The shoplifter

It has happened. Shillelagh is officially a thief. A very cute, cunning and well, adorable thief. Technically she is a minor, an extremely minor minor, but she is still a thief!

It all started out like a normal grocery shopping trip. We went to our favorite local store where Fiona loves to hang around in the special play area and Shillelagh can ride in the car portion of the cart. I followed my list, the older kids fetched items and grabbed an occasional cookie for the babe in the car. We finished loading the cart to just about toppling over and I forcefully positioned my doublewide into the checkout line. While Athena unloaded, Huckleberry looked at the movies, I was double checking my list and coupons, and Shillelagh was playing. She was playing with...... the candy! Yes, the candy in the candy rack! It looked exactly like she was in the drive through at a candy store. Loading up precious amounts of Snickers and Hershey bars into the cart. I immediately stopped the grabbing of the noisy and handy candy. I even had Shillelagh help me put it all back in the right boxes. What a good girl.

I pushed the cart down to the end of the checkout and watched the cashier ringing up the goods, making sure prices were correct. Fortunately we had a skilled bagger! He even put all the same types of food into the same bags! As he piled all of our foodstuffs into a neat mound, I thanked both workers and proceeded to head out towards the play area to pick up Fiona. At that point I realized that our youngest was extremely quiet and not hanging out of the car as she likes to do. Being that I couldn't see her because of the mound of groceries, I asked Athena to check on her. Well, I knew by her expression that something had gone wrong. Very wrong. Her hand was covering her mouth and her eyes were wide in a look of horror.
"What is it?", I asked.
"Um....Mom? Shillelagh has a push pop!", she replied, smothering a laugh.
I went over to her and saw for myself, Shillelagh indeed had a push-pop. She had managed somehow to get her hands on the pop, unwrap the plastic (which I always seem to need scissors for), unscrew the top and push the pop out and stick it in her mouth. Her cheeks and hands were covered in sticky pop goo and she was so very quite and innocent looking. I had to smother my laugh.
I decided not to say anything and we went and picked up Fiona. But, Fiona had to ask, "Where did Shillelagh get that?".
"It's a long story," I replied, hoping to hold off telling her about the criminal mastermind that she knew as her little sister.