Dinnertime

I dread the dinner hour these days.  Actually, I hate it.  Nothing is more annoying.  Nothing highlights all of my many parenting shortcomings like the dinner hour.  I love having people over for dinner, but I really hate subjecting them to the chaos.

Grace and Andrew act insane and spend the entire time complaining about the meal I just made them.  Then they try to negotiate their way out of eating it. 

"It have parts!  I not want that!  AHHHH!  THAT BE YUCKY! THAT BE A VEGETABLE!  GET IT OFF MY PLATE!" Andrew

"Uh Mom, how much do I have to eat?  Can I just eat like one piece?  If I eat two pieces can I have dessert?" Grace

They argue over who gets to say their prayer first. Which usually ends up with someone yelling a prayer, someone crying, and me making some ridiculous, unenforceable threat about not being allowed to pray.

As soon as I sit down, I am repeatedly asked for more milk!  A napkin!  More water! A spoon!  A different spoon!  No the little spoon!  No the big spoon!  Ketchup!  A hot dog!  I could go on and on and on.

And they look so innocent don't they?

On the other hand, Miss Mae is a little angel at dinner. 

 She will eat whatever we put in front of her.  Tonight she had ham, chicken, pizza, cheerios, pineapple and applesauce!

Although she misses her mouth a lot and leaves quite a mess under her high chair, she will actually clean it up.  I simply put her on the floor after dinner and she acts like a little vacuum cleaning up all the food.  I am not kidding.  I just tell myself she is working on her fine motor skills and building immunity at the same time.  Multi-tasking at such a young age.  Impressive!

 See?  She has a little piece of shredded cheese in her hand.  Excellent pincer grasp.