Kids Go Crazy

We had a house full of kids today.  Tomorrow is Isabel’s 4th birthday, and her cousin Patrick is about a week younger.  However, in the battle of baby bearing, my wife has fallen behind her sister.  Isabel is the younger of our two, and Patrick is the oldest of her three.  The two year old is a very sweet, shy girl who is a little bit afraid of me and the youngest is just a baby, looking at everybody with big, wide eyes and not even a smidgin of cynicism.

So, Isabel and Patrick both got big gifts, Patrick got Lego cars and Isabel got a supermarket kit, with shopping trolley, cash register and plastic fruits and vegetables which Natalie, the 2 year old, has been stuffing into my mouth all afternoon.  Natalie also got a kitchen kit, because her name day is coming up.  Sam’s birthday (he’s our oldest, he’ll be eight) in about two weeks, and he got a Minotaur in the maze game, which he beat me at twice.  He changes the rules as the game progresses, and always to his own advantage.

December is a mad month for us.

Pound for Pound, They are Louder than a Railroad Train

Anyway, it’s a quantum leap factor thing.  One kid is manageable.  Oh, they may get on your nerves, their energy level may be consistently high, they may ask the same question 10 million times but it’s just you against them so you’ve got a chance.  Two together and the noise level rises.  With luck, they are getting along and that noise is laughter.  All of these kids get along pretty well.  Particulary Isabel and Patrick are great friends, being so close in age.  With 3 you have a whirlwind of mass hysteria and more than that, the adults just give up and let them have at it.

A few drinks were spilled, a couple of potted plants knocked on the floor, a couple of heads klunked, but there were no serious injuries and all the kids had a good time.  It was an extremely successful afternoon.