my little helper

It was one of those days again.  I was trying to finish putting dinner together, clean up some dishes and get the house in order before Chris came home and Brooks is crying and clinging to my leg .... again.  So instead of hobbling around the kitchen with a toddler attached to my lower extremity, I put him to work.  Well, sort of.  He was my little dishes helper.  This kiddo loves to play in the water!!

Doesn't he look so grown up?  It totally reminds me of standing on my mother's kitchen chairs helping her wash dishes when I was a little girl.  There must be a picture of it somewhere.

He was lovin' that wire whisk!  He even grabbed the sponge and attemped to "wash" the dishes.  'Cause you know ... mom was doing it.  I love getting my kiddos involved in chores around the house.  (Because Drew and Cole feel like they're part of the family most days)  Today Cole helped match socks while I folded laundry.  Then we made granola where he measured tablespoons of cinnamon, counted cups of oatmeal, and used those muscles to stir it all together.  Did we have fun?  Oh yeah!  Was he learning?  You betcha!  (we need 5 cups of oatmeal and we already put in 3.  How many more do we need to add?)  Did he know he was learning stuff?  Not at all!  Hehe, I feel so sneaky.  Like when I put cauliflower in the mashed potatoes but no one knows and eats it anyway!

Ah, I'm so in love with that little boy! 

So while Brooks may not be able to help with many chores around the house, he certainly can play in the water while I do dishes.  And it definitely keeps him from crying at my feet!