"You want to chirp," she says, "or do you want to get off the bench and help?"
"I am assessing the play," I say.
"Well the play involves flour and an extra pair of hands," she says.
"Uh oh," Maddie says as she points toward Daisy.
Daisy trots proudly past us carrying a full stick of butter in her mouth.
"Daisy! Hey! Come back here!" Natalie calls.
She jerks her chin toward me. "Gabriel, get the dog and the butter."
"This feels like a trap," I say, but I move anyway.
Daisy darts toward the hallway like this is a professional sport.
"Go Daddy go!" Maddie shouts. "Get the butter!"
Maddie is laughing so hard she almost falls off her chair.
I finally catch the dog and rescue the butter, holding it up like a recovered puck. "What a save by Shelly," I announce.
Natalie exhales in relief. "Thank you," she says. "Good thing I bought extra."
Maddie giggles.
Natalie starts laughing too, and a second later I am laughing with them.
A few minutes later, when everything seems back under control, the mixer suddenly sputters and flings batter onto the cabinet.
Natalie yelps.
"Okay that one might be my fault," she admits.
I bite the inside of my cheek trying not to laugh.
"Okay," Natalie says, clapping her hands lightly. "New plan. Maddie, we are lining the cupcake trays and getting this batch into the oven before anything else in this kitchen rebels."
We manage to scoop the batter into the cupcake liners with only minor casualties. Natalie slides the trays into the oven and sets the timer.
"Step one," she says, brushing flour off her hands. "Cupcakes successfully contained."
"Step two," Maddie says eagerly, bouncing on her chair. "Frosting!"
Natalie grabs a bowl and sets it on the kitchen table. "All right, Chef Maddie. What color are we making first?"
"Pink," Maddie says immediately. "The pink ones are the happiest ones."
Natalie squeezes food coloring into the bowl while Maddie stirs with intense concentration.
"More pink," Maddie instructs.
"That’s already extremely pink," Natalie says.
"More," Maddie repeats.
Soon the bowl looks like a bubble gum explosion.
