Enjoying cantaloupe on a nicer day, two weeks ago, in the outside cafe.

Mothering is a hard job but these are some of the moments that I enjoy the most-so I thought I'd share them with you.

I started a tradition, when my ten and eight year-old boys were younger, of having lunch together, once a week, in the cafe of our local grocery store,.  We called it the "big boy picnic."  I would allow each of them to choose a fruit, a vegetable, an entree, and a dessert.  We would then pile onto the bar stools or "the big boy chairs" and enjoy our a la carte meals.

Sethy with his Italian Wedding Soup (which I knew nothing of until we moved to Pittsburgh five years ago) and salad, today, in his "big boy" seat.

Seth and I headed over to Giant Eagle, this morning, after his speech therapy, which is conveniently located across the street from the store.   He loves to do anything that gives him the feeling that he is not three years old- so his new favorite activity is to go up to the salad bar, select the fruits and vegetables he wants, and scoop them  into a container, without any help from his mother (in fact, he wants me to stand as far back as possible).  It takes him awhile, as he is rather height challenged and the food tends to slip off the spoon, but he is always very proud.  After bringing his items to the register and we pay for them, he picks where we sit- (always the bar stools, just like his brothers).  It is very funny to watch him because he incorporates a lot of role play into his dining experience.  Today he was a firefighter, so he took a couple bites of soup or salad, then jumped out of his seat, with fervor, and ran around the perimeter of the cafe, putting out pretend fires. Once I'd had enough of worrying that he was going to tip over his chair or pummel an old lady- we packed up the left-overs and went home for a nap.

These are the memories that I'll always be fond of- and hopefully they will too.