A couple days a week the calm of Hannah Parke’s house in Grand Rapids gives way to a little bit of chaos. The kind that’s bustling with activity, bursts of belly laughs and loud demands.
Parke’s two year old son, Marlow, and his friend Avery were taking turns on a swing shaped like a saucer when the pair spotted Ellie on the sandbox. Ellie was busy digging for buried stones with a small plastic shovel.
“No, no, no — I don’t want that!” Marlow yelled, hoping to catch her attention. Ellie didn’t look up. The shovel kept scraping through the sand. Avery, already restless, wandered toward the garden at the edge of the yard…