WE Survived COSTCO with 3 kids!!!!

Have you ever been to Costco on a Saturday?!? If yes, then you know the chaos that it can be, just walking through by yourself. Today Brian and I were crazy enough to try it with three kids! Yeah, I know, have we lost our minds!?!?!

We went there today, needing some basic supplies, but also a BIG shopping trip. We've learned that it's better to put each kid in a cart, double on one. and just go for it. It's going to be crazy, no matter which was you do it. We packed all the kids into the van and got the van unloaded of all the junk to fit the boxes of stuff we got from Costco, hoping we would have enough room in the end. We planned to eat lunch there and do our shopping. Away we went. We get there, and Johnnie is esleep. Now, if you know anything about Johnnie, you don't wake him up fast, BAD BAD BAD... he's a grumpy wake up job! So we have to wake him up to get him in the cart. We put coats down in the cart, hoping he would go back esleep...yeah, wishful thinking! Emma goes into the other cart... and Grayden decides he wants to walk. The parking lot is busy and full of people walking around, cars whizzing in and out. and we get all the way up to the door, and have to search for our Costco cards. Brian discovers he's left his wallet in the car, off he goes to get it. I'm stuck with 3 kids and two carts... Johnnie is waking up and throwing stuff out of the cart onto the ground. I'm still waiting...and Johnnie is still getting grumpy.

Brian arrives and we go inside. Away we go... we start to shop, and I figure out, I've left all the coupons at home! GRRR... the whole reason we came to Costco, was to use the coupons. Good deals. So I ask Brian to go up to the membership desk and see if they have any left up there.... Again, I'm left with 3 kids and 2 carts... Grayden is running around, getting into everything. People are trying to get around me and the two carts. Grayden keeps blocking their way...and Johnnie is still throwing stuff out of the cart. Mind you, by this time we are in the back of the warehouse... still waiting for Brian. Then when he does get back... Grayden needs to go to the potty. We are still in potty training and wearing "Big Boy" pants, so the last thing we need at Costco is an accident, if you know what I mean!?!? - so off daddy and Grayden go to the potty. I'm stuck again with 2 carts, and 2 kids. Emma is talking.. Johnnie is fussing and trying to grab things off the shelves. And no matter what I do, I find myself in the way. It's a typical crowded day at Costco.

Daddy and Grayden come back. After going a few yards, we decide Grayden needs to be in a cart, cause he's all over the store and we are having a hard time controlling him. He's NOT listening! Johnnie was put in the front of his cart. We tried putting Johnnie and Grayden together... but after a few isles.. YEAH - that didn't work! They were being brothers and picking on each other like crazy.. after the 15th time of telling them to stop.. and people looking at our caravan of two carts and three kids, like we were crazy.. We moved Grayden to be with Emma and continued to shop. I had Johnnie and Brian had Emma & Grayden. Johnnie through himself a royal fit about zipping up and down my zipper on my jacket. If I moved away where he couldn't reach it.. he would start screaming!! Please draw more attention to our caravan!! --- Grayden wanted to stand up in the cart... and towards the end.. Emma was crying and wanting a diaper change and a new bottle. which we left all the bottles out in the van. Brian still can't believe it that we took probably 2 hours shopping. and spent an obscene amount of money! Thank goodness for the coupons. and we won't be shopping for a while. We didn't get lunch there either.. we were DONE, by the end of the trip. just wanting to GO HOME! the parking lot was another adventure, with people not looking where they were driving and almost running into the carts with the kids. some lady hit our van with her door and didn't even apologize... we barely got our stuff in.. we had to change things around in the van 3 different times to get the door to shut... yeah, all I can say is we SURVIVED our trip to Costco!!! --- now the chore is putting all the stuff away.

oh.. I forgot the part about Johnnie having a bloody nose and trying to clean that up. And don't forget all the food samples and sticky fingers and throwing food on the floor. - WE had a GREAT TIME!!! :) Can we do it again?!!??! PLEASE!!