I ran across something that I wrote on March 1, 2007. It made me laugh, and also realize what a difference two years can make when you are a child. Here is a picture of the boys taken around the same time that I wrote this. In this picture, Adam is 4 years and and Zach is 3 years.

Why I do not go inside Starbucks
(March 1, 2007)

After getting haircuts, I took the boys to Starbucks for a treat. When we arrived, there were several groups of people enjoying nice quiet conversations and hot cups of coffee. As we were standing in line, the boys knock over this little tree gingerbread thing. No big deal…at least it was wrapped so nothing went all over the place.

Then they start going up to the cold case that holds bottled water, milk and other cold drinks, some of which that are glass. They start clinking the bottles together and then saying “BRRRR!” (because it was cold).

After that is under control I order my coffee, two little waters, and one piece of coffee cake for all of us to share. While they are making the coffee and getting the coffee cake, I get the boys settled at the table. I go back up to get the coffee and cake, and when I came back (10 seconds, no lie!), Zach had spilled his water.

The employees come over and help me clean it up and get out a mop. We move to a different table, and I pour half of Adam’s water into Zach’s cup and tell him to be careful. The cups had lids on them, by the way. I go back up to the counter to get two more forks and when I came back Zach had spilled his water AGAIN. The people sitting at the next table get up and leave. The employees are very nice “this happens all the time, don’t worry!"

We get everything cleaned up and then Zach realizes that HE doesn't have a plate and does not want to eat off the plate that Adam and I are eating off of. So it’s finally agreed that I will put Zach’s cake into the little container that the cake came in (like a to go box). Then Adam has to make sure that he and Zach have the same number of pieces of cake (I had cut it up).

Then Zach drops his fork on the floor and insists on eating off of THAT one, instead of a clean one. I finally get him to eat with MY fork (which is full of germs too, but I figured it was better than the one that fell on the floor). Meanwhile, Adam is eating the cake and most of it is crumbling in his lap and falling on the floor. We finally finish our food and while I’m cleaning up a major mess, the boys go over to the trash can and tap it with their hands because “listen mom, it makes a funny noise!” By the time we leave, I don’t think there were any other customers…