Under the red comforter

Heather brought the three littlest ones for a visit to Nana's house one morning last week.Eden and Lily know where everything is and where to head first. Now Eden goes for my Christmas village and moves and rearranges everything. It reminds me of one of Linda's blogs last Christmas when 2 year-old Juden spent hours with his Playmobil Nativity set. I loved her photo of him playing at his little table. There, looming over the shepherds was a brown dinosaur. And in between Mary and Joseph inside the stable, with his checkered shirt and yellow construction hat, stood Bob the Builder. Eden keeps the village a bit more conventional, although Santa is balancing on the top of the little church. Lily knows where the toys are kept and goes to get "Alice", one of two identical dolls given years ago in England to Heather and Amy, or Amy and Linda, by Aunt Vigee who had knit them red and green dresses and scarves and socks. Alice is a bit indecent as we've lost one article of clothing over the years. Lily takes good care of Alice and includes her in her play. Eden moves on to my children's books and carries half of them to the carousel horse where she sits under him and looks through each one. Then she disappears and I find her under my bright red comforter in my bed. Lily and I get under too. 3 year old Eden announces that she is the "pincess", 2 year old Lily is the "pince" and Nana is "Mistah Gwinch". For a while there is tickling and tumbling under there and when Mommy comes searching, we emerge very rumbled, crazy static-charged hair, looking nothing like royalty. Baby Eric has been rolling all around on another quilt on the living room floor. All too soon it's time to head home for naps. And I bustle around putting things back in place, smiling, because it's been a sweet time again with my darlings.