E’s got big plans. She’s completely redoing the bathroom that she and G have shared since we moved back to the farm, “as soon as G moves out.”

She is planning to take over his bedroom and turn it into a “sleepover annex.”

“Do you think he needs to take his computer monitor,” she asked me, “because I can connect to it and we can use it to watch movies when my friends sleep over.

“Pump the brakes, babe,” I said. (A metaphor that makes sense to her because we’re about to go get her permit test and she’s been diligently studying all summer.)

“He’s not moving out, he’s just relocating temporarily, and when he comes back, he certainly isn’t going to want to find his room made over into a party suite.”

Eyes were rolled, and a few more decorative items slipped into the cart as we wasted a little time before an appointment at Marshall’s.

She doesn’t realize how much she’s going to miss him yet. G didn’t think he was going to miss A at all, either. He didn’t realize how much closer they’d gotten once A got his license and started driving him everywhere.

They shared the same sports schedules and were involved in most of the same extracurricular activities as well. G and E continued the pattern, as cross-country, swimming, and track are all coed sports.

There is also the cachet that went along with being G’s little sister. Whether he would ever admit it or not, being A’s little brother worked out well for G. A was an excellent student, so teachers had high expectations for G, and that has also trickled down to E.

A was a reliable kid who was involved in a lot of school activities, and so G and E have both ended up following in his footsteps. Sometimes it feels like it’s a lot to live up to, but more often it guarantees that they are included when people need things to be done.

Sometimes it seemed to me that G played wallflower to A’s exuberant personality, but once A had moved on, a much more outgoing, engaging side of G emerged. I’m curious to see if the same thing happens with E.

While she has a completely different personality type than either of the boys, she has learned a lot from them, and interestingly, blends aspects of both of their personalities, in addition to her own.

E is also eager to not have to share me. Last year, since it was G’s senior year, if both had an event on the same evening, I usually went to G’s. E was very understanding, but part of the trade off was knowing I’d be front and center at every event of hers this year, and next year.

She hadn’t been in high school during A’s senior year, so there were few conflicts that time around. I was sorry that I had to choose at all, but we handled things as fairly as we could.

I have reminded her that all the chores that are currently shared between them, like collecting the garbage, putting the dishes away, cleaning up after dinner, will all be solely her responsibility. “Totally worth it,” was the response.

She is also quite excited about being the one to make all the menu decisions for the week. For the summer, our meal plan is that everyone picks a meal for the week, which usually gives us a night or two of leftovers, and one night to get takeout.

I pointed out that after cooking for the four of us all summer, cooking for the two of us will probably mean a lot more nights of the same leftovers. Finally, we found something that she wasn’t crazy about. “I guess I’ll survive,” she said.

As was A, G is ready and excited to go to school. I can’t be too sad about him leaving the nest. Obviously, I’m going to miss him. I will miss A as well, having him home this summer was unexpected and enjoyable. I am looking forward to less laundry, fewer pairs of shoes kicked off at the door, and only one grumpy person to wake up before school.

The biggest source of joy for me is only having to iron five school uniforms every week. I will also be back to driving everywhere with E, until she gets her license next spring. It’s been four years since I’ve had to be a regular chauffeur, and while it will take some adjustment, I will not have the stress of worrying about where the other two drivers are while they’re at school.

Our family suddenly went from five to four, and then according to schedule from four to three, and now it will transition from three to two. Inevitably, it will eventually go down to one.

Until then, I’m not taking any of our time together for granted, and regardless of how happy the rest of them are to see each other out, and how grandiose the remodeling plans are, I will always be happy to have them back under one roof when the opportunity arises.

Liz Pinkey’s column appears on Saturdays in the Times News