My Assistant

Gavin is the best helper. That is not an understatement. He is the best helper. He hates it when I do busy work without him. Most of the time... when I clean bathrooms, vacuum, and clean kitchen he doesn't care. Mostly because I make them watch a show so I can get those things done real quick. Anyways, Gav loves to help. Today he surprised me when he insisted on helping me with dinner. Gavin has always enjoyed helping me bake, but dinner is different. It's faster paced, knives involved, hot liquids, oven, stove top, etc. Instead of doing my normal, "Not now. You can't" because I'm too in the mode to slow down for a four-year old, I let him help. And I'm now thinking maybe he should help me every night. Or most nights. I mean, I have this kid... this four-year old kid who WANTS to help me. All I made tonight was gnocchi, pasta, rosemary cream sauce, and broccoli. And lemonade. Nothing too big. But he set the table, helped me make the cream sauce, and helped me make the lemonade. It wasn't much, but it meant something to him. He actually started stressing me out a bit (because I'm me and can't think very well when someone is talking about things out of order) and I had to tell him that when he's in my kitchen, I'm the chef. He's the sous chef- his job is to listen to me, follow my direction, and follow what I need to do next. He loved it. He had a title! So he stopped insisting on making the lemonade and instead helped me make the cream sauce. I loved it. It was a great experience together that I really hope I remember to cultivate. Saturday we didn't get home till 4pm from James's baseball game, but Brad and I still wanted to get some yardwork done. While his brothers played in the back with their toys, Gavin was diligently with me. He has to help me plant flowers. We had gotten a few new ones for the front to help it not look so sparse. I had to weed to get it all ready and he (mostly) patiently waited and helped. He loves to pull the flowers out of their plastic containers, loosen the soil and put them in their hole. He even dug his own holes. You could tell he was so proud of himself. I told him he was like a real gardener. He laughed at that. He then said I was like a gardener too... which told me that it meant a lot that I said that to him. 

I can't wait for our garden to grow in the back so the boys can help me harvest. Jack and James will actually help with that part... especially the raspberries, which never make it inside our house. Wonder why that is ;) It's things like this I know are important to instill in these boys now. Teach them to work hard and earn rewards, especially if you have someone like Gav in the family.