Charlie and the Red Pepper.

A lot of people say as they see us (all the kids) in the store or around, "Wow, looks like you have a fun supper table!"  Sometimes they mean it sarcastic, and sometimes I think they are serious.  In my mind I think to myself; you have no idea how much fun it is!  And really, it is.  Supper time is right up there with my favorite time of the day.  We talk about the best and worst part of our day, read our Jesus Calling children's Bible, and enjoy a nice meal together around the same table.  Every night.

Wednesday night, however, our supper table got real fun!

Charlie had a heaping pile of red peppers, as usual.  We are just chatting away and he starts to cough and spatter a bit.  His eyes get real watery and red, and I immediately ask what's wrong.  While Charlie has no answer, Dallas is quick to inform me that he is just coughing.  Okay.

About 30 seconds later, he is crying, crying, crying.  Not out loud, but his eyes are just streaming tears down his face.  He is whimpering a bit, and gets the look over his face.  Dallas says, "He is going to throw up.  Get him away from this table!"

I gently lay in on our window seat and carry on.  Next, he starts sneezing, and sneezing, and sneezing, and sneezing.  After many sneezes, a red pepper shoots out his nose!  With tears still rolling down, his cry becomes a hysterical belly laugh.  We are all laughing.
Dallas says, "What was that?"
I answered, "A red pepper!"
Charlie interjects, "Me put it up my nose."
Oh, the giggles that ensued our kitchen.  We were all just rolling in laughter!

Charlie reminded us that Layla did that (with a bead), Daddy did it when he was a little boy, and now "Me did it too."  He pushed that red pepper up his nose, things went downhill for his experiment, and he wouldn't tell us what happened in fear of being in trouble.  Sometimes they just have to try things, you know it?  Curiosity got the best of him.  I'm so thankful it wasn't worse than it was.  Can you imagine how a pepper would sting?

All this was followed by a bloody nose, but he was able to sit back in his chair, where he continued on with too much bbq sauce.  Now, his mouth was on fire.  His oldest, too responsible for her own good, sister said, "Charlie learned two lessons tonight."   Yes, Maleah.

While this was hilarious, what was not hilarious was the incredibly painful earache that happened shortly thereafter.  I thought his ear drum had to of been rupturing, but after hours of holding a warm washcloth on it and listening to his screams, he fell asleep and woke up perfectly fine the next morning.  We think maybe the pressure from the entire scenario caused this?

I love how we were all able to laugh.  It's not everyday a red pepper comes shooting across the supper table, out of your nose.