Jesse

I'm not sure what the secret is to raising siblings who enjoy spending time together, but I do know, my parents got it right. I think I can speak for the three of us when I say that my siblings and I, genuinely enjoy our time together, and we genuinely miss each other when we are apart. Several  months ago, my sister moved to Texas. We are very excited for her and this new chapter in life, but we sure do miss her. And now, my brother is back at The Ohio State University, so here I am, wishing that we could be together for each and every Sunday dinner. 

It is expensive to fly to Texas. Especially for me to fly with two children who also require plane tickets, so I thought it would be Christmas before I'd see my sister again. I was elated to find out that she was flying home for a quick visit. And Isabella, well, I'm sure the pictures speak for themselves. She loves Jesse. They hardly separated from each other during her day and a half visit. The night we had to say good-bye, and the following day, there were many tears as I tried my best to console Isabella and assure her that soon we would get to see Jesse again. 

After Jesse moved to Texas, we started using Facetime, so that Isabella could practice reading aloud to Jesse. Isabella was very excited to read her latest story to her while snuggled together on the couch.

We went to the annual Art Show, where we discovered some very spoiled canines. I think people forgot that dogs were made to walk, they even have two extra legs, making them especially good at walking.

For real, this just isn't right. These aren't the only two dogs we saw being pushed/pulled around.

The following day was low-key. Jesse was back on a plane, and Isabella was sadder than ever. We are looking forward to Christmas and the chance to spend extra time with my sister.

This year I've learned that sunflowers may quite possibly be the happiest and saddest flowers all at the same time. Sure, they are bright yellow and turn their heads to welcome the sun, but they can't quite keep their heads up and then they become melancholy sunflowers. I'm ripping them out this week because they're depressing me. Now the chickens get to enjoy them.

This is a big week for us. Isaac will begin preschool on Thursday and some of Isabella's extra-curricular activities begin this week too. We are also celebrating the first few eggs from our chickens, and Walter has expanded their run because he thought they "looked bored".