I Was Like A Kid In A Candy Store

Or toy store actually. So, Sid and I went with Ben and Kylie (his brother/my brother in law and sister in law) to do some Christmas shopping. First, just because I know he reads I would like to say that it is VERY sad that I've been here for almost 2 1/2 years and I never, ever would have guessed in a million years that my brother in law was a comedian on the side. I laughed at him the entire night. Kylie, I must say that you have your hands way more full than I ever knew. Anyway, we had a GREAT time and hopefully we will be able to take some more Christmas shopping trips together before the season ends. I also learned that my sister in law puts her tree up way before Thanksgiving....because it's up already.

Anyway, we went several places and had a great dinner. But when we went to Toys-R-Us, I think I had an out of body experience. Kylie and Ben wanted us to show them some things for Bailey's birthday and Christmas and we needed to do the same for Mason. I've shopped for Erin for the past five Christmas's and that's always been tons of fun. But I never knew it was so neat and stressful all at the same time to pick toys out for your soon to be one year old. We found several things that we knew would be great for Bailey and I promise you we walked around that store for at least an hour with me saying "I just really don't know, I don't know, I can't decide, Sid you decide...." I know Ben and Kylie were thinking for the love of all that is Holy would you pluuuueeesseeee make up your mind.

Then I didn't feel so bad when we left there and spent the next two hours or so going to not one but two Wal-Marts looking for a specific bike that they needed for Mason.

We didn't leave Philadelphia until later in the evening because of course Sid had a funeral and a long one at that simply because we made plans in advance. But that was ok, we still had a great time. But did ya'll know that there are Wal-Marts in the world that don't stay open 24 hours a day? I didn't. But I do now because we were in one in Meridian at MIDNIGHT when they started to close. Of course, our shopping trip may not have had us out til almost 1 a.m. if 1) We'd had a waiter at O'Charley's that was coherent and drug-free, 2)They hadn't messed Sid's food up at O'Charley's and we had to send it back, because bless his heart, he only eats meat, cheese and bread and for SOME reason, probably b/c it all sounded good to our non-drug free waitress at the time, his sandwich had onions, peppers, and mushrooms slathered all over it. (I'd have sent it back, too.) 3) We hadn't have taken a tour around Meridian to see old haunted houses that were, yeah, "in the hood" and finally 4) We hadn't have stopped off in the hood for some ice cream at the local hood DQ.

Of course the trip was almost cut short when NeNe, who had the kids, called Ben to tell him that Mason WAS NOT going to sleep with Pap-paw. See, Mason is 4 1/2 and I don't know how long he's been spending the night with NeNe and Jerry but ever since he has, he has always slept with NeNe. Then enters Bay to the picture and who is she going to sleep with? Everybody tried to tell him he'd have to sleep with Pap-paw so Mam-maw could sleep with Bailey and at first, he wasn't listening to it, but then he finally relented and all was to be well. UNTIL, it was time to go to bed and he had to actually get into the bed with Pap-paw. Let's just say that they both ended up still spending the night, Jerry has a "new" bed buddy that is NOT Mason, Mam-maw got no sleep because she felt compelled to get up and check on Jerry's bed buddy every hour and all is well in Mason's little life, bless his heart! I was proud of Ben and Kylie though because if they had called me and told me Bay wanted to come home, I'd have dropped everything, including all those toys labeled for one year old's and made a bee-line to get her.

We learned something else on that trip, too! Or I did anyway, I am too old to stay out and up that late. I just know I'm gonna crash tonight before Brothers and Sisters goes off and that's gonna make me so mad.