pause

so we headed out to Costco.  it was pouring here, the temperature had dropped and it felt like we were deep into our Portland fall. cold and rainy.  everyone was in a good mood, the boys sang almost the whole way there...well, Dom sang.  Eli had dropped his toy and i was able to reach back and grab it. Mandy asked Eli if I was his hero and Eli said yes.  Soon Dom said, 'He's my hero too!!'  Then he broke out into song, 'Heroes, heroes, heroes, they are brave.  Heroes, heroes, heroes, they are brave. Heroes, heroes, heroes, they are brave.  Heroes, heroes, heroes, they are brave.'  After about 5 minutes of that, Eli asked Dom if the song was over.  Dom's response...'Heroes, heroes, heroes, they are brave.  Heroes, heroes, heroes, they are brave....'

i love my kids. they are getting so big, becoming sponges too...Dom is constantly asking about the meaning of words and phrases.  its wonderful.

so, back to Costco.  i'm driving around the parking lot (not fun at 5:30 on a Friday night) and i'm lucky enough to find someone about to pull out from the second spot to the front.  with 2 toddlers and one infant...its nice to be able to get out of the rain and have less puddles to drag the boys away from.  so i stop, put my clicker on and wait for the person to pull out.

and thats when it happens, some 50 something dude stops watches the person pull out, sees me there, and zips his lil beat up station wagon right into the spot.  as the boys would say, this is when mean Daddy came out.

"ARE YOU SERIOUS?!"  I pull up behind his car, stop mine...roll down Mandy's window (to her horror) and I wait.  the dude just sits in the car, probably terrified...i think; at least part of me hoped so.

Mandy looks at me and says, 'Set a good example right now.'  I don't budge.  'What are you going to say to him?' she asks.

"I'm going to tell him what a jerk he is!"  I declare.

"Haha...you're going to tewll him what a jewrk he is." Eli cackles.

i hang my head and pull off...still steaming a bit...but also in shame.

what a monumental task we have as parents.  the fact that these two are watching my every move is a bit scary.  what'd Uncle Ben say to Spiderman, 'With great power comes great responsibility'. yeah, not one of my finer moments as a dad.