More About the Mintz

Today, on our drive in to church, I got to learn even more about Julia's imaginary Mintz family that she thinks about while she gallops.

JULIA: Mom?  You know what's WEIRD?  I've been thinking about the Mintz for SO LONG that, like, they've changed SO MUCH.
ME: Oh yeah?  What's changed?
JULIA: Well, when I first started thinking about the Mintz, Zoe was, like, one or two, and now she's FOUR.  And Lily was, like, nine or ten, and now she's TWELVE!
ME: Wow.  They've gotten a lot older.
JULIA: Yeah.  And Mom?  It feels like THESE are really the RIGHT AGES for them to be.

I guess it makes sense that the Mintz have aged along with Julia.  But I wonder if, considering these are the RIGHT ages for them, they will cease aging and stay in their current state even over future years of Gallop Time.

Auntie Shannon inquired about the Mintz later in the day, and we got to hear even more about what they do.

JULIA: So, the Mintz are Max, Jastina, Jessica, Lily and Zoe.
AUNTIE SHANNON: Which one is in graduate school?
JULIA: Max and Jastina are BOTH in graduate school.  And Jessica is in college.
AUNTIE SHANNON: What are they studying?
JULIA: Well, Jastina wants to be a teacher, and Jessica wants to be a SCIENTIST.

She didn't tell us what Max is majoring in.  I guess that, despite being the oldest, he is still unsure of his career path.  Although I'd think by graduate school he'd have to have a concrete subject of study.  On the other hand, he does go to an imaginary extended version of Julia's elementary school so maybe grad school is much less directed in Julia's head.

Julia most definitely has a LOT of energy to put into Gallop Time today.  Thrilled by the warmer air and the sunshine this afternoon, she couldn't contain herself as we shopped at the Trader Joe's.  Julia skipped and galloped this way and that through the store, weaving herself around the many, many other shoppers, causing Ethan to urge her to be more cautious.

ETHAN: Jules.  You gotta just walk through the store.
JULIA: Sorry, Daddy, I can't HELP it.  I'm just still REJOICING because it's so WARM out!

(I should point out that *warm* is a very relative term at this point.  It's in the lower 40s today.  It feels like paradise, seeing as we spent the majority of the winter not even breaking above freezing.)

I wonder if the Mintz are rejoicing today too.  I'll have to ask Julia all about how they spent their warm and sunny day!