One evening this past week Jasper and I got to have dinner together, just the two of us, thanks to various playdates that stole away Sebastian and the girls. Given the opportunity, JJ is turning out to be quite the little conversationalist and pretty quick with words when he wants. ("When he wants" being operative term.) And by the way, no, he did not eat all that broccoli. Jasper is still a bit challenged in the vegetable area.

For example, today Jasper explained to me after breakfast that he was still hungry.

"How about some spinach," I asked.

"NOOoo!" he objected with a smile.

"Seriously, let's go get some spinach for you," I insisted.

"No, Daddy, YOU'RE kidding."

"Jasper, when do we use spinach?" I inquired.

Hmmm, Jasper thought about this then exclaimed with a tilted head and finger rising to the sky, "In SMOOTHIES!"

And so we made everyone smoothies… ice cubes, bananas, strawberries, chocolate soy milk, a few scoops of Slim Fast for nutrients and nine golf-ball size pieces of spinach. (Ten pieces will cause the smoothy to turn swamp green.) Jasper was amazed that I wasn't kidding after all.

JJ finished his smoothy but managed to knock over Carys' smoothy in the middle of the living room.