The big sisters just left for school, but he's already waiting for the bus to bring them home. Poor guy - I'm sure he'll be very happy to have them home for Christmas break!
Also, the 30+ year old wallpaper in the stairwell? It's gotta go. Along with the 20+ year old carpet. And the woodwork needs repairing and repainting. That's my new year's resolution - to find a way to make this stairwell more photogenic. I take far too many pictures here and then struggle to white balance the various clashing shades of not-white.