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These stories just keep getting longer! I hope you enjoy them. Last round was such a tight race.

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5 years have passed

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DH (39): James Eugene Hall (RowenaRavenclaw)
DW (39): Alexia Cosmina Hall, nee. Vidraru (skinnyminnie)
DD (12): Sofia Victoria Hall (JuliaF)
DD (8): Elisa Jasmine Hall (cher529s)
DS (4):
DDog (dec): Lucky (Story)

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Sofia’s friend (13):

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After their move and Elisa’s arrival, it was an unspoken agreement that James and Alexia’s family would not extend any further. The possibility of having more children at a later date remained, but neither of them were keen on the idea of starting again when the girls would be in a different stage of life, which would leave any new baby to be raised almost like an only child. Although James would have liked a son, their two beautiful daughters were enough.

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In the spirit of new priorities, Alexia requested a transfer to a bank branch closer to home, in order to cut out the commute and be more available to her family. The request had just been approved when news broke: fate had other plans and there would indeed be a third child in the home. In one way, this was good news as James would have a son after all and Elisa would have the little brother she had been asking for. In another, it placed Alexia in the embarrassing position of requesting maternity leave almost immediately after starting work in the new building. Elisa was overjoyed to hear that she would soon have a younger sibling, as her only prior experience of babies was their neighbour’s two year old and she had grand visions of having a living doll to play with. Sofia took more of a ‘whatever will be will be’ attitude. Adding to the excitement was the discovery that No. 3 was due on Christmas Eve, although based on prior experience, he would probably end up being a January baby.

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The majority of the year passed peacefully, but tragedy struck the family only two months before Christmas when James’ cousin Anthony died suddenly in a car accident. His loss was a shocking blow to the entire Hall family, and alongside Anthony’s mother, sympathy was also reserved especially for James. The two men had been very close, being only 13 months apart in age and growing up on the same street. James, an only child, had considered Anthony to be the brother he never had. He responded to the news with numbness rather than an outpouring of grief, remaining by himself in the corner during the funeral and offering monosyllabic answers to anyone who asked how he was feeling. At home Alexia was more successful in persuading him to share his feelings, but these conversations always ended in tears and it proved difficult to grieve openly as Sofia had appointed herself guardian of her father’s happiness, swooping in to offer comfort if he ever showed any signs of upset.

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Nevertheless life could not stop, and nor could time. As if sensing that a source of joy was needed to remedy the sadness, DS made his entrance to the world a whole 10 days early, to the surprise of everyone – not least the other parents at Sofia’s Nativity play. Elisa was bitterly disappointed to discover that her brother was tinier and more useless than advertised, unable to play games and only good for taking attention away from her. Sofia, on the other hand, adored him from the first day with her only complaint being that his head was heavy and holding him hurt her arm. In fact, she took such good care of him that DS did not make any effort to stand until well after his first birthday. A doctor consulted by his worried parents diagnosed that he was merely intelligent – his older sister fetched and carried so much for him that he had no need to walk, realising that pointing at things netted him the same result. Upon losing his live-in servant, DS suddenly began to hit his milestones and not only walked, but ran.

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Now four years old, DS is still running and still using his intelligence for mischievous purposes. He loves anything adventurous and needs to be watched at all times, lest he climb a tree (he has mastered the ascent, but the descent still gives him trouble), run off into the woods or trespass on someone’s property simply because it gives him a thrill to do things he’s not allowed to. He has inherited his mother’s love for animals, though in his case it is wild animals that are appealing. On trips to the zoo, he refuses to move from the tiger enclosure and is campaigning to get a pet cat, regarding them as smaller versions of tigers that would be easier to keep at home. Sofia is pleased to have another feline fan in the house. Elisa has also grown to like her brother now that he is bigger and “cuter” in her words. On his first day at school she insisted on walking him to his classroom, informing everyone along the way that he was her brother, and was even more proud than Alexia.

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Elisa has become calmer with age. She remains a somewhat stern child, but lessened her need to be in control of everything after she started school and realised that nobody wanted to play with someone who told them they were breaking rules every few minutes. She has grown to enjoy painting and can often be found sitting quietly with her easel, creating abstract stripes and squares of colour. Two of her works hang in the living room and her parents encourage her often. Elisa is less pleased with her own work, complaining that they are simply coloured shapes and she regrets her inability to draw anything recognisable. Sofia has challenged her to several drawing competitions, as her own abilities don’t extend beyond stick men, in order to show off her sister’s comparative talent. So far this has not worked, as Elisa merely points out Sofia’s ability to do mental maths, which she cannot.

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Sofia has continued to be a pleasure for her teachers, spending lunchtimes in the library and getting high marks in every test placed in front of her, but her social life has had an unexpected boost with the arrival of a new boy in her class this year. Eager for friends, he approached anyone he found sitting alone and, after overcoming the shock of being spoken to, Sofia willingly adopted him. She has tried to teach him some piano (he is not very good) and he has taught her the rules of basketball, his favourite sport. Like most things she tries, Sofia has proved to be pretty good at the sport and the team of two has now grown to six, made up of other boys in the school plus Sofia and her friend.

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The loss of his cousin has continued to affect James in small ways. He has overcome the anxiety about driving that plagued him in the immediate aftermath, but Anthony’s death at such a young age has caused James to rethink his priorities and wonder whether he is still happy working in computer programming. It is a well-paid job and the flexibility is useful, but it is also stressful and he feels isolated from his colleagues. He is considering the possibility of changing careers to pursue teaching, reviving his old dream of an academic career in a new form. This ambition has been encouraged by Sofia, who likes the idea of her father working in her school and maybe letting her off homework, but less so by Alexia. Although she values James’ happiness, training for his new role would take time and leave her as sole breadwinner, as well as increasing childcare costs. The job itself would also require taking a pay cut. Discussions are ongoing

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Sadly, two years ago the family suffered another loss. Lucky developed a sudden illness and the vet was unable to determine the cause, suggesting that it was nothing to worry about and would soon clear up. This proved to be an empty reassurance as Lucky swiftly deteriorated, spending her final days huddled in her basket with her family at her side. Alexia struggled with the loss most of all, spending several days trying to hide her tears. Sofia responded by running to her room and refusing to come out. Elisa went with her father as they brought Lucky back to the vet, a little two-person funeral procession, and sternly instructed the receptionist that her surname was Hall and she was to be treated like a member of their family and not an animal. DS, still a toddler, had little idea what was happening but cried at bedtime upon realising that his expected furry cuddles wouldn’t be coming.

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The most recent event in the family’s lives, however, has been joyous as James and Alexia were finally able to have their long-awaited wedding. Having their children present made the day even better. Elisa was a very helpful young wedding planner, forming a team with her mother to ensure everything went perfectly, while Sofia was happy to provide the music. DS’s contribution to proceedings was to almost pull the tablecloth down in an effort to reach the cake, but the quick intervention of his grandmother prevented disaster. The honeymoon took the form of a family holiday to Italy, the first time they had ever gone there, but not the last as the Hall women have fallen in love with the country. Elisa has already decided that she is going to move there when she grows up.

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DS’s first name is Biblical and has some relation to Christmas. His middle name is Anthony, Lawrence or Thomas after James’ cousin.

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Sofia’s friend has a first name that was popular in Spain in 2002 and a middle name that was in the 100-200 most popular in the USA at the same time. His surname is Spanish and hyphenated.