Don't Touch Your Brother!

I think this has become one of my most often uttered phrases and it seems to be the hardest request for the boys to obey, or hear. Last night I was going to make Taco Soup for dinner and realized that I didn't have any kidney beans in the cupboard. I had a mountain of black beans but no kidney and though I put black beans in taco soup it goes over better with a mixture of the two beans. So at 5:00 I decided to take everyone to the store for kidney beans. I know, I should have come up with something else to make, like soft tacos or spaghetti, but I had planned on taco soup, I even had Fritos to put on it. And I still went to the store (which is just down the block from us) even though while getting shoes on and such the boys wouldn't listen to me and chased each other while yelling and screaming.

I almost didn't go. But we went and my only instructions were to stay right by me and not to touch each other. They did manage to stay by me pretty well which is kind of a miracle because lately every time Cannon sees the motorized scooter they have parked in the store he has to play on it and try to make it work. I gave each boy a can to hold and at the check out Ridge playfully banged Cannon's head with his can. Luckily I caught Cannon in mid-swing while he was attempting to bang Ridge's head because he was set to really bang him. I paid for the beans and Ridge waited by the change machine to catch the coins that came out. It was only two dimes and three pennies but, of course, this led to a wrestling match between the boys. They shoved and bumped into the path of an old lady with her cart and wouldn't let go of each other until I grabbed Cannon's arm and started marching him from the store. I must have looked mad and abusive because a woman walking in with her infant car seat on her arm looked at me and kind of gasped. And I don't think this does justice for how crazy they were acting though the afternoon and evening. When we got home I told them that they had to go to their rooms and wait until dad got home before they came down. Which they did but Cannon yelled to me many times, "is dad home yet?" and "why does Laine get to be out of her room?" She was there too, of course, and though she does have her moments of piercing, high-pitched screaming "NOOO!" she was a good girl at the store.