Sweetie

Some days, my kids are so sweet, I could just eat them up.

Matt started putting his coat on to head out, and Alex, who was sitting on my lap, started waving bye-bye. Pattern recognition, whoo! Matt came over and leaned down to give me a kiss, and as soon as he'd straightened up, Alex looked at me and then leaned his head closer -- his own 14-month-old way of asking for a kiss. Awww.

Shortly after, it was time to head out for school. "Penny," I said, "did we put a snack in your backpack?"

"Let me check!" She opened up the front pouch. "Yep! I have lots of snacks!"

"...You do?"

"Yes!"

"...Huhn. How did that happen?" I chivvied her out the door in front of me and we headed for the car.

"Crackers and candy!" she enthused.

"Candy?"

"Valentines candy!"

Ah. Much was made clear. Though how her Valentine candy ended up in her backpack... well, that should be pretty clear, too. "Penny, I don't want you to eat the candy for your snack. Eat the crackers for your snack. You need to ask Daddy or I before you have candy, okay?"

"Okay. But I want to count it!"

"That's fine. Just don't eat any."

"But I should put my seatbelt on first!"

"Yes. Very good thinking, Penny. Good girl."

She got her seatbelt on while I was settling Alex, then hauled her backpack onto her lap to begin her inventory. Four or five lollipops, a gummy heart, and a packet of conversation hearts later, she said, "Do you like candy, Mama?"

"Yes, I do."

"I will share my candy with you!"

"Oh, honey, that's very nice, but you don't have to."

"But I like to! What kind of candy do you want to have?"

"Um... You pick."

"No, you!"

After much discussion, she gave me a Dum Dum, along with the suggestion that I should eat it at work and tell her when I got home whether the candy inside the wrapper was yellow or green.

"I like to share my candy with you!"

"That's really sweet, Penny. Thank you."

I don't think I ever voluntarily shared my candy with anyone as a kid. We must be doing something right.

"Mommy? You know how much I love you?"

"How much?"

"This much!" She held up two heart-shaped lollipops of different sizes. "Big and little!"

"That's a lot," I said. "I love you big, little, and in-between."

Some days, being a mom is pretty damn cool.