NC Trip Continued

I had more stories to tell from my trip to my college this weekend. Specifically about Kathryn and Thomas, the two cutest kids I’ve ever met in my life. Seriously.

Upon meeting 6-year-old Kathryn at the game she said hello to me and then immediately asked me where my sister was. Apparently Beth and Noel told the kids all week about our arrival and she was anxious to meet us both. Then for the rest of the game she pretty much stayed at our sides (my sister’s and mine). She was full of questions but was also incredibly polite and well-mannered. She plowed through two boxes of popcorn that her dad bought and insisted that he leave “the girls” for a few minutes. By the end of the game I wanted to kidnap her and take her home to be mine.

Then we got to her house and we saw a completely different Kathryn – hyper, extremely talkative, and very outgoing. She began asking my sister and me to pick a number between one and ten to win the privilege of sitting next to her in the car and at the restaurant we went to for dinner. She floored us when she very matter-of-factly asked, “Here’s a question for you: Who likes me best?” My sister and I just laughed because she was being completely sincere – she seemed like she was hoping for a legitimate answer!

In particular, though, her innate sensitivity for other people was the remarkable thing about this 6-year-old. When she found out I worked in NYC she asked me if I was part of “the attacks” (meaning 9-11). I said that I had suffered no loss as a result of the tragedy, she was very relieved. Then she found out my sister used to work at the Pentagon and was very concerned that my sister not go there again. For most of the afternoon she peppered us with insightful questions about the attacks, which was surprising since she’s so young.

Lastly, her unintentional humor was hilarious. At one point she was telling me all the people she knows that are pregnant, to which I responded, “Well, you know I’m four months pregnant.” Her eyes got wide as saucers and she exclaimed, “You ARE?” then she suddenly got very pensive and in a gently concerned voice asked me, “Are you married?” I cracked up and assured her that I was. Her answer? “My aunt is pregnant but she can’t get married because she has a roommate.” I was slightly confused until she said, “Her roommate’s name is Lydia – that’s why they can’t get married.” Ah, nothing like an outing by a 6-year-old. Beth informed me that Kathryn has pretty much outed her sister all over the tri-county area.

As for Thomas, the 3-year-old spitfire, he has a gleam in his eye and a bounce in his step that assures me that he’ll be a firecracker when he gets older. While he and I didn’t talk much (Kathryn kind of monopolized my time), I can see that he’s easily as intelligent as his sister and just a touch more outgoing in public.

Up Next: The School Scandal – my views have changed.