Pineapples, Watermelon, and Mommy's Confusion

The kids and I loaded up the car and headed down to Dallas (yes... yet again) this past weekend. The point of the weekend was the half-marathon that I ran with some friends. (This year was not a near death experience. Yeah! More details on that to come.) Unfortunately, a few days before we were supposed to leave town, both girls got crazy sick with scarlet fever. So, we left a little early... might as well be sick there... with a nurse and special grandparent treatment than be sick here. :) The trip was very mellow and we just hung out at my parents pretty much the whole time. It's nice just sitting around the table eating with them. Reminds me of my childhood. And now that we've added kiddos to the mix, it's even sweeter.... and sometimes quite humorous.

Anna was praying one night before dinner. She has a soft heart for spiritual things and her prayers are usually very thoughtful. She almost always prays for wisdom and patience for me, something that I asked her to do when she was two, and she still remembers almost daily to ask for it. But this night was a bit different. As she was praying, she took on this pleading tone of voice, "PLEASE God, please help Ms. Vicki.... and PLEASE God, help me and Mikaiah get better... and PLEASE PLEASE God, help Mommy's confusion. Amen." It just struck my parents and I as being so funny. We could not stop laughing all through dinner. Because she is so right!! I am convinced kids take brain cells with them when they leave your body. There is no other explanation. I used to be a smart girl. And the other day I called the stairs a ladder. And my two year old corrected me.

That same night, we were eating brusselsprouts. Now, let me just take a quick moment to say that we are crazy blessed with kids who eat great for us. The girls eat pretty much anything we put in front of them. Occasionally, Jakin balks at anything mixed (which is a problem, because I grew up eating a lot of casseroles and still serve them...), and we'll have to count out bites in order to get him to eat. But truly, Anna will eat pretty much anything. Tuna. Celery. Rice cakes. Hummus. The random jello I make with both fruits and veggies. (Yum! Just thinking about it makes my mouth water a bit...) So, of course, she just scarfed down the brusselsprouts like they were the tastiest things ever. However, Jakin was not so convinced. He just kept scooting them further and further away from the yummy stuff on his plate. Eventually, they were the only thing left. And he had to eat them to get more "yummy" stuff. He looked a bit skeptical as he stabbed one with his fork, and Anna tried to encourage him, "Jakes--They taste great! Just like pineapples and watermelon. Really!" So he ate one. But I'm not so sure he'll be as quick to believe her next time. :)