Friday morning began as a big battle. Each of the boys was in a bit of a funk and I was tired. Little Red kept pushing Boy Blue around, which is very rare, and Boy Blue on his part would over dramatize how unhappy he was. At some point in the morning Boy Blue got a fantastic gash down the side of his face from forehead to cheek. I can’t tell you how it happened, my only guess is that when pushed he landed on something not soft.
I had a flyer advertising $20 umbrella strollers at ToysRUs and BabiesRUS so I thought we’d head out there before playgroup. Buying a third stroller with our storage situation was a big decision, but I am definitely ready for an umbrella stroller for the weekends. By 8:30 I was ready to get out of the house but the store didn’t open until 10. We somehow managed to endure another hour without anyone being truly maimed. It was a miracle, for sure, and a sign that things were looking up.
I was nervous when I parked and saw a line waiting for the store to open. Costco, across the lot, always has a line, and I hate it there, too. I go early to avoid the people! But things were looking up –
We parked across from the OBISHWN car and Reed lit up. “Look Mummy, Look! It’s an R2D2 car! Look!!!” I’d seen that car on the Discovery channel or something years ago, but it still surprised me when I saw it in real life.
As we joined the people at the entrance of the store an employee came out and announced that the Grand Re-Opening Ceremony with Ribbon Cutting would begin in just a few minutes and then they would open the store to us. Sure enough a river of ToysRUs, BabiesRUs, corporate suits, “special characters” and city people filed out and set up right in front of us. We watched the ribbon-cutting and listened to some short-winded speeches and soon the execs and employeeswent back in, promising to open the store to us as soon as they got prepared. Geoffrey the Giraffe, Funshine Bear, Leonardo the TMNT all entered the store as well, but Darth Vader and Obi-Wan (I’m pretty sure it’s Obi-Shawn) stayed out taking a picture with one of the dignitaries.
Little Red, of course, made a beeline for them and was next in line to get his photo taken between Darth Vader and Obi-Wan Kanobi. Afterwards he told me that Darth Vader was nice today. I repeated it so Vader could hear, and he seemed pleased, but Obi teased him with some light banter. Whatever was wrong with Little Red Friday morning had completely faded away, and all was right in his world.
With Aiden in the sling I plopped Boy Blue and Little Red in the shopping cart and we entered the store. The employees flanked both sides of the main entrance and applauded us as we entered, and handed each child (not Aiden, actually) a balloon. We picked up our stroller, and wandered the shiny new aisles. We ran into our pediatrician, Dr. Waldron, whom we have now seen twice on her maternity leave. Last time, in Target, I called her. This time I heard, “hello again! We must shop at the same stores!” She asked how each of the boys were doing and we talked about how her 4-year old is adjusting to being a big sister. I’m always amazed that our doctors know who we are without looking at our charts, but both she and my NP, Gwyn, always remember the boys’ names. (I LOVE KAISER!) After a stop at the colouring station for Little Red we checked out, getting chocolate cookies and a ToysRUs bag on the way out.
All was right in the world. Playgroup went well. The boys napped all afternoon. The boys did well at Jack’s house for Freeley Fridays while Paul and I drove to LAX, picked up his Dad, and ate at Pann’s. (We chose Pann’s in Inglewood because of it’s proximity to the airport, and because Eleas is always talking about her uncle’s restaurant. Mark and Matt went once and talked about it for the whole weekend. Not for the food so much, but because it has been used to shoot many movies and Matt couldn’t believe he was in the same place they had filmed such movies as Pulp Fiction (XXX, Bewitched, Next, and more.) The food was fine. The decor was a fantastic time capsule of the 60s. The conversation and company was wonderful.)
Friday was the perfect way to end the week.
Posted by Zen Mama 
