A Word on My Brown Eyed Crazies

 

At his recent teacher conference, I was informed that Nolan's imagination is the life of the party.  He provides the fuel for most of the pretend play happening in his class.  And I'm not surprised.  I have never met someone so imaginative as Nolan.  Sometimes I have no idea where he comes up with his ideas.  Most of the time, I do.  He sees things in books, or posters, or movies.  He hears stories at school and church and home.  He absorbs these ideas.  They are very intricate, detailed, elaborate.  And then he picks one at a time to become part of.  Safaris in Africa.  Expeditions to outer space.  Operations to track down poachers and save a whale or an elephant.  Journeys through thick rain forests teeming with every imaginable dangerous insect, plant, and animal.  Dire circumstances in a natural disaster.  Surfing in Hawaiian waters.

 My couch in one day (but at different times) will be a pirate ship, submarine, spacecraft, and bus.

Gerret participates in each of his brother's adventures, but he is not always willing to submit to Nolan's assignments in the pretending.  He can hold his own.  This kid is assertive and persistent.  He has a mind of his own and can be found acting out his own story separate from his brother.  He sings all the time.  Some of it is recognizable, but most of it is music from his own head.  Generally his songs are about treats -candy and popsicles- or trains.  He has an amazingly complex vocabulary which includes many words of his own making.  He slips his random, undecipherable locutions into his otherwise understandable phrases.  And then he laughs.  Gerret is hilarious and he knows it.  Even his face is funny.  Maybe he has more muscle control than normal because often it bends and contorts like rubber.  His eyebrows, eyes, lips and cheeks make some pretty wild expressions.  I swear his ears even wiggle a bit.  I'm sure we encourage the hilarity because with Gerret around, we just can't keep from laughing.  It's a jolly holiday with Pooka!