Sushi Bonding

I am loving the age/stage that Emily is in right now.  I can teach and tell her things and she actually comprehends what I'm saying.  Yes- teaching is an everyday part of life and yes- I realize that kids absorb alot they are taught without verbalizing.  But I am an instant gratification kind of gal!  I really like the positive feedback when she asks questions about something we just did or she repeats to Matt what I told her in the car.  She's also old enough to take new places and not have to worry (usually) about having a potty accident or that she will have a melt down if she doesn't get her 1pm nap.  She's a little person instead of a baby so I find myself wanting to expose and show her everything! 

One of my goals this spring is to get Emily out of her chicken nugget comfort zone.  As a family we eat pretty healthy.  Maybe lacking a little in the vegetable department but we rarely eat fast food or go out to eat.  I made all of Emily's baby food and exposed her to different and even exotic foods from an early age.  Somewhere along the way though, she decided to become a picky eater and if a food looked new, it was not good.  She also went through a stage when eating itself was overrated.  At that point I was just happy to get her to eat something and hence the chicken nugget comfort zone emerged.  I don't ever want food to be an issue or a big deal so I haven't pushed.  This spring though I want to do more with our garden and make food fun.  Sort of like those cute bento boxes where they have the food cut up to look like animals or people.  Like this:

Source

I really can't see myself going all our or making elaborate scenes with food.  That just takes too much time but a little creativity goes along way in munchkin land.  Tonight we had sushi.  Here is mommies yummy plate:

And here's Emily's version.  Just strips of bread spread with cream cheese and ham wrapped around cucumber sticks and cheese.  Bon appetit!