Through His Sister's Eyes: Noah Stories

I asked family members, educators, sitters, and others who have worked with Noah to answer a series of fun questions. His older sister, Ilyia, was the first to respond. Over the next couple of weeks I will be sharing their stories and pictures.

1. What is the funniest “Noah moment” you ever witnessed?“When I let Noah follow the procession onto the altar, with his little backpack and huge smile. He proceeded to turn around and preach to the whole church with our very embarrassed priest of a grandfather asking, ‘Where’s the mother?’ (a.k.a. his daughter).”

2. If Noah had a job title based on how you know him, what would it be?“The Thief. He will not steal for you, though, unless the reward is food.”

3. What is something Noah did that made you stop and think, ‘Well, I did not see that coming’?“When a snake got into our blow-up pool, Noah decided to pick it up by its tail and slam it into the water. The snake was fine. I was not.”

4. If you had to give survival tips to the next teacher/helper/sitter, what wisdom would you share?“Noah is very unpredictable, and it would be smart to never let him out of your sight and always know where he is. Trust me, I will think he is in the basement when he is actually in the neighbor’s yard.”

5. What memory of Noah always makes you smile (or shake your head) when you think of it?“When playing Charades, Noah’s signature move is getting on all fours, butt in the air, lifting his leg, and pretending to pee like a dog—with sound effects.”

Life with Noah is never dull, and Ilyia’s stories prove it. One minute he is preaching from the altar, the next he is wrestling snakes, and by game night he is bringing down the house with his charades performance. If there is one thing we can all agree on, it is that Noah keeps us laughing, surprised, and occasionally hiding in the neighbor’s yard.