1m2aSandbox

I taught all morning yesterday while the girls stayed home with Gamma, and when I returned just in time for lunch I opened the door into my kitchen –

And found a puppy barking on my floor.

No, not a real puppy. Don’t panic.

Giant pillows were set up on the floor, and Maddie was curled up on them, barking excitedly. She was dressed all in brown, with her hair in pig tails, a big brown spot drawn over one eye, and a brown nose. She yipped and scurried around my feet excitedly as I tried to interpret her barks.

“Is there another puppy in the house?” I asked the “dog”.

Affirmative yips.

“Is that puppy also downstairs?”

Negative yips.

I walked to the stairs and called up, “Here, puppy puppy! C’mere, little puppy!”

And peering through the banister was Cora, her hair adorably up in poufy little pig tails, also dressed in brown, and her face covered with freckle-like dots.

Cora scampered downstairs and both “puppies” leapt all over me. My mother appeared at the top of the stairs and said dryly, “All. Morning. Long.”

Do you see why my mom ROCKS? How many babysitters would have instigated/put up with this? And helped them with their makeup?

The girls were puppies all day long, playing contentedly together the entire time. They had water bowls and food bowls on the floor – filled with strawberries – and Maddie would periodically pick up her empty strawberry bowl, carry it to me in her mouth, and whine for more.

We headed to the pool after lunch and the girls insisted I walk them on a leash, tying a scarf around a hand and holding it as we walked. After dinner they put on a Dog Show, howling and yipping and dancing together for the adults. When they finally scampered obediently to bed they were both still delighted with themselves and each other.

These are the good days.