"Exactly. This is our house. This is the lawn. The sun is high up. There are birds flying. There are flowers. This tall one is Daddy, this is you, Mommy. This one is me," Nicole explained.

Gale pointed at the blank space next to Nicole in the painting. "So why is there an empty spot here? Haven't you finished the painting?"

"No, Mommy. This is for my brother."

Gale was momentarily puzzled.

Nicole raised her painting high and said, "Let's stop here for today, and when I can paint my big brother, we can frame it up. Mommy, is that okay?"

"Nicole, you can paint your big brother now," she replied.

Nicole hesitated for several seconds. "Really? Can I?"

"You can. Your big brother is also a part of our family. We are a family of four, and he shouldn't be excluded."

With Gale's approval, Nicole immediately picked up her paintbrush.

Watching her daughter's happy and serious strokes as she painted Joshua, Gale smiled softly. She had no more interest in working on the design draft; she j