Mornings

My kids have started playing together.  Not just playing in the same room, but really interactively playing.  Most of this play happens in Liam's room which has more floor space since he is still in a crib and not a big boy bed.  They love to run around his room, play behind the curtains, and to do laps around his mirrored wardrobe doors.  His closet is extra deep, so there is a convenient little running lane on the inside of the closet between the clothes and the backside of the doors.  If I sit in the playroom on our sofa in just the right spot, I can monitor them without them noticing.  Usually they are screaming with laughter, and sometimes they just stand and dance/bounce in front of the mirror.  Priceless!

I left them doing just this the other morning after getting them both dressed.  I headed off to my closet to get dressed for the day and was pulling a shirt over my head when the peals of laughter turned to shrieks of annoyance.  When I walked into Liam's room I found him face-down on the carpet with Laney draped over his back, arms around his neck.  This is her version of hugging him, and it totally pisses him off.  Liam was screaming and struggling to get away, and instead of helping him, I began to laugh hysterically because Laney was yelling as loud as she could:  "You are my friend!  You are my friend!"  Then she stood up and whacked him in the middle of the back and added a final  "you are my friend Liam!" and stomped off.  As soon as she got off him, Liam toddled over to the closet and began happily playing by himself.  Surprisingly there was no fall out over the situation and they just went on playing as usual.  Siblings!  Laney better watch out though.  Soon Liam will learn to fight back, and then these scenarios might not have such a civil ending.