Abe and Daisy Interactions

Abe and Daisy can be as enemy-ish as anyone -- angry because one wants someone to do something the other isn't interested in, upset because someone, "Can't take a joke," and what not. In fact, lately Abe has often specially requested that Daisy be punished for this or that.

But, they can also be such fun and great pals, and, when they are, our home seems like a very great place to be. When they were very young, they would spend countless hours "playing guys." This basically meant that they pulled out all the small figures they had -- from Winnie the Pooh figurines, to Matchbox cars, to toy dinosaurs, to Batman, Ninja Turtles and random Happy Meal things -- and created small little scenarios and interactions. They loved doing this and truly spent some of every day playing guys. I loved seeing their creative little minds at work. I loved listening to the scenes their random characters would act out.

They have, to a fairly large degree, grown out of this type of play. If, for old times sake, they pull some of their little guys out to play along with Goldie or Penny, much of the play appears to be in jest and full of laughter at the ridiculous things they can make up.

It makes me sad to see them outgrow things, but it's alright because those things are replaced with different types of fun, and when they are getting along, I seriously love watching and listening to the interactions between the two of them. They have a kind of relaxed and easy teasing that is more grown up than "little kids," and even makes me laugh.

(Here Abe is giving Daisy an impromptu violin lesson early the other morning)

Yesterday we were outside weeding. I'd warned them we were going to spend the morning weeding and told them I expected their full participation. Daisy was a champion weeder. I like to picture her taking great care with her own little garden some day. She shoveled and dug and pried out deep roots. She got down in the dirt on her knees when necessary and simply pushed aside the sweat on her brow before reaching down to lift and carry armloads of weeds to our collecting spot.

Abe and Goldie, on the other hand, found weeding to be . . . well . . . frankly, quite boring. Before ten minutes had passed, Goldie had gone inside and was playing blocks with Penny. And Abe was wandering about doing everything but weeding. I was a little too busy to really force them back, and I had my dutiful Daisy, so I mostly let them be. However, before long Abe kept trying to distract us by doing silly things with the shovel, pretending our outdoor broom was a guitar, and making ridiculous claims about the good he was doing. At one point, when I noted his obvious lack of weeding, he said, "Well that's because I'm entertaining you guys. It wouldn't do any good for you to die of boredom."

"Oh Abe," Daisy replied good naturedly, as she labored over a patch of Morning Glory, "How many exscuses will you come up with?"

"I think I prefer a different word," Abe said, "I'd actually call it three words -- 'Li-fe Saving.'"

"Uhh, Abe," Daisy laughed at his silliness, "I believe that's actually two words."

From there the cheerful banter went on between them.

For Daisy's birthday back in April, she got her very own little camera. I hadn't loaded her pictures on to our computer, so today, when I finally did, there were 558 items on there. I put them all in her own little folder and told her she could go through them and delete the ones she didn't want.

Here she and Abe are going through them.

I just loved seeing and listening to them laugh about what pictures were obviously too blurry, suggest the "fix red eye tool," remember the moment a certain picture was taken, or mimic a funny pose from another shot. There were a number of photos that she'd taken at the zoo. At one point I heard Abe say, "I'd delete that one. Unless of course you want a picture of a prairie dogs bum." Daisy giggled and I looked to see that yes, that was pretty much what the picture was.

It really is quite enjoyable to see not only their own little personalities grow and mature and evolve, but it is just as enjoyable seeing the way their interactions with each other develop and change. I posted yesterday about how well the siblings get along in my family as well as in Mike's. I hope so much that my kids will be getting together and laughing and enjoying each other even when they are gone from home, even when Mike and I aren't around to encourage it -- just because they love each other and want to be together.