Ali’s mom and our niece, Lea, arrived today. Ouest was understandably excited. The kids warmed right up to Grandma and then Ouest zeroed in on Lea. I don’t think I’ve ever seen her so excited to play with somebody. She was smiling from ear to ear the entire afternoon. Man is it going to be nice to have a fourteen-year-old around for a week. Somebody with the energy to try and keep up with Ouest.

Another great thing about a fourteen-year-old is that she is old enough finally to part ways with her books and toys. She raided the storage closet at home and lugged a nice pile of books and toy horses down with her. We’re all set. Books, toys, and a new best friend.