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something else now?”
    “What do you want to do?” Mattie asked.
    “Why don’t we go up to your room and play with your dolls?”
    “Sure, let’s go.”
    The girls raced into the house and hurried up the stairs to Mattie’s bedroom.
    “You sure keep your room nice,” Stella said. “Everything looks so neat and tidy.”
    Mattie smiled. “I’m not like Mark. I don’t like having a messy room. Mom has to remind him all the time to pick up his room and put his things away where they belong, but he doesn’t seem to care about things like that.”
    “I don’t like a cluttered room either,” Stella agreed. “I clean mine at least once a week.”
    Mattie got out two of her favorite dolls, and as the girls took seats on Mattie’s bed, the sun shone brightly through her bedroom windows, making it extra light in the room. Both dolls had cloth bodies, but their heads, arms, and legs were made of vinyl. They were dressed in Amish clothes and looked almost like real babies.
    “I can’t wait till I grow up and have a boppli of my own,” Stella said. “Babies are soft and cuddly, and they smell so sweet.”
    Mattie wrinkled her nose. “Not when they mess their
windle
.“
    “That’s true,” Stella agreed. “No one likes to change dirty diapers.”
    They’d only been playing a little while when Mom stuck her head in the open doorway. “Perry and I will be heading to Millersburg now to get him some new shoes,” she said. “So I’m going to send Ada up here to play with you and Stella.”
    Mattie’s eyebrows shot up. “What? Aren’t you taking Ada with you?”
    Mom shook her head. “She gets restless when we go shopping, and it would be hard for me to keep her occupied and help Perry try on shoes. Besides, I told you earlier that I’d need your help and would be leaving Ada with you for a while. Did you forget?”
    “Jah.” Mattie wasn’t the least bit happy about watching her little sister, but with Stella there to help, maybe it wouldn’t be so bad.
    “Come on, Stella. Let’s go downstairs,” Mattie said, after Mom left the room.
    “How come?” Stella asked with a curious expression. “I thought we were gonna play with your dolls.”
    “Didn’t you hear what my mamm said? I have to watch Ada while she’s gone.”
    “Can’t you watch her up here?”
    Mattie shook her head so hard that the ribbon ties on her head covering swished around her face. “Ada’s even messier than Mark, and I don’t want her in my room. Besides, if she comes in here she’ll want to play with my dolls, and I won’t allow that at all.”
    “Why not?”
    “‘Cause she doesn’t know how to be careful with things, and I don’t want my dolls to get ruined.” Mattie set her doll on the bench near the window. “Let’s go downstairs. We can find something else to do while Mom and Perry are gone.”
    When they got downstairs, they found Mom standing by the back door with Perry. “Our driver’s here now, so we’re heading out.”
    “Okay, but where’s Ada?” Mattie questioned.
    “She was hungry, so I fixed her some cheese and crackers.” Mom motioned to the kitchen. “When she’s done eating, make sure her hands get washed. Oh, and Mattie … there’s one more thing. Be sure you keep a close watch on Ada. You know how she likes to wander off.”
    Mattie nodded. “Since Stella’s here we can both watch Ada.”
    Mom gave Mattie a hug and then she and Perry hurried out the door.
    “Should we go to the kitchen for a little snack?” Mattie asked Stella.
    “That sounds good,” Stella said with a nod. “I’m kind of hungerich, too.”
    When the girls entered the kitchen, they found Ada sitting on a stool at the table. Since she was too short to sit in a regular chair, the stool was just right for her.
    “
Kaes
,” Ada said, smiling at Mattie and pointing to the cheese Mom had cut up for her.
    “Jah. Stella and I are gonna have some kaes, too.” Mattie went to the refrigerator and took out some