Olivia's phrase of the week

"This [is] Olivia's, not yours. OK?" or a more adamant variation, "Mine! This [is] mine, not yours!"

Olivia claims quite a few things that aren't really hers, but fortunately Emily doesn't care most of the time. The funny thing is that Olivia also wants to stake her claim of things things that no one else would want, like her tooth brush, her spoon, or her cup. Not in a mean way, just an informative way that seeks reassurance, often with an "OK?" at the end. It's obvious that personal possessions and ownership are new concepts after life in a communal orphanage. Fortunately, the girls don't fight much over these objects, but watch out if anyone physically takes a toy or food away from her! Think wailing and screaming! The good thing is that this can usually be avoided because she, surprisingly, will willingly relinquish most anything when asked. The key is asking, not grabbing which is a good idea anyway. I'm just surprised by the difference in her reactions when the end result is the same--losing the item.

Another interesting sibling interaction happened today while Emily was at school. Olivia and I were the only ones in the room when she suddenly started tattling on her sister, saying, "Stop! I'm gonna tell mom... mahhhh-uuum....Emily's scratching me!" as she sat and scratched at her mosquito bites! Hmmm...I guess Emily's got really long arms! Makes me wonder how many times Emily is really not as guilty as it appears! On the flip side, Emily's got her own bit of sibling rivalry, often asking me whose art work is better or who is doing XY or Z better, wanting me to assure her that she is top dog. Ahh, the joys of having siblings! With one kid we didn't have any of this fun stuff!

On a lighter note, here's a video highlighting Olivia's special counting skills:


And, to end this post, I've attached a video of my skater girls. They had a fun time trying out our neighbors' skateboard and skating equipment this weekend. As you can see they're not going pro quite yet, but had fun trying! I love the first part of the video below where Emily is skating in the foreground and Olivia is walking with determination and a skateboard tucked under her arm, as if she's been doing this for years. At the end, you'll hear Olivia abandon the board to go play with another neighbor, Mason. She's not shy or quiet :)