It all started with a baby

Angie was scheduled to have her baby today, three days after Christmas. Instead she came on December 21, four days before. Little Autumn Noelle Carley. We hinted that they should have come up with a middle name that began with B and then her initials would have been ABC. Angie already stole both of my girl names.

When we were growing up, there was a TV show called Dr. Quinn, Medicine Woman. Dr. Quinn's first name was Michaela. All three of us girls fought over that name. Unfortunately Tyler wasn't quite on board and we went with Kiersten, which fits her perfectly. Angie was free to steal our childhood name. Then Alex came along, although we didn't know if Al was going to be a girl or a boy. Tyler and I had decided on two names -- Alex and Autumn. Yep, Ang stole that one too. I guess I'm excited that someone used one of our favorites.

Two sisters: Makayla and Autumn, one very much in love with her baby sister.

Oh, a baby for Christmas just makes the whole season that much more magical. I took the girls for a visit and we were in love. Three weeks earlier Kiersten brought home Ezra Northrup Ruggles Antoninus Pius Marcus Aurelius Pythagonus Charlemagne Muhammed Alpheus Ikemefuna, a fake baby for her child development class. That, by the way, is the name she christened him and is taken from a myriad of sources -- the Doctrine and Covenants; Mr. Henry, her history teacher; and English books. Oh, her poor children. We've had a long chat about how she is to consult her mother before naming any of her own children. I need to know that I can at least pronounce it correctly.

When she walked through the door with that crying baby, my heart melted. Oh how it sounded so real. So real that we even played dress up with the dress we were gifting to baby Autumn. After a few days of hauling baby everywhere, middle-of-the-night feedings, and constant attention, Kiersten was more than happy to hand him back.


Ash pretty much doted on that baby all weekend but refused to hold a real, live, squishy one when she had the chance.

Babies truly are gifts from heaven. And so are sisters.