The Joy of Childhood

Last Sunday, my niece, M, who is Matthew's best friend and who was born just six weeks before Matthew, came to play for the afternoon and ended up staying for a spontaneous sleepover.  Well, those two kids played for the entire afternoon on Sunday, during the evening before bedtime, and again for the entire next morning (in pjs)...and Matthew was still upset when she had to leave just after lunch to go to kindergarten.  They just love each other and, though they play together very regularly, they rarely tire of the other.  They play and laugh and giggle and connive and tell each other secrets, and are just plain old silly in a continuous way that Geoff and I simply can't parallel when we're playing with Matthew.  What was equally lovely was that their playing afforded Geoff and me a chance to get a few jobs done around the house, and also to sit down and chat for a while with a cuppa something hot.

Here they are, shortly before she had to leave, having a last laugh and extended hug...which toppled them over onto the kitchen floor!  These two are the main reason we moved to (and stay in) Winnipeg when Matthew was a year old.