Mall Rats

Michael and Emily certainly have not spent the amount of time in the mall that Sophie did when she was their age. When I was expecting I thought:"How hard can it be? I'll still be able to get out and about." Well, considering that the fastest I have ever been able to get them both from the car and into the stroller is a full 11 minutes, I would say it is slightly different than traveling with one. I love my double stroller, but it is a bit involved to set up. Since it doesn't fit in the van unless it is partially disassembled, it is time consuming. But, it is comfortable for them, and high enough for me to push without getting back strain.....a must when you are 6 feet tall. All this aside, I made the trek to North Point last week. Michael and Emily were troopers. We did some shopping right off the bat, then went to the food court for lunch. When I leaned down to put Michael's bib on, I noticed a hanger in his lap; he was contentedly chewing on the handle. I pulled it out and realized it was a pair of shorts that he removed from The Children's Place! So, we strolled back over and after setting off the alarm upon re-entering the store, returned the shorts to the salesgirl. They were a 2T, I told him if he was going to steal, as least get the right size.

After lunch we ventured to the Children's Soft Play Area, and they had a blast. It was about 1:30 by this point, so it was mostly empty. Except for my new found friend Isabelle, who was 6 1/2 years old and was drawn to the twins like a moth to a flame. She could have been Sophie's older sister, they looked alike, and shared that same "outgoing" personality. When we left, she kissed the babies good bye, I told her she will make a great babysitter one day.

They were worn out after this, and had their bottles and fell asleep in the stroller. I actually went shopping.....for myself. Went shoppping as in tried on clothes. Can't remember the last time that happened. Thank goodness for handicapped dressing rooms, all 3 of us fit in one quite nicely. So, now that I know I can do it solo, a few more trips to the mall could be in our future.