The scent of ice cream

Last week, before our annual meeting at Union Hill, Sister Juanita Faircloth offered to keep the twins for me one day so that I could go grocery shopping and do any other things I needed to get done for the weekend. I gladly took her up on it! I had forgotten how nice it is to go to the store ALONE and think about my list in PEACE. And I enjoyed the few hours of quiet uninteruption at home to get my chores done for the day. When it was time to go get the kids, I decided treat myself with a chocolate shake from the DQ. I really wasn't getting it just because I didn't have the kids with me. I really wasn't trying to HIDE it from them (as I have been accused of doing) I was just enjoying a little treat on my way to pick up my children. Can't a mother do that?! Anyways, once I got to Sister Juanita's house, I was done with the shake so I left the cup in the car. Well, James and Audrey came running to me to give me hugs and once they did, James leaned back and said "You got some ice cream in your mouth?" I said "No", because I didn't, and he then leaned forward to SNIFF my mouth. I almost fell over laughing! Seriously, what 2 and 3/4 year old do you know of that can not only smell something so discreet as ice cream on ones breath but can actually identify the scent? The only thing that would of topped that would have been if he had asked if I had chocolate ice cream in my mouth! (no comments from the peanut gallery either.)

James may look exactly like his daddy and act exactly like his daddy but he did get one thing from his poor old mama and that is the "nose of a bloodhound", as his daddy likes to call it. Even as a child I could always tell you what things were by their smell and I could even identify the owners of articles of clothing by smelling them. The clothes, not the owners! And if I eat something new, I have to smell it. If it smells really bad, I wont eat it. (a habit that drives certain people crazy!) And the other night, I had just gotten out of the shower and put some lotion on my hands when James came to crawl in my lap. He says "You got some lotion on your hands mommy?" Now come on!!

He may have the smelling capability of the worlds best tracking dog but he also has the capability to worry the pants off of Mother Teresa. He recently discovered that his yellow chair will put him at the perfect height to reach pretty much any thing he wants off of the kitchen counters. So, I have to be extra diligent about putting all life threatening objects totally out of reach of his short little arms that aren't so short any more! In the picture above, he had just taken a bite out of some okra. RAW okra to be exact. I had to shoo him out of the kitchen to get him to stop eating it! Lately whenever I am cooking, he grabs his yellow chair and pulls up right beside me. Asking me all sorts of questions, most of which begin with "Mommy, can I eat.......?" But yesterday during one of his sessions, he told me all about cutting boards and what they are used for and how you use them. So, I reckon he's learning about the ins and outs of cooking as well as how most foods taste raw! He may be able to worry me to death, but he is certainly teaching me the value of being patient with inquiring little minds. Who knows, one day we may have another Emeril Lagasse on our hands. BAM!