Eric always does a great job stepping right back into his role of father when he gets home. Frankly, the kids don't give him a choice. While we keep in touch as best we can, there are many things that happen and go on, so I must always edit what we talk about. It also allows for some fun surprises for daddy!
For example:
Picking him up, the girls claimed they needed to use the restroom and convinced daddy to take them.
In the echo-y bathroom, very loudly CJ says as she enters her stall, "Daddy, Daddy, I learned a new song!!!!!!!"
Daddy, "Really?"
CJ at the top of her lungs from her stall, "I LOVE ROCK AND ROLL, PUT ANOTHER DIME IN THE JUKEBOX BABY, I LOVE ROCK AND ROLL!!!" "Daddy, I made up actions to go along, Watch Daddy WATCH!"
Eric returned to the van with the girls, gave me a look and said, "so I hear CJ learned a new song."
Or
After church on Wednesday night. Eric had to meet us there due to work/time/drive etc and he offered to take the van and I could go shopping or just have a quiet drive home.
I have done this Wednesday night drive with the kids, I said, "are you sure?" Also secretly knowing that the girls would insist that Daddy drive.
"Yeah, no problem, take your time...." I don't know what he said after that, I was in his car and gone by that time.
As I was getting back into the car to head home, I saw that I had taken more time than I had intended. Eric called me.
"I'm on my way" I answer the phone.
He said, "oh you're not home yet? I thought you would have beaten us."
"um, is everything okay?"
"yeah, it has just been crazy, we're leaving Fry's now, I'll tell you about it at home," the brave father said.
After the kids are tucked into bed, I hear the story.
The van needed gas...Oops I think I knew that, but kinda forgot.
As he pulls into the gas station, CJ says, "I have to go potty."
From the back seat, "me too, me too"
So he unloaded all three kids, but before getting too far, CJ was offering and trying to wash the van windows and Laurelei needed her shoes put on, (note this ALWAYS has to be done). As they walk into the station, CJ pipes up helpfully, "Daddy, we could get a snack here, we could eat it in the van then when we get home we wouldn't need a snack."
"No," the authortative dad said,"we're here to go potty."
Once inside the restroom, it becomes a "you go first" "No you go first" "no YOU go first" argument --another thing I may have not told him about. Once everyone is pottied, and they head back through the store, CJ pipes up helpfully, "Daddy, we could get a snack here, we could eat it in the van then when we get home we wouldn't need a snack."
"No," the authortative dad said.
He fills up the van -with another wrangling of the girls preventing them from "washing" the windows.
Pulling out onto the road and not ten feet down the road, from the back seat comes a sweet little earnest voice, "poop daddy poop"
The ever helpful narrator "Daddy, she says she has to go poop," turning her head "do you need to go poop?" Yes daddy she needs to go poop. Where are you going to stop?"
Dad, "Can you hold it?"
Narrator, "Can you hold it? No? Daddy she says no. Where are you going to stop? Are you going to stop on the side of the road?" "where are you going to stop?"
This back and forth goes on for a bit more, mostly narrated by CJ.
Eric pulled into Fry's -a local grocery store -
Not missing a beat, CJ says, "Fry's?! Are we going to stop at Fry's? They have food here, we could get a snack here and eat it in the car so when we get home we don't need a snack."
"No we are not getting a snack here." Daddy explains, again.
As he is unbuckling the kids again, and putting on Laurelei shoes again, Laurelei asks if they are going in. The ever patient Daddy says, "don't you have to go poop?"
"No" says the sweet two year old.
"you don't have to go?"
"Potty!"
"okay, you have to potty? not poop?"
"Yes"
They head into the store, which is decorated wonderfully for Halloween.
Squeals of delight!
"oooo look at that baby spider!!!"
"Baby Spider? It's the size of a Volkswagon." Daddy replied.
"They have food here, we could get a snack here and eat it in the car so when we get home we don't need a snack."
"NO!"
"Oooo, scary monster!" "I see a bat!"
Stepping in to keep things moving along daddy says, "we are here to go potty, again"
Basically needing to drag the girls to the bathroom, he was carrying Kjetil.
No business actually needed to be done.
But there was more to look at in the Halloween display.
"ooo baby spider!" "Look at the monster"
"They have food here, we could get a snack here and eat it in the car so when we get home we don't need a snack."
"NO SNACK"
At this point in his story, I was laughing so HARD! He looked at me and said Laurelei had just thrown herself onto the floor not wanting to leave, CJ wouldn't stop talking, he just wanted to grab Laurelei by the leg and drag her out of there.
Once I came up for air, I said, "welcome to my world." I did give him the tip of putting Kjetil in the stroller, this way Laurelei (or CJ) could be scooped up and whisked away, or distracted by the promise of getting to push the stroller.
AHHHHHHHH......It's fun to have him home.
i
