Few people would look at Miss Vivi and think her capable of being anything but sweet and demure, but behind her innocent smile is a spunky little spirit. Just ask Aunt Heidi.

(Heidi & Vivi feeding the ducks in Spanish Fork, UT–August 2009)

One summer morning while at Bear Lake, Uncle David took the kids snake hunting. Thankfully, all they found was a skin which Vivi proudly carried inside to show Ho.

As I sat in the bedroom at the back of the cabin feeding Baby Tad, I heard Heidi’s blood curdling scream of sheer terror followed by Vivi’s attempt to restore order with logic: “But it’s not alive … it’s only skin.”

“I don’t care if it’s not alive, sweetheart. I don’t like snakes. They scare me,” was Heidi’s patient reply as she shooed Vivi out the door.

Chaos erupted again a few minutes later, but this time I heard Vivi’s Bart Simpson-like giggle. The little tow-headed tormentor had discovered Ho’s achilles heel and had returned with her scaly prize to exploit the chink … and I remained hidden in the back room, grateful that Vivi had identified a new victim for her shenanigans.