Through the Eyes of a Child.

Everything is new to my two youngest kids...it's like having newborns at ages three and five. Absolutely.  Everything.  Is.  Novel.

• Escalators.
• Elevators.
• Suitcases disappearing on a moving belt behind the airline counter.
• Suitcases reappearing on a revolving baggage claim machine of sorts that looks so fun it must be climbed onto.
• Headphones.
• Seatbelts and car seats. We've been lucky that our kids have never resisted these things; for them, riding in the makeena/car is an adventure every time, and when we're dressed and ready for the day (at about 10:00am), the first thing they ask is whether we're going in the car now.  I've learned to do any errands at that time of day, so that we can get out many days!
• Our very own vehicle(s)...and the thousands of vehicles that they see around them every day as we drive around.  The awe, oh the awe.
• Hummus.  Yummmm!  
• Warm tap water.  The kids still shriek and pull their hands away as if burned if, when washing their hands, the water is warm instead of cold.
• Rain.  Yesterday, we had our first rain/thunder storm since the kids have been home; and they loved it.  I let them go outside onto the driveway, where they lifted hands and faces up to the sky and tried to catch the rain; they stomped in puddles; they ran delightedly through the streams of water pouring off of the garage roof.
• Airplanes flying overhead when playing in the backyard - what is that noise up there?
• Toilets that flush...over and over.
• A bed that's not a crib, with lots of fluffy pillows and teddies.
• Shelves to put one's prize possessions onto...just 'cause.
• Water bottles. Oh yes, water bottles.
• Light switches.
• A 'meow meow' that lives in the house as a pet.
• A fridge full of food.  And a freezer, too??
• Books, especially the ones that make noises when buttons are pressed.
• A grocery store with endless aisles of things to eat...this must be greeted with a gasp and a hand clasped to the mouth.
• Ice cubes.  The kids screamed in terror the first few times they saw them, and even now Seth is skeptical about their purpose...though they also like to try to fish them out now, and pop them into their mouths.
• Rules to follow: share; no hitting; no pushing; take turns; be gentle; please and thank you; sit down at the table while eating; sit down at the toilet; no walking or driving the bike on the street without mommy or daddy; etc etc.
• The washing machine.  Both kids love to sit on top of the dryer and be the one to put dirty clothes into the washing machine...they often fight for the opportunity.  When it comes time to pull clothes out of the dryer into the laundry basket, they love to be the ones to put their whole upper body into the dryer and pull out every last sock. 
• Machines that make music.  They still jump when I turn on a CD.
• A closet full of clothes.  
• A dozen pair of hand-me-down socks that must be tried on daily, with awe, and then stowed back carefully into the basket they came from.  He was fascinated by how I put the socks together again after he had finished modelling them, and had to learn how to do it himself (fine with me!). When we're going out, he usually insists on the fashionable look of socks and croc shoes!
• A slide, a swing and a climbing wall in the backyard.
• Teeth brushing.
• Jam.  We've gone through six jars of strawberry jam since we've been home!
• Bumps on the road the car drives over (even the smallest bump still brings forth surprised/scared noises).
• Pump soap.  Seriously?
• Sunglasses...could there be anything more incredible?
• Scissors - what are those and how does one use them?  Wow!
• Chocolate chip cookies (which they call chocolate dabo/bread).
• Sprinklers and water shooters/guns.
• Stairs.  The first few days, we had to be very careful with the kids on stairs because they'd clearly never used them.  They caught on immediately, but didn't realize how dangerous they could be.  On day #1 at home, Seth was four stairs from the bottom when he tried to simply step onto the tile floor.  Obviously, that didn't work, and so he crash-landed onto the hard floor...ouch.  Lizzie still has to be cautioned once in a while because she'll try to hop from one stair to the next as she makes her way to the main floor - my heart jumps into my throat every time.
• Bicycles and helmets.  It took a few days for Seth and Lizzie to figure out how those pedal things work on a tricycle, but after that, they were off.  Seth is now on a two-wheeler (with training wheels).
• Cousins who love to play with them.
• Baths (the kids were showered at the orphanage and transition house, so baths are exciting adventures).
• Restaurants.
• Parks and play structures.  Slides are incredible, aren't they??!

It's endless.  Everything is: amazing; new; sometimes scary; mostly an adventure; to be explored.  It's fascinating, seeing things again through a child's perspective.