We were having an ordinary day when neighbor Shawn texted to see if her son Logan and granddaughter Lily could come over to visit. She added that Lily was the one who was excited about it. Logan knew our doorbell was broken and that he needed to pound on the door to get our attention. I heard John greet the children, and their enthusiastic voices rose as he told them we had a new doorbell. Ding! Dong! It worked!

They wandered around, deciding what they wanted to do. Both sat on the bench and “played” the piano. They were respectful of the instrument and didn’t pound on it. John reached over to play a note, asking them if they could match that tone. That’s when I rounded the corner with the camera. Both of them sang the note on pitch with no hesitation.

Lily decided to leave when we suggested playing with a balloon. As Logan went to get one, I remembered that Lily declined to play the last time she was here. I wonder if she doesn’t like balloons. One of my children can’t stand them. She is convinced it will break at any moment, and she hates the suspense. We’ll have to think of something else the next time Lily comes.

Logan always finds something unusual to do. He pulled the mouth of the balloon over his finger, up to the knot, and made it thump rapidly. We were amused.

We batted the balloon about for a while, and Logan glanced at the clock. He said, “I think I’ll go home, even though I don’t have to be there for ten more minutes.”

I’m not a mind-reader, but I think he was feeling a bit responsible for entertaining Lily. He thanked us at least three times and added a thank you on Lily’s behalf, too. His manners are amazing. Six years ago when we first knew him, he was prompted to thank people. Now it comes naturally and sincerely. What a boy!