Baby Baker!

This morning, after about 4 hours of (broken) sleep, I woke up to two kids in pee soaked pjs who both started incessantly... NEEDING me immediately. Lucky for me, it was trash day and the big white truck was making its way down our street. Which meant I was able to brush BOTH my hair AND my teeth without simultaneously dragging a toddler out of the utility closet that houses our air conditioner. Said toddler was far too busy peering out the window and periodically yelling, "I see the trash truck!" to terrorize this morning. Score one for mama! My littlest little was also preoccupied this morning, but with the black and white pictures hanging on the wall rather than trucks like her brother. Score TWO for mama!

The fascination with trucks and pictures lasted just long enough for me to get ready for the day and pick up the bedroom a little. Then I realized, "We have nowhere to be this morning!" which, after the crazy week we had been having, was a very welcome realization! My next thought though was, "What the heck are we going to do today?!". I wanted to go to the library, but needed another activity for Sam. Then I thought, "Bake!"

I've let Sam 'help' here and there in the kitchen, but haven't bitten the bullet and let him REALLY help yet. Mainly because I'm a control freak scaredy cat (The mess!) But I rrrrrrreally wanted a yummy baked treat and Sam rrrrrreally needs some 'big boy activities' in his day. So I decided today would be the day!

We made pumpkin oatmeal muffins. They were SUPER yummy and we had LOTS of fun! I wish I had snapped a picture of his face when I pulled a chair over to the counter, told him to stand on it, and handed him a bowl and a wooden spoon. He was so excited! His favorite part seemed to be using my liquid measure cup/tube thingy (I don't know the right name for it, or how to describe it, but it's AWESOME and if you don't have one... figure out what the heck I'm talking about and get one!). I measured out the canned pumpkin into it, gave it to him, and showed him how to push the end to get the pumpkin out. It made him laugh his amazing little laugh and made me want to get another one of those things to use with play dough or something. 

Luckily the muffins didn't take long to mix up because by the time I was scooping them out into the muffin tin, he was more than ready to go back to his trains ;) He did run over to peek at them in the oven though, which was (obviously) adorable.

So not only did Sam get the kind of stimulating 'big boy activity' that makes him feel important and MUCH more inclines to behave the rest of the day, but we got a super tasty treat out of it, AND look how stinkin cute it was! On a day that started with sooooo not enough sleep and 2 sets of pee soaked pajamas, who doesn't need a treat and a little extra cuteness in their life? Right? Right :)