The kids and I went to the mall tonight to meet up with Daddy. We didn't get there until about 5:30, which meant that we only had time for a few stores before dinner. James knows, also, that when we go to the mall, he gets to play on the playground (the germ infested sickening swamp of a playground). I told him we could go there if he ate a good dinner. Mistake #1.
We entered the mall through Barnes and Noble, a favorite of mine, but didn't stay to shop. Instead, we headed straight to Gap where Daddy was so get the ball rolling on shopping.
Kaitlyn got a few new pairs of pants: a cute little capri khaki pant, and some new jeans. Finding pants for her is difficult, the only ones that work are the kinds with the extra cinch waist (adjustable waist). Even still, her belly is so skinny, that they look like a balloon is covering her diaper from the extra fabric. She's so tall though, that we have to keep her in the right size for her length, or she looks silly. James was this way, but not as bad, I'm hoping Kaitlyn will put on a few sooner rather than later. It would make my life easier. She can't even wear the cute little yoga style pants they have everywhere since they are huge on her waist if they are long enough!
We headed to Banana Republic after the Gap for a few minutes, and then headed toward the food court. James insisted on a grilled cheese sandwich for dinner (which is what he ALWAYS wants for dinner when we're out), so we loaded up our tray full of yummy stuff from the only place in the mall that had a grilled cheese sandwich on the menu. James and Kaitlyn ate a great dinner, they shared the grilled cheese and split a bowl of fruit.
After dinner we noticed that it was already 7:00. YIKES! Nathan still wanted to go to Dillard's to check out their shirt selection, so we did. I told him that we could literally stay for 5 minutes if we wanted to get the kids to the playground. Even that was pushing it since they are usually in the bath tub by 7:15.
So we shopped for about 4 and a half minutes and then I decided that it was just not worth it to go to the playground. Mistake #2. James hasn't napped for two days in a row, today being the second day. If he's not going to nap, he needs to be in bed by 7:30 or 8 at the latest.
I piled the kids in the stroller (against their will) and told Daddy that we'd meet him at home. He looked at me and said, "You know he's going to..." and I just interrupted and said, "I know, I'll just have to deal with it."
We strolled back to Barnes and Noble, my mouth zippered shut not saying anything. Mistake #3. We entered Barnes and Noble, and James (being to dang smart for his age), said, "Not the book store! This means that we're leaving! I want to go to the playground!"
Awww. Stab in my heart. I sweetly and sadly told him that we had simply run out of time and that we needed to go home. Well, then, "WAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA!" came out of his mouth right in the middle of Barnes and Noble. Honestly though, I didn't care. Let people stare at me, it's not a big deal. At least my kid will be rested for school tomorrow.
I told him when we were exiting the store, "I promise that next time we come to the mall, we'll go to the playground FIRST buddy."
I still feel guilty.
On the ride home James was still upset, rightly so. Kaitlyn was trying out her usual banter with him by repeatedly saying his name, "Ame! Ame! Ame!" but he responded to her like this: "No Kaitlyn, don't talk to me, I'm sleeping. Talk to Mommy, she's awake." Ouch. Crank monster. Then Kaitlyn said, "Mommy? Mommy? Mommy?" She really has no necessary need for this, she just likes to talk. :)
