There are many great things about having two girls. There is just no way to describe sisters without using a cliche or two. Their love for each other can make me cry on the very same day that their arguing does the same. Caroline and Katherine’s relationship is simply something I am proud and thrilled to watch grow.

And then on a more practical level, there are the hand me downs. But not just the clothes. There are the books.

While we always fill the house with titles for Katherine that hadn’t been published when Caroline was the same age, we also go back to old favorites. The picture books have just never been put away. The same ones in rotation now for almost nine years. But the early chapter books, I had put away. The ones that Caroline and I had read them together that Katherine wasn’t quite ready for.

Bringing them out now is like inviting an old friend back to your house. Caroline and I read all the Gooney Bird Greene books, one after the other, lauging so hard at Gooney Bird’s antics that we probably woke up a napping Katherine. Sitting in Katherine’s bed this week reading Gooney Bird Greene was such a joy. I knew what was coming and could anticipate when the giggles would come. I knew which outfit she would find just hilarious and which stories she would question. I knew that Gooney Bird would soon become part of conversation as we talked about her throughout our day, waiting for things to settle down enough for us to read.

I can’t wait to invite more old friends over for a visit…