Todd's Tatler

I thought we would start the day with our favorite milkshake - peanut butter, banana, carnation breakfast chocolate with some fat free plain yogurt. Madeline started yelling at me the second I set her down, so I was rushing to make the milkshake, right? Well, I added everything but the peanut butter to the blender, turned around for a spoon, and Madeline paused her yells for a breath. That's when I heard a truly awful sound. Chocolately milk spilling....

I don't like messes. I don't know many adults who do. But I LOATH wet, sticky messes. They make me anxious.

Apparently I hadn't screwed the base of my blender on properly (the dang thing ignores the lefty loosey, righty tighty rule!) and everything was just pouring out! My first reaction was to grab the whole thing and rush it to the sink.  Oops...it was still plugged into the wall...

Puddle on the floor, trailing the counter, splashed onto the top cupboards, kitchen window and blinds, dripping all down the lower cupboards..."NOOOOOOOOooooo," I yelled.

And then, one of the most wonderful things happened. That's right, I said wonderful.  Todd has this quality that I love. He sits back and lets me deal with things most of the time (don't love that part as much...) but he can sense when I've really had enough, whether I show it or not. That's when he becomes superman. And our little Caleb has inherited that quality!

As I was cleaning, and feeling like we had just started the most horrible day of the week, Caleb started singing, "I am like a star shining brightly, shining for the whole world to see..." and gently rocking Madeline's chair.

She stopped crying and watched him.

I stopped cleaning and watched them. My two heavenly angels.

"Thank you Caleb," I said. "You're such a good big brother!"

"You're welcome," he said. "Thank Jesus Christ."

"I will little man, I will."