GREEN, PUKE, YOUR EYES?

"Green, green, it's green they say" that old Johnny Rivers song came to mind while little Jay sat at our supper table.

"Green, green, it's green they say, on the far side of that hill."
"Ew, it's green. I'm going away", that's Jay,

What is it with kids and green vegetables?  Veggies -- I like em.  They're good.  They're tasty.  They can be eaten raw, cooked, or deliciously in a casserole.  But Jay, fitting the stereotype of kids and their aversion to green vegetables, climbed down from the table and scooted away!

Jay had come for a long visit so we offered him supper.  I'm watching him as he sits eye level with the table's edge.  He promptly told us, in his little 4 y.o. boy voice, and with much assertion, "Broccoli not for me" and he pointed his little finger in the air, "Un-uh, no broccoli."

Then John, my dearest hubby, set his bowl down next to Jay's plate.  John's bowl was full of baked potato, and chopped broccoli, and topped with melted cheese -- a stuffed potato.

Jay was observant.

"Hey, where is the potato?"  He sits low in the seat, you know, can't see totally into the bowl.  And then we got updated news, it translates to "I want some."

Nodding his little brown haired head he said, "I like potato and cheese and broccoli!"


****

So, on the way to our house, Jay is strapped in his car seat, wearing a blue puffy coat, excited to go to GrammyPam's, I hear him chatter from the backseat, "I puked two times."

"In the wiving woom."

"Big puddles."

"I had to go to bed 'cause mom is nice cleaning up things."

Can you see my bugged eyes?  Can you see my mind's wheels turning at full speed?  Can you just hear the brakes squalling as the tires come to a dead stop on black tarmac?

LOL, not really, but, let me tell you, I did make a phone call!  No sick kids are going to MY HOUSE!  Thankfully, I found out his memory is three days late!


****

Jay wanted to play ball.  We'd already played with the bug puzzle, the tote bag of Ty babies, the cloth road map and Matchbox cars, the child's bowling ball and pins, the Spiderman car and Spiderman motorcycle, the ball pit of a hundred balls, the bucket of jungle pieces, the toy gripper, the balance board, the paper towel roll pirate's telescope, and more!  Now, he wanted to play bouncy ball.

He got the pink 8 inch ball with nubs.  I got the swirly blue 6 inch ball.  He would roll and I would roll and we'd try to make contact in the middle to see where each ball would ricochet.  He was sitting on the floor with his legs in a V formation.

I had consented to playing as long as I could stay where I was -- laying on the couch with the red pillow behind my head.  Only one arm had to move, my right.  I'd stick out my hand, give the ball a gentle push, and off it'd roll.  Any adult is good enough for Jay, he doesn't know how to play on his own.  We're working on that.  So, he was content to play my lazy way.

Roll.  Hit.  Scatter.
Roll.  Miss.  Grab balls.
Roll.  Hit.  Bounce away.
Roll.  Miss.  Trade balls.
Roll.  Hit.  Laugh.
Roll.  Hit.  Retrieve balls.
Roll.  Miss.  Too far.
Rolllllll.......hi............

And from the fog of my mind I hear a toddler boy voice ask, "Why are your eyes doing that?"