Dos Burritos

Yesterday I was tired.  TIRED.  And when that crazy time in the evening hit that requires food being prepared for my baby birds, I was adding a little cranky to my tired.  The conversation in the kitchen and the dodging and weaving of people became like mosquitoes buzzing in my ear.  So I swatted at my mosquitoes, and banned them from the kitchen until dinner was ready.  I told them all that I was feeling overwhelmed and needed my space to get it all together, so they were not allowed near me until dinner was ready, which was a blissful 17 minutes according to my timer.

So off they went, and before long I heard the giggles and shrieks of my oldest and youngest.  They had, for some reason, decided to re-enact a favorite moment from their "childhood".  When the girls were toddlers and a bit beyond, they loved to be wrapped up in a blanket "like a burrito".  We would spread a blanket out on the floor, they would lay on one end, and we'd start rolling them up.  This became a favorite way to be carried off to bed, wrapped like a burrito and slung over their daddy's shoulder.  One might say it's the sophisticated version of swaddling.

So last night, Beth began wrapping Alex like a burrito.  We don't have a blanket large enough to contain all his legs, but they gave it a good go.

all rolled up and even a pillowed head!

 

And from this, I saw glimpses of Beth's brilliance.  She loves to try to tickle her brother, who is ridiculously ticklish.  Getting his teeth polished at the dentist is a form of tickle torture for him.  He's bigger and stronger than his sister, so he is very capable of avoiding her tickle attempts.

Alex realizes he's left himself vulnerable as Beth prepares to strike

Until, that is, he was wrapped like a burrito!  Those feet sticking out of the blanket provided a perfect target, and I was so proud of the way Beth seized an opportunity.  Score one for the little sister.

You can roll, but you can't hide, Alex!

And Brenna, sweetly reading in the background, chose to simply play the role of adviser, chipping in her two cents every now and then.


Another quip I want to remember:

While Brad and Beth were at the pool, the rest of us ran out to get Alex's hair cut.  It looks so much better, I love a freshly cut head of hair on my boy!  Back home, he was sitting in the living room writing out some music.  I walked by and stopped and told him how handsome he was.  He looked at me with a puzzled look and asked if I was crying.  (My eyes were just that tired.  No real tears.)  But I couldn't resist an opportunity, so I said that yes, I was just so moved by how handsome and grown up he looked.  He looked me square in the eye, his expression unchanging, and said (in a perfect Cousin Eddie voice), "Are you serious, Clark?"

Makes me laugh even retelling it.  Humor makes a tired evening so much more fun!