There's Adventure EVERYWHERE!

Especially when you're five and seven years old.
And live a rather sheltered life, in ways.

Today, the barnacles and I went to Miles City for errands and appointments.  The BIGGEST thing about going to town is getting to eat out; it's big conversation during the 80 mile trip, the pros and cons of each eatery being examined, ambiance, whether or not there will be chicken nuggets....

After MUCH discussion, it was decided by both kids that we'd eat Mexican.  They wanted tacos.  They were hoping someone in the joint would have a birthday so they could hear the little band sing, plopping the gaudy sombrero on the honored guest's head.  That really IS the best part of eating at a Mexican restaurant, don't you think?

I hadn't realized that it had probably been a couple years since either of them had been there, and they really didn't remember anything about it.  From the moment we entered the world of kitchsy Mexican decor, mariachi music playing cheerfully in the background, they were entranced.  The brisk little waitress walked us to our booth, but it took us awhile to get there because there were SO many things to look at!  A big picture of a bullfighter, pinatas, sombreros, arches that have the words "Hola, Amigos!"....everything was festive.

We had barely slid into the booth when the boy with tortilla chips, salsa and water showed up.  We didn't even ORDER it yet, Maggie noticed, very impressed that he could obviously read her mind and knew she couldn't wait another minute for some kind of food.  They dug right in, dipping their tortilla chips knee-deep into the salsa.  Then, after glugging a bunch of water to chill the burn, they hit it again, but more gingerly. 

When the waitress reappeared at the table, Maggie looked up and said, "OH-lah!"  It startled the waitress a bit, but she responded in kind and took our orders....went around the corner, counted to 10, then reappeared with their plates.  I'm telling you, it was that quick!  Maggie was CONVINCED they could read her mind. "That was SO FAST, Mom!"

They both sampled a little on their plates, then chose their favorite things: Angus dipped tortilla chips in the refried beans, happily consuming an alarming amount and Maggie ate her taco and rice, after being informed what the delicious dip REALLY was.  I should've let her think they were brown potatos like she first guessed.  They ate, and looked at the place, commenting on every little wonder and bauble, ate more, "OH-lah"ed anyone who walked by, lost napkins and found them in the worst places, ate more...

By the time we left, Maggie's Spanish had improved greatly.  She now knows "gracias", "adios", "amigo/amiga", and another word that I'm not sure about but think it may be "seniorita".  We walked past an Ace Hardware employee on our way to the car: "Adios, amigo!"  He was rendered speechless.  (Obviously doesn't know Spanish, like WE do...)

Immediately after that, we had to go get the car washed.  I do this everytime I go to civilization, but with the kids, it's as exciting as a carnival ride!  Each new sudsy cycle gets squeals and pretend shrieks of fear, followed by giggles and the anticipation of whether or not the NEXT sudsy cycle will be the rainbow one.  You haven't REALLY washed your car if you didn't get the rainbow soap.  Everyone knows that, right?  Sometimes, the car wash is so much fun, I actually consider pulling around again and doing it a second time. (Also, because if you live in Cohagen, your car is a two-washer nearly all the time.)

At the grocery store, they checked out the interesting fruits and vegetables.  Maggie wanted the hairy coconut, but I ended up steering her to the strawberries.  If there had been pomegranates, I'd have relented, but I know I'm the only one who likes coconut and I'm not ready to take one on, all by myself.  Cans have intriguing labels, people must be greeted (OH-lah, amigo!), the color of the milk cap negotiated.  Choosing yogurt takes awhile, because Maggie can't decide between Key Lime or Acacia Blueberry. 

I've never enjoyed my kids so much as I have this year.  I've never had more fun parenting! Heck, I really didn't even know parenting could actually be fun until last summer.  They're interesting, funny, adventurous, smart little people and it turns out, I really like them, as well as love them to pieces.  And I think they're starting to like me, too.  :)