TIMMMM-BERRRRR

Tuesdays are usually my busiest days. After I get all four out the door into their four different schools, I do a full days work at the church (my one long day)and get home about 4:00pm. I'm usually not in the mood to make a full blown dinner, and Chris usually works late on Tuesdays, so it has become the Clemens tradition that kids and mom go to Chick-fil-A in the mall for dinner. As an added bonus, Tuesdays are .99 cent kids meal day, so it's a good deal all around.

The University Mall is small, but lovely. I especially like the large 20 ft. trees that have been aesthetically placed around the main section of the mall. These trees are planted in large, heavy, concrete planters so they can be easily moved from one location in the mall to the other. Greenery is nice when all you have around you is tile and brink, don't you think?

After our lovely (and cheap) dinner, the boys, Becca and I started to walk down the main section of the mall, when I see a friend of mine I had not seen for awhile. As I started to talk with her, the boys started to get antsy:

Boys: MOOOOOOMMM, can we go NOOOOOOWWWW!

Me: Boys, just let me talk for a few more seconds and then we can go, OK? I have not seen Kim for awhile.

Boys: (Groaning) But we're boooorrrred!

While I continued talking to my friend Kim, I see in the corner of my eye, circular movement coming from where the boys are. It didn't strike me as anything unusual, seeing as 'thats what boys do'...run around in circles. So I continued my conversation.

But before I knew it, the unimaginable happened. Nick and Jack were holding the trunk one of those 20ft trees and were spinning themselves around it when all of a sudden the TREE. FELL. OVER. I repeat for those of you dozing: The TREE. FELL. OVER.

It was like a slow motion event. I just stood there stunned looking at this gigantic tree on the floor of the mall. My friend laughingly said: "Well, I'm glad to see that my KIDS arn't the only ones capable of such destruction!" I just looked at her and then looked at the tree and said, "Can you believe this?" We both picked up the tree, (luckily the pot did not break) and cleaned up the dirt as best we could. Good as new. Meanwhile, Jack is terrified.

Jack: (crying) I'm soooo going to jail. I'm soooo going to jail.

Nick just stood there patting Jack and stayed quiet. Gus was away from all the activity, watching and thinking about the whole thing.

I sent all 3 boys to sit against the mall wall while Becca, Kim and I finished cleaning and talking. As I was saying my goodbyes to my friend, I noticed that Gus had crept up near me and wanted to tell me something.

Gus: Mom.

Me: Yes Gus. You should be sitting next to the wall with your brothers.

Gus: Mom, I have to tell you something.

Me: Gus. What?

Gus: That would not have happened if you had stopped talking sooner. They were bored so that's why the tree fell.

Me: Thank you for your analysis Gus, now go sit down.

(I hate it when the 5-year old is right.)