What's for dinner?

Okay. Kara told me this story a few minutes ago and I wanted to post it on the blog. I want to make clear from the start that I wasn't around for this set of events. I was on campus.

One of the things James really likes to do is get into the cupboard and pull out stuff. Usually he goes for his box of organic graham crackers, but sometimes he grabs other things. Tonight, while Kara was making dinner, he decided that he wanted an open box of pasta.

Since Kara was busy, she let him carry the box around. Occasionally he would take a piece of pasta out and drop it on the floor, but he was only doing it one piece at a time and the mess/"being able to make dinner" ratio was still okay.

Since James is able to understand English now, Kara asked him to put the box back in the cupboard. He walked over to the cupboard, opened the door, and put the box back! It was kinda amazing. He then went and played with his other toys.

A little later he went back to the cupboard to get the box. He carried it around some more. He dropped a large handful of pasta on the floor. Kara turned to him and said "Pick those up and put them back!" Surprisingly, he did. He picked up the pieces of pasta from the floor and put them back in the box. It was amazing. James understands English. He obeys.

Later, Kara hears a huge crash. James had taken the box of pasta and turned it upside down, spilling pasta everywhere. Kara turns to him and says in her best mommy voice "James, no! You made a mess!" At this point, he mostly ignored her. He would put a couple back in the box and then dump it over his head again. It seems that like most children, James understands English selectively.

Since it was already too late, the mess had already been made, Kara decided to reach for the camera to document this.

Do you see the sad face, do you see it?

And, of course, the picture is blurry because as soon as she pressed the shutter, James looked up, grabbed the box, and dumped it all out again. He didn't like being told to put away his pasta.

This is what happens with 1 year olds. They go from cute, to helpful, to frustrating. All in the time it takes to make dinner.