Kids and siblings

At our last MOPS (Mothers of Preschoolers) meeting, a local author encouraged us to write a letter to our great-great-grandchildren. I haven't actually gotten around to that, but one of the questions got me thinking. It was, "what is your favorite thing about your life right now?" If you haven't ever thought about that, you should! It's a pleasant thing to ponder.

My answer came quickly. There were a couple of runners-up. One is being pregnant--I try to never take for granted that feeling of a baby moving around in there, or being able to wear relatively comfortable clothes without having to "suck it in." The other is Kevin working at Woldumar. What a great place for the kids to grow up! They love going to work with Kevin now and then when I have off-day appointments and such. They're probably too comfortable there, but it's a fun (and educational!) second home.

Annie's class took a field trip to Woldumar last week!
Annie is also sporting her hip Woldumar glasses

But I think I would say my favorite thing about life right now is experiencing Nellie, Annie, and DJ figuring out what it means to be brother and sisters (soon to be brothers and sisters!) Maybe this is due in part to the fact that my own siblings (by birth and marriage) are some of my favorite people in the world. I love to be around them and live out our shared history.

I did have a random thought about brothers and sisters the other day, as I watched the kids playing in the bath. Siblings are the reasons we know: a) that we're really, super-duper special--but not that special; and b) that we've probably bathed in someone else's pee.

But I digress. The point is, I absolutely love listening to the kids playing together and entertaining themselves. The girls can think up some of the craziest things to play, and DJ is starting to get in on the action in new ways now that he can chase them around, talk more, and is willing to play Frozen, Powerpuff Girls, and My Little Pony. This isn't the first time this sort of thing has made an impression on me. In fact, I went back to old blog posts on the basis of a faint memory, and found basically the same note in a post four years ago.

And it's not just that I like to overhear the funny things they say and do when they're together, or the time it gives me to make dinner/fold laundry/pick up the last room they were playing in. I also appreciate the opportunity to help them work through stuff together, to learn how to get along and communicate with people they don't necessarily like all the time. I mean, let's face it. The happy-together times last for maybe 10 minutes at a time, with arguments, tears, and tales of "she told me I'm a terrible baseball hitter" in between.

Learning what it means to be brother and sisters also highlights what makes each child unique. Annie loves to dress up and imagine all sorts of things. Nellie loves to plan, orchestrate, and move around a lot. So far, DJ just wants to be a part of it all. He especially loves convincing one of the girls to push him around in his Cozy Coupe, build him something with his blocks (so he can destroy it), or play cars and trains.

I'll close with our new favorite family video, called Bad Annie Bandit. This was unrehearsed and totally spontaneous, and I think it illustrates what I'm thinking about. It all played out while I was making grilled cheese sandwiches. What gave Annie the idea that she wanted to be a bad guy with a mask is beyond me!