I Want Pizza

My friend Linda and I brought our six (oh, my goodness, do we already have six children combined?) children to the Monticello Community Center the other day. She needed to get out of the house while her husband was away hunting and my kids needed something to do other than go to Walmart and the gas station. I was having a frustrating morning crocheting and it was a good excuse to put down the crocheting and walk away from it before I destroyed it with my scissors.

I paraded in with my large belly and my three kids in tow. After walking past the stares and "you have your hands full and oh, my, how do you do it and I have two and I go crazy and you are amazing and you're bringing them all swimming?" we made it into the locker room. I had the kids all set up ahead of time; they were wearing their suits under their clothes, they already had swim diapers on with regular diapers underneath. So it was strip down, take off regular diaper, throw everything into the locker and let's go.

Avery ran right for the pool but Tucker and Piper weren't so sure. They sat with me on the sidelines as Avery frolicked and dunked and jumped and spouted water out of her mouth. That was before she read the Pool Rules which said No Spouting Water. Piper warmed up after 20 minutes or so but Tucker sat in the shallow end with me, hands folded in lap and head slightly down.

"Tucker, do you want to swim?"
"No."

"Why not?"

"Don't want to."

"What do you want to do?"

"I want pizza."

He is my child that is most like my side of the family, not mentioning any names. He doesn't like anything too hot, too cold, too snowy, too rainy, too windy, too noisy, too icy, too muddy, too sandy, too anything. The water was clearly too wet and the fountains were just too fountainy, as the water would splash in his eyes and then he'd have to wipe them and it was just too much.

In the last half hour of our time there, Tucker finally decided to venture away from the sideline and turn a wheel to make the water go on and off. Then he decided he'd try climbing on the steps that get up to the slide. He decided he wasn't going to slide down the slide, of course. Then the lifeguard threw out a few balls and he was sold. He spent the rest of his time playing catch with Linda's kids and Piper and even threw the ball into the fountain, making water spray everywhere. He even laughed when the water splashed onto his face.

I got all three kids into the shower and got them all dressed without any drama. Well, Tucker did drop a sock into a puddle so he went without socks for the rest of the day.

On our way out, we decided to stop in at the Pizza Ranch in Monticello. The kids can eat at the buffet for $0.80 per year of age. Sweet deal if you ask me. Not very relaxing, though, with only one parent. Linda and I spent most of our time getting up from the table and refilling plates and bowls with pizza, applesauce, bread sticks and pudding. The second I'd sit down with my chicken or salad, someone would request more of something. But I guess, the only thing a mom gets to eat warm is her ice cream. It's just the way it is.

I'm off to work on my crocheting. I can't stand it but I can't stop doing it. This is hat attempt #3 and I think I got it right this time. I think it would have been much easier to buckle down and buy Piper that $10 hat from Target but the stingy Finn in me thought it would be cheaper to make her one. Cheaper money wise, at this point, but not sanity wise.