Secret Ingredient

Soooooo much happening in the Batter Bunch world, but it's midnight and this mama just drove 4 hours solo to visit her ailing papa (that's another story), but I cannot go to bed without documenting (and apologizing to Henry's mommy) for this afternoon's happenings. But first, some back story...

The day was wackadoodle from the onset. Seriously, Ben slept until 8am again (!!!) which wreaks havoc on the world - the whole "a butterfly flutters it's wings in China and causes a tsumani in Baja MX / CA" effect. I had every intention of getting the kids out the door and to the library by 10 am, it did not happen - too much LIFE intervened (another story) and we made it to the library lunchless at 12:30. By the time we got home from the library plus errands it was 3pm and our sweet neighbor, Sunjin and her baby had set up their kiddie pool and invited us to join them. As you can see from the pic below, our kiddos are WAY to old for this pool, but it did not stop them from having a blast and (hopefully) not wrecking the pool.

What is funny about our dear sweet neighbor is English is her second language and she explained to me this afternoon that she was so happy to have Emma and Ben join her kid in the pool because it meant she could "take a break" while Jakey played with E and B!! She then asked me when kids started playing on their own without needing their Moms the entire time they were awake to humor them and I was all, "Sunjin, maybe just maybe our cultures are different, or maybe just maybe I am slightly SELFISH, but I do not give my kids sun up to sun down attention." She thought about this for a minute and was ultimately confused - and it wasn't a language barrier.

Emma and Ben fo the future, I love you, I love playing with you but you have grown into 'perfect' sweet INDEPENDENT children because we parents have not doted on you from sun up to sun down. We have given you space and your imaginations are sooooo much better for it...

WAIT FOR IT! Their imaginations are so good that this transpired this afternoon: Ben got the shivers so I took him up to the penthouse and got him into dry clothes. He decided he wanted to stay inside and build lego sets while I went back out to hang with Em. No problem. When I came outside Em had her beach sand bucket and her and Henry were busy filling it with a Magic Potion. (Oooooh, the story is getting so exciting!!!) They spent the next 20 minutes looking for the prefect ingredients - you know, grass, a rock, a leaf, some wild berries.... Next thing I know, a bathing suited Emma sits on her bucket and leans over to look at her bum on the bucket. I think, what is she doing until I REALIZE WHAT SHE IS DOING!!!

"EMMA BATTER, ARE YOU PEEING IN THE BUCKET??????" Every resident of our sweet village surely heard my screech. Henry ran away fast not sure of what to make of my howl and Emma stood quickly claiming all innocence.

She finally admitted her felony and we had a serious chat about it. Her defense, "But Mom, we were making a magic potion and that was my secret ingredient."

Yep. That's all I got. Good night!

I don't even have a funny caption for this...