“Guys, get dressed, we need to leave to pick up food!” I yell downstairs as I am getting the toddler out of her crib.

We had to leave in the next 10 minutes to pick up breakfast and lunch offered to virtual school families.

I lay my toddler on the ground and change her diaper, then get her dressed. I try to put her hair in a pig tail, but that didn’t work.

“Dad can you zip up my dress?” my six-year-old daughter asks. The zipper is stuck and it won’t budge. I’m doing my best to zip the dress and not tear it, when my son walks out of his room wearing a t-shirt.

“It’s only 29 degrees, put a sweatshirt over your t-shirt,” I tell my nine-year-old.

“But dad..” he complains.

“It’s cold outside, put on a sweatshirt.” I reply.

“Dad can you get my dress zipped?” again asks my daughter.

“It’s getting close,” I respond.

“I want to brush my teeth,” chimes in my toddler.

“Hold on, you can in a minute,” I answer her. A minute is way too long for toddlers. She asks again, much louder and more stressed than before.

“Can you help your sister brush her teeth?” I ask my son.

Finally, the zipper is unstuck. My six-year-old is very happy. We walk downstairs.

I grab my toddler’s winter coat. She sees it and runs away. I catch her. She falls to the ground. I lift her up and put the coat over her shoulders. It takes four tries for her to successfully find the hole where her arm goes. Now she is mad. I help get her arm in. Trying to get her tiny fingers through the elastic part of the sleeve is the next challenge. Success! Now for the second arm. Lather, rinse, repeat.

We are all ready to walk out the door. I pick up a pair of shoes for my toddler off the garage floor, but she wants to wear her snow boots. Is it better to push for the shoes or give in and go with boots? Definitely, the boots.

My toddler is very independent, so she wants to put her boots on herself. After a few tries, she finally gets her boots on. Now to the SUV.

I lift up my toddler and place her in car seat. It’s like she has never been in a car seat. The fight begins.

“Too tight, Dad!’

“I stuck”

“Why, Dad, why?”

And the beat goes on.

We are finally all buckled in. Then I notice my six-year-old isn’t wearing a coat.

“I’m surprised I’m not cold,” she says.

I tell her to get a coat, so we wait.

Finally, everyone is in the SUV and we are ready to leave. This food had better be worth it!