Mack Truck

Later in the day I took the kids to Target, alone. I drove into the parking lot and scanned the perimeter for a shopping cart that had the attached two-toddler seater. I saw a few, actually, so I knew the gods were smiling down on me. The boys thought the contraption was novel...at first. After we got inside and were in the baby aisle Ronin started shrieking to be put down. I let them both free and tried to keep them in my peripheral vision. It got a little harrowing in the baby clothes section. I saw a little [Polish?] girl standing nearby, eyeing Ronin apprehensively. He looked at her bravely, then took a stomp toward her, causing her to startle and take a step back. I told Ronin to be nice and to leave her alone. I think he was kind of taunting her at first, but then he smiled and ran away from her. Nikko was running around and looked at her too, and also ran away from her. She probably thought my boys were so irritating. In the toy aisle, Ronin was going ga-ga over some racing cars, then I pointed out the Disney Cars section and he was awed. Ronin and Nikko looked at a Cars Mack Truck. Ronin's attention wandered to other toys, but Nikko seemed to really want the Mack Truck and he carried the box, signing More. I let him have it. Ronin also wanted a Mack, but he changed his mind four times between Mack and other cars. He finally settled on a $4 Matchbox racing car (thank goodness! The bigger version of it was $24!) which I told him was his, and that Mack Truck was Nikko's, and not to change his mind later that he wanted Mack all along. I let Nikko have Mack because he showed a real interest in it above all other toys and he was so good today. Of course, when we got home and settled for dinner Ronin was screaming for Mack, and post-dinner was a huge battle across the board. I'm exhausted from the emotions sucked out of me. Denis was working late so I put all the kids to bed. It took me 45 minutes to bath, book, song, and pray the kids to bed, and it was still 9:30p. My goal is 9p, so I have to start baths earlier in the future. Nikko needs at least 10 hours of sleep for school. Tomorrow is the Garden Walk, where the parents and kids go to school to meet the teachers and check out the facilities. Atz and Allie are coming to sit with Ronin and Audrey for two hours. And then Friday is Nikko's first day of preschool. I am getting nervous thinking about his bus ride and beyond.