It's gonna be a long weekend

The girls and I dropped Aleks off at the airport this morning.

As soon as we pulled away from the curb, Ruby spit up all over herself and her carseat.

A rather ominous beginning, but story time went great, the girls behaved themselves in the grocery store, and then as soon as we set foot in the house, it all went crazy.

Ruby had her first time out today. And her second. And her third.

All because she is throwing her food onto the floor in a fit of rage. She so desperately wants to talk and gets frustrated to the points that she turns into a demon and starts spitting fire and venom.

I thought after a nap, she's be in a better mood. But it was more of the same.

In her defense, we're on day 5 of her first cold ever. Actually, it's the first time she's ever been sick with anything. And she's got 2 teeth trying to cut through.

My Aunt Annie once told me that water is a great cure for cranky kids, and sure enough, after a bath, Ruby was relatively happy for the rest of the afternoon.

Well, not happy enough to avoid her 2nd and 3rd timeouts, but still...

And yet, in the midst of our less than peaceful house, there were some real gems today.

1. When Ruby was in timeout for the first time, she started to get up and I said very sternly "Ruby, sit down." Now, Ruby was already crying and as soon as I said that, I heard a real, "I'm hurt", cry from Maia. I looked over at her in surprise and said "why are you crying Maia?". She stopped crying, looked at me, and said "Well, Ruby doesn't want to be in timeout." 

That empathy is going to serve her well in life.

2. Maia was in timeout and Ruby brought over Maia's socks to her big sister. Maia paused from her fake crying to say "No Ruby! I'm in timeout!"

3. I made popcorn for the girls today and as the popcorn was nearing the top of the pan the sound changed. Maia called from across the room, "Is Ruby tooting?"

4. Ruby was crying today (surprised?) and Maia came over to her and started patting her back. Maia asked "What's wrong little sister? What's wrong?"

5. Earlier today Aleks posted a status on Facebook and included a hash tag, that said #thisiswheremyjobtakesme. Later, I texted Aleks to let him know that it was snowing here, but not sticking. This was his response.

Sadly, we're out of wine, but tonight I'm roasting broccoli, which in my opinion is the only way to eat it.

A little olive oil, salt, and a dash of panko at 400F for 20-25 minutes and you've got the most amazing broccoli you've ever had. 

And I don't have to share.