{Now} Around Me

I'm sitting at the computer, and behind me I hear two closer-to-big-than-little boys and one definitely-little boy stirring the boxes of legos and conversing over their projects and plans. "What should I do wiff aww of dees?" Then stir, stir, rummage. "This looks like the perfect ding for my spaceship." "Here, let me see it, you just put it on the back." They're sitting in a row, in lego building heaven.

I hear one definitely-little boy humming the Star Wars theme song, and one even-littler girl humming a tune only she knows as she clicks her spoon against a plate and watches the big boys play.

I hear one girl moving chairs and sweeping...the dust pan thumping against the floor. The little girl watches and says "You're reawy big, and I little!"

There's a momentary lull in the lego stirring and the littlest says "now can I have gum? I done with my snack!" then there's some quiet humming again.

"Abbbii!" mom says... "I tomin'!" is the reply. "Tan I get a dwink?" then the littlest reaches above her head to set the water bottle on the counter...and back to the "hm-hm-hm-hmm" of her humming.

Little feet and hair bouncing as the smallest girl with the hint of red hair goes from room to room, munching on her gum.

Then she walks over beside me and questions, "oo you wanna tee in my mouth?" (what exactly are you supposed to say to that query?)

More lego stirring, more hair bouncing, then the little face again questioning "where's your mom?" and the random, "can I see your dresses? I have pants! And I has a fwower shirt!"

Then one of the bigger boys says, "hey mom, I built the Spirit of Saint Louis and Toothless!" Then an eruption of voices talking over each other comparing movies owned and watched.

"Is that your brudder?  I just has one brudder and daddy and mommy." Then (my heart melts here) "I want to sit with oo." (Like I'm going to say no to that face!) We peruse pictures of the much loved kitty although the real life thing sits on the couch behind us, the pictures are pretty exciting.

The gang thunders up the stairs in one long procession as my mom says "alright, I need everybody upstairs"! I can hear the muffled sounds of doors and talk. Then more lego rummaging.