Last night, my littlest brother and I stood in the hall and went through my purses and shoes. His arms were filled with my mother’s old Anne Geddes hat box she used for her needlepoint projects in the 90s. The round purple box plastered with babies dressed like hydrangeas practically swallowing him whole as he peered over the top. As he walked by the cabinets, an item caught his eye, “What’s dees?” (I want to remember his still small voice and broken English. One day “dees” will become “this” and there’s a 95% chance I’ll cry.)

His eyes were fixed upon my beaded Coca-Cola bag that has traveled with me all around the world. I explained that I like funny purses more than plain ones. Much like the Italian poodle lamp by my closet, or the iron okra sculpture that sits next to an ashtray I use for earrings, his sister likes beautiful things that are funny too. He oohed and nodded his head fervently. “Can I see it?” he asked, already knowing the answer.

Five minutes later, he had held and examined every bag. He determined that my Carmen Miranda bag was the most magical, my Chinese takeout bag was the most delicious, and my sardine bag was funny because I hate sardines. He was now holding my disco ball evening bag, switching his hips declaring, “Ahhh! I like dees ones a bunch!” I couldn’t help but think about how boring life was before.

Since we last saw each other, our family has undergone a major life change. We’ve since welcomed two boys into our family. I could tell you story after story of how perfectly they fit into our family. It’s like they’ve always been here. Now I can’t imagine life without them.

Being a sister is something I’ve always dreamed of. I never expected to become a sister at age twenty-six, but here we are. It’s a bit comical when I think about how quiet our evenings were before. Now they are filled with giggles, wrestling, and a near constant stream of Spanglish.

I won’t say much about them because I can’t at the moment. However, they are even better than the brothers I imagined throughout my life. When my parents were getting ready for retirement, they said yes without a second thought. Our entire lives changed in an instant, and I couldn’t be happier.

What once was silence is now filled with the plucking of out of tune guitar strings. What once was my office is now bathed red by the LED strip lights my brother got for Christmas. What once was reality tv is now Alvin and the Chipmunks. I couldn’t be more proud of my parents. I couldn’t be more proud of my family.

If you need me, I’ll be learning Spanish on Duolingo.

Xoxo, Lady Samantha