If You Go to Trader Joe's With the Leatherkids...

The Leatherkids and I ran some errands Saturday, and one of those errands was a trip to Trader Joe's for some much-needed groceries.  Ella must've asked ten times while on our way to Trader Joe's where we were going.  I had already told her nine times.  The last time triggered this post.  She said, "Aw, Cal's going to want to go to the park," where "the park" is the "Trader Joe's park" I wrote about in this post awhile ago: The Wonder of Trader Joe's Park; and we naturally proceeded to collectively assemble a story in the vain of the "If You Give a Moose a Muffin" and "If You Give a PIg a Pancake" kids' stories.  Here's the story:

If you go to Trader Joe's with the Leatherkids, 

Cal will want to go to the park.

Ella will want to go, too.
You'll want to save it as an incentive for cooperation at the store,

but you'll stop before anyway.
You'll declare, "you've got five minutes,"
knowing full well it'll be thirty.
They'll race to the slide.

Cal will convince Ella to go on the seesaw with him.

She'll jump on.

Cal will seesaw too fast and too hard, and Ella will get hurt.

You'll have seen it all.

Ella will cry and then run and snitch on Cal to you.

Just a couple of minutes in, you will be annoyed.

You'll tell Ella to stop being a snitch.

You'll tell Cal to stop playing so rough.

And you'll tell both to JUST GET ALONG.

Cal will say, "I didn't touch her!"

And Ella will retort, "Yes, he did! He made me fall!"

She'll ask for a band-aid and point to where the band-aid is needed.

You'll look closely.

There'll be a tiny mark.

You'll tell Ella she doesn't need a band-aid, it's just a scratch, it won't be the last one.

Cal will already be on the climbing wall.

Ella will run to it.

She'll climb it herself.

They'll continue to play well together.

And apart.
You'll catch Cal throwing wood chips on the slide.
You'll tell him stop, and Ella will tell him to stop, too.
You'll tell her you're the parent.

You'll catch up on Facebook posts and news stories on your phone.
Cal will ask you to watch him on the monkey bars.
You will and will tell him, "good job, Cal!"
Ella will want you to watch her, too.
You'll think that she's better at the monkey bars than Cal.
You'll ask to take a picture of them.
Ella will smile; Cal will make a funny face.
Ella will declare she's thirsty.
You'll tell them they have two more minutes before having to head to Trader Joe's.
It'll be five.
And chances are...
... if you leave for "Trader Joe's,"
They'll want a sucker when they get there.

We didn't actually go to the park this time but had a fun time writing this story.  They also didn't get suckers but candy canes from the Salvation Army guy outside of Trader Joe's instead.