At this moment

The girls are on the porch, sniffing their toys.

Charlie is having his First Tantrum. Funny how people don't record this moment as they do First Steps and First Word. It is just as much a part of childhood.

He is screaming I NANA and stealing Diet Coke.

See, I already gave him the nana, but it wasn't good enough for him. He wants a different nana. I hand him the nana, he looks me square in the eye, lets it dangle and drops it. Then resumes screaming.

Dixie is standing in the doorway, screaming WHY.

Yes, why won't I let her run along ther curb between our yard and the street? Why, oh, why?

The screaming stopped, as he discovered something fascinating in the garbage, but it resumed shortly. He is grabbing me with his cold little hands and trying to pull me to the nanas with his little manly arms.

I again hand him the nana.

Charlie is finally eating the first nana I gave him. Oh-no. After two bites, he has resumed leg tugging and screaming.

Wait. he found the cell phone. Is he going to cry to grandma or simply fulfill his duties as a button pusher? Answer? Some of each. We are now in the fourth cycle of tug, sob, phone, repeat.

Dixie is holding an antique silver serving spoon we got as a wedding gift and saying, "If you don't let me play in the street, I'm dropping it."

It is dropped, Dixie is in time out. Charlie's head is rested on my calf, sobbing. I have boy snot on my pants.

Melody is oblivious and dancing.

Charlie, in another clever attempt to get Mommy to pay attention and give him a banana, is climbing onto the computer desk by climbing onto the robot workbench toy, sliding over to the top of the computer tower, and trying to hoist a chubby knee onto the desk.

Dixie is out of time out and eating canned carrots, straight from the can.

Charlie is temporarily distracted by a small pile of foil chocolate wrappers. He sprinkles them down to the carpet, then resumes his fit. Oh, wait. More wrappers.

I can already tell that this kid is going to be a pro at the hissy fit. Many clever angles here.

Oh, wait. A penny. Two. Oh, crud. Where did they go? Climbing down.

Crying again, but now for a different reason. He finds the penny, then toddles to the kitchen to drop it down the A/C vent. Spies the inferior nana, and begins to cry again.

In the background, I hear Melody say, "But I can do anything I want to."