Date Night, Meltdown and Nike

Saturday, Mom and Dad were able to have their official first date night since Owen was born! O spent the afternoon and evening with Grandma Lynn, Grandpa Steve and Uncle Brad. Nate and I went to his high school reunion with friends Matt and Bridget at Churchill Downs, and then hit up a steakhouse for a nice dinner out. It was so refreshing to have adult conversation literally, all night long. By the time we got back to Grandma and Grandpa's house, the little guy was already fast asleep in his pack 'n play.

We came home on Sunday and attempted to get some holiday and grocery shopping done before Thanksgiving. Attempted. While at Costco, little man had a dirty diaper and Mom had no wipes. Awesome. We left in a hurry but still made it out with the essentials: formula, wreaths and some gifts from Santa. Later in the afternoon I took Owen with me to Kroger to get a few items for the short work week and Thanksgiving dinner. Halfway through our excursion, Owen decided he didn't want to sit in the cart anymore (such a big boy!), so I had to hold him somewhere between the pasta and soup aisles. Then he decided that me holding him wasn't good enough either. The meltdown began near the baby food. I was THAT mom... you know, the one with the screaming kid in the grocery store that you stare at and think, "MY child would NEVER act like that in public! Hmph!"

O.M.G. My child certainly did act like that... from diapers to the frozen food section I was getting pitiful looks from every woman and surprised looks from every man. I'm sure there were a few annoyed looks mixed in but I wasn't really paying that close of attention. I finally made it to the check out lane and Owen had made himself comfortable in my arms - which meant that he had settled down but I was rendered helpless to check out. This is where I'm going to get all Thanksgiving-mushy on you: Thank God for the kindness of strangers!

The gentleman in line behind me asked me if I needed any help, to which I said, "Yes, please!" So he got all of my items out of my cart and placed them on the belt for me, allowing me time to maneuver my wallet out of my purse and swipe my card before Owen had a chance to protest. The kind stranger offered to push the cart out for me, but by then I had [kind of] figured out how to push the cart and hold onto O so I politely told him he had done quite enough and expressed my gratitude again. I don't think I would have made it out of Kroger alive if it weren't for that man!!!

Once home, I found a sleeping husband and dog waiting on me. Nice. By then, Owen had also passed out from the sheer exaustion of his hissy fit. So I began making homemade chicken noodle soup - seriously, print off this recipe and make it. It's from Paula Deen. For real. It's awesome. I'm not lying. Do it.

What I forgot to share with you is how awesome Owen looked [before] going to the store with me. He wore his very first pair of shoes, given to him by Nate's college roommate (a.k.a Uncle Kahlil). Of course, they're Nike, and Owen looks pretty cute in them!!!

All in all, it was a pretty big weekend for us. I hope we have a similar experience this week as we travel south to visit family in Kentucky and Tennessee (with the exception of the Costco and Kroger incidents - which we will never speak of again).

We hope you and your family and loved ones have a fantastic Thanksgiving holiday weekend! Eat lots and shop early.