Day to day life with the kids these days can be a challenge. It's difficult to meet the needs of a four year old and a 16 month old at the same time. Luckily Mazin gets a lot of stimulation from his three preschool days, and he seems to enjoy the down time at home. He engages Layla in play more than he used to, and she mostly plays along. They don't "fight" as much as I imagined they would. I like to think that my fairness as a mediator has something to do with the general harmony. I stand behind Mazin's right to create without having his creations destroyed mid-construction, but I also defend Layla's freedom to deconstruct anything she can reach, in due time. This means that we have a lovely, rotating display of Lego and Tinker Toy creations on every high shelf and counter in the house, which kind of drives the clutter hater in me crazy, but oh well. It's a sacrifice I make for peace.
I wanted to document Layla's recent routine: whenever she's feeling particularly stir crazy, or tired, or just plain spunky, she'll make her "rounds." This usually begins with a trip to the bathroom, where she flushes pulls all the toilet paper off the roll (so cliche, Layla!) and flushes the toilet repeatedly. When I finally intervene and direct her out of the bathroom, she moves on to the plants, stripping the fern of a few fronds before making her way to the avocado tree. This is her gardening station, where she relocates the potting soil from the pot to the floor... until I notice what she's doing and turn her attention elsewhere. This gives her an opportunity to hunt down the cat, who is normally sleeping contentedly by the wood stove. Layla greets Gris-Gris with a body slam and eye pokes, which normally earns her a swat or two--maybe even a scratch. Crying, she'll run to me and suck on her fingers for a while before lunging to be put down again. Then it's time to climb each dining room chair looking for a good angle to get on top of the table. (I'm still not sure what she hopes to accomplish up there, but there is always something attractive just out of reach to lure her there.) At this point, we often suit up to go outside, because at least there she will happily sit still in the sled while I pull her around the driveway. After a stint in the bitter cold, during which time I fetch and reapply her discarded mittens too many times to count, it's usually time for a nap. Once she's asleep, I am left to survey the destruction dejectedly, and pick it all up in preparation for round two.
My little girl: she is so wonderfully rambunctious and naughty. Truthfully, it makes me proud. I don't mind trying to keep my head above water in her wake.
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