Yet another Wal Mart experience????!!!!

So I've decided that I truly have this love/hate relationship with Wal Mart going. I think I may just boycott by the end of it. But I'd only make it 2 or 3 days before embarking on yet another expedition into the blessed store only to be reminded what I did it for to begin with! Ugh! I knew very well what I was in for taking all 6 of them in on a Sun afternoon right during lunch and naptime. They had not been fed and the little 4 were in need of upcoming naps. I could've made my life a lot easier and just headed to Ballinger where they could've all been left in the Suburban while I ran in.......but, no. I was feeling up for the task at hand and since Brad got called in for overtime we were all restlessly and impatiently waiting to see him. So, with everyone in tow we loaded up and were bound for the station. We hung out there for awhile while he loved on the children and I kissed and loved on him and then we were off to Wal Mart. Only needing 2 gallons of milk and a thing of bananas, due to waiting for his next paycheck to come in before we do any amount of real grocery shopping, I figured it'd be a very short trip in and out.....which it was. We ran into several friends we know and stopped to chat with them, in which all kids did great. Aubrey and Evye had a little under the current fighting match going but other than that all went well. But then it hit. Grant got tired of being squished in the cart with Garrison so he started pulling hair. I made a quick trip to the cookie isle and subdued them both and just held Garrison the rest of the way through the store since we were done anyway. Then it happened. We got to the register and I swear the oldest old lady in all of Tom Green county was checking everyone out. And, of course, the woman in front of us was Japanese and couldn't speak a word of English. So, it starts taking forever. And by now Grant is impatiently waiting to get the cookies open. Grayson got mad about not getting a coke and Aubrey was kind of hanging on everything, as always. And then in the midst of it all Garrett, of course, wiggles out of the seat belt of the cart and stands up in it. Still holding Garrison I sat Garrett back down and remained happy. I gave Aubrey a job so she was all too happy to help set stuff up on the counter. Everything was still running fairly smoothly....except for the old hag's growing irritation with us. Aubrey pushed the 20 oz coke I had up on the counter and it accidentally fell. The old woman harshly pushed Aubrey's hand off the cabinet and sat the coke up so hard that it made it all fizzy. I missed that part of it though or I would've said something. Grayson caught it though and immediately took up an offense for Aubrey. It was finally our turn and the unhappy woman sighed in disgust and she checked us out. I deposited Garrison back into the cart with Grant and knew I would have to pry the cookies out of Grant's hand to be rung up. So, I did. And so he screamed outrageously like I expected he would. I couldn't very well deal with his behavior right then and there so I just asked her politely to ring them up and then handed them back to Grant, in which his screams were quieted. I know.......the so not wonderful parent thing to do but the only way to help the situation at hand out at the moment. I knew there would be more to deal with from him once out to the Suburban so I chose to wait until then to deal with his little demand issues. BUT, the woman grabbed the cookie package out of my hand and roughly ran it over the scanner and tossed it back to me. After Grant hushed she said in the most unkind manner ever, "You have your hands full....and another one coming??!!!" wagging her head back and forth and looking with contempt at them all. I smiled graciously....although inwardly I really was wanting to pinch Grant's head off at that point, not to mention the mental thoughts that were coursing through my head about what I could do to the old lady.......and said in a purposefully joyful and calm manner, "I couldn't ask to be more blessed than I have been by the handful that I have been given" stooping to kiss Garrett's big round head of blond hair. He grabbed my shirt and laughed and not even phasing her she responded with "Ugh. Good luck." I smiled again and said happily "You have a great day". She responded with some sort of grunting sound.

I called Brad and vented on the way home. His medic was the next one up so I told him I had a good mind to take our crew back in there and make her deal with them again so she'd just go ahead and have a heart attack. I also went on to say he could make her labor in her breathing for awhile before saving her life, if he chose to do so, and as he did tell her those were his 6 kids she was just so mean to. You just never know when your actions will come back to bite you in the butt.

Oh well. That is just not the purest thought to have after the incident but it made me feel better in some small form and fashion. Instead of thinking of how to finish off a 95 year old woman I could've actually stopped to think of how sad and lonely her life must be without knowing the joy of children. Grayson kept asking on the way out to the Suburban why she was so mad at them and why she treated Aubrey the way she did and then threw the cookies back at us. I told him that she was probably very lonely and having a really bad day. She could go home to her empty and quiet house with no one to think about but herself and her misery but that we had the joy and blessing of going home and being surrounded by others to love and to think about and to put before our own selfish thoughts. She had no one to think of but herself and we had each other to think about and love. How blessed we truly are. And, of course, sweet Grayson, ever bringing me back to reality and convicting me, asked if we might could give her our cookies or go back in and give her some flowers to cheer her up so that she wouldn't be so lonely and so that she'd know how great kids are. Oh the conviction that pains the parenting heart! As I'm standing there thinking of ways to level a 95 year old woman they are there thinking of how we could minister to her in some way to make her life a little better.

Alright, on to more day to day things.

Evye lost one of her front teeth. Being the parent ever on top of things I forgot about it that night and the tooth fairy went mysteriously missing, much to her utter dismay. She got up crying about it the next morning. I felt horrible. So, I made up this incredibly great and creative story....or so I thought in my own pride.......and told her that the tooth fairy had been in China due to a little girl over there that lost one of her teeth. Seeing that China's on the other side of the world the fairy couldn't very well make it back to TX in time to get to our house too. So, I knew the fairy was back in town and she'd be leaving her contribution that next night. Having studied China in one of our geography and cultural lessons, and it's horrid state of what they are doing to families by killing off baby girls and keeping the boys, Grayson was well informed. He spoke up saying that my story couldn't be true since China doesn't have any little girls! Ugh! So, then that went off on yet another lesson about China and what exactly they are doing and that , yes, they do have little girls but yes, they are also killing them too. So, my creative state backfired and turned into a 30 minute dissertation about the legal, inhumane and cultural issues of China. Then after it was all over Evye spoke up and said "Well, I know the whole tooth fairy thing isn't true too, Mom. And that she wasn't in China." I asked "Oh, well, how?" She said "Cause you are the tooth fairy and you've never even been to China!!!". LOL!!! It's true that we don't lie to them and none of the children believe in Santa Claus or any other fictional holiday character and that we just use them as a fun thing to joke about and make up stories.....but it was certainly funny hearing it put in those terms by a 6 year old. To make it even worse I forgot about it again the next night! Again I made up a funny story about the tooth fairy's missing status and Evye just bluntly said after the whole long story, "Mom, may I please just go get it out of your purse?" I wouldn't give in to that so I made her wait it out. Finally last night Evye's 2.00 found its way under her pillow as she slept.

And Grayson had dish duty this week and expertly did them all. Evye and Aubrey emptied while he washed and then reloaded the dishwasher. Evye wiped down cabinets and the table since the sink was more than a little full for Grayson's share of the responsibility, so by the end of it we had a spotless kitchen done very well. I've shown Grayson how to start the dishwasher and washing machine numerous times so after finishing the dishes he started it up and all was done. I didn't double check everything since I knew he's done it before many times. An hour later I walked in to a very sudsy kitchen and floor.....to put it mildly. I asked Grayson immediately what he used. With huge honest green eyes staring at me he said he couldn't find the dishwasher soap so he held up in his hands the dishwashing liquid and said "So, I used this." It took 3 rounds with no soap in the dishwasher before it finally rinsed that load all off and rid the dishes of the bubbles. But Garrison and Grant sure thought it was funny!





And just a few misc pics.

Why each and everyday is worth it all. I walked outside the other afternoon before we headed for Eden and found this written in rocks in front of the Suburban. I had to step over it to get to my seat so it was sure not to be missed. It says "I Love You Mom!!!" Grayson did it all himself and said it took him a very long time to get it laid out. Just when schooling takes absolutely everything within me and I think he'll never be able to spell in his dyslexic ways and when attitudes start to plummet there is always something like this that reminds me of what we really are in this for. And I am continually reminded how very blessed I am to be the mother of so many children with such moldable hearts.






Garrison getting some much needed "Daddy time".







The 1st big swim of the season!!! Neither Brad nor I felt like setting up the honker pool yet so for now they're all more than happy in the little one.