Land of Plenty

Ahhh, Costco. Home of ginormous vats of mayonnaise, packages of frozen chicken the size of a small sedan, and a checkout process that involves positively NO bags, checks or cash. And it's something else, too--Daddy and Wyatt's favorite weekend destination!

Wyatt just loves the roomy, luxurious shopping carts. This may change once he has to share that double seat with Little Brother.

But most of all, Wyatt loves the playhouse on display at "Os-ohhh". It's small, wooden, and the perfect place to hang out and watch other customers debate over whether to buy a 48-count pack of single-ply toilet paper or a 36-count of double-ply. (Oh, and sorry for the blurry photo--he's a toddler and the phrase "stand still" is not in his vocabulary.)

It really is a well-equipped playhouse; it comes complete with a doorbell. Ding dong!

Aw, just look at him there, busying himself with pulling out the plastic bins. But wait...what is that smell? Surely it isn't what you think it is. Oh, but one whiff of the air inside that tiny, confined space and you know for sure. That sweet little fellow has made one ginormous "boop"! Time to leave the playhouse...

Daddy just loves the fact that the diaper-changing station is located close to the entrance of the men's restroom. It means that every customer coming in gets to witness him cleaning up what he lovingly refers to as The Swath of Destruction.

Boy, that sort of heavy-duty clean-up really can leave a guy with a monster-sized appetite. Good thing Costco has sample stations set up all over the store where you can get a thimble-sized portion of such delicacies as twice-baked potatoes and double chocolate cake. Wyatt is always up for tasting samples...now swallowing the samples is sometimes a different story, but he gets an "A" for effort.

And just in case those samples don't hit the spot, Daddy always makes sure to stop by the Snack Bar for a take-home hot dog. Wyatt especially likes the bun.

Fathers and sons all have their own special ways to bond. Some play baseball out in the backyard. Some build model airplanes and battleships. None of those can compare to the time-honored tradition and sacred rituals of a trip to Costco, though. Just don't forget your membership card!