 

He says, "I don't have to try it to know that's just not good". 

So then everyone kinda starts in about weird eating combos of our family members that just don't seem good.   I comment that Louis' and the girls maple syrup and scrambled eggs looks yuck.  Then some interject, "No that's good!!!" 

In between all of us playfully arguing with each other and laughing back and forth, Adalyn leans over and licks Louis' arm two seperate times.  ???!!!!???

Everyone laughs and yells, "That's gross".  

In a whisper- "Ha-Ha-Ha"...she's got her tongue out and she's panting like a puppy. 

She cracked us all up.  In her own way, she's participating in our conversation the whole time...as she puts her hands over her mouth and laughs out loud at things we say (that aren't really funny)...just so she can get a laugh in too, with all of us.  Then we laughed at her for laughing at us.  It was a fun time, to say the least!

I'm always drilling about table etiquette and yesterday we broke all the rules.  It was fun to be a little crazy for a day.  I know I'll be working on table manners with them FOREVER, it seems!

Lost

I had a terrible dream.  We were all at this HUGE Discovery Center on  multiple levels and Adalyn got seperated from us.  As we were frantically trying to find her, the others got seperated from us.  We went up to a desk and reported our missing, and they made an announcement over the intercom and walky-talkies, but it was so loud and full of kiddos and parents, that no one seemed to hear the news.  We looked in nooks, crannies, under staircases, in little play houses, down twisty slides, and tunnels.  Feeling hopeful that they couldn't get outside and we were bound to find them eventually, we then discovered water slide tunnels on every level that went out from the building down to the very bottom.  There were so many water slides and ladders, it reminded me of the game Chutes and Ladders. We kept looking, and searching. We started shouting their names.  Parents started helping us.  After being inside started making me panic in fear that they had gotten out by way of the water slide, a new fear came. What if Adalyn got out and went down the slide and drowned?  So, out we both went down water slides. As I rode down the twisty slide, I looked out at the stairs leading back to the top.

I woke up hearing Alivia squirming. But I had to find my girls. I fell back asleep and the search was on again. 

I was imagining them not even realizing they were lost.  Just bouncing around from one slide to another, from one playhouse to another.  They would be having the time of their lives and have no clue that they were being sought after.  There were all these dangers going through my head as we searched.  They could fall, get taken, they could drown. Maybe they were aware that we weren't with them, and they were walking around crying, "Mama.  Daddy."

I went down a slide and passed Louis walking up a set of steps.  I didn't want to lose him. At least I had my cell phone.  I'm on the water slide- it won't work now.  I need to find my girls.

I woke.  They're here.
I fell fast asleep.  I need to find them. 
I can't find them.

Then Alivia.
They're here.
They're here.
It's just a dream.  A bad dream.

Shop til it drops

I spent 30 minutes at Aldi today...grocery shopping with me, myself, and Alivia.  I dropped Louis and the older girls off to eat while I hit the store.  We were kind of killing 2 birds with one stone (hungry kids, kitchen needing restocking) in a limited amount of time.

I love Aldi.  It's clean.  It's inexpensive- where else can you get a fresh pineapple for $0.99?  It's quirky (pay for your cart, bring your own shopping bags).  It's the ONLY store I can get in and out of in 30-45 minutes...even with kiddos!!!

I buzzed around the store checking off my grocery list.  Since our home has been infested with sickness for a month and I have not been to the store, our staples have become depleted.

Then I went to pay.  I pulled out my debit card to use and since I didn't know pin number, I asked him to run it as credit.

Forgetful moment #8,452: Aldi doesn't take credit.  Or checks.
Embarrassing moment #15,623: My cart sits there and I walk out without my grub.
Frustrating moment #7,201: I'm completely out of time to even run to get some cash from the bank.

Pretty bummed out, we return home to get everyone to play practice on time.

The girls came home.  "What's for dinner?"

 If there's anything more frustrating than going for groceries and returning with none, it's hearing that question when there's jelly but no bread.  And cereal but no milk.  Or you could make a can of soup for one person, scrambled eggs for two, and oatmeal for two.  But then that's too much work, haha. 

So we loaded up the van and headed up to Albany and hit the Save-A-Lot 45 minutes before closing time.  We got everything on my list (and then some) because you all know when Daddy goes, more food hops in. 

Everyone tries to help so much, it's so sweet.  One wants to help push the carts (well, they all do, really).  One reads the list.  One fetches the food from the shelves.  One picks up things to make suggestions.  One is in the seat part of the cart trying to reach out for things on the shelves as we pass by.  I'm scanning the shelves for any good deals that aren't on my list.  The cart inches forward down the aisle.  All of a sudden, "Crash, crash, crash". A million A1 Steak Sauce bottles crash onto the floor because the cart ran into one of those cardboard display 'cases' that was sitting in the aisle!!!

Embarassing moment # 15,624: Steak sauce covers the floor, and even splashed up onto boxes on shelves. It even goes under the shelves into the next aisle.  There's broken glass everywhere and you can't even tell exactly how many bottles were busted because of the thickness of steak sauce and the aroma that causes you to need to blink your eyes over and over.