The Mighty Small Ones

Benicio has informed us that he is "the baddest kid in the whole family." He has said it numerous times and each time I am caught flat-footed like, "Is this a self-proclamation? Is this a guilty suspicion? An aspiration?" I still don't know. When we started having kids, we always asked for spirited and interested kids. This, my goodness, we got.

Geoff has begun an epic consisting of the adventures of D and T (for Day and True, but the boys don't know this). D and T are the Mighty Small Ones. They are a cross between the Littles with their domestic inventions like acorn cap helmets and also the Justice League with their death-defying attempts at having truth and beauty win the day. In Geoff's stories, they defend Margalo, the baby sister, by rescuing her from physical near-misses. In mine, they ride around on firefly's backs and have arguments with killer whales.

I wanted to post about Benicio because I haven't in a while. He's so adaptable and hasn't made many waves since Calliope's arrival. In the sibling dynamic, he can be the subtle instigator who quietly wears down his brother's patience until he is sweating with rage. OR he can tenderly sing to the baby and select the softest toys as bedside offerings. Also, I've seen him shove Clara within the same game where he has also made her a cozy bed with couch cushions. He totally has my bugging-gene, which is the gene that is prevalant in the younger sibs of my family. It's this insistent almost compulsive need to tease. I don't think "tease" is the best word, it's sort of endearing and certainly motivated by affection. For example, following someone around offering evolving nicknames over their shoulder. Or finding a clever rhyme and exhausting everyone by repeating it ad nauseum.

This is, however, who has mastered the "to the moon and back" theory of love. He told Geoff that he loved him "up into space, up up up into space on top of that and breathlessly added up into space on top of that." Also he says names his best friend at school but then quickly adds that Manny is actually his best, best, best , best (he raises his voice pitch and adds several more bests) friend.

A few recent quotes from BTB: Using a a half-shoe box full of paper they had torn, they made a sushi factory using Clara's wooden slide. They called it "their Chinese Kitchen" and made sushi rolls called "chinese rice rolls.": : "Mom, I'm writing the signs for cents and cash in my ketchup." : : "Dad, before Cloe was born, was she just only made of sky?" :: "Cloe is getting lips like me." :: "When I was a baby, my name was Boone. Now I'm a big kid, my name's Benicio. I have another name I'm also going to have besides Benicio---- it's Rocket Boy."