I babysat last night for my friend Leeza’s three awesome kids. These are the same kids who have previously delighted me with agreement on the middle son’s love of eating boogers. The serious little boy nodded in solemn agreement, totally owning his culinary peculiarity.
Well, last night did not disappoint. The first-grade daughter told me that the casserole we were eating was her favorite food, although she loves her dad’s spaghetti. “It’s red sauce with meat and noodles – spaghetti. Have you heard of it? It’s been around for a while.”
The 4-year old came next. “Hey! Do you want to smell my feet? They smell really bad!”
I demurred. But later, when we were sitting on the couch, I asked him not to put his feet on me. His response? “But they smell really bad!”
Yes, boys really are just born this way.
Finally, the sweet 2-year-old was beside himself that we were going to have popcorn. Or, as he called it, “popturn.” He helped me make the popturn, picking out which color of bowl each of us should have. And when he wanted seconds and thirds of the delicious treat? It was, “Popturn! POPturn! PopTUUUURN!”
I’m telling you – the kid took a lot of joy from his popturn.
It was a fun night. And, guess what movie we watched? No crappy Barney for us, oh no. No, we watched The Muppets Take Manhattan. Which I initially saw in the theatre.
Now, this film doesn’t bring me the intense glee that fills my soul when I watch The Great Muppet Caper, but it’s pretty darn good. I love all the little jokes that the kids don’t appreciate – like, I had to explain that the Muppets were broke and that they were sleeping in lockers at the bus station. The kids nodded solemnly, but still regarded bus station living as an acceptable arrangement. Thus is the magic of the Muppets.
I was so excited that we found a movie that held everybody’s attention – including mine. I will, however, share with you my great shame.
I got teary-eyed at The Muppets Take Manhattan. Specifically, the scene where Kermit and Piggy get married.
Yes. I got emotional at the church full of all of my old friends – Big Bird and Waldorf and Statler and Link Hogthrob – and at the weight of two Muppets pledging their lives to each other.
Part of me thinks, “Cha Cha? Girl, you need to step away from the wedding magazines and get a grip.”
And the other part of me thinks, “This is what it’s all about.”
And that was about the time I had to ask – again – for a certain kid to remove his stinky feet from my person. It’s all good.
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