Funny stories and the horrible, awful, very bad day...

Well, we'll start with all the funny cute little stories and sayings of the last fews days that have almost (but not quite) erased my memory of my terrible, no good, rotten, very bad day (ever read that book??)
Samuel has said some funny things lately! The other morning I went in to get Samuel and Zakkai up and as soon as I walked in Samuel exclaimed, "Mommy! The boys are up! The monkeys are awake!!" I started laughing because he was so earnest and excited to tell me! He has started referring to them as "the boys" since then. "The boys are eating" or "the boys are playing"...he also tell us he's not a big boy, he's a "goose" and Zakkai isn't a big boy yet, "he's jus a 'mall boy":)
The other day at lunch, Zakkai who doesn't care for bread, was staring at his grilled cheese bites like they were aliens and refusing to eat it so Samuel (who thinks he's a boss) said, "Zakkai, mommy and Samuel are not happy wif you. You aren't eating your food. Mommy and Samuel are not happy." I had to hide a smile because this child listens carefully to EVERYTHING we say and repeats it later! I guess he'll be a good example for Zakkai now that he know "proper" eating habits:)
Then Samuel came running up to Ben the other morning and grabbed his legs and said, "Daddy, you're my best friend!" That melted Ben's heart! He stopped what he was doing immediately and got down and gave Samuel a big hug! It's nice when they are at the age to tell you they love you all the time or other sweet things. It helps balance out the other times when they make you crazy!!! (like Friday....)
Zakkai is starting to change a lot! Just in the past few days he has started to talk more! His "ma ma ma" for "more" is starting to change to a "more" sound. He also stole my heart (for the zillionth time!) by patting me one morning this week and saying "mamam." Now I finally have a name! He's done it several times since:) He says "buppup" for "button" and "baba" for "buh-bye" and waves as he's doing it:) He's really understanding more what we're saying when we talk to him and picked up some new signs. "All done" (when he feels like doing it!), "doggie", and "milk".
AND...up until now he has only taken 1-2 steps at a time (like when Grandma came to visit last weekend!) but this afternoon I peeked in their room where he was playing and he looked up at me and took 8 steps!! I was so excited and so was he! He refuses to walk when we try to have him walk between us while sitting on the floor but when he has a toy in his hand and his distracted, he'll go! It won't be long....
And now for the story that will make you sympathize with me and shake your heads in horror and probably laugh (I don't know if I'm quite there yet...) It started out a peaceful, lovely day on Friday. I got the boys up and fed them and decided that it would be a good morning to do grocery shopping. Instead of waiting until 11am when Zakkai would be up from his morning nap, I decided to just go right away and get it over with. Grocery shopping is not an easy thing to do by yourself with 2 children! The whole way to the store (my newfound favorite "Super Target!") Samuel kept saying, "We won't get a cart cause the wheel is broken." The last time we went there, we just happened to get a cart that had a broken wheel that locked up on me and made terrible noises, which freaked Samuel out. So I kept telling him I would make sure to pick out a non broken cart with good wheels and it would all be fine. Foreshadowing??? On first glance, the cart seemed fine and the wheels sounded good so I loaded the boys up, Zakkai in the front and Samuel in the back. Wheel was fine until we got into the store and already had a couple things in the cart. Samuel started to get a little worried but I told him it was fine and don't worry about it...It seemed like a pain at the time to switch carts when they were all settled and I didn't want to feed his weird obsession with the wheel....but I should have!!!! He was totally fine until I made him get down and help me push the cart so I could load it up with groceries. Then he heard the wheel (got a little louder and funky as the cart got heavier) and started to cry. He's sobbing in the dairy aisle and I'm trying to reassure him that it's okay. I'm getting smiling looks of pity from old ladies at this point. I keep going and finally he calms down after about 7 min. I think "Whew! That was a close call..." He starts back up again:( He's getting a little more upset so I have him switch and walk on the other side of the cart and tell him, "I can't do anything about the wheel so you need to calm down."
The crying escalates and I have stopped about 3 times at this point to try to reason with him. Anyone tried to reason with an unreasonable two year old?! I'm getting very frustrated at this point. He had calmed down one more time and was riding on the side of the cart (hey, it kept him from crying! for about 2 minutes...) We're off to the side (I recall it was by the beef jerky..) and I start telling him, if he doesn't shape up and quit throwing a tantrum, we're going to talk in the bathroom. Does he settle down? no.....So I give him one more chance by the bathroom and then have to push the cart over to the side, unstrap Zakkai , grab my purse and drag a screaming 2 year old into the bathroom. I'm mad at this point. Nothing works so I even call Ben and have him try to talk to him! Samuel quiets down when he hears daddy but then as soon as I try to leave the bathroom and finish my grocery shopping, he's screaming again! He's so irrational at this point, I'm grabbing things off the shelves left and right just trying to get out of the store, Zakkai is sitting happily....The screaming escalates into one of those tantrums that has every person in the store wondering who is this terrible child throwing a tantrum and why isn't the horrible mother stopping it? The old ladies are now glaring... I am seeing red at this point. I didn't leave the store because it takes so long to get there and go grocery shopping with 2 boys that I'm not willing to try again later. I drag him in the bathroom (for the second time unstrapping Zakkai, grabbing purse...)where he receives a spanking (last resort but trust me, it was time) I try one more time to finish my shopping but his screaming tantrum is so out of control that I am practically running through the store with tears just streaming down my face trying to force him to walk. I'm throwing things in my cart and sobbing. People are staring, I forgot half my list and I just wanted to disappear!! Finally, I made it to the check out where he's starting to settle down, not because he's over the tantrum but by this time, HE HAS SCREAMED HIMSELF HOARSE...oh yes, hoarse. We made it to the car where I am too mad to say one word to him. He is perfectly quiet the whole way home while I am driving and thinking "Who is this child that took over my sweet Samuel??" It was by far the worst tantrum he has ever EVER had in his life and it was all over...a cart wheel....A grocery trip that should have taken me 2 hrs, took me 3 1/2 hours!
Will I go grocery shopping again? I have to. Will I take Samuel? I'm not sure yet. It's going to take awhile for this traumatic event to blow over. Can I face the people in Super Target again? I may have to go in wearing a hat and sunglasses. I got home and realized I'd forgotten to use my coupons and burst into tears, I cried in the elevator on the way up, cried on the phone to Ben....It was a terrible day (other things factored in, too, but this took the cake!) but I'm sure I'm not the only mother out there to wonder what alien took over their child for a mad two year old moment...Am I??