Matthew Makes Lunch

So today didn't start out so red hot... Matthew and Melissa both had a serious case of the grumps (the whiny, stomping around, kind of grouchiness). Grumpiness is infectious and pretty soon I was feeling grumpy too. Not only that, but the mess level increased dramatically. Every time I turned around someone had spilled, ripped, dropped, or scattered something. To top it off, Matthew was careless in the bathroom and missed to toilet in favor of his clothes, shoes (which he isn't supposed to wear indoors anyways), and the floor. I couldn't help him since I was attending Melissa's needs and told him to put the clothes in the hamper and wipe up the mess. He did. About an hour later I noticed baby wipes in MY toilet bowl in MY bathroom. Apparently he decided to use my bathroom when he had an accident.

It was time to go outside. Sunblocked, shod, and hatted, we went outdoors. The lettuce needed to be planted anyways. So we planted lettuce, swiss chard and flowers. This year I made a 5'x5' raised bed for Matthew's garden. He is immensely pleased to have his "own garden" in which he picks what goes it it. "I can do it all by Myself, Mama." Attitudes greatly improved and Matthew decided it was lunch time. Melissa wasn't done helping me plant the sunflowers, so Matthew dashed off announcing he was going to make lunch. "Sure, you can pick out what you want for lunch," I said absently.

About 10 minutes later he had prepared 2 plates of fruit that he'd cut up himself. He cut some strawberries and put them in a glass juice cup, cut three sections of bananas, 3 blueberry muffins, and 2 oranges not cut up but in 2 more juice glasses. (Apparently he had tried to peel an orange as evidenced by a mangled pulp on the counter but decided against serving it).

He was so proud of himself.
"I make lunch all by myself." "You like it Mama?" he asked several times, and I assured him I did. "Lissa, Mama like Matthew's lunch!" "I'm a big boy and can do it all by myself." We ate lunch outside per his request.

I asked him if he wanted some cheese too.
"That not part of my lunch. I made lunch."
"Well then how about after lunch as a snack?"
"Okay."
So we had cheese (always trying to sneak some protein down those two) and then popsicles. A very successful (and sticky) lunch.

Now they are napping. The baby wipes are still floating in the toilet, the counters are sticky, and the laundry needs to be done. Yet it is so peaceful.