The Great Pretenders

As I mentioned in my last post, Norah's play is heavily pretend-oriented these days, and Eli (whether he likes it or not...most of the time, he does) often gets taken on her little imaginary trips.

Last week, we had a picnic in the backyard because the weather was warm and gorgeous. However, feeding my kids a picnic lunch, is a lot like feeding a stray cat...they're gonna want more tomorrow. Now, when the weather cooperates, this really isn't a problem at all, because I love eating lunch outside as much as the kids do. Unfortunately, the next day, it was back to freezing cold outside, so picnic-conducive weather, it was not. I was pretty proud of N for her ingenuity when I explained to her that it was too cold for a picnic outside.

Norah's also gotten big into playing dress up. However, sometimes, she looks WAY too good (in her humble opinion) to stay at home...so we have to go visit Daddy and the guys at his work so she can show off her outfit. Today, she was wearing a tutu, leotard, tights, green frog ballerina slippers, and her "crown jewels". I love the way Jason is looking at her in this picture, especially coupled with the way she is looking at him. She knows she is the apple of his eye, and he doesn't try to deny it.

Incidentally, I have to mention that the dog in the photo belongs to our friends, the Averys (who Jason works for/with). Her name is Maggie, and she is a frequent visitor to Robinson County. Whenever her first family goes out of town, she comes to stay in our backyard, prompting Norah to refer to her as "My dog, Maggie". Every day when I take Jason his lunch at work, in addition to getting a kiss from her Daddy, Norah asks Maggie for a kiss. (On her hand...but still...ick...I just don't see the draw).

Jason and I have even found a way to spin Maggie's ownership confusion in our favor. When Norah has asked about getting a pet (which Jason and I are both not ready to commit to now, or anytime in the near future, if ever), we remind her about "her dog, Maggie"...and she usually responds with, "Oh yeah!" It's the perfect scenario. She only comes once in a while on the weekends (or for the occassional week, at most, if the Averys take a vacation), so the kids get their dog fix, but we don't have the commitment of getting a dog of our own. (Not to mention, Maggie's great with the kids, doesn't dig, and is very low maintenance!) Time sharing pets...who knew it could have such potential for greatness!