Vulnerable

God bless the employees of Taco Bell! Really, if you have seen my early posts, you understand my love for this fast food chain.

Amy & I took the little ones there after a visit to the farms today and decided to get their place dirty with our grubby hands and dirty jeans, instead of mine... All of the blessings were unusually crazy. Sometimes I feel so bad for my kids. I feel when they get this way (crazy), it's really a misrepresentation of how great they really are. But this afternoon, like I stated, they were crazy. Jack & Noah were taking turns (how thoughtful) hitting each other on the head, all while running back & forth on the bench. Emma was whining desperately asking for an infamous Taco Bell toy. I just need a penny, Mom! Will was actually squealing in between bites of food, getting his two cents in as much as he could. Noah threw Jack's paci across the restaurant. Jack pulled the lid off of his shared drink, with his teeth, spilling lemonade all over the bench, Emma, & my pulled straight hair! He had also taken to sticking his nacho cheese container (filled with cheese) to his chin. Jack & Noah managed in the midst of these moments to climb UP on the top of the booth and start stomping, as Noah hits a sippy cup across the table, hitting another drink, caught by Amy, and Jack looses the suction of his nacho cheese cup, spilling a combination of slobber and cheese all over the back of the booth and seat. Emma asked at the top of her voice: Did he just vomit??? See, crazy. Misrepresented. If another parent at this moment would have looked upon this scene, it would have been with a disapproving glare. (Ben was the only blessing behaving himself.)

To be completely honest, even though they can be frustrating, I love these times. Besides making for good stories, they humble me. They keep me real, honest with myself, and make me laugh. They happen every day, whether at the library where we are surrounded by what appears to be sedated children reading politely with their mothers or working on quiet puzzles, while Jack pulls every puzzle piece off the table & tosses them on the ground while darting around pulling books off the shelf and Emma sits at the computer, headphones on, screaming for help or while we are driving around town with our windows down, while Emma & Jack clap and sing to Maroon 5. Wake up call, caught you in the morning with another one in my bed... He won't come around here anymore... Six foot tall came without a warning so I had to shot him dead... Nice.

These are actually the times that I think that make us so vulnerable as parents. To actually admit that Emma knows the words that Adam Levine sings: No, I won't go home without you is quite embarrassing. To admit that Amy & I actually looked at each other and laughed many times this afternoon at Taco Bell is crazy. But real.