It was such a great day, until...

Sam and I really enjoy our time together while Nathanael naps. Sam really craves that one-on-one time and sometimes he actually agrees to activities that I really enjoy, too. One of our favorite things to do together is color. To be honest, I think I enjoy it more than he does, particularly when we break open a brand new box of crayons.

Sam also enjoys baking with me. So today while we colored, we could smell the delicious scent of a batch of chocolate chip cookies we had just popped into the oven. Sam is a good little souse chef, but I think he just does it so that he can lick the beaters when we're done.

Soon after the cookies were baked, Nathanael awoke from his nap, and Yaya and Max stopped by for a cookie. The three boys were in the playroom while Robin and I chatted, as I cleaned up all the dishes. Sam came downstairs for a cookie, leaving Nathanael and Max unsupervised for all of about ten minutes. As soon as Sam finished his cookie he went back upstairs and immediately reported that Nathanael had put soap and water on the train table! This was certainly not the first episode of Nathanael covering something with soap, and I even commented as Robin headed up the stairs "I'm sure it's a ton". Well, I had no idea! He had taken a sippie cup, obviously repeatedly filled it up, and dumped it out on the train table, on the couch, and there were dribbles of water from one end of the playroom to the other! My recent attempts at becoming a better person must be taking some effect because, as far as I can recollect, I was able to safely deposit him into his locked bedroom without yelling at him. That, friends, is a mighty miracle.
Shortly after dealing with that disaster, it was time to prepare dinner and I chose tonight as the night to no longer prepare three separate meals each evening. This has been a 6 year battle and one that has brought me to the brink of insanity. For dinner tonight we had Stewed White Beans with Spinach and Bacon, quite a tasty meal, as reported by 3 out of 4 Rogers family members. The fourth, however, waged a war which included being locked on the back porch, in his brother's room, tied to a chair with an apron (a trick my Nana also loved to employ when we were children, though I only remember it ever happening to my brother), and finally making himself vomit when Paul tried to push a bean through his teeth.
Ahhh, the joys of parenting.