It was decided that I would handle Ben, since he continuously wrapped his leash around the stroller when Dan tried to walk him and push Isaac. Ultimately what you would have seen is the dog pulling me down the sidewalk (he's not leash-trained yet) and Dan pushing Isaac while also helping Abbey when needed. We finally got things under control just in time to have to cross the street. On the way there, we opted to cross a ways up from the roundabout - thought it would be safer. Abbey got off of her bike, and I helped her across while also trying to control the dog. Dan pushed Isaac with one arm while holding Abbey's bike with the other. This was done quite gracefully until he reached the center divide and had to lift Isaac's stroller up and over it - all while trying to dodge traffic and also get Abbey's bike across. We would have given up at this point, but we could see Juice It Up. We were almost there.
A few minutes later we reached our destination and selected a table in the courtyard. I went with Abbey to get our juices while Dan watched Isaac and Ben. I brought our juices to the table around the same time a man came into the courtyard with two large dogs. Well, Ben began barking; they began barking. Let's just say I'm glad we didn't cause a scene for the other people trying to have a peaceful morning (sarcasm). If we hadn't caused a scene yet, we were about to do so. . .
I finally got Ben calmed down, and the other dogs were quiet too. I turned around to check on the kids only to find that in the chaos, Abbey had tripped over one of her training wheels. Did I mention she had her juice in her hand? In her effort not to fall down completely, she fell back toward the bench - the bench upon which Dan was sitting. Somehow she managed to propel her juice all down the front of her and all down Dan's right leg, sock, and into his shoe. WE HADN'T HAD OUR JUICES FOR MORE THAN A MINUTE! Interestingly enough, Abbey's juice was called "Strawberry Wave".
I glanced over at the windows in the nearby Starbucks and saw people cracking up. I glanced at Dan to see how this was going to play out. Within 30 seconds I saw his face go from anger to amusement. I started laughing uncontrollably, which made Abbey cry even harder than she was already. I looked over at Isaac, and he was still drinking his juice, completely unaware of what was transpiring. About five minutes later he looked up at us and said, "Uh-oh, you spilled it." Then he went back to drinking.
Ultimately, we got things as cleaned up as we could, finished our juices, convinced Abbey that yes she was going to ride her bike home, and headed home. This time we crossed the street at the roundabout. It was like everyone sensed our need to get home. The traffic parted for us like the Red Sea for Moses. What people must have thought as they looked at Abbey and Dan's juice- stained clothes, and me being walked by my dog!
We finally made it home, and even though it was only 9:30 AM I needed a nap. The picture below is Abbey and Dan after some cleaning up had already taken place. And of course, there is Isaac too, drinking the rest of my juice.
