Keep an Eye on That One

So we've had the delight of spending a day in Lawrence with family - we're trying to soak it up as much as we can before we move again - and this evening culminated with me and the kids at my sister's house with her, my nephews and one 8-year old friend while our husbands went to a KU volleyball game. We kept the little kids and the big kids segregated for a while, but by the end of the night they were all in the basement having great fun together (or so it seemed, from the shouts, whoops and hollers we heard floating up the steps). We'd just remarked how amazing it was that no one had started arguing when who should appear but Natalie, looking for me.

"Mama, where are you?"

"I'm in Aunt Susan's room, honey. What's wrong?"

Natalie entered, brushing her very disheveled hair out of her face. "I think I hurt myseff," she said, smiling and looking wryly out of the corner of her eye from behind her hair.

Susan and I looked at each other, wondering what exactly that meant. "What do you mean, you think you hurt yourself?"

She regrouped and then restated, "I think I hurt myseff."

"Well how did that happen?" I asked, thinking that the look on her face wasn't quite fleshing out the story she was trying to sell.

"Well, we were jumping on the couch and I fell off..." her little voice trailed off, then her face brightened, she pushed her hair out of her eyes and announced in a big voice, "Mama! I seem to be feeying much bettah!"

And with that, Susan and I started chuckling, Natalie hightailed it out of the room shouting, "see ya!" over her shoulder and disappeared back down the steps. That, I think, is a little girl who's learning how to hang with the big boys. I have a feeling we'd better keep pretty close tabs on her.