October 16th had been on my calendar for over a month; the day I was taking all 3 kids to the doctor by myself. It would save me a lot of time to combine flu shots with Lil Bird's checkup, but the logistics of convincing each child to go into the office and get a shot and then keep them quiet while I tried to talk to the doctor was not something I had figured out yet. I was prepared for a giant, embarrassing catastrophe!
The adventure began at 1:40pm when I left school early with Wise Guy and met Tyson to pick up the other two. After the 50 minute drive to the doctor's office, Whopper was asleep. I couldn't believe how well the visit with the doctor went. At the end, Wise Guy was helping Whopper pick out the best sticker and didn't even request a sticker for himself.
After such a lovely doctor's visit we decided to walk to the Crozet Library. The kids were GREAT in the library. I've never heard Whopper whisper in my life, but he miraculously learned how! After playing with the trains, they cleaned up without being told. I didn't have to chase anyone or raise my voice! When I go to the library, I usually glare at the mother who has more than one well behaved kid as I drag my kids out by the arms. I can never figure out how other mom's look so put together and have children who sit perfectly still and quiet. I was starting to feel proud but I knew this streak of good luck was almost over and we still had several stops to go.
Next, we stopped at my Aunt's house to say hello. They continued to be reasonably well behaved and well mannered. Lil Bird didn't make a peep and the boys played hide and seek. Whopper did soak himself in the garden fountain despite the 55 degree weather but considering his love of swimming, that didn't surprise me (see earlier mud puddle post). This was my cue to change his clothes and leave before things fell apart.
Now we were getting hungry and I started wracking my brain for the best place to take these three for dinner. I decided on Jayson's Deli solely because they have ice cream which is the perfect medium of bribery. Before we went inside, we have "the talk" about how to behave in a restaurant. Stay with mommy, sit in your seat, use inside voices, etc. They worked hard for their ice cream cones! I strutted out of Jayson's Deli feeling great! Maybe I've actually figured out this whole mom of three thing!
After I loaded them into the car Tyson called and asked me to to through the drive through to pick up some food for him and his dad who've been building a fence all day. No problem! I've totally got this! After all of our adventures, a trip through the drive through will be a piece of cake.
This is when bad luck struck! Wren was getting a little fussy but it was the kind of fussy that is resolved as soon as the vehicle starts moving and she falls asleep. Everything would have been fine if we could have picked up our food and gotten back on the road, but McDonalds ran out of cheeseburgers! Seriously! They didn't have any cheeseburgers ready so I had to pull to the side and WAIT while they cooked Tyson's burgers! And that's when the quiet before the storm ended! Luckily, I was in such a good mood that I just smiled and laughed about my current reality.
Here is a glimpse into my ride home. Whopper is crying because he doesn't like crying.
