A Day at the Circus

Last weekend Jenna came up for a visit. This provided a rare opportunity to run errands, since we had all hands on deck.

Mom and I handled hair cuts and groceries, while Dad and Jenna tackled a long-awaited trip to Costco. In case any of my readers are not from Bellingham, let me assure you that Costco is a much more daunting journey than you might believe. When I was younger, it was all fun and samples. Now, it’s all Canadians and insanity. So, even though Mom and I had all three boys, I wouldn’t say Dad and Jenna got off easy in any respect.

Mom and I headed to Great Clips first, which is the only place I know of that is willing to take three rowdy walk-ins for a mere $7.99 each.

Mom stayed with Matty, who had to sit on her lap. He screamed and cried and thrashed while they sprayed water on his hair. We’ve had to forgo his haircut due to tantrums in the past, but his locks were really getting out of control. The stylist didn’t seem all that concerned and handed him a sucker, which we left wrapped and stared at trance-like until his hair was chopped.

The result... semi-blurry because it is impossible to make this kid stand still

Jesse insisted on going off on his own. He, the sole blond, also has a completely different weight and coarseness to his hair than the other boys. He gets a classic buzz cut which makes his hair cut pretty quick. He also got a sucker after completion, which he promptly dropped on the floor and looked at longingly until the stylist gave him a new one.

Here's Jesse's freshly cut hair, complete with silly facial expression

I stayed with Hunter, my sole mission to hold his head upright while staying out of the stylists way. Not an easy feat. Hunter’s tendency in public situations is to dig his chin into his collar bone as if attempting to hide within his own body. I wish I could have gotten a picture of his slumped barber chair posture, but I was too busy keeping him from looking like a half shaved weirdo. Hunter has beautiful hair that spikes naturally with the right length. I think it’s a bit short for now, but in a few weeks it will be the perfect length.

Hunter continues to be coy at home when I try to snap a shot of his new haircut

After the boys bit into their dum-dums and handed me the slobbery sticks to dispose of, it was time to go to Fred Meyer. Mom and I figured it would be a quick trip since they have a play land where you can leave the kids while you get your groceries.

I guess Mom had forgotten that Jesse got a “black mark” last time she left him in the playland for throwing a chair like a wrestler, so we could only check Hunter and Matty in. Hunter walked through the gate tentatively but quietly, but Matty protested. He’s got a lot of separation anxiety these days, so he was not interested in leaving Mom. He threw a tantrum and refused to go in. We started to walk him away when Hunter gave the most pitiful look at the prospect of being left alone, so we brought him too.

We ended up with two carts: Mine had Matty in the front seat, Jesse in the belly and all of our coats and purses; Mom’s had Hunter in the seat and all of the groceries. I tried to take a picture but left my iPhone on video mode, so here’s a short clip of the madness.

Things to note:

• Jesse stroking his newly cut hair in awe
• Matty’s attempt to escape
• Mom picking out flowers because it’s so gray and sad out
• Matty aggressively spitting on the sucker
• How weird my voice sounds on camera
• Hunter’s satisfied smile at having guilted us into including him

We traveled through the aisles 2 abreast or 2 long causing people to pause and maneuver around us. It was a disaster. At one point, Jesse noticed one of his teacher’s and made me navigate the crowded produce aisle so he could go say hi to her. Then, Mom had moved on and since she forgot her cell phone at home (typical Mom) I couldn’t just call to find out where she was. Eventually we met back up in the checkout aisle and finally headed home.

I can’t attest to Dad and Jenna’s experience, but if you’ve ever gone to Costco in Bellingham on a weekend in the middle of the day, I’m sure you have an idea of the abysmal parking options and overcrowded lines for samples, registers, and gas. Who knows what we’ll be able to accomplish next time Jenna is in town?

I’ve said it once and I’ll say it again: Three children is too many. It should not be such a struggle to run a simple errand, but with three small children even two adults can hardly manage a simple trip to the grocery store.

-Kacie Riann

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