So, fair warning, a lot of the events I describe in todays post seem similar to something you would see on TV, but I swear to goodness, it happened!! Apparently, living in the country for the past 2 months, the boys have forgotten some VERY crucial laws of going to "The Big City", as exemplified today.
Rule number 1: Please, always have shoes! So, today, as we got in the car to begin our trek to Greensboro, we were completely unaware that Aedon, the youngest had no shoes on. It wasn't until about a half hour into the trip that he finally piped up and said, "Guys...where's my shoes?". So, this eventful start to our day should have been a red flag, but for whatever reason, it wasn't. When we finally got there, Caroline graciously offers her ONLY pair of flip-flops for Aedon to wear, only for him to break them within the first block of walking. In summary, if you are headed into the city with your family, DO A SHOE CHECK!
Rule number 2: When you're crossing a busy intersection, keep in mind you only have about 25 seconds MAX, so please, for all that is good and right in the world, PLEASE don't take your time...you will get hurt, I promise. Another thing to keep in mind with this rule is the other side of it, trying to "race" through the intersection when the sign says you have 5 seconds...As we passed a busy intersection today(after buying Aedon a new pair of shoes that were a tad big), the boys decided to race across the intersection to see who was faster. Aedon, being as clumsy and footwear challenged as he is, literally ran RIGHT OUT OF HIS SHOES!!!!!!!!!!! Of course, at the same moment that both boys reached the other end of the intersection, the signal changed, and we had to wait there on the sidewalk for the sign to change again, meanwhile, Aedons shoes are sitting in the middle of the street.
Rule Number 3: Always be prepared to walk. Of course, with our family of 3 boys under the age of 13, a puppy, and an adventurous 23 year old, getting our family to walk in a straight line for ANY given amount of time is virtually impossible, however, sometimes that is necessary. As parents of young children will tell you, family walks require LOTS of patience, and very frequent stops. Also, it didn't really help today that it was 95 degrees out today, and there was no shade, AT ALL, and none of us were really accustomed to the heat, it was kind of a disaster in the making.
Rule number 4:(Probably the most important) 5 little ducks isn't always a bad thing! Our good friends who are missionaries overseas have many, MANY airport stories, but I would have to say, my personal favorite is the 5 little ducks. Whenever they are in an airport of any kind, because they do have a large family, the Dad ALWAYS insists on leading the back, while having Mom bring up the rear. Now, please just stop and picture this for a minute. 5 little blonde girls, all lined up and following single file behind one another, with probably enough luggage and travel bags to know that they have essentially packed everything they would need for at LEAST 3 months, in a crowded airport. I can't remember how old the girls each were, but I'm going to approximate about, 15, 11, 9, 7, and 3 ish, but they were traveling through a busy airport, and a man comes up to the Dad and just whispered "5 little ducks went out one day..." and they have never been that strict about what is now known as "the five little duck rule" since. As embarrassing and humiliating it was for the girls, it's days like today that get me thinking, hey, maybe that's not such a bad idea...maybe we need one of those giant ropes that they use in kindergarten classes to teach the boys how to walk...either that or leashes.
All this to say, YES, today was very stressful and exhausting, YES, I wish that the boys could actually walk in a straight line, but NO, I wouldn't want it any other way! Our chaos and craziness is what makes our family unique, it might be frustrating at the time, but I am happy to be a part of it! I love the way each and every one of the three younger kids compliment the personalities of my sister and I, I was exactly like Aedon when I was little(ok, maybe SIMILAR to Aedon), and my sister, although I'm not one to judge because I am so much younger than her was much like Shane, the middle one, because they are both constantly looking for adventure. Each and every day of each and every one of our lives is an adventure, and we have two choices; we can either try to micromanage the kids every moves and just make it through, OR we can embrace it, we can learn to laugh at ourselves, and laugh at the crazy things our family gets into, because THESE are the moments that last!
After a good 30 pictures, we actually got one where everyone was smiling and no one had their eyes closed...it's a miracle!
<3 Always,
Rose
No comments:
Post a Comment