Playing School and House

Here are a few photos from this past week of the kids being kids. They set up a school downstairs yesterday. Daniel was the principal! I thought he looked SO cute, especially with the glasses! 

It made me laugh - 

Ready to instruct his student, Peter.

Peter happily at work perfecting his fine motor skills - and with glasses on, to show he's smart.

I didn't stick around to see much of their game, cause they started fighting over who go to be the teacher, and even Peter, who I'm going to guess doesn't really know what a teacher is, started to cry about it - "I want to be teacher!" 

And he came upstairs to me for comfort "They not let me be teacher!!" Whatever they say and argue about, Peter joins in just by following their example. It's much better when they set forth gentlemanly examples. Daniel's been trying. I don't know why, but he's been wearing his suit everyday this week. I got this text from a neighbor that made me smile.

He's going to be starting kindergarten with her daughter this fall, and I think he might have a crush on her. On Sunday the little boys were coloring in my bedroom, and Peter wanted to wrestle, but he was being as patient as he could, by waiting on their backs... On Daniel's back as he finishes coloring...

Ok, Daniel's taking too long, I'll go wait on Owen's back...

They were unfazed and kept coloring. On Tuesday, Owen came home for dinner and then asked to go play again, but I told him no. He was a little disappointed, and then started to wrestle with Peter. 

They were going at it for like 30 minutes, and it was really funny. Sometimes it seems like these little boys are lion cubs or something. 

 So that's some of the boys being little gentlemen and also showing their rumble tumble side.

Sometimes the girls will get a fight and tease mood, but usually they are doing girl things, especially lately with this new life sized doll they have to play with - 

The other day they were pretending she was a little princess on a throne - 

...complete with animal sentinels guarding her (pink cheetah on the left and a brown puppy on the right)

How do you like being a doll, Katharine?

Time to change the doll's clothes - they were dressing her up today - 

Natalie's been the most eager to play with Katharine. Poor baby, what do you think of this playtime?

This was a lacey dress and bonnet that my mom brought over, I think from the 80s, pretty funny. 

It's Natalie's first time having a little sister, so thank you Katharine for being so patient with her. Katharine seems to seem most content with me or when Mel is holding her. Here she is sucking on Mel's finger Wednesday night. 

She's holding on to it tight!

And Mel knows how to calm her with the pacifier. Mel has learned that Katharine likes to suck on it upside down. 

We all love playing house with our baby doll.