Hold on, were going for a ride!

I told this story to a couple of you but I have gotten such a kick out of it, I figured I would put it out on the blog.

A while back, I had an opportunity to go pick up the kids early from school. When I got to Woodsholllow, I first stopped in Noelle's room to grab her. The room was empty so I ventured outside to find a dozen kids stripped down to their underwear covered in green paint. Of course, Noelle was in the middle of the green paint. I took one look at her teacher and said, "I am not taking that thing home with me, you gotta clean her up." So I left and went up to James room to get him. When I got up there James and Logan were engaged in a heated game of something and it was clear that my intention of grabbing them early to go do something "fun" was out of the question. James asked me to leave after about 20 minutes because he wanted to go play outside with Logan.

I traipsed back to Noelle's room to see if she was cleaned up. I walked into her room and there was my little girl, dressed to the nines in a sundress and heels and accessorized to the max sporting star sunglasses, a purse, necklace and matching bracelets in place...and green paint all down her neck, arms and legs. She took one look at me and the only thing I gathered from her face was "what took you so long? Its time to move." And so I followed! We made our way to the Tahoe and and from there to Copps as I had intentions of getting some provisions for the evening...boy was I mistaken.

We pulled into the parking lot at Copps and started making our way into the store. From that point on our world transitioned into something of the surreal. As I followed my little girl through the parking lot, so did the rest of the world. Traffic stopped dead in the parking lot and people gawked like Paris Hilton was walking into the grocery store. I honestly could do nothing but follow. We made our way into the store and I felt like I was was following Moses as the Red Sea parted before us. People in the produce aisle dropped their cucumbers and ogled at my pint-sized diva as she made her way past the onions. The woman behind the deli counter took one look at her and almost fell over the counter. Noelle gave her a stiff "what you lookin' at?" response and kept on moving. I looked at the woman and shrugged my shoulders because it was clear this was out of my control. She was on a mission, off to the bakery where a chocolate fix was awaiting...double chocolate chip muffins to be exact. Noelle walked right up to the counter and pointed at her cache. The guy behind the counter smiled like someone who hadn't seen the sun in a hundred days. He reached back behind the rack and pulled out the biggest muffin you'd ever seen...reached down and handed it to her and said "this one is on us."

This blurry, surreal event continued as we made our way through the store and out the front door. People's head spinning, mouths open and me just following like a dog on a leash. We finally got the to Tahoe and she stopped, looked up at me and smiled standing by the door finally acknowledging that it would not open without my help. It was the first time in the past 20 minutes that there was one hint in her mind that she needed my help. I smiled, picked her up and put her in the car seat. "Thanks dad."

As a parent I think you kind of tend to magnify things that your kids do because well, they are your kids. Had I not witnessed this one first hand and lived the event, I would not have believed it, but it's the honest truth. What's scary is that she's not even three yet. On this beautiful day, I am a bit frightened at what may come when 13 rolls along.