Happy Birthday Amberly

As you know, Amber is my sister in law. She is married to #5 of the Meeker boys, Chuck. I am married to #1 which means I am waaaaayyyy older than Amber. When I met her and to this day I think of her as a teenager. When someone asks me, now hold old is Chuck? I will say 11. He was eleven when I met him. And when someone asks me how old Amber is I say "I'm not sure but I think about 14." Amber was not 14 when I met her. But, for some reason, I just think of her as so much younger than me. I think it's my insecurities coming out about being the oldest girl, the oldest sister, the oldest oldest OLDEST. I don't like being the oldest of anything. So it must follow if Amber is 14, I could not possibly be 38. I must be like 25 if she's like 14, is what I tell myself.

But alas, she is not 14. She is 27. (see told you she was young) And I am not 25. I am 38. (I am just destined to have "oldest" attached to my identity) When I was 27, it was 1998 and I lived in Colorado. Man, that was a lifetime ago it seems.

Happy Birthday Amber. You are younger, hipper, cooler, younger, less gray, less wrinkled, younger and sweeter than me. And you always will be. But I will always be wiser. You know like the old, shriveled, hag, wise woman? Yuck. Can we trade places? Glad you are my sister. Wish you were old like me. Love you tons.

I Feel The Need To Share This Story Right Down To My Skeleton

This is Noelle Pikus-Pace. She's our female racer in Skeleton. She won 4th place in the Olympics. She is a mom and is awesome. She got really hurt before the 2006 Torino Olympics. After all Skeleton is a dangerous sport right? I mean you go down the ice head first on a little tiny board. Accidents are bound to happen. And here, right here is where this story enters the land of whackadoo and caused me to shout at my television in disbelief. And you thought Bush knew a little something about shock and awe. Well, get ready for this little diddy.

So Noelle was training in 2005 and looking like a huge contender for Torino. Then, disaster struck. She was practicing in SLC. She stepped out onto the track and was fixing something on her sled when OUT OF NOWHERE she gets run over by a four man BOBSLED. She didn't crash going head first at 80 MPH down the ice. No. She got run over by a random 4 man bobsled. It hit her leg and took her out. She had to have surgery and pins and screws and a rod in her leg. She was told she wouldn't walk for 3 months. She was told she wouldn't race for almost a year if she was lucky. She was back on the ice in 6 weeks. She missed the Olympics so she took some time off to have a baby. She fought her way back and raced last night in Vancouver. I could not stop yelling at the TV every time they pointed out a mistake "BUT SHE GOT HIT BY A BOBSLED!!!"

Let me spell out how freakadeek this accident is. It would be like a long jumper running down the path and leaping into the air when WHAMO!... out of nowhere a speeding discus crashes into her leg and takes her out! Or imagine the girls snowboard competition going on when all of a sudden out of nowhere, Body Miller comes through the half pipe going 90MPH and takes out one of our chicks? This just doesn't happen right? "SHE GOT RUN OVER BY A BOBSLED!!!"

For some reason I can't get over it. I watched bobsled last night and the whole time I was looking for random skeleton athletes on the track. Can you imagine Bob Costas with the play by play "And they go into the last and final turn. Their run is looking good. They are on a world record pace. The speed is incredible folks and OHHHH NOOOO !!! They have run over a person!! Too bad. I really thought they had it!"

This story has been my defining Olympic moment so far. It is my Kerry Strug, my Apollo Anton Ohno, my Michael Phelps 4 man relay gold medal race. It's just going to stay with me. I told Mike that I bet the bobsled was driven by Tonya Harding. "Why? WHYYYYY?"

I am a sicko. "BUT SHE GOT HIT BY A BOBSLED!"

The Things I Hope They Hear...

Long before I became the keeper of two munchkins of my own, I lived across the street from a very dear neighbor named Jody on Andrews AFB. Just before moving onto our street and becoming my friend, Jody had given birth to a cute cherub of a little boy. This kid was the easiest, most chilled out baby child I had ever seen and further encouraged me that possibly, someday, in the far off future, I too could do this whole parental thing. But that's not the reason for the post.

Jody had this thing on her fridge that listed all the things we "should"say to our kids to encourage happy, healthy little people. I think it might have mentioned things you shouldn't say too. Or maybe that was just how I remember it. Anyway, I have been challenged today due to the fact that I have run out of positive things to say to my kids. Unfortunately, I can come up with a whole host of things they could improve upon. So instead of giving into my craving for some negative reinforcement around here, I'm going to try and come up with some better ideas. In saving this list, I'm hoping to turn to it if I ever happen to run out of ideas again. Like when they are 15 and sneak a boy into the house when I'm not at home and when I come home at a weird time and go back into my bedroom and take off my pants and go to hang them up in my walk in closet and find their boyfriend hiding in my walk in closet, I hope very much to think back upon this first list and not the second one. (This happened to a certain Dad I know when his daughter was 15. The daughter might or might NOT have been me. And how stupid of a boy hides in the walk in closet of the parent's bedroom when he hears the keys jingling in the front door lock and the girl yells, "quick go hide!")

Things I Hope My Kids Remember Me Saying...

• Great idea!
• I'm so lucky that I got to be your Mom!
• I'm sorry, I was wrong.
• You are right.
• You can do it.
• I believe it you.
• You are amazing.
• I like you.
• I'm glad you are one of my best friends.
• You were the best one there.
• You are smart.
• That was a great choice.
• I am proud of you.
• I will always love you no matter what.
• I will always be on your team and in your corner.
• Even if you do something wrong, I will be proud of you if you tell the truth.
• You are kind.
• What you did was thoughtful of others.
• You make me happy.
• I'm glad we are a family.
• You make our home a fun place to be.
• Your smile is one of the best things I ever see.
• You are the best part of my whole day.
• I like our talks.
• Thank you for sharing.
• You really did a good job at following directions.
• You are very pretty/handsome.
• Way to go!
• Hurry...let's hug!
• kisses!!!
• You are a great helper.
• You are the BEST kid I could have ever hoped for!

And always...

• If you get stuck...If you get scared...If you are sad...If you are happy...If you are sorry...If I'm not there, but you need comfort...you can ALWAYS say a prayer.

Here's a few things I hope my kids never remember hearing me say.

• You are stupid. Or that was stupid. Or how stupid.
• You make my life harder.
• You are bad.
• My kids don't do that (comparing them to another kid. For example, Sally hit someone at school. My kids don't do that. We are better than Sally)
• Your brother/sister did it better.
• That is so retarded.
• What a lame brain decision.
• I miss the days before I had kids.
• I need a break from you.
• I need you to go away.
• Just wait until your Dad gets home.

And finally, I hope to never ever say:

• I can't believe your stupid boyfriend saw me in my underwear when he was hiding in my walk in closet because you snuck him in the house when we weren't home which is totally against the rules. You better run and you better run fast because I am seriously considering ending your very short existence on this planet.

I think it's good to correct your kids and expect good behavior. In order to teach, you have to point out negative behavior. But I HAVE to remember that I get such better results when I am positive in my teaching instead of scolding or enforcing time outs or loss of privileges.

Okay, I think I can go back in there with the right attitude. I just needed to get my head together because today has been one of those days. Mom and Dad (us) feel crappy, kids are over their fevers (thank goodness) but have been cooped up for days now and are just climbing the walls with energy and spastic 4 year oldness. If ya know what I mean.

Ummmm....can I see where it says that in my contract?

My kids are sick. Just head colds with fevers. Coughs are bad this time. Especially for Jessica. She gets these bronchial spasms sometimes where she can't breath and coughs over and over. The only thing that helps her is to hold her, tickle her arms, back and tummy and gently croon to her. I usually whisper things like "jeeeesiiiicaaaa rooooose...my baaaabby....my litttle cheecha...my baby girl....it's okaaaaay...my sweet baby....breathe through your nose, there ya go....my good strong big giiiirrrlll...I loooooove youuuuu." This calms her down. Beautiful right? A mother, holding and saying beautiful words of comfort to her sick child. Here's the part they don't tell you.



While you are holding and rocking and crooning, your child is spitting mucus, snot and what ever she did not thoroughly chew at lunchtime into your mouth and all over your face. Yep. Because they are scared adn sick, they want you to make eye contact with them for comfort, yet they are spewing all sorts of nastiness all over your face. Mike said she coughed into his mouth like five times yesterday. I was all five times? Ha ha ha! You are a rookie dude. She has thrown up into my mouth. Coughing into it is like child's play.



Why is this never discussed in "what to expect when you are expecting? Why don't the baby showers include a game where all the party attendees get blindfolded and coughed into their mouths and they have to guess if it's a cold, flu, strep etc? I'm just saying...why wasn't I warned?



ick.

A Love Letter To Amber

My sister in law is named Amber. She loves me. She understands my love of pink and green. She is in control of the layout of this blog. I have no idea how to change the colors, backgrounds or any of the pretty stuff you see. Amber has my password and she picks all of those pretty aspects of the blog. I love that she knows me. She resists the urge to change my blog colors based on the season or holidays because she knows I fear change and do not like brown and orange. And from September to the end of November do you really have a choice of colors that does not include brown and orange. She understands that about me. I told her today that in my next kitchen, I am getting rid of the cranberry, sage, khaki and stainless steel because it just doesn't make me happy. Instead I am going to go vintage with dainty china plates hung just so on the wall, vintage aprons and table linens. I am going to decorate in black and white with accents of light pink and apple blossom green. I imagine a grandma in the 40's might have had a kitchen like that. I have decided that The Wizard of Oz will be my inspiration for my decor in the kitchen at the very least. Also in the girls bedroom. We'll see about the rest of the house later.

But back to Amber. Here is my love letter for her.

Dear Amber,
Thank you for picking colors and backgrounds I love. Also for giving me your chocolate chip cookie and spinach salad recipe. Also for giving birth to the closest thing to an actual hero that Katie and Jessica have. Also for listening to my griping about everything from my knee to housework to husbands. And thanks for letting me go to Bajio when you really wanted Kneeders that day in Utah. That shrimp taco with honey butter was something I needed.
Love Always,
Aim

Let Me Count The Ways...

This is my 20th year as Mike Meeker's valentine. There has been years we have had romantic dinners out, home cooked meals and even one year, we went to McDonalds. We have been apart for several Valentine's Days and have had to celebrate with a phone call and chocolate eaten all alone. My favorite Valentines day was when I was pregnant. We knew it would be our last night out just the two of us for a long time. We got dressed up and went to one of those steakhouses that serve prime beef and charge like $50 for an ala carte steak. We bought a digital camera as our gift to each other so we would be all ready when our two baby girls arrived. This year, we will have a romantic dinner at home and Mike will have three girls as Valentines. I am making his favorite...cioppino with dungeness crab and peel and eat shrimp. In addition, I thought I'd list 20 reasons I am glad he is my Valentine. One for every year I have been lucky enough to have him as my Valentine. Sorry for the sugar shock, but I'm proud to be Mike's wife and I want him and the world to know sometimes. I don't say thanks often enough.

Dear Mikey,

Here are 20 reasons I am glad I am your Valentine.
1. You always let me read in bed with the light on as late as I want.
2. You don't come in the house at night and look around to see if I was productive that day. You are fine if the breakfast dishes are still in the sink as long as the girls are happy.
3. You totally co-parent and support me in our roles as parents. Who knew that WE would never fight about parenting? It's the most important thing to both of us so I thought we would fight a ton because we do about everything else we care about. But so far, so good. I attribute that to you. You are a fantastic Dad and totally involved and you never make me feel like you are doing me a "favor" by taking care of the kids. Our girls are so lucky to have you as their father.
4. You get me water in the middle of the night if I am thirsty.
5. You know how to calm me down if I'm upset.
6. You like T.V and watch chick shows with me.
7. You feel very strongly about the things and people you love. Nobody has to guess how you feel about America, me, the girls, the Olympics, the Steelers, crab and breakfast. Everybody that knows you knows.
8. If you catch my eye across a crowded room you still smile or wink at me.
9. You squabble with me about stupid stuff and then laugh about it.
10. Road trips!!!
11. We both vacation exactly the same way. Low key, relax, no schedule, chill out, happy bliss.
12. You taught me how to be fine with no makeup in a t-shirt and jeans. Sorry that's how I look all the time now.
13. You are loyal.
14. You always listen to my problems and you tell me if I'm wrong.
15. You believe in me.
16. You are fine if my legs are stubly.
17. You kill bugs, spiders and take out the trash.
18. You do all the laundry and are happy about it.
19. You want me to be the happiest I can be. You are fine if I want to have a career or not, as long as I am happy.
20. I always look forward to seeing you when you come home. I count down the time until you are home and everything is right again. When all four of us are together is when I am the happiest.

I love you. Thanks for being my Valentime for the past 20 years.
Love Always,
Aim

A Weekend Conundrum

You know that movie, The Perfect Storm? Well, welcome to my life. Tonight, the Meeker version of the perfect storm hit full force. And I'm sad to say, there have been casualties.

First, I'm exhausted. It's Friday. For some reason, this week seemed especially busy. I made it a goal to cook every night (except Friday of course), make glittery hand made Valentimes with the girls, bake (yee gads), go to the bouncey place, visit Grandmothers x 4, clean, groom myself occasionally, meet friends at the park, get 44 Valentines ready for preschoolers, take 22 portions of snacks to preschool on Wednesday, grocery shop with girls in tow, track down shot records for the girls from previous base(nightmare) and stay up late to watch my favorite shows. My week normally does not look like this. I don't cook often and I am lucky to get a shower and find a clean spoon for cereal in the morning. Often, we are out of spoons and the girls get cereal in a ziploc baggie with a cup of milk. They know how to take a handful of cereal, a chug of milk and swirl it around to make cereal. They know this because we sometimes run out of spoons and bowls. My Mom is not happy I just shared that. We probably need more spoons.

Second, it's Valentimes weekend. (yes I know it's not actually ValentiMes, read the post below) There is a lot of pressure to get gussied up, go out to dinner, have a "real" date night, cards, gifts, brush teeth and be nice to each other. Our lives don't normally include all of these things simultaneously.

Third, we had volunteer babysitters tonight. Mike's parents are keeping the girls overnight. When you as parents of young children, find yourselves with a free evening, it's easy to over plan in your excitement and glee. What? A night off? We could see a movie, go to a fancy dinner, go to a rock concert, clean out the garage, stay up all night talking like we used to, get pancakes at Denny's at 4 am like we used to then sleep til noon the next day. You know? Like we used to!!! What will we do? What will we do?

Fourth, for those of you new to our little blog here, you might find this next fact inconsequential when compared with the three events above. Those of you that have been around awhile, will understand that this particular thing I am about to reference is really a very very big problem. Tonight...begins...the...Olympics. And I am married to the single biggest Olympic freak on the planet. This summer, Mike spent two weeks on our couch, watching every second of the Beijing Olympics. He would fall asleep from exhaustion and I would come out and cover him with a blanket. He makes us keep an American flag on our entertainment center. During opening ceremonies, we are required to stand when the U.S team enters the stadium. And during medal ceremonies in which we win the gold, the girls and he do an actual parade with American flags and stand for the national anthem. He is off three days next week and the whole week following. We always have to eat the food indigenous to the host country for opening ceremonies. If we cannot get that nationality of food we either make it or choose a food representative of our favorite athlete. We have very specific Olympic rules in the Meeker household. He even has a special sweatshirt that has the rings on it but does not denote a year or a location. He has worn it every day during every Olympics since Nagano. Then, the sweatshirt goes away until the next Olympics. We take our Olympics seriously. Well, not me, but Mike does. I mean, I like them, don't get me wrong. But for Mike, it's a whole different ball of wax.

So imagine my excitement/stress/nervousness and angst when I realized that these four things were going to hit me smack in the face tonight. All four. And frankly, I was just too tired to handle it all. How on earth were we going to get through this and satisfy all the complex parts of ourselves that exist?

Here's what we did:
Grandparents picked up girls at 5:00. I drank a very huge diet coke with caffeine, slapped on some perfume and makeup and hoped it was good enough. Mike arrived at 6:00. He set the TiVO to record beginning one hour prior and extending the recording one hour later than the opening ceremonies were supposed to last. We saw a 6:15 showing of Valentines Day at the movies in which we held hands the whole time. (So funny and cute) Mike then decided we would get Hawaiian/Japanese take out because our favorite athlete is Apollo Anton Ohno and even though he was raised in Washington, "Ohno" is Japanese and is also Hawaiian meaning "the best" or "very good". (I think we were really reaching here) While waiting for takeout we talked about how much more we loved each other than anybody in the movie or the movie theater or anywhere and reminisced about past Valentimes days and different phases of being in love and how glad we were to be in this phase, blah blah blah. We rushed our van home and immediately sat down to watch opening ceremonies. And this is where I sit now, watching Native American dancers and performers delight me with their tribal dances and songs. Mike has cried four times so far in the pre-opening ceremonies coverage. Four times people. I say to you again... FOUR TIMES.

It's going to be a long two weeks. Wish me luck.

Favorite Things - Valentine's Edition

First, let me get this off my chest. My Mom pronounces certain words in her own special way. It's part of why we love her. Sometimes we will go around the table and think of how many we can name. It's fun. Well, for us. Maybe not for Mom. But my whole life, she called Valentine's day Valentimes. Like hello? It's TIME for some VALENTIMES. So Mike and I have always called it Valentimes. It's weird for me when people say it right. So there. I just had to issue this disclaimer before I start.

• Do something that matters on Valentimes this year. Everyone can buy roses, chocolates, go out to dinner blah blah blah. How about a nice back rub, or clean the house or suggest doing something you hate but your spouse loves. Like for instance, for this Valentimes I am going to do all the laundry in the house and put it all away (this is normally Mike's job) so when Feb 14th dawns, his chore is done. I am going to make cioppino or steamed crab for dinner because it's his favorite. I am handmaking the Valentimes cards with the girls. That sort of thing. Mike, if you are reading this, I would love it if you cleaned out my van and had the carpets shampooed, programed my radio in my van so when I push the buttons it goes to actual stations and rubbed my left hand side teresmajor muscle for twenty minutes. This will cost less than a dozen roses by the way. And will make me every bit as happy.
• Two books that are great reads, G rated and full of love. The Guernsey Potato Peel Pie Society and Mr. Darcy Broke My Heart. Wonderful wonderful wonderful!!!
• Watching the Bachelor this season. Look haters...I haven't watched it since Trista and Ryan okay? But Jake....ooooohhhh Jake. He has the whole adonis this going for him, but he is basically a clean cut, smart nerd who is religious and nice. I like those types of boys. I find that by watching Jake, I think about love and romance more often and I think about falling in love with Mike Meeker and that makes me that much nicer to be around.
• An apple/peeler/corer/slicer. I just got this from Bed, Bath and Beyond yesterday. One of the moms from preschool brought apples to the park that she had peeled and cored and sliced. I always thought about getting one of these from Pampered Chef but I'm not a pie baker so I figured I just wouldn't use it that often. But did you know these little suckers peel POTATOES? Oh how I hate peeling potatoes. You have no idea how much I hate it. It's why we have pasta and rice more often than potatoes by like twelve times. The one from BB&B has this suction cup thing that holds on to the counter top where as the Pampered Chef variety has a clampy thing.
• Parisenne perfume by Yves Saint Lauren. It was new this holiday season and the girls bought me some for Christmas. It's pricey. Cheaper than Chanel but more expensive than say Estee Lauder. But it's wonderful. Absolutely wonderful.
• Ellen as the new American Idol judge. You can't go buy her or anything like the books or perfume but she is going to be great.
• Roasted Shrimp cocktail. I have always boiled my shrimp in salt water with celery. But Barefoot Contessa showed how to roast the shrimp in the oven. Little olive oil, salt and pepper, 400 for like 8 to 10 minutes. So much better than boiling. But the shrimp will continue to cook so take them out when almost done but not quite. Did my first batch for 8 mins, second batch for 10 and the 8 min batch was way more tender and not rubbery.
• The movie Couples Therapy. It got crappy reviews and it is sort of a crappy movie. But Vince Vaughn is just funny in everything he does. I think this movie will make you glad for who you are married to. It's all about understanding that it's a lot easier to work on a marriage than to chuck it all and start over with somebody new. No matter how shiny and new that somebody might look. PG-13 and I would say it probably should have been rated R for adult content even though there isn't nudity or violence in it. I would not feel comfortable watching it with my 13 year old daughter.
• Frosted Flakes - Jessica asked if she could have Tiger cereal the other day at the store. They get "cartoon" cereal on Saturdays. I forgot how AMAZING frosted flakes are. Oh my heavens! Simple, but astounding.
• glitter glue, card stock paper, white paper lace doilies, markers and stickers. This combination makes the best Valentimes cards in the world. The girls and I will be knee deep in these supplies this morning.
• Saying "I Love You". Except for saying it to Mike and the girls, I am really bad at this one. My sister in law Amber is great at it. I always think that if something ever happened to me or Amber that the last thing we most likely would have said to each other is I Love You. This is because of Amber. I think it's worth trying to say it more. It's awkward to start, but I think if you just take a breath and jump into it, that it would get easier over time.

Questions, never ending questions part 2

In one short little teensy tiny day, these are some of the questions I was asked by my 4 year old girls.

Mama, what do penguins do if they get cold?
Mama, when will Jesus come down again?
Mama, why does my art project have five shells and Katie's has six?
Mama, can I have snack?
Mama, what color will your hair be when I am a grown up?
Mama, when fire engines have their lights on should I pray?
Mama, next time I go to the doctor will I have to get a shot?
Mama, what time will Daddy be home?
Mama, will Daddy be home before dark?
Mama, is Daddy in Afghanistan or at close work?
Mama, will Daddy play hero game with us tonight do you think?
Mama, what about prayers?
Mama, can we play roses and thorns now?
Mama, what's for dinner?
Mama, how long can I jump?
Mama, can I have my tea party set?
Mama, can I use our art set with scissors?
Mama, when is Valentines day?
Mama, what day is it?
Mama, can we go to the park where we saw Kyler?
Mama, look! a duck
Mama, look! a yellow car
Mama, look! puffy clouds
Mama, look! I made a new friend
Mama, look! I drew you a picture
Mama, look! a bird is on that bush
Mama, what time is it?
Mama, how many more minutes do I have to play?
Mama, can I get a stool and get a treat out of the cabinet?
Mama, can I help you in the kitchen?
Mama, can you come wipe my bum bum? (twice)
Mama, how long of a nap do I have to take?
Mama, can I have a treat before nap time?
Mama, will you check on me during the night?
Mama, can I have a drink?
Mama, when I was a baby, what did I like to do?
Mama, are we going to be a family forever and ever?
Mama, do you think Snow White still lives with the dwarfs?
Mama, do you remember when I rode the Dumbo ride at Disneyland?
Mama, can we go to Cayden and Emma's?
Mama, when we go to the snow do you think we will see Cayden and Emma?
Mama, is preschool today?
Mama, can we make more Valentines?
Mama, can I watch a show on TV?
Mama, are we going to plant tomatoes in the spring?
Mama, can you please call all the zoos in town and find out if one has a elephant because our zoo's elephant died?
Mama, can you help me?
Mama, can you open this?
Mama, I'm out of energy can you carry me?

And finally, a question that was repeated many times throughout the day... "why?"

If I were a...

Tag to all of you.

Okay here we go...

If I were a day of the week, I'd be Thursday.
If I were a time of the day, I'd be noon.
If I were a direction, I'd be asking myself for myself. (I always ask for directions, even in stores) If I were a tree I would be a dogwood.
If I were a tool, I would be a wusthof santoko five inch classic series knife.
If I were a flower, I would be climbing pink roses.
If I were a musical instrument I would be a trumpet.
If I were a color I would be pink.
If I were a fruit, I would be a mango.
If I were an element, I would be wind. (my house looks like a tornado)
If I were a food, I would be homemade lasagna.
If I were a place, I would be Washington DC.
If I were a material, I would be linen. (classy, expensive but always looks wrinkled)
If I were a scent, I would be Yves Saint Lauren Paris perfume. (everyday since I was 15)
If I were an object, I would be a disorganized kitchen pantry.
If I were a song, I would be Let's Go Crazy by Prince.

Lunch Time Laughter

I needed to kill some time yesterday so I took the girls to Burger King for lunch and indoor play time. The following was a bit from our conversation. It is very indicative of their personalities.

KATIE: (yelling at the top of her lungs and pointing) Mom...look at those boys sitting all by themselves. Do you think their wife died? I bet she did. It's so so so sad Mom that they have to eat by themselves.
ME: Kate...don't point and yell. It's not polite. And maybe their wife just decided to stay home.
JESSICA: Mama...there are 21 people in this restaurant right now.
KATIE: (still yelling) Yep. Maybe their loving person stayed home. But why would they want to miss lunch at King Burger? Nope. I think they must have died. It's just so sad.
JESSICA: Mama, now there are only 17 people in here. I counted the workers I can see AND us. 17 includes us too. Oh...here we go! Four people just came in so now there's 21.
ME: Katie, please stop yelling and pointing.
JESSICA: Two people left again so there's only 19 but I found another worker so there is actually 20.
KATIE: (yelling even louder with a lot of drama) Mama, I want to make those boys a card and tell them I am sorry their wife died. I'm just so sad they have to eat all alone.
JESSICA: Mama - now there is 25 people here. Wow. The number of people is getting very high!
ME: Katie! Stop pointing and yelling. Jessica...you are very good at counting and I'm glad you think it's fun but you also need not to yell. We need to use our inside voices.
BOTH GIRLS: But why?
ME: Because it is not polite and good manners. And maybe those boys sitting alone will feel bad when they hear you. And everyone in the restaurant isn't talking to each other anymore, they are listening to us. So let's try to keep our voices down.
KATIE: But can I go talk to those boys?
ME: no.
JESSICA: (in a yelling whisper) Mom, now we are down to 21 again. I hope some more people come in here so I can count them.
ME: Okay so lunch is all done. Yay! You guys can go play now.

And scene.

I had to chuckle because this conversation illustrates exactly who they are. I love my loud, dramatic, pointer and my counting/math girl. I was so bad at math. She totally had to get it from Mike who was my math tutor my senior year. He was really good at math. Where Katie got the loud voice and need to get all up in people's business I have NO IDEA. ha.