con carne

I think I've mentioned before that we are three types of eaters here at our house: I am the sole omnivore, the husband is a vegetarian, and the kids, with the exception of the aforementioned cow's milk yogurt, are vegans. Which, for the uninitiated, means that along with the not eating of The Meat, they also don't eat eggs or dairy or any other product that comes from animals. I think this sounds more interesting than it really is, and I started a post a few months ago about how ironic it is that the kids do not really enjoy vegetables. We do eat lots of grains (oatmeal, pasta, sprouted grain bread, cous cous) which they love, and fruit (at least 50% of their daily calories, I'd guess) and they do eat vegetables, but almost always grudgingly. As in "how many bites of my sweet potatoes do I have to eat? (Hudson) or "Do I have to eat ALL of this broccoli to be finished?" (Harper) or "I think I'll just toss these peas on the floor for Sasha" (Helena). Anyway, we decided to add a little cheese to the mix a few weeks ago and I slaved over a lasagna which I and the husband thought tasted pretty good, but which each kid proceeded to take approximately two tiny bites of and then declare themselves so full that they couldn't possibly eat ever again, EVER. So, that was a trifle debilitating for me. Because, really, it is CHEESE, which is beloved by kids everywhere and always, right?? Apparently, no. I was especially aggravated because I used organic mozzarella AND parmesan AND ricotta which cost somewhere in the neighborhood of a new Vespa scooter for just the one lasagna.

So, in the spirit of More New Experiences, and because he is on spring break this week, the husband came home from Whole Foods with fish for the whole family on Monday night. The fish was received with great joy by Hudson, who was fresh off watching an episode of "Man vs. Wild" with Daddy, in which Bear Grylls had consumed, in order, a raw frog, a bat, and a rat. I, for one, was more than ready to embrace vegetarianism full-scale after watching the frog consumption. Hudson thought that every bite he took of his breaded halibut made him very Bear-like. Harper was not a fan, but she is going through a phase where new stuff is scary and possibly toxic. She is also washing her hands more than Lady Macbeth and we've had to institute some very unpopular Lotion Accords which have been received with great angst.

Last Friday we went to the Japanese gardens in Hermann Park and Helena walked into a very muddy stream and I had to step in to fish her out. I was wearing my red Frye boots, so you can see that there was some sacrifice involved on my part. She, and the boots, have recovered nicely, though the ride home was highly unpleasant and smelly. That same day she also decided that a half-eaten apple she found in the trash right on top of the coffee grinds was a terrific snack. AND possibly climbed up on to her changing table. At least she is cute. In fact, after I put her to bed tonight I was folding clothes just outside her door and she was singing a song about all of the friends she saw at the park today. It was to the tune of the Veggie Tales song "Busy, Busy!" and she sang "Izzy, Izzy! la-la-la Izzy!" and "Abby, Abby, la-la-la ABBY!" and "Aiken-dum, Aiken-dum, la-la, la Aiken-dum!" and "Ah-boo, Ah-boo, la-la-la AH-boo!" and "Hutsen, Hutsen, la-la-la Hutsen!" and "Dyoon, Dyoon, la-la-la Dyoon!" and "Ah-yaid, Ah-yaid, la-la-la, Ah-yaid!" and "Twan-yule, Twan-yule, la-la-la Twan-yule!" and then Mommy and Daddy and Sasha also got a verse and I thought my heart would burst with the sweetness.

The husband and I got gussied up again. Blurry, but recorded for posterity anyway. We went to a wedding, then a movie, because the reception didn't begin until 6 hours later, and my mom was here with the kids. We went to see "The Adjustment Bureau" at the Studio Movie Grill. I actually surprised myself by thoroughly enjoying the movie AND the fact that I could, and did, eat a cheeseburger while enjoying the movie. It's a mainstream movie that does a pretty good job of pondering free will versus sovereignty, which is not typical Hollywood fare.

Speaking of the fair, yesterday we went back to the Livestock Show and Rodeo so the kids could ride some super fun carnival rides with Daddy. We could have purchased another Vespa with the money we spent, but look what Harper got to do:

This lady lifted Harper right up on Doc and then she and her sweet son gave us all sorts of Useful Horse Information. Mostly that you can either keep horses or you can have a nice normal life with a house and clothes and groceries, but not both.

The other day I was trying to explain to Harper that I had talked to my friend Tara, who didn't get her first horse until 8th grade and how that was a great idea, mostly because it means I don't have to deal with it for another 8 years, and she said something quietly under her breath. "What?" I asked and leaned down, and she said, with a scary, quiet confidence, two words.

"Tooth. Fairy."


So.