I'm sorry I 'nged' at you...

What? you ask. 'Nged' at you?

Yes. 

What's that?

Good question. But it's something a 5 year old can do to her 6 year old sister and make her cry. 

And there are 1001 other ways to make a 6 year old sister cry. Or a 5 year old sister. Or an 8 year old brother. Amazing. 

And you know what? I enjoyed it. OK, not the 'make them cry' bit but being with them! They're such little bundles of personality and imagination and creativity. Everything is part of The Game. Everything. Every day they played The Game. The details varied from day to day. Once a witch came and turned them into stones (but if you are tortured while you're a stone it doesn't hurt at all... because a stone, after all, doesn't feel a thing!); often they were all horses. And had to whinny while talking. (You try keeping a straight face while your 5 year old niece chats with you and whinnies every 4th or 5th word.) Sometimes they were gorilla monster toads. (I've never really figured out what a gorilla monster toad does but I guess it's terribly scary.)

And of course, the standard 'He's in my space', 'She touched me', 'He's laughing at me', 'She's looking at me'. Really- the crimes that were committed here every day are staggering and horrifying in nature. And the tears! A heart can be broken and healed a hundred times a day. With the 'tears' to 'prove' it... crocodile tears do count Don't they???
I'm trying to remember if we were like that. I reckon we were. I've just conveniently forgotten it. Thankfully. 

We did figure out one solution. Every night someone had to/got to sleep on the love seat in Aunt Nita's room. It didn't seem to matter that it was too short to stretch out on. And Aunt Nita was pretty happy with that arrangement, too. I sort of missed seeing that sweetheart on the love seat last night. 

In spite of the tears and squabbling and broken hearts- these kids are little darlings. They're brilliant. They're Aunties little angels. And they give good-night kisses (well- the girls do!)- and who wouldn't love that?!