Today's post is about batteries, cats & dogs, kids, birds, early nightfall, Sinterklaas, friends, and ... oh yeah ... stitching!
This afternoon I had the crazy idea of taking the kids out for the afternoon. When Max was younger, he was thrilled by lunches at the Hema (for those of you who aren't Dutch, this is sort of like a lunch counter at a department store, with tables instead of a counter) and I haven't tried it with Nicky and Rowen for a long time. The last time was a disaster and it took awhile to recover.
So we all set off at 12:15 when Max got out of school. Rigby in the back of the car, the kids in the backseat, and foolish me up front. The stores were jam-packed for some reason, and trying to steer Rowen and Nicky through the throng without loosing them or having them shoplift anything was a challenge. (Rigby was waiting patiently in the car. Max is old enough to do his own shopping.) Finally, the purchases were made and we could enter the dining area, which was also packed. I settled the kids at a table with strict instructions not to get up, and went to wait in line. And wait. And wait! By the time I could check out, our warm items were cold and our cold items were warm and I was thoroughly out of patience after chasing Nicky down two or three times. We sat down to eat and that wasn't too much of a drama, but then Nicky wanted to play at the play table. It seemed like a good idea, until I saw the balloons around the stage (where Sinterklaas would later appear, which explained the crowds) bobbing up and down in a rather vigorous fashion. A quick scan of the play table confirmed my fears - the child tearing the Sinterklaas background apart was mine. Without thinking, I bellowed, "NICKY!" and received a whole roomful of hostile stares. It wasn't bad enough that my kid was wild, but I reacted like one of those mothers. Groan. Once the kids found out that Sinterklaas was coming, leaving was out of the question. By now, I was envisioning Rigby with his legs crossed and his cheeks turning red ... but I was also seduced by the idea of finally getting a picture of my kids with a Christmas figure. A half an hour later, we were finally done, but Rowen had lost her 'little Rigby' - a stuffed puppy about the size of my thumb. So of course I had to push through the crowds of people still waiting and search the floors and tables for this tiny toy ... to no avail. Rowen was in tears and Nicky was 'asserting his independence' by flatly refusing to leave the store. There was no joy in Mudville as I confirmed everyone's fears of what an unfit parent I was and dragged my screaming children from the store. I may never go back there again.
Once home, everyone was confined to bed for an hour while Mommy got it back under control, and since then things have gone well. I remembered not only to get batteries, but to get rechargable ones and a recharger (on sale!). So here come a lot of pictures to hopefully make up for my verbosity. (Blogger flat out refuses to load even a single picture, so these are all from my Photobucket account.)
Max walked Rigby by himself for the first time. Rigby doesn't really have demon eyes, but nightfall comes very early now and his eyes and reflective collar/leash really picked up on the flash.
Nicky and Rowen insisted they were not tired and didn't need to go to bed, but Rowen fell asleep and both of them are obviously more asleep than awake even now. LOL. They look so innocent, don't they? Little cubs.
Spin is still giving us the hairy eyeball when it comes to Rigby, but it's going better. Slowly.
And Gilbert has decided that he's going to eat till he pops. He was, once upon a time, an undernourished little packet of feathers from the infamous Vogelmarkt in Antwerp. You would never know that to look at him now. His gusto for eating has become rather hazardous and I recieved yet another nip today for my efforts.
And, as promised, a peek at my Christmas project. I've just finished page two and have only one page to do. This is only part of the project, not the entire part that I've stitched.
A few dear friends are going through really difficult periods. Others are beginning to see the light at the end of the tunnel. Wherever you are, whoever you are, take a moment to smile at the person next to you. Heaven only knows how badly he/she might need it. Hugs to you all!!!
