Salt and Pepper.

It's been one of those nights... the kids are getting along wonderfully, and by doing so they are a united force against their parents. As one they disobey, run, fight, and test the limits. As one they defy us. As one they giggle their way through every punishment we can legally dole out.

It's driving me to the point of distraction... yet their laughter is at times contagious and I find myself desperately trying to hide the grin that is forcing its way across my face. Jim is completely frustrated. Time for dinner and all we want is for them to stop telling jokes, making indecent noises with various parts of their bodies, and giggling long enough to eat. Certainly we want the kids to have fun, certainly we want our home to be one of joy... but for goodness sakes just shut up and eat! Out of options we resort to the one parenting tactic that always works with our kids- make it a contest. First one to finish their food gets to pick the before-bedtime-viewing for the evening.

It's on.

And now, my children who have been working in complete unison as one quivering, giggling, annoying mass making it's destructive way through my home all night focus completely on the task before them- cleaning their plates.

It suddenly strikes me how DIFFERENT they are. Picture Tali, food neatly segmented on her plate, eating one item at a time and carefully cleaning her fork off between each bite (you read that right, she wipes her fork off between each bite)... and then there's Zach, shoveling his way through a mass of baked potato, peas, macaroni and cheese, and ketchup... a lot of ketchup... seriously the picture doesn't do his plate justice, it only pictures the pile of ketchup he dipped his steak and peaches (yes, peaches) into... the rest of the ketchup was on top of his pile of everything-else-we-had-to-offer.

Obviously, Zach won, I mean, you don't get very far in an eating contest when you're wiping your fork off between bites... and Tali was okay with that, because in her I'm-older-and-more-intelligent-than-you-way she managed to convince him that he wanted to watch the Suite Life of Zack and Cody. And he was fairly convinced that it was his idea. Yeah, she's that good.

Sitting here, reflecting, I'm amazed at how different two people can be, yet how perfectly they suit each other. How perfectly they suit our family. Tali is so particular, artistic, manipulative, out going, kind... and Zach thoroughly destructive, funny, transparent, rambunctious. They are like the seasoning in our family. Salt and Pepper. Completely different. Distinct personalities. Distinct purposes. They can stand alone. But together... that's where they find perfection.