Chow down

I feel I should poll the other mama's and find out if dinner in your house is like dinner in my house.

Its crazy.  Crazy loud.  Crazy busy.  Crazy messy.  Just plain crazy.  How do these two tiny people create so much chaos?

It may have something to do with the way they entertain each other.  That's right - dinner at our house includes a show.  Tickets are now on sale.  If they're not spitting their milk at each other, they're throwing bits of food.  Elizabeth, in particular, finds this hilarious.  Mama and Dada ... not so much.  Sam, on the other hand, is a huge fan of the food throwing.  And to all those wondering, yes, we take away their food and milk when they start these shennigans.  But not before an alarming amount of dinner finds its way on the walls and the windowsills.  Looking forward to repainting the kitchen to cover up the food fight war scars.  You can only Magic Eraser the milk splatters so many times before it starts taking the paint away.

If they're not putting on a show, they're talking.  I've finally figured out why it takes Andy 4 times as long as the rest of us to eat dinner - his mouth is busy in other pursuits.  I mean, our days aren't that exciting, but Andy finds something to talk about.  The whole meal.  And Elizabeth joins in - but she's just making noise.  Making her all encompassing noise - you know, the one that's a cross between a grunt and a monkey sound.  Until she starts jabbing that little finger in the air, to tell us she's ready to get down.

Andy has to be strapped in, otherwise the kid would never eat.  He uses his best persuasion techniques to cajole us into letting him stand at the table and eat. This works for about 30 seconds, but he just can't hold still.  Recently he's been back in the high chair - a funny sight.  Akin to me riding his tricycle. 

And then there's the aftermath.  It seems more of their dinner ends up on floor, the table and/or their clothes than gets eaten.  More nights than not, Sam carries around leftovers in his fur.  My all time fave: cottage cheese.  Super fun to clean out of dog fur.  Some nights, all Elizabeth consumes is her milk and some brocolli.  Not only do we have to wipe down the table, but we have to reposition it.  One, or both of them, think its hilarious to use their feet and push back on the table, scooting it across the floor.  Today Andy discovered he could push it into his sister while she was trying to eat.  Awesome.

So is it any wonder that during the day, I eat my meals alone, after the kids are done?  I can't eat and referee at the same time.  Nor is it any wonder that I eat my dinner in about 3 bites.

These kids are just crazy.  But that's OK.  Instead of the chaos, I'll choose to remember how Elizabeth comes running when I say dinner's ready and that Andy will take a bite of something and declare it "Dewicious!"