Fun things, then a big ol' EW ICK GAG GROSS

Emily and Jared had gift cards from their birthdays we hadn't spent yet, and Dan's grandpa gave the kids each money he made us PROMISE we would let them spend ASAP, so I took the kids out shopping yesterday. We hit up K-Mart for a pink digital camera that fell within the budget Emily had with great-Grandpa's money. She's beyond thrilled, to say the least... We continued to Target to get Jared an MP3 player, which will go with the Spiderman idog due to arrive in the mail sometime this week. HE'S beyond thrilled, to say the least... Next, we went to Toys R Us for Jared to spend his gift card from his birthday, plus the last $20-ish dollars of his money from great-Grandpa. Immediately upon walking into the store, he spotted a Star Wars Clone helmet and his attention and decision would not be swayed from that helmet. I knew he wasn't going to like it as much upon getting home and actually getting to wear it (it's huge, it doesn't work well, it's not very comfortable, etc), but after a ten minute argument, it finally occurred to me that it's HIS money to spend, not mine, so we got the helmet. Our next stop was the mall, where we hit up the Build-a-Bear store for Emily to spend her gift card from her birthday. She picked out two new outfits for her bear, Buttercup, and the lady at the register asked if Buttercup needed some ear bows. Emily agreed that, yes, Buttercup did, indeed, need some ear bows. We expected the gal to give her two bows (one for each ear). Instead, she gave Emily two ear bows of every single color they have! Em's eyes got HUGE and the lady got the biggest kick out of it and came around the counter to give her a hug saying Emily had just made her day. Apparently there had been another little girl who'd come through earlier in the day and after getting all those ear bows, asked why she couldn't have some more.

It was rather late in the afternoon at this point (pushing 2pm) and we still hadn't had lunch, so I sucked it up and headed to the food court for some McD's. Connor was sitting in his stroller next to the table (just easier than hauling over a highchair blah blah blah), and I was getting Emily and Jared situated with their food before giving him some of his on the stroller tray. I can hear Connor babbling away about something, but he's still not saying much that's understandable to the average person, and I was listening to something Emily was telling me at the same time, so I truthfully wasn't paying him much attention. I turn to set him up with his food and see he's already chewing on something and ask him, "Hey Connor, whatcha got buddy?" (fully expecting him to show me a fry from Jared or something). He takes out a wad of gum and tells me, "Mum!" (which is what he calls gum). I almost THREW UP. He'd pulled it off the bottom of the table, which was right at his eye level sitting in his stroller the way he was. If I'd actually been paying attention to what he was saying, I'm sure he was chanting "mum! mum!" the entire time he was picking it off from under the table. AUGHHHHHH!!!!!!! I was half tempted to squirt hand sanitizer in his mouth! And the real kicker is that the garbage was less than four steps away from the table we were sitting at.

SERIOUSLY PEOPLE, THROW YOUR STUPID, CHEWED UP, UNWANTED GUM IN THE TRASH!!!!!!!!!!

So yeah, that kind of spoiled my day a bit... But Em's camera is charged and ready for a memory card (which I'll be getting from Costco in the near future), J's MP3 player is charged and waiting for some music to be added to it, Buttercup is thoroughly enjoying her new outfits and ear bows, Jared is enjoying the free plastic "holographic" General Grevious (spelling?) toy that came with the purchase of the Clone helmet, and Connor got a big, fat, whopping NOTHING because nothing jumped out at me that seemed worth spending money on for him just yet.