A day at the mall

The kids and I went to the mall yesterday. I had some tennis shoes to return and I wanted to take them to the play area. We have been avoiding public places pretty heavily since P.'s RSV scare, but she has been doing great so I thought a day out would be good for all of us. I also found a super cute sweater and a pair of jeans that actually fit me (and aren't maternity pants!). Better yet, they were buy 1 get 1 free at JCP. The downside? The sweater I tried on had a snag so I grabbed another one just like it ... or so I thought. I got home and showed Tyler, except this new sweater no longer fit me and the buttons were different. I was so totally bummed because it took me a long time to find this sweater in my size among all of the clearance racks and I even took off all of my layers in the middle of store to try it on. I guess shopping with three kids does something to your concentration! Though I have a full day of cleaning planned for today (guests are coming over tomorrow for lunch), the kids and I may be heading back to the mall for a "quick" exchange!

Wanna play?
I was struck yesterday with how interesting my son's interactions are with other boys his age. Another 4-5 year old showed up at the mall play area and they didn't really start playing with one another right away. Instead, they would sort of walk around one another and each do little "tricks" on the playground equipment, watching out of the corner of their eyes to see what the other one was doing. I was laughing at how they just had the exact same personality. E. is shy at first and then pours the attention on. I tease him because he never thinks to ask the other children what their names are either. This other boy was the same. Then came the clincher that my son has a twin—I overheard the other little boy saying "Are you in school? I am." And the two minutes later, E. says, "Do you have a Leapster? I do." Hmm, I wonder who ended up winning the intellect/possessions contest.

8 weeks old
Thursday, P. turned 8 weeks old. She is so precious. I love watching her smile and hearing her coo. It is just uncanny how much she looks like E. While we were getting ready to go to the mall, I saw E. entertaining P. while she was in her swing. She was smiling and talking back to him. I busted the camera out and she almost became a deer in the headlights, but I thought I would post it here anyway. E. is wonderful with her, just like he was with S. With S., he would put a blanket on like it was a cape and run through the room acting like a superhero. S. always thought it was hilarious and would just laugh and laugh. E. is such a great son and brother. I am really proud of the little man he is becoming. I never thought I would say that during his "terrible 3s"! Enjoy the cute video!