Trip to Evansville

We made a spontaneous trip to Evansville yesterday. The girls are running CC at Barr-Reeve on the Jr. High team this year so we needed to get them some good running shoes so we made a quick trip to Swift Athletic...they have a machine that they walk across to determine their pressure points of their feet and also watch how they walk and run and then they recommend what type of running shoe would be best for them. Of course I forgot to bring the camera in with me or I would have had pictures. Pretty much nothing was planned except for getting the shoes so everything was spontaneous. Griffin was needing a haircut and I remember seeing this "Family Hair Cut" place by Chucky E. Cheese and there was no one in the shop at all so we walked right in and Griffin got his haircut. He loved getting to sit in the jeep while getting his haircut and of course he told her he likes to be a "cool dude" so she used gel and blowed dried his hair spiking it in the front...

His reaction...."Oh yeah...that's what I'm talking about!"
When we got to the mall Natalie asked "Mom when are Griffin and I going to get our b-day pictures taken?" I'm like right..their b-days were in May and it is now August! So we stopped by JC Penney portrait studio and they had an appointment later in the afternoon. So we shopped clearance rack and found Natalie a sweet little sundress for $6.97!! ChaChing! And when we were in the clearance boys section Griffin picked out his own out fit...Nike basketball 2-piece outfit $6.97! ChaChing! LOVE it when that happens. We had another little indicident in the JC Penney jewelry section...we had been looking at Necklaces...you know some are stretchy and some are clasp. We had looked at the stretchy ones first and then moved to a different section and Natalie went to try a clasp that she thought was a stretchy one...well instantly it broke and Natalie fell to her knees and started crying (I knew it was an accident)...then I said well look at the price and see how much it is......$80.00! She just started crying even more and put her hands over her eyes and knew it was horrible...I was about to cry too! And in that moment I'm faced with this decision....well no one saw it happen we could just leave it and they would never know...but then I'm like is that what I want to instill to her...but I'm thinking how can that flimsy necklace be $80.00...although it was on a rack that was 50% off...so only $40.00 but still! So I made the decision that I can't just leave it and have to be honest and if we have to pay for it so be it! So I told her she was going to have to explain to the cashier what happened and apologize and if we have to pay for it we'd do it. So we walked up to the cashier..Natalie being so brave with tears in her eyes...and she said "I wanted to try this necklace on and when I did I accidently broke it.....by now I have tears in my eyes because she was so sweet and sincere and I knew she was very remorseful so I asked the cashier lady that if we needed to pay for it we would. And the cashier lady said NO!!! PTL..Now I did have a few tears in my eyes too because I prayed God would show mercy to Natalie. And the cashier told Natalie that sometimes those things happen and she thanked her for being honest!! And we both thanked her and I told Natalie that was the best thing was God honored her for her honesty! Thank you GOD!! We've never had anything happen like that before but I'm sure it will be something that me and the kids will always remember especially Natalie...because she just cashed a paycheck from her dad for helping with baby turkeys...for 10 days she had gotten up at 5:30 a.m. and helped him feed and do the chores so he paid her $10.00 a day for her help...and she said "mom if I would have had to pay for that $80...that would have taken almost my whole paycheck! I guess she is starting to realize the value of a dollar. So once again it was another life lesson that God saw us through!
Now onto shopping with my boy! Every store we went into (Build-A-Bear was the exception!) he was holding my hand and would promptly halt at the store entrance and say "This is a girly store! I don't like girly stores!" So I was literally dragging him into some of the stores. (he didn't cry..he was just protesting shopping! He is such a man...of course Les sympathized with him when we got home!) So Yes I bribed him that he would get to ride the bull if he behaved until after his picture was taken! He did a good job and he even shared his bull ride with his sisters! He was a happy boy! Our last stop was the Candy Store. Griffin chose gummy worms and he loves Candy Corn...where else can you find candy corn this time of year?? Natalie chose what else...chocolate....in the shape of Band-aids! Megan.... she likes all that sour candy so she got warheads and some spray candy thing...which they bought with their own money! They were happy and we had a nice quiet trip home...Griffin was asleep by the time we hit the 4-lane.

I was reflecting on our day shopping with the girls and how they are getting to be good little frugal shoppers. Also I had to giggle that the girls wanted me to buy clothes for myself...I hardly ever do that...unless off the Wal-mart clearance rack. So Natalie brought me a shirt off a rack and said "Mom it is time for you to put some pink in your life...you always buy black (it goes with everything you know!) Come on mom...you need to support me and my favorite color pink!" And then she moved to another section and said "It's time for you to start wearing skirts again!" I was feeling a little like she was Stacey from "what not to wear!" I did end up buying a few things and included the Hot Pink shirt that Natalie insisted I needed! I can only imagine what it is going to be like in another few years when they really LOVE to shop!