Day 2 - Great Falls

He Said: 8:00AM - Breakfast - Interior. Cut to a table in the back corner of your basic hotel breakfast bar. A family of 5 are sitting there. The father, rugged and handsome, has his back to us. The mother, natural yet stunning, cups her hands around her coffee, as if the heat emanating from it is somehow recharging her very essence. The daughters, youthful and sweet, eat cereal politely, albeit with mouths never quite closed enough. And then we see the boy. He wasn't noticed at first, head under the table, short in stature as he is. But then he erupts upwards, a mix of sugar and milk, the story of his breakfast spelled out against his already ruined shirt. And then he begins: Boy Child: "Mom. Mom. Mom. Mommmm! What this is?" Mother (calmly, with a tone of resignation so heavy one fears the table might break beneath it): "Apple Juice" Boy Child (turning to Sister 1): "Mara. Mara. MARA! MARRRRRRA! Mara!" (the sister turns, finally, and fixes him in a stare) Boy Child (clmbing up on his knees, his excitement rising): "This is..This is..Mom, what this is?" Mother: "Apple Juice" Boy Child: "Apple Juice!" (The boy stands, now, hand supporting himself with one hand on the table, leaning past his sister to present his trophy to the other sister. Boy Child: "Gillian...Gillian....Gillian....GILLIAN!" Dad (as yet unspoken): "You have to be quiet in the restaurant" Boy Child (whispering loudly): "Gillian. GILLIIIAANNN." (the sister turns, looks) Boy Child: "This is...umm...This is...umm...This is. Mom! Mom! Mom! What this is?" Mom (with no change in her inflection from the first time): "Apple Juice" Boy Child: "This is apple joooooose!" (his eyes go even wider this time as he leans in, as if he is telling her it's the lost ark of the covenant). (The sister barely acknowledges this, perhaps nodding imperceptibly, before turning back to face forward. There is a pause, a beat, a brief moment of inactivity and then...) Boy Child: "I don't like this".
She Said: So instead of trying to top that I'll just fill in the details of our day. We shopped at Target this morning to get a few things we didn't pack. I definitely don't hate that store. Nice stuff. Good prices. Will be an improvement over Zellers. Then we went to the water park. It was perfect for us. Just a small pool with 2 waterslides, a splash park area and a tube ride. So nice that Gillian can swim now. She had a blast. Mara didn't get enough sleep last night, so wasn't willing to try anything and dug her heels in if we pushed. Ryan was all courage and no clue what he's capable of. He's going to be a lot of work this trip. Then we went to the MacKenzie River Pizza Company for lunch. Brad and I discovered it the first time we here (pre-kids) and it hasn't disappointed us yet. Back to hotel for much needed naps. Perhaps we'll take a stroll along the river tonight and find a playground for the kids. Mom - he didn't barf up his cereal - he's just a messy eater.