Muffin Making, Egg Dyeing, etc.

On Thursday night Ivan refused to go to bed but insisted that we make muffins. After I gave him a muffin tin to line with cupcake holders, we somehow managed to get him to go to sleep. When he woke up in the morning, muffins were still on his mind.

So we made muffins. It was really fun. He helped me crack and beat two eggs. Then we got the sugar and flour out. He was curious how come they look similar. We each had a spoon, we played a game where I spooned out 3 spoons of flour into the measuring cup, then he spooned 3 spoons. Then I did 2 spoons, then he did 2 spoons, etc. I alternated the number of scoops each time. So the measuring became a counting exercise. As I was pouring batter into the muffin tin, Ivan insisted that we need to add jam. (We did that last time we made muffins. We first put some batter, then added a dollop of jam--which he helped me do--then added more batter.) But since this time, I added frozen berries to the batter, there was no need for jam. It took him a while to accept that.

Since I had run out of big cupcake paper cups but still had plenty of mini ones, we made both big and small muffins. He spent the rest of the weekend, talking about big and small muffins, counting them, and doling them out to Andy, my parents and myself. Again, it turned out to be quite a cool little counting, and even adding, exercise.

When the muffins were done, he helped himself to several muffins (with the help of the little red chair, which he used to climb on to reach the muffins that were pushed far on the countertop). He didn't eat them, but basically picked bits of the tops off. I know from before that he doesn't seem to like fruit in the muffins, so I assume he must have thought that the darker spots on the muffin tops were chocolate chips not fruit. (The last time we made muffins, in addition to adding a dollop of jam, we put milk and white chocolate chips on top. It was my impromptu way of trying to prolong the muffin-making with him.) He didn't any of the muffins. We, adults, ate them all. (Really, I ate most of them.)

After muffins were done, Lisa, Sam and Lilian came over for an impromptu playdate. As soon as they arrived, Ivan went to get out his Thomas set, since that was what they played with last time. This time, however, the boys played with cars. Sam apparently likes to line things up, just like Ivan, so they got along very well. And the cars were well lined up in one straight line.

Then we dyed eggs for Easter. I had bought some bright, neon food coloring, and a dozen eggs. White eggs, unlike last year when I wasn't thinking and got brown eggs.

We mixed the dye and dunk the eggs in. We made some 9 eggs or so. Sam was more interested in waiting for the eggs to dye than Ivan, but that was OK. Later in the day, after Sam and Lisa left, and Ivan and my dad, who had come to visit, bought another dozen eggs, Ivan and I dyed another 6 eggs. He was really into it this time, helping to immerse the eggs, take them out, check on them drying, etc.

We also cut and tore tissue paper to place in a basket I had bought for the eggs.

I was so pleased. We had a great, activity-filled day.

Ivan kept talking about Easter Bunnies, and big and small Easter Bunny, saying that he's here, etc.... I tried to take advantage of the bunny arrival by saying that unless we all eat carrots that the bunny won't come. So Ivan and my dad bought baby carrot and hummus (since that was how I unsuccessfully tried to get him to eat carrots in the past), but he wouldn't have any.

The rest of the weekend included a swim class I took him to and an overnight stay at my parents' house. (After my parents' picked him up yesterday, Andy and I went on the trail with Mariposa and Allen in tow. Having an Ivan-free night felt like we were on vacation. It was peaceful and quiet, except for Allen's falling asleep cry.)Today, we went to soccer and then out to dinner to Macaroni Grill.

When we returned home, I noticed a few colored specs on the dining room carpet: While we were out, Mariposa ate all the eggs, shells included. Andy and I are rather expectantly waiting for that poop tomorrow morning. I wonder whether it will come out with pink, purple and green specs in it.

Since she got a hold of chocolate for Halloween, and is ocassionally known to devour a bunch of bananas (eating the banana but leaving the peel), we're so careful not to leave food out. Unfortunately, it didn't occur to either one of us that the Easter eggs are just that: food.