Boys and Girls

It's been a good couple of days for the children of the Cluver house.  A casual dinner out with my friend, Jill, and her three boys at La Fondita led to an impromptu, day-after-birthday celebration (sombrero and whipped cream in the face) for Jameson (Thursday), and a successful (phone lines were open) call to the kids' birth mom in Haiti.  We had a chance to speak for the first time with another of their brothers, as well.

Today (Sat.) Jameson was asked to step off the bleachers and into Hunter's soccer game as a sub on a day we were short some players.  And the sun is shining, again, A LOT!  On our way out the door to go to the afore-mentioned soccer game, Anna and I failed to pick up her dsi game from the counter, and so, she was pleased to entertain Baylor's commentary and demonstrations on the young one's baby-wild-animal dsi game  .  .  .  better to be an on-looker than to be bored.  The girls talked and asked each other questions and listened -- playfulness and warm, on-going communication!

Bay had a birthday party this afternoon, and she and Jameson have another one tonight -- social calendars far better than mine -- and it's an "easy kind of busy" that is great fun for the kids and allows for some variety and one-on-one time with Mom or Dad for whichever kids aren't the party-goer of the day/eve.

With a pre-teen fashionista now under our roof, Bay is taking notice of the big sister's wardrobe, and use of accessories, and matching .  .  .  sometimes.  Anna very much wants to look nice all of the time, and when uncertain as to how best to pull it together -- Which tights?  Which shoes?  Which necklace and hairbow?  She asks me.  Yep, that's right, for the time being, she asks my advice, and -- wait for it -- follows it!  Grab your chest and gasp, and then laugh, "Yeah, just give it time."  I know -- the teenage-know-it-all-parents-are-clueless-nerd-morons phase is just around the proverbial corner.  In the meantime, we're having some girl fun with attire, as they tickle their fancies, and I attempt to teach them some basics (a stylist I am not) before they snub ol' Mom entirely. 

And then Ramona, er uh, I mean Baylor gets distracted before she's finished dressing, because the snippets I cut from the tips of her hair bow make perfect beds for two of her four butterflies:
 Rainforest, Tiger Lily, Orange, & Gluey.
 

(And the only way to properly secure a microscopic hangnail is dual-coverage -- one bandaid around
 the finger locked down with the second, over-the-top wrap.  Bay's directive.)

And then, there's the almost-finished-but-no-we-can't-really-match finale of the socks.

 (In real life the outfit is turquoise and the socks are royal and powder blue.)

Somewhere in Oz there's a witch who wants her hosiery back.

Coordinated!

 Ready for an all-girls birthday dance party.

Sadly  .  .  .  very, very sadly, I wasn' this hip as a senior in high school.  I so would have liked to sport the Madonna glove and a ribbon headband.  Might have foregone the socks, however.

And then, the boys chimed in with feigned jealousy, "Hey, what about our picture?"

Yes, Tiger and Monkey -- tres chic.

 Friday, the day between La Fondita fun and soccer-game-relaxation, the kids had a full day at home without any electronic games.  They played -- like, together.  I love it when they're grounded from hand-held gaming devices, or when I simply pull the plug because I'm an ogre-mother. 

(And the night was capped off with visits from the awesome, non-ogre grandparents!)

Hunt and Jameson began Leggogeddon 2011  .  .  .

And Anna played on the floor with small "non-girl" toys, at length, in the presence of siblings for the first time without being self-conscious.  She usually entertains herself quite well, but with painting, writing letters, listening to music, dancing; so, it was a joy for me to see her let loose enough to engage in what some might call "little kids' play" -- a true sign, to me, that she is utterly, totally, and completely "at home."

I don't know, exactly, what this set-up of hers was all about, but I know these little peices were named in alphabetical order, as she came to me repeatedly asking for ideas for words starting with particular letters.  We'd go through ideas until she was pleased enough with one, and she'd scamper off to do voice-overs as the little toy with the newly-minted name. 

The questions -- never-ending, exhaustive questions -- are amazing to me.  How a person can learn so much of a new language and culture and continue to have an insatiable appetite for knowing more, and more, and MORE is  .  .  .  lovely. 

"He drive car?"  Jameson is AMAZED that "kids" drive vehicles.  One night on the way out of the school following one of Daddy's games, Jameson watched the players get into vehicle after vehicle and drive off.  "What?" (wide-eyed, open-mouthed, a quick shake of the head -- disbelief)  "How they drive?"  "They have money?"  "How old?"  "So, when I 16, I can drive?"

And Anna wants to know about every building she sees.  "Is that a hotel?"  "Have we been to that store?"  "What's an apartment?" 

And every sign she sees.  "What is 'taxes'?"  "What is government?"  "You pay everybody in government?"  .  .  .  "Is it 'groop' or 'growp'?" (group)  .  .  .  "Have you eat at that restaurant?" 

And how things work.  "Do you pay police when they come help you?"  .  .  .  "How they make the hole in the (Starbucks) cup lid?"  

And then, there are the English questions.  "When you feel 'scared?' or 'scary?' right now, how do you say it?  Like, is 'scared' when it's in the past?" 

No wonder she is tired by nightfall.

Running errands with Anna is a favorite new activity of mine, because she is curious and we have great talks.  She is delighted (for the time being) by anything I buy, and okay (while it lasts) when I decline to purchase a requested item.  And she doesn't even complain about the "ballet music" from my stand-by classical music radio station. 

We're all definitely starting to "get" each other.  And have fun.  Another step into the "new normal."