Boys

Monday, Mark didn't have school and I bribed him with promise of lunch if he would run errands with me.  He argued with me about the importance of every errand and complained about where we were going.  Granted, I am preparing for the class I am teaching at our Super Saturday and we went to three craft stores.  (Both my boys loathe craft stores but they haven't even gone to that many.)

I realized that I used to argue with and complain to my mom about errands too.

I am very, very sorry.

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Mark's doppelgänger told me he is allergic to cats.

Of course he is.  So is Mark.

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Tuesday night Adam and I were planning a Costco trip.  I asked Mark if he wanted to go.  He gave me a very noncommittal maybe that meant probably not.

Then Braeden called.  He wondered if he could go to Costco with us (strange things happen sometimes, like my children wanting to do errands with me).

Suddenly, Mark was all in.  What a difference a brother makes.

We had a full van.  Three of Braeden's roommates wanted to come too.  Brian climbed in the back next to Mark.  Braeden said Ben was still coming and Brian said, "Wait, I thought I was sitting next to Ben!"  Ben and I both told Mark he should feel flattered.  The boys played music and sang along loudly in the car.

It was fun taking five big boys to Costco.  We needed to buy food for the YM/YW dinner Adam was in charge of.  I just walked away when Adam started tossing bags of salad to Mark like they were footballs.

The boys fanned out and got all the things they wanted.  They joked a lot with each other and Mark milled around right in the middle of them.  He's the same size and can hold his own with quips and Beatles lyrics.

When we got back to their apartment, Adam instigated a fire brigade to get all the boys' food inside.  They made quick work of it.  Once they're that big, boys that age are sort of delightful.

Taking that group to Costco 15 years ago would have been a nightmare.