So cute

About a month ago a set of new neighbors moved in, a Canadian woman about my age and her almost 5 year old son whose dad is Oaxacan but who doesn't speak spanish (JM and K) and they are utterly charming. JM and I get along really well and K is a total darling, full of imagination and engagement with the world. I have this display area in my living room/ entry set up as one person called it as my "altar" with a beautiful hamsa that my friend S gave me to protect me during fieldwork and a turquoise eye and these bird alebrijes and a coyote I bought for S's mom. K loves to come in and play with my animals, telling me all about the secret lives of my birds and why the coyote will play with them rather than trying to eat them, all of which I love. I also introduced him to Ezzie, the stuffed white seal I've slept with since I was 3, and he warned me to be careful if I took her to the North Pole as polar bears might try to eat her. Today he came in and after playing with the alebrijes (he's so gentle with them), he asked if he could go visit Ezzie and when I went into my bedroom with him he asked me all sorts of questions like what she liked to eat and do for fun and then told me all about his stuffed T-rex who really likes seals because he doesn't eat meat etc. So Ezzie went off with K for an hour to play with his unnamed dino. It's really nice to be around highly imaginative verbal children!