McDonalds, Target and Discovery Place, Oh My! Concluded...

After Target, Valentines Day concluded without a hitch. I made homemade bread and lasagna. We watched Cloudy with a Chance of Meatballs as a family. Then we finished the night off off with some Double Chocolate Ghirardelli Brownies. Yum!

Presidents Day was the Monday after Valentines and Julie was home from work for the day. A few weeks ago we became members of the Western North Carolina Nature Center which gave us reciprocal privileges for Discovery Place in uptown Charlotte. So we packed up the car and headed out.

A couple of points to set up the day. It was cold. Not too cold, but hovering right around 40 degrees. It was also raining. Not too hard, but a good steady rain. Finally, as it turns out, a rainy Monday, when banks are closed (Charlotte is a huge banking town) and kids are out of school makes for a perfect day for half of Charlotte to go to Discovery Place.

We arrive at the parking deck and Zach is totally excited. We kept it as a surprise for him. I start up the parking deck and there are no spots to be had. We make it all of the way to the top and only see one parking spot that our van may or may not fit into. So I circle back and stop to let Julie out with the kids while I try to find a spot.

I hop out. Unbuckle Zoe and Zane. I open the back of the van to get the stroller. Retrieve Zadie from her seat and place her in the stroller. Julie grabs Zoe, who has fallen asleep on the ride, and lays her next to Zadie in the stroller. Zach gets out. I grab the diaper bag and drinks that we had packed and put those in the stroller. Finally I grab Zane, who has been playing around in the front seat, and put him with the rest of the crew. Julie starts to head in with the kids.

I close the passenger doors, front and sliding. Close the back door and the driver side sliding door and grab the handle to open my door. It doesn't budge. I grab the sliding door, no luck there either. I go to the back door and give it a tug, uh-uh. Two things happen. My heart starts to beat a little faster and an image shoots into my mind. I can see it plain as day. It was an image of Zane in the front seat ... playing with all the buttons.

First thought, how much is this going to cost me? Second thought, I am going to ring Zane's neck? Third thought, (since the car was running) how much gas is in the tank? Fourth thought, why was I not watching my kid? (This is becoming a theme)

The locksmith came and went. It cost $45 to open the door. Cost for admission if we did not have the passes ... $44. Oh well, what are you going to do?

To tell you the truth, the time in Discovery Place was relatively uneventful. The kids had a great time. We saw a 3-D dinosaur movie that Zane added his commentary to and Zoe was too scared to put her glasses on for.

We did have a bit of an issue at lunch when the cafe was out of ... well, everything. But it did help Julie to discover a new sandwich concotion, Sunflower Butter and Apricot Jelly on Whole Wheat.

With the risk of sounding insolent, I tell this last story. As we were leaving, Julie and I both had to use the restroom. Julie went first while I held Zadie and made sure the other kids did not run off. I was standing up, waiting for Julie, as I was approached by one of the custodial workers. She made a comment about Zadie which I did not hear because I was completly focused on her two front teeth, which were covered with blood. What an off-putting situation. Luckily she moved away fairly quickly. Julie came out and I handed her Zadie. The woman at this point made her back to Zadie and this time was reaching out to touch her. I decided that I could hold it and we made a beeline for the elevator.

What a character check moment. I knew nothing about her except that she was a custodian and her gums were bleeding. Based on that sketchy information, I determined that she was not worthy of interacting with my children. We want out kids to not judge based on color, race, social status, etc., but it can be hard to teach when you are dealing with your own preconceived notions. How can I learn to see ...

39 Then Jesus told him, “I entered this world to render judgment—to give sight to the blind and to show those who think they see that they are blind.”
40 Some Pharisees who were standing nearby heard him and asked, “Are you saying we’re blind?”
41 “If you were blind, you wouldn’t be guilty,” Jesus replied. “But you remain guilty because you claim you can see." (John 9:39-41, NLT)