When I picked up the kids today, Paul was playing on the astroturf lawn with Silas and Fletcher, fully immersed in a scenario where he was the kitty, and (Fletcher told me) Silas was Ruff-Ruff. And then Silas invited me in, and Paul was the Baby Kitty, and Silas was the Daddy Kitty, and I was the Mommy Kitty, and Fletcher, Fletcher told me, was the Sister Kitty. It involved chasing each other around and then tackling Paul. I went to get Annie, and she joined right in, and told them all how it should be. And when they got in too much consecutive trouble with the teachers for the dog-piling, Silas came over and had a long, heart-on-his-sleeve conversation with me about his blue pipe cleaner, which was a net for catching animals and bugs and monsters, and then he gave the pipe cleaner to me, and he turned it into a crown for me to wear, and I was wearing it, and he was sure he wanted to give it to me, so I kept it, and I wore it until it fell off. And I told him to be sure to stop by his cubby when his parents came, because Paul made him a Thanksgiving card, to say thank you for being my friend. And then Paul Baby Kitty ran up to him, and Silas said, “But you didn’t make a card for Fletcher, right?” And Paul didn’t quite hear him, and Silas revised on the fly and said, “But you didn’t make a card for the whole class, right?” And Paul said, “I only made a card for my specialest friends, you and Fletcher, because you’re both my best friends.” And Silas was satisfied with this answer, which was true, and the Kitty Family ran off.

She is legit sounding out words.

Annie: What happens if a fish has the tummy troubles?

Mom: Well…