Taking care of the babies between 4-6pm is rough. It would probably be easier if there were at least three adults here during that time – one to take care of each baby and one to cook. However, Melissa does this by herself and what usually happens is that one or both babies are screaming while she is trying to fix dinner. It’s not unlike this description of breakfast from The Honest Toddler:

Good Morning! Wow it’s like it has been forever. You look good. You look okay. Actually you look bad. Sick. Like there’s something wrong in your body. Like something is draining you. Anyway for breakfast I’ll have 6 plain pancakes with a circumference of no more than five inches but no less than six. Also, I just wanted to bring to your attention that traditionally pancakes are round. Do you know what “round” means? I’m just asking because last time it looked like you were trying to be artistic or were cooking with a paper bag on your head. I’ll have my pancakes on the red plate. Not the red one with the green trim or the brick colored one, RED. Yes, the one that shattered yesterday. I’m sure you’ll figure something out. God help you if I see a crack. Also, I would like my pancake intact but in bite-sized pieces. Don’t break my pancakes but please cut them. I want them undamaged but in small pieces so I can eat. Do you see what I’m saying? Perfect but altered. It’s not hard. Follow your heart but keep in mind that if you get it wrong I’ll make today hard. Ok I’ll be in the family room sitting in your lap while you also cook in the kitchen. Love you. (so hungry)

Indeed, toddlers can be pretty unreasonable. By the time Chris get’s home around 6pm everyone’s nerves can be pretty raw.

This weekend Everett watched Mary Poppins for the first time. He loved it. It was also a chance for us to see it again and recall some of the best parts, one of which was some of the words and phrases they used (such as Supercalifragilisticexpialidocious). So the next night when Chris got home from work he asked “Melissa, would you be good enough to explain this unseemly hullabaloo?!?” Fortunately everyone laughed. It might have been a tense situation otherwise.