'Sugar and Spice'

Sugar and spice is what little girls are supposed to be made of, right?! Well, then Bella is all girl, alright. She's got the 'perfect blend' of each, which makes for interesting stories and memories as she grows up in our family.
The other day I picked up this 'Chocolate Mint Truffle' creamer...partly for the flavor, partly for the cute packaging. I mean, who can resist that little snowman grin as you walked past the dairy asile...score one for some marketing that actually works on me! Anyway, it didn't take long for my kids to notice this bottle in the fridge and want to try some in their milk. That's what they do with creamers. They flavor their milk with any of the flavors...coconut, pumpkin spice, butter pecan, eggnog, and now chocolate mint truffle. It's really good. It's like drinking a Girl Scout Thin Mint cookie in your milk (which I actually like better than in my coffee). Tasty stuff.
Here's where the story takes a turn. Bella had this mixed in her milk the previous day and loved it. She told me that more than once. I was not surprised when she asked for chocolate mint milk at breakfast the other morning, and Brock wanted it too. I proceeded to make them each a glass of it, and Bella had barely taken her first sip when she said, 'I want chocolate milk, not mint!'
Brock starts laughing right away, and I just kind of looked at her funny. Then she said to me, 'I said I want CHOCOLATE-mint, not mint!' I tried explaining to her that it was chocolate-mint....meaning it has both. I was going round and round with her for about 2 minutes, using her own words and telling her that what was in her cup was exactly what she asked for. She wouldn't buy it. I finally stopped and said, 'Bella, what DO you want in your cup?', to which she replied 'I want chocolate'. I swiped her cup away, set it in the fridge, and then made her a new cup of just chocolate milk.
I know. It was no big deal, but really- there was a lot of drama involved, and Brock was standing there watching the whole event unfold. He was finding it amusing.
So, as I turned back to the toaster to start some breakfast, Bella walked over to the fridge, reached in and took out the chocolate-mint cup. Just as the door closed, I turned around and she caught my eye. This devious grin spread across her face and she said to Brock, 'See what I got?' He just looked at her and didn't say anything, but I could see his eyes starting to light up...I think he could tell she was up to something.
She then said, 'See? I got two cups...a chocolate AND a mint!' I stood there looking at her holding two cups of milk with the biggest grin ever, and Brock couldn't control his laughter. I think I said something like, 'Are you kidding me? You just messed with my mind for more than 2 minutes in order to get two cups of milk!' And then I looked at Brock and said, 'Did Bella just outwit me for a cup of milk? I think she just outwitted me!' (Brock had been saying the line, "You don't have to be bigger than someone, just smarter to outwit them" since the previous day.)
I have to admit that I was at a loss as to what to do with Bella. She definitely had used her wits to get what she wanted, and I still can't believe that she did it. I mean, she could have asked me for two cups of milk right away, and although I might not have given them to her, at least we could have negotiated things or been on the same page about what she wanted. Instead, she played around like she didn't like the chocolate-mint, in order to score two cups of milk. See what I mean? She's got it- two sides to Bella. Sugar and Spice...and sometimes a whole lotta other stuff mixed in. I love it all, and I know she's gonna provide us all with lots more stories as she grows and gets more 'wits' about her. By the way, if anyone knows how or where kids learn the art of manipulation, I would love for you to leave me a comment- just so I can be prepared when Ava gets into this same "spice". =)