J: Jumping Beans Included

I remember when I was in kindergarten my best friend Michelle seemed to have the coolest toys. I would beg and plead with my parents to allow me to spend the night at her house because I loved playing in her bedroom. One of the best things I thought she had were her Mexican jumping beans. At that age, I thought that Mexican jumping beans were magical beans, and I wished every night that I could have some for my own someday!

Well, I never did get my own Mexican jumping beans, and now I know that Mexican jumping beans aren’t really magic beans--or beans, for that matter. But I’ve found something cooler and more energetic than jumping beans: my kids!

My son and daughter have always been filled with such energy that I joke with them that they must be full of jumping beans. Of course, they have absolutely no idea what I’m referring to, but every time I call them my jumping beans, they giggle and hop around doing their best impersonation of a jumping bean--or at least what they think a jumping bean is like.

My 5-year-old daughter goes into a crazy, bouncing frenzy. She pops, jumps, and flies around the room with her arms, legs, and hair flailing everywhere. My son, on the other hand, feels jumping beans are much more stiff. He sticks his arms straight down at his sides and jumps around, barely bending his knees at all. (Personally, I think he looks more like a Mexican jumping burrito than a jumping bean. But hey, what do I know, right?)

They have been doing their jumping bean impersonations for years, but they never fail to make me laugh until I cry. Some things never grow old, no matter how many times you watch them. And I have a feeling that they will tire of their jumping bean acts long before I ever grow bored!

Do you have any Mexican jumping beans bringing laughter and energy into your home?