Another version of PB&J

As a mom to 4 little boys, I am use to using all of my senses pretty much all the time. This means I can be actively stocking my Amazon Prime cart while listening for the laundry to click off, dishwasher to move into the drying cycle, dog to be walking in a way that lets me know he needs to pee, and still being fully aware of which kid is doing what, including knowing which boy just had the nerve to walk out of the bathroom without a single noise indicating putting the lid down, flushing, washing his hands, turning off the light, or shutting the door all by the sound of his footsteps. It’s worth noting that we have been practicing these steps practically since they were in the womb. 


This afternoon as I was busy editing photographs, I heard Dominic say he was going to make Daddy some lunch. Jose had been upstairs in our room working the entire day... laser focused on the two huge monitors covered in pivot tables and doing various nerdy accounting tasks... I'm assuming they involved coming up with the world's longest formula for a single column or something like that.

​I was hoping when Dominic finished up his plate that Jose would be at a good stopping point to be able to really see what he and Javi had prepared for him. I was hoping this because I sat there busily working on my own task while surreptitiously watching from the side of my Mac screen as Dominic surveyed the contents of the refrigerator before pulling out a container of cooked ground beef that was leftover from a meal I’d made the night before. He gets a spoon as he says to himself out loud, “First, I’ll give Daddy some meat.” He dishes out a spoonful and then puts the lid back on the container and goes back to the fridge, grabbing a container of left-over edamame. He gives Jose a spoonful of that and then returns from the fridge a few seconds later with a container of what I know to be some VERY old lettuce. He says, “Daddy needs some salad”, and opens it up. I debate what to do but when I see he has somehow not noticed the brown slime on the lid I tell him that lettuce isn’t good anymore and he should probably not put that on the plate. He looks more closely and agrees - but only after he starts to taste it for verification before thinking better of it. He goes to the fridge and grabs a bag of shredded carrots instead and pours some of it next to the edamame. He looks around the kitchen and says, “Oh! I know what else I can give Daddy. I’ll give him some dessert.” And so he grabs a square of brownie from the container on the counter, and places it between the carrots and the cold ground beef. He looks around again and decides that Daddy probably needs a sandwich too, and so I watch as he grabs the peanut butter and jelly from the fridge. He gets two slices of bread, including the butt for one side, and he puts the sandwich together. It was during this time that I somehow missed him grabbing the blue cheese from the drawer and cutting out chunks of it. But I did see him haphazardly sprinkling hot sauce all over the plate, because “Daddy loves the hottest hot sauce on everything. He is going to LOVE this.” As Dominic was looking at his plate, he apparently decided it was missing something. Back to the fridge he went, out came the cilantro, the edamame was generously garnished, and seconds later, the plate was ready. Javi, meanwhile, has been busy grabbing a can of coconut water and writing a note to put with the lunch, declaring that “Daddy is going to think we are the best lunch makers in the whole world!” I take a picture of them on their way up to deliver their special, homemade dish, and then…  I listen.


As I’m sitting there hoping Jose isn’t on the phone and doesn’t shush them back out the door, he does the opposite and welcomes them right in. He is happy and excited and loves EVERYTHING on the plate, especially the presentation. Javi excitedly comes back downstairs a few minutes later and tells me that he is so happy, that daddy said the most special words to him, and that Daddy just filled his bucket right up to the top. I’m trying not to laugh at his enthusiasm, knowing this is a really happy moment for him.  Not long after, I hear Jose coming out of the room and in front of him is Dominic’s quicker footsteps. I hear Jose ask him, “What was that in the middle of my sandwich?” And Dominic answers, “That was the secret cheese I put in there.” Jose goes, “Oh, well, I think my favorite part of the lunch was the blue cheese and hot sauce in my peanut butter & jelly sandwich. I’ve never had it that way before.” And Dominic comes practically skipping down the steps and into the kitchen telling me how much Daddy loved their lunch. And all I can think is how glad I am that they made HIS lunch today and not mine. And I’m also thinking about how Jose has shown once again what a great dad he is and my boys feel SO LOVED.

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