Get Your Kix

Perhaps I give my kids too much credit. Perhaps I am just not thinking two steps ahead of them. Perhaps I sickly enjoy watching them do things only kids can. During breakfast today I had out the brand new box of Kix (Kid tested, Mother approved:) I gave each boy a handful and, as expected, they each launched an oat or two across the kitchen before I removed those same handfuls and dumped it in the sink. I went in to my speech about how they do not have to eat but they certainly do not need to throw it and I pushed the box away. We finished eating the eggs, the waffles, the bananas without too much of a fight and then Chase started asking to see the boy on the box. He does this. He likes the man (Quaker Man) on the rice cakes bag, the man (Mr. Clean) on the disinfecting wipes container, and the boy on the kix cereal box. He also likes the man on the chalkboard at a local deli, but that is for another story. Anyway, I did give Chase the box so he could say hi to the boy, but first I made sure I rolled up the sealing bag which holds the cereal inside the box. Chase had his conversation and other than ripping the flap of the box, no mess incurred. Then Ryder got a hold of the box. Ryder has a way with things. He can take things apart, he manages to get the plastic covers off of the toilet screws, he likes to dump the flash cards then put them back in the box, he finds many ways to spill the no spill snack traps, he can store new contacts into my cell phone and send encrypted text messages, so the rolled up freshness bag in the cereal box was no challenge for my little boy. Before I knew it, the entire brand-new box, minus the two handfuls that ultimately ended up in the sink, was all over the floor. In an instant both boys were playing amongst the puffed oats with utter delight. Now that they have learned to jump, and actually get off the ground ever so slightly, they loved jumping up and landing on the pile of kix. I am used to having a few kix on the floor and the sound of one crunching under my shoe is as irritating as todd's drunken snore or the beeping your car makes when you leave the keys in the ignition and open the door. Somehow, they found the crunch of hundeds of kix exhiliritating and continued to do so until it was a powdery yellow mess on my floor interrupted by only a few whole ones. I watched this go on for a few seconds, managed to stay calm and even see the humor in it as I asked Ryder what he did. I got my camera and captured the moment then removed the boys from the fun so that I could get them dressed. We had to be out the door in 25 minutes. After they were dressed they wanted to help clean up the mess. They really enjoy using the broom and pushing it around the mess. Once it was clear they were just spreading the mess over a larger surface area I took over and let my mom, who had arrived post-mess, entertain them while I used first the broom and dustpan followed by a swivel vacuum to get the majority of the crumbs off of the floor.
Then we headed out in the pouring rain to Tot Shabbat....
Just another day in the life of twin toddlers.