Back To Normal. . . Kind of. . .

I guess we don't really have a "normal" like most people, but if we did, we are getting closer to it. The last couple of weeks were certainly NOT normal mainly for the fact that I didn't get to see my kids very much. We are usually together all the time and, even though there's a lot of chaos, we stay pretty well connected to each other. With all of the traveling we did in July and all the back to back events we've had lately, the kid's saw a lot of each other and a lot of Grandma and Grandpa but not very much of me. Zach doesn't seem to mind too much but Gloria lets me know when she's had enough. It all came to a head on Wednesday when I was caught up in the Wilco event and shipping out the cases and didn't have a chance to pick Gloria up like I told her I would. By the time I got back out to the event, I found that I was just too stinking tired to drive one more mile. In desperation, I called Grandma and she rescued my children. She fed them and made Gloria take a bath and I suffered a large dose of mommy guilt. Gloria completely took advantage of the situation (because she's her father's daughter) and before I knew it I was promising her a trip to the mall. I hate the mall. I avoid the mall like the plague. But Gloria loves the mall and somehow that one little promise made everything better. All that to say, Gloria and I went to the mall on Thursday.

It made her very happy. . .

This puppy almost made me glad I came to the mall. . .

Unfortunately, Thursday is Nampa Nights so our trip was cut short. Leading me to promise a return trip on Friday. It was a pretty serious case of Mommy-Guilt. The set up went smoothly and Rob set up and sound checked the band and then. . . climbed into the truck and fell asleep! Luckily, it was a pretty easy band so I took over and did just fine. . .

On Friday, Gloria and I were back at the mall.

We actually had a really nice time. . .

What's a trip to the mall without spending a few minutes and a few dollars at the photo booth?

Hopefully Gloria got her proverbial cup filled and I can forget about the guilt. . . For now.