Was up at oh-dark-thirty this morning thanks to Reagan.  Thought I'd go back to bed for a few more winks, but the pitter patter of Gracie's feet coming down the stairs demanded otherwise.  She wandered into the kitchen and gave me a giant hug, and I was all You're up early - it's still dark out!  And she said, Well, it's almost light and I heard the water  so I knew you were up, so I just jumped out of bed to come see you! And damn - how could I go back to bed in the face of such cuteness?  And so, chocolate chip pancakes it was - from scratch, no less!

She dragged a chair over to the counter while I gathered the ingredients.  I even let her crack the eggs*.  About that time, Levi showed up and hauled his own chair over so he could see what was going on.  It was time to start cooking by then, but he and Gracie were completely distracted playing house with the kitchen utensils (don't ask), so the pancake flipping was all on me, which is probably good, given that the cast iron griddle weighs more than Gracie and Levi put together.

A bed-headed Jonny made his way into the kitchen just as I was flipping the last pancake onto a plate.  Amazingly, he didn't pass out at the sight of his mom cooking breakfast (it's been awhile), and we all sat down to enjoy the feast.  Did I mention that I put chocolate chips in the pancakes?  Yeah - I've been elevated to hero status.  We ate, Jonny and Gracie got dressed for school (and I only had to ask Jonny three times, instead of the usual eleven), and Levi changed his diaper (tried to get him to the potty - he went in the bathroom and tried for a second, then rolled his eyes and said Mommy, I don't need to pee.  I already peed in my diaper!)  

Final analysis:
- good hair day for me
- full bellies
- two kids who got to the bus on time, in clothes that match, with no major battles
- Levi peed in his diaper

Ok, so that last one's not exactly a win, but I still think chocolate chip pancakes might be magic.


* UNSOLICITED ADVICE: When cooking with kids - or grownups, for that matter - always crack eggs into a separate bowl.  Makes it easier to fish out stray shells (or worse, if you're unlucky enough to get one that's growing an actual bird.  Mmm... liquid chicken.)