Robert and James are...Friends?

I think they finally did it. Robert and James found a "friend" groove. My heart jumped into my throat and my knees got wobbly this morning when I heard Robert say, "Hey James, wanna play?" And James replied, "Yah!"

I keep taking pictures and movies of them playing together because I just can't believe it!

I don't remember which game this was. Maybe Robert and Matthew were monsters? It was completely cooperative, though, because James could use pretend weapons against them and they acted hurt. The car was also trapped in the kiddie pool, so James couldn't try to run them off himself. The game worked because both sides were willing to play along.

And today they devised this game in the front room...Robert walks by with the ball and James tries to get it from him. On a typical day, Robert would be running and teasing James with the ball, keeping it just outside of his reach, frustrating James to bits. On this occasion, though, part of the game is to get "caught" by James in the swing and then Robert tries his best to keep the ball away. Smiles and fun all around.

Later this afternoon they spent an hour outside playing various things. One game was crashing into each other with wheeled objects to see who would fall off...like a joust. Then I snapped a photo of the three boys huddled by the play house intent on something. I'm guessing it's a hole. That they just made.

*groan*

Naturally, this leaves Alice to her own devices. She joins in when she wants to, but she doesn't always want to. Lately, she's been spending more time reading and some time with me. She's a pretty good sous-chef and she's proud of her work (e.g. "Hey Daddy, *I* made that sauce you're eating!").

Anyway, this week has been a good one for Robert and James' friendship. They're still brothers, with all the baggage that entails, but this new language they're learning might make the brother thing a little easier to manage over time.

One more thing: James has taken to saying, "[Insert brother's name here] always gets what he wants and I never get what I want!" It's middle kid syndrome complicated by the fact that James' wants often involve pestering other people. LOL! Dear, dear James. What will you become?