Eventful Day at WalMart

We had an eventful day at Walmart Monday! Michelle and I took the girls to do our Monday morning grocery shopping and as we were headed to check out, we were told we wouldn't be able to leave the store due to a gunman in the parking lot! We were told we could go to Subway and get a free drink. However, Subway is at the front of the store right near the entrance, which didn't seem safe or smart. So, Michelle and I decided that the best place to be was the back of the store near an exit. We hung out in the back of the store where we could keep an eye on the front door, but near an exit so we could make a run for it if need be. By this time, all the customers were aware of what was going on and most had stopped shopping and were just standing around, speculating. After about 30 minutes, the employees started moving us out of the main aisles and to the back of the store. We were escorted into Site-To-Store and the kids were given juice and cookies, and they turned on cartoons for them to watch. We stood around in the back for another 30 minutes. Throughout the ordeal, I was on and off the phone with Jim. He told me that they blocked the road in front of Walmart and it was all over the news. Finally, they told us that they were letting people leave 10 at a time through the exit by the vision center. By the time we made it to the front and checked out, they were just letting everyone leave. In order to get out, you had to walk past the SWAT team, which was pretty intimidating with their helmets, bullet proof vests, and giant guns! Once we were home, we learned that the gunman wasn't even at the store, he was calling in threats from a private residence where he was arrested without incident. If I have to be locked in a store because of a gunman, I guess this was the best situation! We most certainly had some angels on our side that day! And honestly, it was probably Emily's favorite trip to the store yet-free cookies, juice, and cartoons!

In other news, Emily now has a favorite TV show, Wow Wow Wubbzy. As far as cartoons go, it isn't too annoying. It is on Noggin so it's geared towards preschoolers. However, it does have her constantly asking for "wowwow" anytime you enter the living room. One particularly rough day, I couldn't find "wowwow" on TV, so (thanks to YouTube) I found a few shows online, which got us through without a meltdown by either Emily or Mommy. As a result, anytime I get on my computer she hounds me for "wowwow".

Emily almost has a full set of teeth, she is working on her canine, which causes lots of drool and moodiness. She is also working on compound phrases. Her newest phrase is announcing that people/things are sleepy. "Daddy sleepy" although it comes out more like "Dahde seepy". She also says Bless You if you sneeze, and Excuse You if you burp. She also says Excuse You if she burps, which is pretty funny. Her other new thing is labeling who things belong to, Daddy's Shoes, etc. Rather then saying, "Mine!" she says, "No! Emme's!" which I'll take, although I know the mine phase isn't far away.

A day in the life of a toddler

Emily is an opinionated child, I am sure you can all attest to that! For those of you that don't know, it rained cats and dogs here yesterday (Monday) which just happens to be our grocery shopping day. So, we donned raincoats and headed out. Emily didn't do too bad, we got our shopping done and headed home. By the time we got home, it was lunch time, my feet were soaked and I had tons of groceries to put away. I kicked off my shoes and started making Emily lunch while simultaneously putting away groceries. Now, some of you are aware of Emily's shoe obsession, for those of you that aren't- Emily is obsessed with shoes. From the minute she gets up, she wants shoes on, and if you aren't wearing shoes, she will bring you some and harass you until you put them on. So, Emily and I are both wet, crabby, and hungry at this point- and then she brings me my shoes. My extremely wet, dirty shoes, and demands I put them on. I politely tell her no and to go put them away. BIGGEST MELT DOWN EVER. Crying, screaming, foot stomping, you name it! She continues to follow me around the kitchen screaming "Shoes on!!!" After about 5 minutes of this, she finally takes my shoes back to my room and returns with a pair of flip flops. Lip quivering, she holds them out and asks, "Shoes?" What is a mom to do? At least they weren't wet. So I ate my lunch wearing brown flip flops with my black outfit.

Big News!

We are happy to announce that Emily is going to be a big sister in March! We are currently 8 weeks pregnant, and while it is early we were just too excited to keep the secret any longer! Please pray for us all that everything goes well.



In other news, we had a great trip to Springfield this past weekend. Emily spent the weekend with her Grandma and Grandpa Mills and joined us Sunday for a baby shower. She had a great time and we enjoyed a kid free weekend!