A brief character study today, to give you a “day in the life” view of this mayhem we call home…  I am unable to use my children’s actual names, because I just think that is a terrible idea on the internet.  It’s been almost as much fun for Becky and I to come up with characters from movies and books that suit our children’s personalities.

For the eldest, we just stuck with Primo.  He was first, and I have already referred to him as Primo in previous blogs.  He is the instigator/mediator/chauvinist of the bunch.  He keeps or wrecks the peace as the moment needs, and bends over backwards to stop me from “doing,” because I am a delicate little flower. (Yeah, he hasn’t really gotten to know me all that well — it takes YEARS.)

Next, we have the only girl, and have been stumped as to a nickname.  She is independent, ornery, protective, bossy, and opinionated.  I considered Katherine, from “The Taming of the Shrew,” but that name is so pale in comparison to my daughter.  So, she is Mattie — after Mattie Ross, the stubborn vengeance-minded little girl in “True Grit.”

The middle son is Vizzini, from “The Princess Bride.”  This fits so well, I need say no more.  If you don’t know the movie, I highly recommend it.  Watch it, immediately.

Our next son is Genghis Khan.  If you don’t know who that figure was in history, I don’t know what to tell you.  He is small, scrappy, aggressive, and warrior-like.  And loud, as loud as one thousand screaming Mongolians. 🙂  So far, despite what Douglas Adams may have written, he has no predilection for small, fur hats.

Then we have the baby… He is named after a saint in real life, but personality wise he is shaping up to be a Shakespearian tragic hero.  The poor guy is Othello.  Well, he’s a Catholic Othello…  He takes the advice of the elder children, to his own punishment.  I have high hopes that he will soon learn not to listen to “those kids” because they always land him in hot water.

When you put this bunch together, you have my horde.  They are loud, raucous, loving and violent, all in one breath.  From one second to the next, I don’t know if I will find Mattie perched on Primo’s knee, playing a game of cards, or whether she will be trying to murder him with her bare hands while he laughs at her attempts.  Vizzini never ceases pointing out his superior intellect — superior even to my own.  He will bust out with the word “inconceivable” any second now because he KNOWS he is smarter than Becky and I, yet still gets in trouble.  How could this be?  Genghis is the sweetest little tyrant you would ever have the privilege to meet, at least he is sweet and lovey to me.  And Othello, even sweeter than Genghis, without the streak of violence of his namesake.  So far.  As the youngest, it is inevitable for him to become murderous at some point: poop rolls downhill, after all.

I love every lunatic inch of these jerks.  Then you have the grown up nicknames…  They call the girlfriend Poppi (short for her own choice of Poppichulo, a deliberate misspelling).  And they call me Cara Mia — even though they spell it KarahMia.  I can’t complain, everyone in the house is calling me “My Darling.”  Not a bad role to have.

Blessings to you all…