Wheeling and Dealing

We just had an interesting lunch. Jayson made asparagus and chicken and we had some potato chips with it too. (It's nice to break up the healthiness). Both Lydia and Audrey proclaimed that they did not like the asparagus (or scarabus, as Audrey calls it), despite the fact that they have eaten asparagus many times before. So, Jayson told them that whoever eats all their asparagus gets a piece of Easter candy.

After a while, Lydia had eaten everything except her asparagus. She asked for more chips. We told her no. She told Audrey that if Audrey gave her some of her chips, she would eat all of her asparagus, then get a piece of candy and she would share the candy with Audrey. Audrey agreed.

A little while later, Lydia asked Audrey to help her eat her asparagus. Audrey agreed. Then Audrey decided she liked the asparagus and ate all hers. Lydia then realized what was about to happen. If they both finished their asparagus, Lydia would get half a piece of candy and Audrey would get one and a half pieces. She brought up this situation to Jayson and I and we both agreed a deal was a deal. Audrey really enjoyed eating that extra candy!

More Food

Today after dinner, the girls were still hungry, which is pretty standard. Jayson and I gave them some hummus and pita chips. They ate happily. Charlie was confined to her high chair and screamed every time the hummus got too far from her, but her sisters made sure she got some too. After a while, the chips were gone, so Lydia and Audrey got down from the table and played. After a few minutes, I realized Charlie was still in her high chair, and she wasn't screaming like she normally would when everybody else was away from the table and she was done eating.

Then I looked over at her and realized she had the container of hummus in her lap and was scooping it out with her finger and licking it off. Jayson rescued it before she was able to finish it off.

Human Vacuum Cleaners

I'll admit I'm a bit smug about the fact that my kids love healthy food. But, in reality, they love all foods. They love brussel sprouts, but they also love chocolate chips. They will devour salmon, but they also beg for chicken nuggets. They eat edamame like they're M&M's, but they'll also eat, well, M&M's like they're M&M's.

I am convinced Audrey would sit at the table all day long if we let her. Some days, she gets down from the breakfast table and immediately asks what's for lunch. When we have parties at our house, she bellies up to the food table and stays there longer than anybody else.

All three girls were raised on Flamin' Hot Cheetos. Lydia doesn't like them so much any more, but every time we eat them, Charlie throws a fit until we give her some and then looks at us with confusion as her eyes water. Then she asks for more.

A couple months ago, Lydia was Star of the Week at school. I came to visit her on Friday of that week during her lunch period. I surprised her with a Happy Meal. She looked at me with fake excitement. I could tell she was a little disappointed and then she asked me, "Can I still have my chef's salad?" It was only after other kids in her class got excited about her Happy Meal that she decided to forego her school lunch.

Last Saturday night, Jayson and I took Audrey and Charlie for a quick visit to the grocery store on our way to pick Lydia up from a birthday party. When we were in the frozen vegetable aisle, Audrey begged for brussel sprouts. We grabbed several bags and threw them in the cart. She asked if she could eat some as soon as we got home and we told her it would be bedtime when we got home, but she could have some tomorrow.  A couple people stared as Audrey cried for brussel sprouts.

I'm sure their tastes will change as they get older and realize they're not really supposed to like healthy foods, but for now, I'm enjoying the laugh Jayson and I share when the girls think tomatoes off the vine are a special treat.

Little Updates

Lydia
Tonight for dinner we got a rotisserie chicken from the grocery store. We generally don't eat meat at home except for fish, but every once in a while, we make an exception, like corned beef last week for St. Patrick's Day and a chicken today because the cupboards are bare due to Jayson being so busy with taxes and me being gone this past weekend. We needed something quick, so the chicken was a good idea.

The girls love meat when we do have it, and as we were eating, Lydia said, "Mmmmm! I just love chicken when it's dead."

Audrey
Audrey has an attitude. She gets mad when people don't do exactly what she want when she wants. If I ask the girls to clean up their toys, Lydia will usually oblige, or pretend she didn't hear me. Audrey will cross her arms, look me right in the eyes, and say, "No." Then she might give those arms a little shake and say, "Hmmph." We have made a game out of clean-up, though where we pretend they are robots and I give them their robot orders in a robot voice while holding my arms stiffly at my sides and tell them exactly what to do. ("Robot Lydia. Please pick up that book and put it on the shelf.") Audrey will sometimes get into it, but Robot Audrey doesn't follow orders very well.

The other day, I was driving somewhere with the girls. Audrey said something and Lydia told her she was wrong and Audrey looked out the window and said quietly and full of rage, "Don't talk to me." I'm really looking forward to the teen years with her.

Charlie
Charlie now says Daddy, Lydia, and dog. She also waves and gives high fives. She will not, however, say "Mommy." Lydia and Audrey both said, "Hi" for their first words. I blame Jayson. I think he's coaching her all day long to say "Daddy," and to just stick her tongue out and spit when she sees me. She does give good kisses, though. Nice, big, open mouth ones that start with her tongue plastered to your face and end with her biting your cheek.