The sisters

We've been referring to the boys collectively as "the brothers" around our home for months. You'd think we were expecting some monks around here. So, I guess it is fair to refer to the girls as "the sisters" collectively as well. For those that are not as familiar, Mary just turned 5 recently and Julia is 2-1/2.

We brought Julia home from China in mid-September of last year. Wow!! Time flies, doesn't it? Since that time she has incorporated herself into our hearts and lives with such determination and joy that I cannot fathom what we could have possibly done without her. She had surgery earlier this year to close her cleft palate and weekly speech therapy has given her a newfound voice. Even if she lost all ability to verbalize, she speaks so directly and eloquently to the heart - you'd hardly notice. She and her sister Mary share such a profound connection that I cannot imagine one child without the other. They fuss and scramble and plot and explore without tiring. Julia is Mary's shadow and fights between trying to emulate each nuance of every activity and wanting to be totally independent.

Mary? Goodness - what do I say about Mary? What CAN I say . . . meaning that this very vocal child is in the nonstop talking phase - or "streaming" as her uncle Craig claims. She can be bossy and controlling, yet loving and nurturing at the same time. She is excited about having her brothers finally home and at this point has quit stressing to us that she KNOWS that she has a brown sister still waiting for us. She loves dressing up and ballet and crowns and shoes. She adores having a sister. She's happy playing alone or snuggled up for a book. She is determined to be a runner like her Dad and although she loves the outdoors she HATES mosquitos (which we have plenty of in Wisconsin this year). Her all-time favorite animal is her cat, which she will talk your ear off describing her if given a chance.

While we are gone they will be headed down to Huntsville, AL where they will stay with their Aunt Mary Romer (of our China blog fame) and Uncle Craig, who live a stone's throw from my parents, Grand Tine and Grand Lamar. I am afraid that they will become too comfortable with life down there and not want to return! We have been down there three times already this year (since I lost my job) and they already feel right at home - so much so that Mary even told her Aunt Sheryl last month that we were planning on moving. We are not planning it, but she would like to transition between locations.

Julia? Shoot, she's just pretty flexible. I had wondered even with her first trip how she may be affected with yet another change of scenery and she seems to simply adapt almost effortlessly.

We'll see once we have her brothers home! :o)