autumn sheeping

aislinn just adores her big sister. when autumn walks into the room aislinn just lights up. it's something about sisters - my sister is my favorite person, too, most of the time. not necessarily when i think about how many of my shirts she's borrowed and not returned. but y'know.

aislinn hasn't figured out yet that autumn doesn't live at our house full time. autumn's there a good portion of each week, but not every day.

on mornings when autumn is at our house, i wake up aislinn, and then i ask her if she wants to wake up autumn. her face lights up and she runs down the hallway wiggling her little bottom, singing, "autumn! wake-up tii-yime! wake-up tii-yime!" as autumn rolls over and opens her eyes, aislinn is already spouting a stream of sentences about what's to come. "autumn wake UP! eat breakfast. ce-wee-al? autumn-eat-ceeweal. aiswinn ha DONUT? eat ceeweal. WAKE up tii-yime!"

on those morning that autumn isn't there, i'll pick up aislinn from her bed and start down the stairs without sending her to wake up autumn. aislinn will whisper to me matter-of-factly, "shhhh. autumn still sheeping." one time i took her down and showed her autumn's empty bed and explained, "autumn's at her mommy's house. autumn's not here right now." aislinn's face was so contorted with confusion that i haven't done it again.

it really kind of breaks my heart.