Huckle buckle beanstalk!

Today after our parent-tot music class, Evelyn and I moseyed over to the Benjamin Moore paint shop since it is just a few doors down from the music studio (and Evie was still jazzed up from class and not quite ready to sit in the car). I needed to make some final decisions regarding her bedroom wall color as well as an accent wall in our family room, so the timing was actually pretty good. As I flipped through fifteen variations of "white," Evelyn went to work with the small sample jars.

The display is admittedly very appealing to little hands-- the jars are just her size and the color palette is eye-catching. I reminded Evelyn that we could touch only one jar at a time and that the jars go back on the shelf when we are finished. We'd been in to look at colors before, so she kind of knew the drill, but she is only twenty months old, so her impulse control is not exactly her crowning glory. I suggested that she choose a favorite color, thinking that this might occupy her for at least thirty seconds. Evelyn was quiet, so I assumed she was dutifully choosing a color. All the while, I could feel the employees looking at us, wondering what kind of damage my tot might inflict upon their store. If this was actually the case, I knew that they weren't exactly wrong to wonder and I hurried to grab samples of my top choices.

As I looked up, I noticed that there was only a little floral jacket where Evelyn had been standing (two feet away from me). I heard her giggle and then dash down an aisle. Thunk!-- the sound of sample jars hitting metal shelves. Evelyn was re-shelving about a dozen of the tiny jars. I took her hand and matched each jar with its proper color on the display unit, but Evelyn wasn't ready to admit defeat. This was a very exciting game for her. She giggled and squealed and slid a few more sample jars onto a table, a couple onto another shelf, and had two in her hands. Have I mentioned that it is getting increasingly difficult to chase a toddler (let alone in a crowded store) with a pregnant belly? I am not as swift as I was just a few months ago and I cannot exactly whip around sharp shelf corners with ease. No matter, Evelyn was having a wonderful time. When we finally left the shop, I am sure that I had not replaced every single jar in its correct spot, but I did pay for my samples and manage a little polite chit-chat with the clerk. I try my best.