So. I loaded up the diaper bag for two, popped the double stroller in the van and strapped the kids in, all by 9:30 AM. I think I may deserve a medal. After dropping a few bills in the mailbox and picking up breakfast for myself at Burger King, we managed to get ourselves to the mall and parked and inside by about 20 minutes later than I originally planned to be there. Not terrible. Thanks to modern communication devices and text messaging, it was pretty easy to meet up with Sam's Grandma Kathy, my friend Jodi, and her son Truman. Sam did a little coloring, but we decided to skip the waiting in line to meet a guy in a costume and instead go buy wristbands and go on rides. I am so glad we did. Having a 1 to 1 kid to grownup ratio made a huge difference fun-wise. We just took our purses with us to ride the carousel: Truman with his mom, Maggie with me, and Sam with my mom. Originally I was going to sit on the bench with Maggie, but Sam was not at all interested in riding on an animal, so he and Grandma took the bench. Maggie rode the horsey like a champ, with me hugging her for dear life, just in case, but she grabbed the brass pole like a pro! Next the little boys and Jodi and I went on the Big Rigs ride, and Sam seemed to enjoy "steering" our Little Blue Truck and beeping the horn. Mom and I switched and she rode the Blue's Skiddoo with Sam while I fed Maggie. We still have a ton of points left, so I hope to go again another time soon.
While we were regrouping (read: while I was strapping Maggie back on and both Mom and Jodi were chasing runaway toddlers), we ran into Jordan and Reese. I thought to myself, "What a cute little girl with curly red hair" before I realized who it was. She was extra adorable with a black polka dotted dress and her pink backpack. She was patient and waited in line to meet Brobee. "He was so happy to see me!" she said. Too darn cute, that one. They had just had lunch, and were getting on their way, so we said bye.
We stopped for lunch at the Cadillac Ranch. I think it would be fun to go as just grownups sometime, but the kids did well. We didn't order food for Maggie although it would have been free. She just chowed down on fruit cups, crackers, and attempted to steal my food, with varying levels of success. Sam ate his chicken strips and french fries like he usually does. I got some delicious, if tiny, pulled pork sliders with a side of mac and cheese. They have a decent lunch menu where for $8 you pick one small entree and a side. Jodi got the same pulled pork as me with a cup of soup, and Mom got a small flatbread margherita pizza, I think, with a salad. I felt bad for Truman, since his mac and cheese didn't look half as good as mine. Blue box vs. penne with a real sauce. Sad. We were all reasonably stuffed by the time we left, and I'd go again for sure, but only on a Tuesday if I was bringing a kid. $6 for a kid's meal is a little steep.
On the way home, both Sam and Maggie fell asleep in the van, and I managed to open the back hatch of the van enough to snap this in our garage:
It's hard to see because of the shadow, but yes, Maggie can breathe. Her hood is covering her eyes but not her nose and mouth. I managed to get her into the crib and back to sleep after we came inside, so she took a good nap, but Sam refused to go back to sleep. Later that evening we went to dinner with the Brandons and he fell asleep in the car on the way there. Sam wasn't asleep for the night until 2 am. FML. Actually, no, I fell asleep before he did--F Dan's life. Poor guy.
Also, other than the above snapshot, I didn't manage to take any pictures of the day. Next time I will do better with that. We had a good time and didn't break the bank to do it. Including my breakfast on the way but not including gas money or the snacks I brought for the kids, I spent $32.04. Eating at home for breakfast would have brought it down to $26.38. Drinking water at the restaurant would have dropped the total further, and we still have half our point card left, so overall we could have spent closer to $20. Really, if we just walked after the event, skipped the rides or used leftover points, and brought lunch with us, we could go for the cost of gas.
Drop me a line if you want to join us next time!
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