A Different Day, Indeed

Yesterday was a very strange day for the Brotherton crowd.

We headed for Cracker Barrel mid-morning for brunch with the two Big Boys and the two Little Girls. We consumed a substantial amount of groceries and calories. So much so, that we were forced to go home and sleep. Really, is there anything much sweeter than a long Sunday afternoon nap? Carlyn particularly enjoyed her naptime. Seriously, when someone's hair looks like this when they wake up, don't you just know they had a sweet slumber?

Madelyn did require a few snuggles before gearing back up to full throttle:

The boys went to hang out with their friends for a bit, so we headed out with the Littles for a leisurely Sunday drive. The weather was positively spring-like, and it was great to be out and about after being indoors on all of these rainy and snowy days we've had this winter. And that's saying a lot for me, because I love being home on gray, rainy days and I still get giddy over snow days that include sipping hot chocolate, staying in my pajamas all day, wearing fuzzy house slippers, a simmering pot of soup on the stove, curling up in Scott's La-Z-Boy chair with an all cotton throw and reading a good book. Heaven. We drove up to North Greenville and went to Campbell's Covered Bridge and Poinsett Bridge and just explored the countryside a bit. Nice.

Madelyn started about 4:30pm saying that she was starving. We asked her what she would like, and she said Chinese. I asked her what she wanted to eat there, and she said rice and peas, but no chicken---she only wanted rice and vegetables. How could I not smile over the fact that my 4 year old actually requests  vegetables. I'm almost tempted to feel proud about that and take the credit for brilliant parenting, but then on the flip side, that would mean that I would have to take the blame for all of the not-so-great-stuff that goes on around here, so I'm going to leave it at that and just be happy she likes veggies.

So, we went out to eat again. We never, and I do mean never eat out twice in one day. Not even on vacation. But we did yesterday. We went into Greenville and tried Red Bowl Asian Bistro. Madelyn got her rice and vegetables. "They're not our peas, Daddy, but they're good.", she told Scott. (She had this thing last summer where she wanted nothing to do with vegetables that she and her Daddy didn't grow. I'm glad she didn't outgrow that over the winter, because that sure made her Daddy happy.)

By this time, Carlyn had had enough. Enough of sitting still, enough of being quiet, and apparently enough of family time. She had sat still through the countryside stroll, the ordering, and eating her sushi roll---and now she was done. Done I tell you. Her diaper busted a leak and the booster seat, the booth, and both she and I were soaked. My white pants were covered in mud from her pink boots, diaper leakage, rice, and Thai green curry sauce from trying to wrestle with her. The glances from other patrons told me that they were done listening to our screaming toddler. We were all done.

Rookie year mistake---don't go out to a sit down dinner whenever kiddos have been strapped in car and booster seats for hours beforehand. You'll regret it. And so will your white pants. 

I probably should thank her though---because we were so ready to get home, we completely forgot about our plans to check out Krispy Kreme and see if we could score a Hot and Now flashing sign. 

A different day, but a good day. Different is good.