Penny starting Kindergarten affected Oliver in a way I wasn’t prepared for. He cried his heart out that first day of school watching the school bus take away his big brother and big sister without him.  I held him close and cried into his shoulder. Both of us feeling a bit abandoned. He comes home after preschool and plays with his same toys in the same rooms but notices the quiet, notices the missing. He lights up as soon as she steps off the school bus and for the rest of the day he is her shadow, he is her copycat. She smiles, so does he, she throws a tantrum, so does he, she eats chips, fruit, yogurt for a snack, he eat chips, fruit, yogurt. Because this time together is so short he doesn’t fight with her, he doesn’t snatch from her or challenge her. He’s just happy to play with his same toys in the same rooms knowing his sister is nearby.

There is no brighter star in his world than her.