Going to Miami

The boys knew we were going somewhere cool but didn’t completely understand what me and Mad Dog were referring to when they heard the word Miami. Most people I talked to thought we were slightly crazy to do a 12 hour (round trip) car ride over two days to see Thomas the Train. Well, if you’ve read this blog at all, you can understand why our ability to make sane decisions has been compromised simply by parenting Full Speed and T.Puzzle. So, we marched on down all the way to…. MIAMI!

“Where’s your- AMI, Dad?” Full Speed asks.

“No, it’s not MY Miami, it’s just Miami,” Mad Dog replies.

It’s pointless. The rest of our little trip Miami was referred to as your-AMI by the boys.  I kind of liked it though.

So, we arrive at your-AMI and then the real fun begins once we reach our hotel room. I’m learning that a leopard can’t change his spots and well, Full Speed can’t contain his energy. I sat back and let him go to town. He kept launching himself from our bed to the pull-out bed. It was a joy to watch (and only slightly heart-pounding). Sometimes, as a Mom, you have to let go and let the leaping commence.

The morning we are actually set to meet Thomas, little T.Puzzle (who may be Thomas’s biggest fan), is full of joy. While he is not quite as energetic as his big brother, he has the spunk to meet Full Speed sass for sass. And since little T.Puzzle continues to hold on to the terrible twos (even though he is clearly three and has yet to receive the memo), it was awesome to have the threat of ‘if you don’t listen to Mommy, you won’t meet Thomas!’ He was an absolute angel.

I tend to get overwhelmed in crowds and a Day out with Thomas was no exception. It doesn’t help that I often have two boys that run in opposite directions on a constant basis. When I get overwhelmed I can get kind of snippy. I was getting frustrated by the masses of people and with every suggestion I made, Mad Dog had a different idea. Finally, totally exasperated, I say to Mad Dog, “Apparently we can’t agree on anything!” As smooth as silk he responds, “We can agree that you are beautiful.” Nice save. And, yet more proof that Mad Dog is the smartest man I know.

So, the joy and the energy of our day with Thomas had reached a fever pitch. I corral the boys to a bouncy house to hopefully release some energy before we get back on the road to home. All I can say to the Moms out there is, if you see my boys in a bouncy house and think they are out of control, kindly choose another place to take your child. It’s a bouncy house for goodness sakes, not a sit-down-and-drink-tea-quietly house. And, lady, you know who you are. You are just lucky I didn’t take you in the bouncy house myself and show you what a true smack-down really means. Yeah, in case you couldn’t tell, some lady really pushed my buttons when she told me my boys were too rough.

Tell me something I don’t know.

Adios, Miami!