Mom Fail

Good morning! We have survived the blizzard and even have a delayed opening today to boot! I'm linking up with Shay and Erika today for How We...  can't wait to read them all!

I've been a Mom for over eighteen years now so believe me when I tell you, I have more than my fair share of Mom Fails under my belt. Don't worry, you'll get there, too. ha ha ha ha ;)

I'm going to limit myself to just this one today because I mentioned it on IG recently so it's fresh in my mind.

It was a super sticky hot summer day, and we were at the beach. Which obviously is right where you want to be on such a day. We were having a really good time...until someone left the cooler cover open and the birds attacked our food, ha!...well, I guess I'm laughing way more NOW than I was at the time, because four little hungry people become four over-the-top hungry whiny people real quick.

Still, we chased the birds away, had more fun, and after several hours it was time to go home. Now at this particular beach, once you leave the hard-packed sand, the trek through the shifting and super HOT sand is absolutely treacherous. Just torture. So we go as fast as we possibly can to make it to the boardwalk area and the bath house. And this is the place where things come unglued real fast.

Poor Isabelle. She started to lose it. First she lost a flip flop in the rough sand, but didn't tell me, and then she started crying about how hot her foot was. I didn't realize she didn't have her shoe, so when I figured that out, we had to go back for it. And you know the only thing that's worse about a torturous walk out of the beach? Yup. Having to go BACK and retrace your steps. Ugh. Plus, she had decided to keep falling to the ground and dragging herself through said hot sand, which not only made her such a mess, but I'm sure it didn't feel very good either! So she was hollering all about that, and I was already getting "looks" from passersby.

So we finally made it to the bathrooms and changing rooms, and we are both sandy and sweaty and MAD. The boys were waiting there AND rolling their eyes at us, because boys. And they were already done. Again, because boys. So I was rushing on top of everything else, and we all know nothing good comes of that either. I must add here that a HUGE group of people had just arrived, and lots of them were now in the bath house. I had never seen it that crazy full before, so that upped my stress level considerably because crowds and I are not too simpatico if you catch my drift.

Poor, poor Isabelle. She was near hysterics but she was actually doing her best to keep it together because she knew I was going to lose it. I was not gentle or patient or any of the things that I want to be, and she had sensed that she better just roll with it. Which actually breaks my heart a little now. Doesn't that sound so sad?

So we got changed in a mad dash and I grabbed her hand and literally pulled her through the entire rest of the room and to the parking lot, where the boys now were. There had been SO many people running around and bumping into people, I was terrified of losing her in a crowd. In hindsight, why didn't I just pick her up? Was I carrying something else so I couldn't have? Was she too heavy for me to carry? I'll never know. Dumb hindsight, ha!

We arrive at the van, and Ethan gives me this weird look and says, "Why isn't she wearing her dress?"

I fully remember being so confused by his question, like, "Why would you ask something like that?" kind of puzzled. And annoyed, because it was NOT the time for jokes, so I almost yelled at him, too.

So I finally look back at her for the first time since mad-dashing out of there and see it: my poor little girl was standing there in her little Dora underpants, and nothing else, with tears streaming down her face. Obviously I thought I had pulled her dress on over her but it was clutched in my other hand in a death grip. I was so distracted and panicky (I hated the idea of leaving the boys unattended for any longer than absolutely necessary, so that's a part of it) that I didn't even realize I never put her dress on her before marching her out of there.

Lesson learned: I never left another bathroom/changing room without making sure she was wearing clothes again!

And she forgave me. Though this incident gets brought up more frequently than I'd have imagined, by her AND Ethan, ha ha ha!

This is the kind of mess that I was trying to deal with in a stinky, overly crowded, postage stamp sized bathroom stall...and also not have to touch anything! Do I sound defensive???  ;)

And I'm just throwing this in because it makes me so happy :)

Mamas, this feels like YESTERDAY and forever ago all at the same time...and now Ethan is heading off to college this year! Make the most of your time!

**added later**
I couldn't leave off a photo of just my four babies when we have FIVE babies...and as I was searching I came across this- one of my very favorites!!!!

Okay, here is my tribe of five! :)