Ups and downs....

Today was supposed to be a brilliant day. The kids were off school, so it was just going to be us. We had a couple of important errands to do.

First, we were going to get their passport photos done. That is an exciting thing! I don't think at their ages I even knew what a passport was. But, we like to travel and I want to make sure they're ready when the time comes to go out of the country. I mean, they've been to Mexico and the Bahamas, back before a passport was necessary. But for the last couple of years, while my dad has been sick, we've traveled only in the U.S.. Now that he's doing better, we're planning to go farther afield again. Yay! (*note - Cost for passports...not yay.)

After that, we were going to open their bank accounts, primarily using their saved coins. They both have investment accounts, but no savings accounts - except their piggies, of course.
So, it was going to be a pretty big day. But at the photo shop, the passport photos turned out horrible. Just awful, really. I mean, my kids are pretty cute, but these pics didn't even look like them. The picture lady gave me a total hassle about redoing them. I hate fighting with people but I am not known for my ability to let things go. So, just when I thought we were gonna have to throw down, she relented. I won, but it was unpleasant. Deeply.
Then, when we got to the bank, the teller informed me that their would be a minimum charge of $8 + an additional $8 per half hour for each child to process their coins. What? I mean, they have an automatic change counter. I have 3 bank accounts plus a home mortgage with this bank. They can't count some little kid's change? So, all pumped up from my recent victory at the Walgreen's photo lab, I say to the teller, "What if I just deposit the money into my account? There shouldn't be a charge for that." She says, no - that there is still a charge because somebody still has to count the change and roll it. WHAT? It's a bank. Isn't that their job? I mean, isn't that what they do all day and what the Teller gets a paycheck for in the first place, counting money? That's the craziest thing I ever heard. So my kiddies ended up with no bank accounts and a weekend project consisting of counting and rolling about $200 in pennies, nickles and dimes. (I use all the quarters for tolls.)

Finally, it's time to stop for the ice cream which we all so desperately need. Unfortunately, Connor is suddenly sick and barfy.(Not that I blame him. I felt pretty sick and barfy myself, by this time.) He was cranky and insistent on going home but I thought he was just being whiney and wanting to play on his DS. (Anyone who has a kid with a DS will understand that I am justified in my initial reaction.) Sadly, I was incorrect. He came home, climbed into my bed because it was 'cool and soft and squishy'. I had just put clean sheets and my winter down comforter on it. It is a heavenly puffy bed. After sleeping for about an hour, he woke up and said he was much better, though he felt a little burpy. Then he did burp. We giggled.
Then he threw up. All over my cool and soft and squishy, dry-clean only bed. Lovely. Poor little guy. After we got him cleaned up he said, "I'm just not having a good day."

Yeah, you and me both, buddy.