'Tis the Season

Age three, the age of endless "But why, Mommy? Why, Daddy? WHY?" is in full force this holiday season. Questions, questions and more questions, often from both kids at the same time, run on continuous repeat in our house.

Ryan's questions are often about how things work. He's fascinated by the mechanics of things. Lucie's questions are more literal. She takes everything we say or see at face value, and is quick to point out an inconsistency, or something that simply doesn't seem right. Most often, I can come up with a quick answer and we move on. But sometimes, I'm stumped, and when left to think about it, just as full of questions as my kids.

Lucie asked questions this weekend that stopped me right in my tracks. As we tromped through a Christmas tree lot on Saturday (more on that later), Lucie touched the top of her hat and asked me, "But Mommy, why is there a ball on top of my head?"

Later on Sunday, we were reading a book based on the 12 Days of Christmas song. We've read it several times, each time explaining the new concepts of partridges, golden rings and pipers. But this time, Lucie threw out a new one, asking "Mommy, what's 'true love'?" When we reached the end and all twelve days of gifts were listed, she wondered, "How does 'true love' carry everything?"

Still thinking about the powers of true love, Lucie, Ryan and I made sugar cookies together yesterday. No one held back, and by the time the cookies were in the oven, flour covered t-shirts, hair, noses, fingers and the kitchen floor.

Lucie and Ryan had polar opposite approaches to Christmas cut-out cookies. Ryan was very methodical and predictable. He took the Christmas tree cookie cutter and meticulously made tree after tree after tree, each one more carefully formed than the last. Lucie, on the other hand, was all about experimenting. She used every utensil she could find in the kitchen to make shapes, trying all kinds of approaches. No two of her cookies were the same.

And so, after lots of hard work, we've been enjoying a tray of delicious tree and assorted blob-shaped cookies. No matter the shape, they're quite yummy.