tulip festival, aka "good intentions"

Just over a week ago, I took the kids to the tulip festival.
We loved it last year when we went, 
so I thought it would be a really fun activity. 
We were even going to be meeting some friends there.

 It was gorgeous there, of course,
but my kids didn't seem to appreciate it.
Of course. What fun is a garden full of flowers to a four-year-old boy?
What I'd forgotten is that last time we went, 
we had Grandma. And Josh and Alicia.
And my sister Sarah.

If we have Sarah, pretty much anything will be fun.

 They had these awesome lawn games.
Nicholas threw a fit because he didn't want to share.

 A brief moment of happiness as she peeked through a tulip.

 It really was so beautiful, 
but I wasn't feeling super great (I came down with a stomach flu that very night...),
and the kids were hungry (we ate our picnic lunch only five minutes after arrival), 
the lines were long, and it was too close to preschool/naptime.

 We had a massive tantrum about halfway through, when I told Nicholas he could have some M&M's from the vending machine (desperate times, people), but then the machine was broken.
Both kids, screaming.  
I think my friends, both there with their only children, both pregnant with their second babies, were more than a little traumatized.

 It isn't always that hard with two.  
Really it isn't.  

Just sometimes, the good intentions you have of a super fun outing end up,

well, a little less than super fun.

And usually, the times you have no set plan, nowhere to be, and nothing structured to do but just be together, those are the times that are always super fun.  

Maybe someday I'll learn to remember this.

As we pulled out of the parking lot that afternoon,

Nicholas asked me "Why did you bring us to this stupid place, Mommy?" (I was so frustrated that I didn't even have the patience to remind him that we don't say "stupid." I just kept my mouth closed and took long, deep breaths.)

Because, Nicholas, I had good intentions.
Next time. Next time we'll bring Sarah.