A Christmas Story

If you have been around me over the last few weeks, you have already heard this story.  I am adding it to the blog though because I want Jason and Nate to read this in a few years and have a good laugh with me.
Over Thanksgiving, I bought some things at Kmart's site to store.  That means I bought something and then just have to pick it up at the store.  Those kind of purchases are the way to go these days because that means I don't have to drag my crazy beasts into the store with me.  Well, I do have to drag them in...just not for long.  Anyway, I had a really not so good cashier and we waited, and waited, and waited.  Nate had brought Dusty Crophopper in and was flying everywhere, and Jason was screaming to be let loose.  When I'd give into his pleas, it always resulted in him running as far and as fast as he could go.  I'd capture him again, see all the kind smiles of the other people waiting in line, and get back into place, red faced and embarrassed at my wild beast of a child.
Anyway, we finally got through the line and as soon as I picked up my bag to go, Nate said "I gotta go poo".  Of course the bathrooms are at the way back end of the store.  We got there at a meandering pace...Jason had to veer off in every crazy direction possible.  (You might ask why I didn't carry him, or put him in a cart, and I'll remind you that he screams like a child possessed if I am carrying him and he wants to walk.  I'll also remind you that this was supposed to be a quick in and out, so I didn't plan for a cart.)  As we walked in the door, Nate tells me he doesn't have to go anymore.  I said "No way, dude.  You're going."  In the mean time, I had to hold onto Jason with a death grip so he wouldn't swirl his hands in the toilet or lay on the filthy floor doing snow angels.  Nate took his sweet time pooping and I was in a full sweat...totally regretting my stupid crayon black Friday purchase.
We got out of the bathroom without much else to write about.  Nate saw a Planes display and asked if we could look for Dipper.  She's a plane he's been looking for.  I agreed (stupidly) and off we went into the toy section.  That was also just as expected..."Mom!  Can I get that for my birfday?"  Over and over, and over.
I dragged them away from the toys.  I had Jason in my arms and was avoiding the squirming flailing arms as he yelled "help! help!"  Nate wasn't even on my naughty radar because he's been so good lately.  Next thing I know, he has karate chopped the 14 foot Frosty the Snowman blowup display.  It deflated and was knocked over before I could even figure out what happened.  Horrified, I set Jason down and went to get Frosty back up.  It wasn't working out as planned, and I could hear a suspicious plink....plink...plink.... "Ball!" coming from behind me.  I set Frosty up as good as I could (totally crooked) and turned around to find Jason and Nate stripping the ornaments from the display tree and throwing them down the aisle.  They were so happy about things and I was so horrified!  I couldn't pick the ornaments up fast enough.  Luckily they were shatterproof.  The boys were both happily watching those balls roll and they just couldn't stop.  I couldn't get them back on the tree because there weren't any hooks and I was too flustered to get it figured out.  Things were just getting worse with the boys and I knew I just had to get out of there.  I gathered up as many ornaments as I could and put them in a pile...then I grabbed those boys and made a beeline for the exit.  The whole way there, I was thinking of the surveillance cameras that had recorded that episode...I think it could have made it onto Super Nanny.  The walk to the door was long enough that I was trying to decide if it was worth the fight a few minutes longer to let employees know of the disaster we were leaving in our wake...common sense won out and I just left.  I figured they would see it all soon enough.
At the time, I wanted to go home and never leave the house again. It wasn't until much later that I could laugh about it.  And now, it's my favorite story.  I guess if I can't laugh at these things, there won't be much laughter in my life.
The thing that just keeps coming back to me though is the fact that these boys run all over me.  What is wrong with me that I can't control these kids?  Do I really need Super Nanny?  Jake and Allie didn't walk all over me, but I was also a different kind of parent before I had Sam.  So, in a way, this is all fine and dandy, but I hate the out of control feeling they leave me with.
Allie and I were watching The Little Couple on TLC the other day and we were thinking Will and Zoey were just so cute they made Allie giggle.  Then she said "that little girl is just sitting in that chair!  She's so cute!"  I was thinking the same thing.  She was just sitting in a chair at the beach looking at the birds and the waves.  Later on, the boy sat in a chair and watched his dad fish.  They walked side by side by their parents and were just so well behaved.  Jason and Nate just did not come that way.  Their natural instinct when we come to a new place is to run and look into every corner, jump on every piece of furniture, and scream shrilly as they avoid my grasping arms.  It is a natural instinct to dart into traffic in a parking lot.  It's a natural instinct to climb, and jump, and scream, and squeal.  I certainly don't want to beat it out of them, but I am also jealous of the well behaved children at the grocery store who aren't trying to break free of the shopping cart buckles.  I am not kidding when I say that Jason can break free of almost every store's shopping cart buckles.  He strains and grunts and pushes his body so far that the buckle pops free.  I have since learned to cinch it down so tight that he can't even wiggle.  Then he can't get the leverage to pop it free, but he also complains that it is too tight.
I guess I just need to quit comparing.  These boys aren't the well behaved calm kids that follow me and stay close as we go shopping, but they have their merits.  They are hilarious and they are smart.  I love them more than I could have ever imagined loving children before I had my own.  I am grateful to Sam (and really, each one of my kids) for teaching me to be a mother who cherishes all the things about my children.  I know I cherished them before, but he changed me for sure.  He made me think twice about what really matters.  He made me be more of a "yes" mom than I was before.  I think he paved the way for the strong willed Jason and Nate.  I know I am far from perfect as a parent, but I also know that I love my kids and they know that I love them.  I am learning every day and I sure hope these kids realize that even if I lose my patience now and then, overall, I try to treat them with love and kindness.  Heavenly Father entrusted me and Mike with some of his amazing children.  They have such potential in their little bodies and I look forward to seeing the great things they do with their time on this earth.  So when they act like the children that they are, I hope I can continue to have patience and see the humor in things.  And I hope all the people around me witnessing the chaos will just continue to smile and see my children for what they are...some of God's loved children.