Oh, the Best Laid Plans…

So yesterday, I decided to toss the boys in the van…(Yes! New van! …We’ll do a “van post” later…’Cause it’s just a fun story!) Ok, we’re in the van… and we head out to find a duck pond. Austin is fascinated with ducks and he’s never gotten to go “feed the ducks” and Zack LOVES doing it… so I thought, “Hey, it’s free and it’s outdoors. That’s a win!”

And things started out well… There were a couple Canadian geese that were VERY friendly, and more than ready to make our acquaintance (and eat our bread).

Zack gave it his all when throwing each piece (after asking me each time if he could eat it).

Austin loved the geese (and also loved eating the bread – he didn’t ask) He was also fascinated with these guys…

Yep, those are fish. They were just as eager for the bread as the geese and ducks were! And here’s the proof…

Yes, that fish is coming OUT of the water to eat the bread! CREEPY MUCH?!

So, things were going well. The boys were feeding the ducks (Austin was trying to stuff as much bread in his own mouth as he could) Zack was having fun near the water, we were going to head over to the playground and that’s when it happened. Zack threw a little too hard, while standing a little too close to the edge…. and THIS happened…

Yep, he FELL IN! If any kid on earth could manage it, Zack could. And I’m telling you moms out there, it freaked me out for a second… but then I was trying SO HARD not to laugh! It was like something off America’s Funniest Home Videos – His feet went FLYING out from under him and he landed BOTTOM FIRST in the shallow edge of the pond. There was that half second of shocked silence and then the blood-curdling scream… I yanked him out of the water (with Austin under one arm ‘cause he was trying to go in, too), rescued his shoes that were floating away, and then worked to calm him down.

Once he was settled, we headed for the van to assess the damage. (I got pics of the back, but neglected to get pics of the front of him!)

Stinky pond mud on the shorts? Check. Stinky pond mud on new hoodie? Check. Stinky pond mud on legs, hands, and face? Check, check and CHECK!

So, since we just got the van, I don’t exactly have it “stocked” with all those handy little things moms usually have on hand. I had my “mini” diaper bag, and that’s about it. So, Zack got stripped down to his undies (which were also soaked), I put a reusable grocery bag on his booster, and we headed home.) Zack’s biggest concern at that point? “Mommy, I don’t want to smell like fish and duck poop!” My response, “Sorry, buddy, but you DO smell like that, and you will until we get home and you get a bath.” That led to him reminding me he “didn’t want to smell like fish and duck poop” about every two minutes on the way home. (like I was going to forget)

So, what was supposed to be a relaxing, fun trip to the duck pond ended up being an little more stressful, and a little shorter than I’d planned. But we ended up with a fun story to tell Daddy when he got home. ;)