Sisters

Mia adores her sister. She follows her around when she's home and asks about her when she's gone. Yesterday Mia started crying when Jolie left for school. We usually drive Tristan and Jolie to school in the morning but yesterday my dad picked them up because he was going their way. Mia was absolutely heartbroken to see them walk out the door!

Jolie also jumps at the chance to play the role of adoring sister. It usually takes me a couple minutes to get to Mia when I hear her on the monitor. Jolie, on the other hand, jumps up the minute she hears her, "I'll get her!" Jolie has a special motherly voice she uses with Mia (for which I'm grateful because she often wakes up grouchy). She's always loved showing Mia off. When we've gone to help in her classroom she's paraded her around like her proudest possession. All the other little girls have played right along, oohh-ing and ahh-ing and telling Jolie how cute her little sister is.

Mia also loves to dress up in Jolie's clothes. He favorites are the ballet outfits. Not long ago, Mia actually pulled Jolie's skirt off her body after she arrived home from ballet (and immediately put it on herself). I'm constantly finding Jolie's shoes in the middle of the floor. When it's the snow boots I know that Jolie left them there. When it's her sparkly or fancy ones or her soccer cleats, I know Mia's been playing dress up.

How exactly Felicity (Jolie's $100 American Girl doll) obtained her recent hair cut, is still somewhat of a mystery. Jolie swears that she didn't do it. She blames her little sister. Although it seems to be something Jolie would be tempted to do, she's never lied to me so I tend to believe her. Mia, on the other hand, when asked about the incident, took full responsibility. (Then again, if you were to ask her if she shot Lee Harvey Oswald she'd take responsibility for that, too.) Nonetheless, I think this may be a case of one sister covering for the other.

*Photo taken the Sunday before Christmas. We came home from church early because one sister had a meltdown and the other is 100% unruly on a good Sunday*

Who Else Would Allow This?

Yes, this is my living room. And yes, that's newspaper, timothy hay, brussels sprouts and two guinea pigs (whom, in case you're not familiar with the species, poop a little black pellet every 10 seconds).

I think the fact that I didn't freak out when I came upon this scene this afternoon, not to mention the fact that I allowed it to continue, qualifies me for mother of the year.