February 24, 2012 One Black Bean for One Ice-cream Sandwich

Dear Noah and Dylan,
     You are both getting to be the little rascals!  You are at the age where one minute we want to hug you to death, and the next, strangle you! :-) But I just have to write today to share a Dylan moment.  Yesterday I made you both lunch, one turkey hotdog, 1/2 sliced carrot, one scoop main cheese and then the wild card....a small scoop of Cuban black beans.  I mad no baked beans, black...expecting of course uatiny on the bounty.  I set up the incentive program, a sticker for each of the 4 food items you completely ate.  Noah left the beans for last but ate them and thought they wren't oo bad.  Dylan ate the other 3, insisting he did not like black beans. I truly doubt he ever had any prior to then so I tried some negotiation strategies.  If Dylan could eat just this little spoonful which I moved aside on his plate, he couldn't get a 4th sticker but he COULD get an ice cream sandwich.  I even went as low as one bean for the ice cream and suddenly he broke down in frustration and sobbed at the table.  Usually not sympathetic to other cries, this one tore at my heart.  But I would not budge on the ice cream sandwich deal.  I did say they could each have one candy (left over still from Halloween pumpkins!!) and Dylan questioned why not two?  If he was really a skilled negotiator he would have said "its's almost March lady and you still have our Halloween candy hostage over us?  What the ...??!  Give it up!!"
     We got past the tears with the piece of candy Dylan chose, a fruity tootsie roll, Noah a package of Pez candy from his CPRS Pez dispenser and we went upstairs for story time.  I read (translated from French) 5 short stories about kids having races and Sponge Bob, then we agreed on the napping locations.  Dylan managed to be the first to say he wanted to sleep in the loft so I tucked Noah in our bed and Dylan was waiting for me on the couch, laying on his back looking at the ceiling.  I whispered to him that after his nap I would let him have some of that ice cream.  He gave me the biggest hug and smile, one I'll never forget!! Both you boys are so sweet I can hardly stand it.  I love you so much!!!
Love alway and forever, here and beyond!!
Auntie Kim

PS  you were still little brats all morning tattling on each other about who whacked who with a stick , who wasn't sharing with who and who doesn't like you any more.