Sticky neck

One of my favorite things about cooking with Anna is my sticky neck.

She helps me mix and knead and measure by kneeling on a tall stool.  Or she climbs up to sit on the counter - precarious with my piles being scooted off by her wiggly self.  We just finished mixing the granola up and she was licking the "splatula" clean and scooting a pile of books off the counter.  She screeched because I forgot to give her a bowl-full of raw granola (always her preferred way to eat it) - but I made it up to her with the whole bag of raisins instead.

Who, me?  I'm not sticky!

Reaching back to clutch at a knot in my neck, waiting for the timer to ring for the granola, I discover a smear of sticky brown sugar and honey on my neck.  Anna loves me so well.  It's so nice to feel the print of her sticky baby fingers on me.  They are losing their soft pudge and today she counted all the way up to 9 cups of oats (well, except for missing 6).