We need more games of chance around here.

I realized today that Ethan's beginning to feel the pain of being a younger sibling. He just can't quite keep up with Amara and its so frustrating! We were at the beach tonight, and Amara and Ethan kept racing each other. Can you imagine how that went? Ethan is quick and determined, but he just can't outpace the longer legs of a 6 year-old! Amara convinced Ethan to play tic-tac-toe and hangman with her earlier. Considering that the only words Ethan can read at this point are his name and Amara's name, hangman was bound to be tricky. Sure he can guess letters, but he's probably not going to figure out the word in time without some major hints. And Amara wants to help him, so she gives him clues (which are only sometimes helpful. Today she suggested that he guess a letter made up of lines. I'm pretty sure they all consist of lines! Do you mean straight lines? Even so, its a bit complicated for a 3 year-old, no?), but she still can't quite resist the urge to triumph. So, clues are given, but not enough for him to actually win. What can I say about tic-tac-toe?? He just played for the first time this weekend. Amara was giving him hints, and at one point he beat her. Then she turned to me and said, "I'm smart enough that I could have won, but I let him win instead!" At that point he dissolved into tears and let out a big "argh!" of frustration. Poor kid! He's so capable and smart - I hope he doesn't develop a complex. Or maybe he will, just like every other younger sibling has before him. Sigh.

On a brighter note, I did overhear the two of them playing some made up game earlier, and every time Ethan made a guess, he'd say, "Hey! I'm pretty good at this!" Still cracks me up to think about how he said it.