Vicky and Ariah

Two and a half weeks ago, on Monday evening, (of course, right around 4:00 . . . . that's ALWAYS the time) we got a call from Kerry Ann about two girls needing placement who were not siblings, both nine year olds. It's pretty rare for them to have two non-siblings at the same time, I guess. They both showed up about an hour apart and I actually wasn't even here that evening, due to a baby shower.

It's been fun having two girls who aren't sisters. The first few nights, they acted like girls at a slumber party: lots of talking, whispering, silliness when they went to bed. We had to get on them a little bit about going to sleep. But, who could blame them? They were getting to know each other, and they both have different family lives and stories to tell. They have since settled down at bedtime, for the most part, as long as they get some exercise in each day.

Ariah is very tall for her age and has a very strong personality. She is pretty loud and hyperactive, but she is respectful and kind at the same time. She is a Disney Channel expert . . . she can recite pretty much every episode of Hannah Montana and can sing any High School Musical song. Vicky, on the other hand, is on the short side, and is quieter. She has a learning disability, and is very behind in her reading ability. She isn't a push-over, though, which is good since she and Ariah are together non-stop, not always by choice. We have had one day where I took Ariah to a festival in Olympia and Vicky stayed here with Jeremy and Clara by choice so she could "get a break from Ariah." :)

Some fun memories so far from their time here:
1. They were here on our birthdays, so they made posters and cards for both of us, and they helped jeremy a lot with the party for me.
2. Vicky, especially, really likes to play with Clara and is really sweet with her. Ariah wasn't as nice to her in the first few days, since she has a baby sister at home that is Clara's age, and I think she is allowed to slap her hand or whatever when she's doing something she doesn't like. Clara decided early on that she wasn't the biggest fan of Ariah, and she basically tolerates her. But, Ariah is trying to make up for it now and trying to get her to like her. It's getting better.
3. The girls have gotten into doing puppet shows for Clara. They put a blanket over the playpen and set her up with her blankets up on the couch. They hide behind their little "stage" and hold up animal puppets, singing songs for Clara. It's pretty cute.
4. I have a "Lady Antebellum" CD that I recently got from my sister, and I listen to "I run to you" a lot in the car. The girls have now decided that it's one of their favorite songs, and they ask me to play it and we all sing it really loud as we drive down the freeway. So fun!
5. They went to gymnastics camp last week at the YMCA in Puyallup . . our first kids to get to do a program there. They were very accomodating to allow non-members to be in the camp, which I was very grateful for. The girls had fun and it gave them something to do each afternoon.

We're not sure how much longer they'll be here. I think they are both going to be the full 30 days, or even longer, if they get extensions. They don't always get along, and Ariah can be somewhat annoying at times, but they are both fun and great to have around!