The critters escaped

We have been shut up in this house for way to long. Emma spent the better part of the week with a bad fever and a touch of the stomach bug. Todd's been driving my car to work since I have a full tank and his is on empty. I'm not going anywhere anyway, so it doesn't really matter. So this morning I just had to get out! I was getting pretty tired of Ella using me as her jungle gym. That girl has no sense of body awareness. She will step all over you if she thinks it'll be fun!

Anyway, we got out and went to the mall. There are pros and cons to this. The pro- you are getting out of the house and it's a nice, warm place to let the kids play (on the playscape) for a while. The con- you have to constantly tell your 4 year old that no, we are not getting a hot pretzel, or a drink, or anything from the Disney store. But besides that, it's great! Actually, Emma and I had a lot of fun going into the Disney store by ourselves. I told her that she could start thinking about things that she'd like for her birthday. Which isn't till May. But you know kids, they start those lists early. I plan to go back to that store too. They have some adorable flip-flops, hats, and sunglasses for some pretty good prices. Also, I think the beach towels and graphic tees are on sale too. Oh, and the dishes! We've got 3 birthday parties coming up, and I think matching dishes and placemats would make great gifts!

So the kids got to release some energy. It was fun to watch the difference between Emma and Ella. There as a play car that fit about 3 kids comfortably. Of course, it was always full and usually had more than 3 in it. Emma kept walking past, looking longingly at it, but not wanting to barge in. She was trying to wait her turn. Ella just ran right up, pushed through all the other kids, and not only found space in the car, but was behind the coveted steering wheel within seconds. The boys just stared at her, unsure of what just happened! And poor Emma, she never did get her turn. I told her she just needed to get in, but she was too intimidated by the boys.