miracles of the season

when the twins were starting out on solid food, they were such good little eaters. green beans...? loved them. peas...? couldn't get enough. spinach...? more, please.

but then we moved off the jars and on to real people food.

out of the blue, they decided that vegetables of any sort were not to even have a place on their plates. this was not just an issue of green-ness or texture. they wouldn't even touch the vegetables that taste like candy (baked sweet potatoes with butter, cinnamon, & sugar...hello?).

it had to have been some sort of twin conspiracy. they don't agree on anything except this one issue: vegetables are from the devil. perhaps i should just be glad they've taken the high road & have been resisting satan's wiles & refusing to give in to temptation.

i have heretofore been unsuccessful in my attempts to sneak those veggies into any meal. mac & cheese = delicious. with peas? no, thank you. broccoli cheese soup = a favorite. add in some extra broccoli? no way, jose. tuna salad = always enjoyable. throw in some carrots? get it outta here.

bribery occasionally works. do you want a cookie? take a bite of that green bean casserole. would you like some rice crispies (no sugar, soggy with milk -- ick)? choke down a bite of those candied yams (these are NOT my children).

but today...today we experienced one of those rare but wonderful christmas miracles.

that, my friends is yogurt. yogurt with fruit...and vegetables. i was at wally world the other day, shopping for things not completely devoid of nutrition to try to feed the boys -- when my eye was drawn to this green yogurt cup. green equals vegetables. my curiosity was piqued. i didn't get many, not wanting to waste my money on yet another failed attempt to balance the diet of my toddlers.

i broke it out today at lunch, hoping to get at least a few bites of it down their gullets before they realized that they were eating yogurt with pears & green beans. before i knew it, they had finished two whole cups of the stuff. and nolan was licking the table to ensure that not a drop went to waste.

yes, LICKING THE TABLE

all to get just one more taste of something containing green beans.

it's a miracle i tell you.

would i like them to actually eat vegetables without this sort of trickery? sure. but until that happens, i can console myself with yo-baby.