She explains as you enter a very large room with bright carpet and walls. There are three doors to the left and three doors to the right but the room itself is about the size of at least three rooms put together.

In one corner is a small wooden playground with a ladder, slide and several platforms. Around it, bookshelves form a sort of barrier to the “playground,” their backs to the play area to create “walls” of a sort. Covering the floor in this area, all the way up to the bookshelves, are large thick mats of different sizes and shapes for climbing on. The mats that range from being flat rectangles to peaked pyramids and dome shapes, are moveable and create soft jungle-gyms or pretend boats when flipped over.

Next to the play area is a loft with two levels. The first not too far off the floor that sticks out into the middle of the room. The second is much higher, goes flat to the wall, and has two ladders, one leading from the playground that goes over the bookshelf and another going up from the smaller platform. A closer look reveals that the ladder on the smaller platform has a gate of some kind, presumably to keep the younger children off of it.

Under the tall loft is a reading area full of children’s books. Large, child-sized beanbags and blankets cover the floor to create a very comfortable looking area. Under the short loft the space is divided into cubbies, each hold a small glass and a lamp on a bookshelf with several books casually placed on the shelf or surrounding area. The cubbies look like ideal places to take a nap or read privately if you’re not afraid of closed in spaces.

In an open area next to the reading section you see large bookshelves that contain thousands of building materials from blocks to leggos to plastic items that look like Swiss cheese. Toys that connect from the side to form boxes, from the top to form walls, and from the middle to form chairs or other objects are all represented here and range from small to as large or larger than the girl in front of you. Some are already put together in the form of an early stage of a castle or house.

The corner behind the door is used for water and sand play. It looks incredibly like a beach and has intricate waterfalls and sand pits throughout. Studying this closely you marvel at the ability to have the water run through the painted wall the way it does and suddenly realize that this looks designed after part of the outside of the castle.

To the other side of the door is the art area full of all sorts of paint, crayons, markers, paper, blue and old magazines. Displays of artwork cover the walls here and the girl looks up from her work at the table and points to some.

Christopher puts all of these up for us. I can’t work the stapler. Sometimes we have art shows for everyone who wants to come.

In the middle of the room is another pile of variously sized mats creating a mountain perfect for climbing to touch the very high ceiling. A close inspection of the pile is never made because the girl points your attention to the other doorways.

That’s my room.

She points to the door next to the art corner.

The one in the middle is Christopher’s. He has to be in the middle because he’s older, he says. He says a lot.

She points to the center door before turning her attention back to you.

The one next to his is Nastya’s she spends her time with her younger brother and sister, though. She doesn’t talk much.

She turns around and points to the doors across the room.

Those are the baby rooms. They are farther away from Mama. Reece and Anya live there, that’s Anya crying now. She does that a lot.

An older woman walks out of one of the rooms, holding the crying bundle. She smiles at you, shaking her head as if she knows what you are about to ask.

Don’t worry about learning my name, I’m only visiting here and was called to help while Miles takes a quick break.

With a smile she turns to the girl at your side.

Katia, I think that lessons can wait until you’ve had a little rest yourself. Your caramel blanket with violets and your reading pillow are already on your bed.

The girl smiles, says a cheerful goodnight to you and hurries off in the direction of her room.

You decide to excuse yourself, not wanting to be a burden on this poor woman. After a quick goodbye, you walk out the door.