Head Count!

When you have as many kids as we do, you learn early to count heads when you are out.  I could count to six, faster and more accurately than anyone I know.  I did manage to get into a little trouble when we had "extras" with us.  If I didn't get it into my head early in the trip the number had changed from six, I had a high potential for screwing up.  Take for example, the time we all went to watch one of the girls run in a state cross country meet.  We drove in separate cars, which creates its own problems.  Kids argue and want to change the car they are riding in.  Shotgun becomes available in another vehicle.  They neglect to tell us where they are going.  It leads to a lot of confusion.  Anyway, we went to the cross country meet and after it was over all started heading to our vehicles.  Here is where the story varies.  According to "Calvin", he told us he was going to the bathroom and not to leave him.  He maintains that we left without him.  I maintain that I was standing near the gate, head counting.

The whole, "Don't leave me" thing came about because we had gone to the local park to watch soccer or baseball one afternoon.  We were watching "The Surprise's" friend and his little sister.  Games were over and again, we started piling into multiple vehicles.  "Mini-Me" had announced that she was going to the bathroom.  This one I admit to - I did not count that day.  I did a scan of faces and we left.  Apparently, as we were driving away she was trying to get our attention and the little sister waved out the back window at her.  She was too little and shy to tell us to stop.  In my defense, we did not get all the way home before we realized that she was missing.  But.....that is one that they never let me live down.  I hear it at least once a month if not more.

Which brings me to the waving thing.  It makes me crazy when after someone leaves the house, I think of something and cannot flag them down.  They happily drive away totally ignorant of the fact that I am jumping up and down, waving my arms.  Today, I understand how easily that happens.  We are all adults in our house, I think...  Anyway, we go to church every Sunday.  The time does not change.  I refuse to wake adults up to get ready for church.  They know what is expected in terms of time and it is their job to handle it.  Today we all climbed into cars and left.  We all asked each other at various times where "Pook" was and if he had gotten up.  Not my problem, they are adults, right?  As we pulled away, "Pook" was standing outside the door, jumping up and down and waving his arm.  I never saw him.  In my defense, I was carrying on a conversation with "Mommy" and we were running behind.  You can be sure that I heard about it when he got to church.  We understand each other better now.