Laughter Lives Tuesday!

The Riggs family have challenged us all to make Tuesday a day when smiles reign so here is my "Kids say the darndest things" submission: Our oldest daughter came home from Guatemala at nearly three years of age and was immediately initiated into "the gang" as we call all the 1997 cousins. Having just missed the automatic citizenship date by a couple of months we had to go through the whole citizenship application. It was another stressful paper chase but it was the FINAL step so when the real live, actual invitation to the initiation arrived there was more than a few shouts of joy! The ceremony was to be a big media affair at a local museum marking the LAST time adopted children would need to go through this step. Since we were all members of the museum a plan was made to have all of the "gang" come and witness "Mari becoming an American girl". All during the ceremony my nephew kept leaning over and peering at Mari. When we erupted into claps and cheers at the end he jump from his seat and planted himself right in front of her leaning in closer and closer. After a minute or two he turned to me and said, "When is she gonna be an American girl?" I assured him that she already was and he looked incredulous....."but she didn't turn white!" he exclaimed. Yes, the dear same lad who after a nine day tour of Ireland summed up the trip for his teacher with the statement, "I got to see a dead cow."