IKEA & Ice Cream

So the other day we wanted to "get away" with the boys (Rachel was at preschool) and it was a little too cold to hit the park and we were tired of going to the same mall all the time. We decided to make a day out of going to the Great Mall and stopped off at IKEA on the way there. We actually made it through there without buying anything except two ice cream cones.
Ice cream cones and IKEA always have a special place in my heart. When Rachel was almost two, we brought her here to run around. Yvonne was waiting in line and Rachel was getting antsy so she suggested getting Rachel an ice cream to keep her busy. At the time, it sounded like a great idea (keep in mind...we were new and relatively inexperienced parents back then).
This photo was taken before all the carnage began. You see, I was soon to learn that two year olds love holding ice cream cones. They also see absolutely no logic in letting you help clean up the cone when melting ice cream is dripping off the cone and their hand. As soon as I tried to help her out, Rachel would have nothing of the sort and pulled back her hand and cone, causing her to smash the ice cream into her cheek. It didn't end there...She then started screaming and waving the cone around. It was a little crazy trying to dodge the ice cream, find napkins, and keep everyone from staring at me like I had no control over this two year old (which was true). Wanting to clean up all the drips on the floor, I set her down, started wiping up, and she took off in a sprint. Here I am chasing this kid all over the place, wiping up ice cream drops off the floor, and finally grabbing her and cleaning her off. When everything was finally cleaned up, Rachel was happy with her ice cream again and Yvonne strolls up (not having seen any of the chaos) and tries to figure out why I look so worn out.

Ah yes...IKEA.

Here's a couple more photos of the boys running around a very empty IKEA on a weekday morning...