The kids like to ask me if we can play this game they invented that they call “Yes, Baby.”

They love it when I agree to play “Yes, baby.” (Which is every time they’ve ever asked.) The rules of the game are they ask me questions and I agree to them by saying “Yes, baby,” in a really sweet, high sing-song voice and then I have to do what they are asking me —it is imperative that I follow through with their request. It’s usually starting when we’re eating an afterschool snack around the kitchen table and Michael is working one of his evening-shift days.

One of their first questions is typically regarding can they watch a certain Hayao Miyazaki film or another, and one of their final questions is almost always, “Will you make us a cake?“

And then they praise me for being “such a nice mama; such a kind mama.”

The whole thing is very funny to me and speaks to how often they’re being asked to say “Yes, mama,” such as me last weekend, “let’s get dressed up and go down to see the cherry blossoms!”

I’ve even heard Lady Kitty ask Lake if they could play “Yes, baby,” and she would be the mama and he could be the baby. And then he immediately asked her if he could do some thing with guns, and she said sweetly “Yes.”

Apparently Lady Kitty also occasionally asks Linnéa to play “Yes, baby” and sometimes she’ll want to be the mama and sometimes she’ll want Linnéa to be the mama. And this is also a bit funny, because Lake actually made up the game, and Lady Kitty constantly insists that she’s not Baby if anyone refers to her that way. She’s “Big Girl!” Lake will even catch himself calling her “Baby” by habit sometimes and then he will correct himself, to call her “Big Girl.”

Lady Kitty is so funny so I have to close by sharing an anecdote from last night.

We were having one of our weekly family fun night activities with our out of town guests from Sweden, as well, Linnea’s best friend who is visiting for the week.

Michael made a lovely dinner and then afterwards we were sitting around the table, playing a version of Monopoly, where it’s set in the Olympic Peninsula, and all the properties and landmarks are from the Olympics (who knew such a game existed?!).

It started getting late and nearing bedtime and Lady Kitty starts sundowning —running around the table, running on the chairs on the table and the like— Finally, she pauses and asks the question:

“What can I do to help?!” and then she makes this funny laugh p’shaw noise literally cracking herself up. “Tsee tsee tsee…”

A perfect day! I’m glad I could spend it with these funny kiddos!