I like for things to match, coordinate, go-together. Erin – not so much. I like peace and serenity at times. Pearce – not so much. I like things organized and put where they belong. Patrick – not so much.
My daughter decided she was tired of having a brother, so she has talked my sister’s youngest into being her sister. The plan is to switch Pearce for Catherine for a couple of days in an experiment of sorts for the older girls. Madeleine and Pearce actually do get along quite well, and Erin and Catherine are kindred spirits. After the arrangements were made today at lunch we were driving home when Pearce said, “So, Mom, what are you going to do without me?” AHHHH, soak in a hot tub of water and not wonder what mischief you are into, read a book without occasionally looking up, maybe do some of my seminary work that I’m behind on. “Pearce, I have no idea what I’m going to do without you!”
Erin has always wanted a little sister. As a matter of fact, when we were going through the adoption process for the second time, our social worker came to the house. It was her first time to meet Erin who was about 3 years old. Erin said she would give the tour of the house, and when Erin got to her room, she opened the door with one hand and with her other she did a Vanna White scan across her body. “This is my bed, and this is my sister Sarah’s bed,” she told the social worker. At the time Erin had two twin beds. The social worker said, “Well, Erin, you could have a baby brother.” “No,” Erin said, “I’m going to have a baby sister, Sarah.” Not that Sarah isn’t a lovely name, but it just wasn’t on our short list for girl names. As a matter of fact, we didn’t have a short list of girl’s names because I was confident God was going to give us a boy. A week or two before Pearce was born, we bought Erin a doll that favored her and told her that the baby doll’s name was Sarah. She was thrilled. Now, to show you that God intended for us to have Pearce, the boy. Pearce’s birth mother’s name is Sarah, and he was born on her birthday. Yes, that is a God thing. It’s also how we tell Erin and Pearce that we know that Pearce is the one God chose to complete our family. So, the fact that Erin is still harping on wanting a little sister is of no surprise, but the fact that she convinced Catherine to be her little sister was quite clever.
I love the fact that my kids love to spend time with their cousins. I wish they had more time with the cousins from Patrick’s side, but that’s another story for another day. I remember spending a week or two with my cousins in Longstreet, raising horses down the pipeline, getting the eggs from the hen house every day, catching tadpoles from the trough, and having my hair braided and wrapped like Princess Leah. Lori and I would stay with my grandparents and spend our days with cousins running barefoot. Fond memories. I remember spending the holidays with the cousins on my mom’s side of the family. They would come for a week at a time during the summer, and we would go to Hamel’s. Do you remember Hamel’s? Some of my best childhood memories are at that park. There were bumper cars, tilt-a-whirl, roller coaster, waterlog ride, the yo-yo, and merry-go-rounds. We even had shirts to wear from Hamel’s. OH! Can’t forget the go-carts! If you were to compare the cousins on my mom’s side and the cousin’s I have on my dad side…well, you really can’t compare because they are all sooooo vastly different. One isn’t better than another. They’re just different.
Cherish the family you have been given…no matter how crazy they might drive you. There is no replacement for family – good, funny, crazy, different. You can choose your friends, but you can’t choose your family. Just goes to show that God DOES have a sense of humor.
And all of this swapping of siblings took place before Kristy and Lori even realized what was going on. Just goes to show--ya gotta think fast on your feet to be a parent and never, ever leave all the kiddies together unsupervised.
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