One, two, buckle our shoes

Well, I forgot to wear green for St. Patrick's Day, but I'm not Irish either, so who cares? But since this seems to be the day most associated with Luck, I've had all day to think about how lucky I am. Luck is fortune: the overall circumstances or condition in life (including everything that happens). Although I guess I could say I am "lucky", I really feel like "blessed" is a better word to describe my life. Enough on that subject.

The day started with Will taking a short trip to the dentist for a little filling in a cavity. Then the kids and I met my Dad for lunch. Will went with Granddad for a week of fun and adventures, and the little kids and I headed home. It was so hard to beep good-bye to Will as he and Granddad drove west and I turned to the east. Nope, it doesn't really get easier as he gets older. . .or more ornery. I'll miss that little squirt, but it's just for a few days, and I know he will have a blast.

We took a detour to a shoe store and got Ben and Maddie their first pairs of shoes. Jon didn't get any because he isn't walking yet. Don't tell me that isn't fair. . . we aren't going to spend $45 on a pair of shoes if he doesn't need them. When he is walking he will get some Mommy time on a Saturday and we'll go get his pair.

We started with Maddie & measured her foot. Maddie is gernerally a very joyful little girl who likes to stand and walk, but when I set her on her feet over the foot-measuring tool, her legs both went straight out (like she's sitting, but she only has air under her tush.) I wish my abs could do that. When the lady tried moving her feet to the tool, she would move her legs to the side (still perpendicular to her body). After a little dance, we finally got her measured, and she started trying on shoes. As soon as the first one went on, our happy little sunshine girl WAILED! Yes, LOUD, not a cry, but an awful scream that turned all the heads in the shop! We finally found a pair that she didn't scream about, but she was still pretty cranky. They were the best fit, and I liked them the most. How did we get her to quit screaming? We stood her in front of one of those shoe mirrors that was the perfect height for her. She stood there smiling at her pretty little self with both hands on her hips. Then we got Ben out and repeated the process. I have never had so much trouble getting shoes on a kid. It took three of us to hold that busy little boy long enough for a professional to get a shoe on him. He wasn't wailing, but he was so squirmy all over. He really seemed to have fun giving me a hard time -- curling his toes so the shoe wouldn't go on, acting calm then pulling his leg back really fast after I got one almost on, turning upside down in my lap. Since we went to a real shoe store, as opposed to one in a mall or department store, the people there were very helpful and extremely patient with our crew. The kids were all very well behaved for the most part. . . .and after we picked out Ben's shoes, Maddie was still smiling in the mirror and pointing at herself.

Now we are home and the triplets are running around using up all that stored energy. Ben got his shoes off pretty quickly since I haven't installed the tie-keeper.