Dynamic Duo

Don't get me wrong. We love Emma Mae. But nobody could deny that she is going through a rough patch right now. And when Emma goes through a rough patch, everybody goes through a rough patch. Yesterday morning she woke me up and told me she was hungry. So we walked into the kitchen and I told her she could either have waffles or biscuits. I asked her which one she wanted. And she said muffins. I said we don't have muffins. Would you like a waffle or a biscuit? And she started crying as if her best friend just ate the last muffin in front of her without offering her any. So I told her to go to her room until she could be more agreeable. And she just looked at me with these big tears rolling down her face and said "but mama! i just can't agree to waffles or biscuits!" And I really think that is her biggest struggle right now. She just can't agree to any idea, thought or feeling that doesn't originate in her own head right now.

Yesterday afternoon Jake came up to me and said "mama, I have some bad news for you." I asked him what it was. He said to follow him because he had to show me what my daughter had done. So we went to the kids bathroom together. Low and behold, there was all manner of red and yellow paint smeared all over the bathroom cabinet. Jake put his hands on his hips and said "Just Look!" So I got a very serious look on my face and said "well. what are we going to do with her?" And Jake said "well, i want to keep her." We established that she couldn't be banned from the family for this offense. I think he was really worried that I was going to put her out of the house. He looked at me and said "mama, I guess I'm going to just have to teach her how to do all the right things." And I told him that was a fab idea. I asked him how he was going to achieve his goal. And he said he would just have to follow her around all the time watching her. So that's what he did the rest of the day. We'll see how long that lasts.

They did end up playing all afternoon together. At one point, Jake came and found me and again informed me that he had some more bad news. Seems they had taken Striper the hamster into Emma's room to play "family." Then they put the hamster in his little plastic ball to roll around but they couldn't find the lid to the ball. So of course the hamster ran out of the ball. Then Jake caught him and put him in Emma's toy tree house. With no walls or anything. And he escaped the treehouse and was running around loose under Emma's bed. I had to question Jake. I asked him if he thought that Striper was going to stay in the tree house when he put him in there. And Jake said "well, yes. but then he didn't so I don't think so." Wha? Of course he told me about this ordeal while Mike and I were cooking dinner so here I am running back and forth between the grill and Em's bed trying to cook delicious meat and capture furry rodent at the same time. There should be an Olympic medal for multi tasking. I would so be in the running for at least a bronze.