birthday shopping

I did not prepare for Mia's birthday.  I did not wrap presents.  I did not bake a cake.  I did not plan a party.  Still haven't, in fact, because Ryan is working so much lately, we don't know when he will be home to join us.

But I did take her shopping.  And Laci.  I took them to Toys R Us, something I never do, and let them be kids.  Kids who were literally overwhelmed by the amount of toys on display in front of them.  I guided them to specific aisles, but they were basically in charge of picking their own present.

I pointed Mia toward the babies where she picked out a pair with creepy blue eyes.  Then she found a child-size plastic shopping cart that she pushed up and down the aisles.  By pure chance/luck, she was distracted from the cart as we were on our way to checkout and I didn't have to tell her it wasn't coming home with us.

Laci was included because, at almost four, it is difficult to understand that you have to wait eighteen more days until it is your birthday.  She knew she wanted a puppy and a horse.  Of course, her eyes first fell on an over-sized Rapunzel doll complete with horse that was a bit out of our price range for the day.  If only I could just buy my kids whatever they wanted.  They would be spoiled and I would love it.  Also, I had to save something for her real birthday.

You can see Rapunzel in the bottom left corner.

After looking at umpteen other dogs and horses, she settled on a stuffed German Shepherd puppy and large stuffed horse, both of which are in her bed with her right now.  For the record, our stuffed dog collection has now surpassed twenty by my estimation.

Some of my favorite times with these girls are when I take the time to watch them explore their world.  I can see them imitate the things they see, like Mia pushing the cart, or Laci showing her sister how something works.  It is especially amusing when Laci notices the items aren't organized correctly on the shelves and starts to put them back in their place. She may be a little OCD.

It was a fun outing, much calmer and smoother than I had anticipated, and I hope we get to do it again soon.