Discovering Talents

Reese has discovered poetry and came up with this little gem this afternoon.
I know I'm her mom and all, so my opinion is biased, but it's her first poem.
...and it is sort of totally incredible.

Halloween Fun
by Reese Willardson

Halloween is time for fun.
We go trick or treating. 
To get more candy you can run
to all the houses that are waiting.

We dress up
like a cat
or a ghost 
or a bat. 

We go to a house.
Look out for the witch! 
We go home but guess what? 
Count our candy, we are rich!  


Um, yeah.  She is seven years old, folks.  Seven. 
I'm very impressed, and can't wait to read what she comes up with next.

Reasoning With Reese: Don't Be Jealous

Reese: Mom, are you jealous that me and Quincy and Corbin love dad and not you?
Me: What the heck? You don't love me? Why would you say that?
Reese: No...you know what I mean, like are you jealous that we're all excited when dad comes home and we all want to sit by him and be around him and see him and stuff and then you...you know, you're just always there?
nice.

Reasoning With Reese

The one where Reese finds something wrong with the universe and creeps us out a little:

Reese: Mom, isn't Great Grandma Tenney (Mima) like...90 or something?
Me: Yes, she is 91, almost 92.
Reese: Well, um...shouldn't she be dead by now? 

Later, I tried explaining how lucky we are to still have Mima with us, but she just jumped in with
"But it doesn't make any sense. She's the oldest one I know. She should be next."

and then Quincy chimed in with "Nuh UH, Dad's gonna die first. He's the oldest. Wait. Who is older, Mom?  You or Dad? That's who dies first. Ok, maybe it's Grandma or Grandpa next. They are old..."

********************************************************
The one where I fess up:

While driving past NWACC
Reese: Hey look, there's your college. Why do people go to college?
Meg: To get an education.
Reese: What's that?
Meg: It means "to learn".  You don't stop learning when you grow up.  You are always learning new things, even when you aren't in school.  If you want to learn about something specific, like history or art or how to be a better speaker or something, you can learn about it at college. 

Reese: But why did YOU go to college?
Meg: Because I wanted to learn some new things.  I got to read a lot of books for one class, and I learned about how to be a better teacher in another class, and...
Reese: Yeah, but you don't need college for that stuff. You already know everything. Right?

(Yeah. I was pretty tempted to say, "Right!" and end the convo there. I did the right thing and sold myself out as a non all-knowing being to my child.  At least I hope it was the right thing. She's only 7...seems like I should have gotten away with "knowing everything" for at least a few more years.)

*****************************************
The one where Reese uses brilliance and logic to charm her way out of doing chores:
Reese: Ugh. It is always going to be like this? Where you tell me, "Quincy is only 5", and that's why she doesn't have the same rules or have to help clean our room as much? 

Me: You will always be 2 years older than Quincy, so...yes, I think so. You always have at least a few different rules because you are different children with different talents, but also because you are different ages.  Get used to that answer, because you will probably hear it again.

Reese: Well then can't you start using that answer for me, too? Someday, I will be 9, but today I'm only 7, so you could make it a little easier for me too, so I don't have to help as much, either. 
Me: laughs, why would I make it easier? You have rules for a 7 year old Reese, not a 5 year old Quincy.  She isn't you. You each get your own rules and chores.

Reese: Because if you said I don't have to help clean up sometimes, that would make it fair.  I'm always gonna be 2 years older than Quincy, but today I am two years younger than the 9 year old myself.  That isn't fair that you say, "Quincy is only 5, you are two years older" and not "Reese is only 7"

In case you didn't know these things:

1) One-ply toilet paper shouldn't even exist. 
I bought it on accident and it is a total joke. 

Or as Aaron says, "this is the toilet paper they have in Hell."
2) According to Quincy, "if a boy gives you a flower to put in your hair, then he is your boyfriend (what the?! What are they teaching her at that preschool?) but only if he is as handsome as Justin. Mrs. Lewis says we can get married when we are older but right now he just has to be my boyfriend."

3) The wait time at Bentonville Pediatrics is approximately 1 hour and 15 minutes for a scheduled appointment.  Oh and Corbin's ears are both infected again.

4) Reese's ears, however, are not infected...but she put on a good enough show for Aaron this morning for him to gain a boat load of sympathy, the Quetzalcoatl blanket (reserved for sick days and special events in our house) and his permission for her to stay home sick from school.  My diagnosis was similar to Dr. A's.  She assured us at Corbin's appointment that Reese is quite healthy and quite the actress.  She was required to take quite the nap and do quite the list of chores when we got home from the doctor.  At least they only charged me for Corbin.

5) "Daddy" = Aaron, and "Dad" = grandpa Hal.  For the last week, Corbin hollers for "Gwamma" and "Dad" and follows them everywhere like a curious puppy. Super cute. It was a little embarrassing/creepy when I was in Lowe's with my dad and Corbin was calling him "Dad", though....so we started to push that he actually call him, "Grandpa". 

Now he just calls them both, "Gwamma".  My dad isn't really thrilled about that nickname, either, but considering that my girls both called my mom, "Grandpa" when they were two, it's only fair that he take one for the team.

6) Tonight, Reese asked Aaron if he's "jealous that Mommy's parents are here to visit us".  He laughed.  He's pretty thrilled to have someone else around to hold crazy Mommy's hair back while she pukes, fetch snacks for her ridiculous food cravings, and check things off her never ending to-do list.

7)  My hair was not designed to be braided.  It just doesn't work. 
8) Speaking of my hair, I despise the (too purple) color and have an appointment for a cut/style/color on Saturday.  I'm tempted to chop it short, but I have one fear that keeps me from doing just that:  I'm turning 30 in one week.  What if the haircut is terrible? I already don't have my own body right now, I definitely cannot rock my 30th birthday with an unflattering "mom haircut".   So I'm keeping it long for a while longer.  But what to do with it?  Send ideas for style/color soon.  I grew my bangs out and sort of hate it, so I'll probably have them cut, unless someone has a brilliant style suggestion that will fix them.

9) The fence gate is done, done, aaaaaand done. Hallelujah!  Thanks, Dad!  I sleep better at night knowing Corbin cannot sneak out again. (That's right, I said again. Mother of the year!)

10) Aside from maxi dresses (saving grace) maternity clothing companies are all sharing the same slogan this year and my guess is that it sounds something like, "We hate pregnant women".  Dear Motherhood, Mimi, Old Navy, and the rest of the lot: Pregnant women want to be comfortable, not sexy. Sexy is how we got pregnant. That part's taken care of...now we just want to get our elastic waist goin' on and sport fabric that doesn't make us sweaty.
11) Reese got some test scores back and she is reading at 2nd grade level.  She was satisfied with this assessment and told us with confidence that "2nd grade will be better than 1st grade."  I sure hope so.  This year wasn't the greatest as far as class/teachers go and I hope she'll have some different kids in her class next year.  There are 20 days left of school and she is ready to close the door on 1st grade and not look back.  I admire her for her perseverance in a few lousy situations this school year.  She maintained a good example for her peers and made it through with a positive attitude.  I am so happy that she will be home with us for summer break soon! I just love that girl and last summer break was just not long enough. 

12) Another sign that Reese is ready to move on to bigger and better things is that she ditched the training wheels and taught herself to ride her two wheeler like a champ. She now cruises around effortlessly and we are so proud of her.  Way to go, Reese!  You can do hard things!  

13) Aaron played in a stake basketball tournament on Saturday and made it to the semi finals.  Go Aaron!  I wish we'd gone to cheer. I love watching him play sports and it also would have been a really good excuse for eating junk food and making a few cat calls.  He had a lot of fun.

14) The weatherman here raps the news.
No seriously.  Not like those Autotune remixes, he actually made up a rap for the 10day forecast. 
It isn't good....which is actually kind of disappointing since I love me a good rap.  

Also, tonight regularly programmed television was briefly interrupted for "BREAKING NEWS".
Wanna know what the breaking news was?  10 second film coverage of an airport landing at XNA with the alleged new Razorbacks coach on board. Yep, breaking news.  Hopefully the new highest paid state employee will live a higher moral standard than the previous head coach did. 

15) I made eggs this morning and they were still warm when I cracked them open.   It made me happy to know how fresh our breakfast was...but it was also kind of freaky to hold a warm egg in my hand.  Sort of like sitting on a warm toilet seat in the winter.  It's super nice to not have your buns freeze...until you think about why the seat is warm in the first place. 

I Hear

Quincy: "If I mix my vanilla yogurt in this chocolate pudding do you think it will be totally disgusting or just kinda gross but still good to eat? I'm going for it, Mom."

Reese: "Mom, since you're having a baby and dad is at work and there is a LOT of laundry on your bed, I am doing a secret special something in your room, so just take a nap and don't peek. And if you need to go pee, you'd better use my bathroom, or knock."

Corbin: "I horsey, Neeeeiiiiggghhhhh!!!!! I horsey! No.....wook! I a piggy, oink oink, rrraaarrrrrrr! I piggy-tiger!"

the dryer humming.

cardinals chirping and nesting in the crepe myrtles.

the kitchen cabinets being opened and closed 100 times by Quincy, our kitchen snacking mouse.

silence from the toilet that isn't "running" anymore because I fixed it (booyah!).

rain pouring out over the sides of our gutters.

squawky Scoutie and Eleanor telling the world there are eggs to collect. (Happy 1st birthday, chickens!)

"Santaaaaaaa!!!!! I know him, I KNOW him!"

Reese: [whispers at the arrival of Santa] Uhhh Mom, don't you think I'm getting a little old for this?
Me: for what? Santa?

Reese: No! Just for sitting on his lap. I'll tell him what I want, but I'll just stand next to him.

Quincy: "I want an Astrid doll (which does NOT exist, by the way) and a Luna doll (which also doesn't exist) and a Jeannette doll from Alvin and the Chipmunks. Not Britney, Jeannette."

Quincy: That's not the right Santa. He doesn't have a cherry nose!

Corbin: [His reaction went something like this.]
Today:
Me: "Reese, tell me what you asked Santa for on your list?"

Reese: "I want a Eleanor doll and a Theador doll from Alvin and the Chipmunks the Squeakuel and a Harry Potter lego set, and a canopy bed and a canopy closet like Fancy Nancy's and a Ballet Barbie."

Quincy: That's a lot of things, Reese....[bursts into song] Joy to the World my men come home, let every spirit sing! And M&M nature sing, and M&M nature sing and M-MMM and M&M's and nature sing!"

Reese: "Hey. I was really bad last Christmas Eve and got in a lot of trouble for throwing a big fit. But Santa still came and brought me presents....how do you explain that? Can I be bad this year? Don't worry, I'm not going to, but like if I was naughty, would Santa just come anyway?"

Quincy: Hey, guess what, Santa----

Corbin: -----SAAAAANNNTTTTAAAAAA! Mom! Santa! Mom! MOM! Santa! Christmas trees! MOM! MOM!

Quincy: Ugh, be QUIET Corbin, I was talking! Mom, Santa brings us presents if we sleep good because to remind us of Jesus's birthday.

Reese: it's his birth, not his birthDAY

Corbin: Birthday!!!!! Santa!!!!!

Quincy: That's the same thing if it's his birth then it's his birthday. There is still presents.

At Bedtime

Reese: Mom, could you bake something awesome tonight after we go to bed?
Me: probably not, tonight...why?
Reese: So the elf will copy you and make a miniature one.

We Didn't Start the Fire!

I baked an apple pie the other day, and forgot to put a pan under the pie, and the pie juices overflowed and started to burn on the bottom of the oven. The result was thick smoke spewing out of the oven vent and a billowing black cloud in the kitchen.

Reese walked into the room, noticed the smoke, grew disgusted with our lack of action, then absolutely panicked.

It was HYSTERICAL.

Mind you, we were all walking around very calmly, opening windows and turning on fans, etc.

I wish I'd had the camera running the entire time. She shouted, "Smoke! Fire! Danger! Everyone! Stop, Drop and Roll!" Then she went limp and melted to the floor, flopped back and forth a few times and started the worlds slowest jungle crawl toward the farthest possible exit from the house. We died laughing.

She came back in and we calmed her down, but she still insisted on demonstrating proper fire safety a second time. I managed to capture a small segment of her brave leadership in our exodus. Clearly, she has grown accustomed to dealing with her idiot parents.

I love that child.

Of course, our casual laughter probably ruined all potential of any of us making it out alive in the event of a real fire.

Well, anyone except Reese. Our new fear is that she is going to go all Dwight on us and teach us a lesson that you can never be to careful when it comes to fire safety. Can't you just see her doing this to us one day?

Oh Tinkerbell

Reese is twirling around the living room in a Tikerbell dress and singing, "Oh Tinkerbell, oh Tinkerbell, how lovely is my dre-ess" to the tune of, "Oh Tannenbaum".

She has no idea that she didn't invent the tune.
It's pretty cute.

Reese, on Halloween Costumes

Reese: I want to be "Huh-My-Knee" for Halloween.

Meg: You want to be a what?

Reese: Huhmynee. You know, from Harry Potter 1 and 2? (we've only allowed her to watch the first two films and she reminds us of this injustice daily) The girl.

Meg: Oh! HeRmoine?

Reese: No. They say it like this, "Huhmynee".

Meg: That's because they are British. They have accents because they live far away in England. You live in the United States. You can call her, Hermoine.

Reese: Oh. That's funny. Ok, well if I be HERmoine, can you make my hair big like hers or get me a wig or something? Hey! You should be HERmoine, Mom! Your hair is already so big it's perfect!

Out of the Blue

Reese: Mom, having a brother is much more fun than not having a brother.

A Proper Sunday School Education

I stayed home from church with sicky Q yesterday. At dinner, I asked Reese what she learned about in Primary.

Reese: We talked about Alayna's nipples.

!!!???!

Me: What? What do you mean? You saw her nipples? Why? When? Why?!

Reese: Alayna has nipples. BIG nipples, and everyone saw them. It was so funny. My teacher thinks they are really cute. You can poke them. Do you have nipples, Mom? Dad says you have nipples, too.

Me: Wait, poke them like how? Show me how you and your teacher poked Alayna's nipples.

Reese then put one finger on each of her cheeks and said, "Like this. Alayna has these nipples right here and they get really big like this (she sucked in her cheeks) when she smiles, it is sooo cute."

Me: DIMples, Reese. Those are called dimples.

Alayna does, indeed have darling dimples that are worthy of poking. I, however, do not. We're still working out the misunderstanding there.

"Well Kip, frankly, I'm a little concerned about your mode of transportation"

Me: Reese, it's almost dinner time. Go hop in the shower, real quick.

Reese: [rolls eyes] Um, ok, but walking seems more practical.

Be Still My Heart

Yesterday, the kids were feeling better so we all went outside and played in the dirt a little. I managed to get all of the garden beds weeded, rake some leaves, and haul away a few tarps full of yard waste. Reese dug up 3 earthworms with her little shovel and relocated them to the compost bin, offering grapefruit and banana peels as a new home...cuz that's pretty much all that's in there.



I'm a little excited about the compost thing.

I'm a lot excited about the garden. It's one of my favorite things we do as a family. We actually EAT the food that we grow. We give a lot of it away, sometimes unwillingly to bugs and neighbors who barge on in and take what they want, but also to our friends, who in return, share what they have grown. It's nice.



It felt so good to be outside with my kids, today.



I worked hard while they napped, and then we worked together, and then we just played.

I pushed them on the swings and silly songs were sung.

Reese's flip flops were flung from her feet and into the sky as she went higher on her swing.

Corbin threw a lot of dirt, and probably ate a good share, too.

Quincy made a mud pie and refused to touch the worms.



I took a minute to soak everything in. I watched my beautiful children, all laughing and swinging happily, and thanked God for giving them to me.



I am far from perfect, far from patient, and am well aware of where I fall short of my potential.

But on this particular afternoon, I experienced one of those moments where everything was just perfect. I was so overcome with affection for my sweet little ones, that I felt my voice shake as I told each of them how much I love them.



Reese responded, "We love you too, Mommy. I'm glad I'm your heart. That's where you have the most special love. In your heart. That's where we are."



I love them.

They are my heart.



It was such a perfect afternoon, I was sad (and so were they) when it ended.


Good thing we have today.

Snowmaggedon

Me: Let's listen to some music
Reese: [glances out the window] Liiiiiike Christmas music?

Looks about right.
What the crap.
Snowpocalypse is upon us.
I haven't been able to leave my house since Monday.

Even though the highway is clear, today, you need chains to get there. It's supposed to be "warm" today, and hopefully, with the sun shining, enough snow will melt for us to get out of the house for a couple of hours.

AND...there is MORE SNOW on it's way!

We're ready for it.

Last week, we kept busy by:

-building a maze in the living room

-making homemade valentines

-popcorn, hot chocolate, nacho cheese dip

-a stack of new easy reader books (thanks, Grandma and Grandpa!)

-a Read In (Mr H's 4th grade class, style) in the living room. We are reading The Doll People by Ann M. Martin (who deserves a special shout out for also writing the BEST children's book series evah (The Babysitter's Club! Did anyone else want to be Stacey? Kristy? I was always a big fan of Dawn, and dreamed of finding a secret passage in my own house.) I finished Perilous and started The Book Theif, the girls are loving The Doll People, Reese has sped through the easy readers, and Reese set a lofty goal for us to read 50 pages in the Book of Mormon together, during our snow days. The Read-In (and necessary junk food) kept us entertained for almost 2 full days!

In the event that we DO get that other 6-8 inches of snow that Mr. Weatherman (who is NOT my friend) predicts "will make last weeks storm look like child's play", we will be ready.

This week, we are armed with:

-a new movie (Alvin and the Chipmunks: the Squeakuel---don't be jealous)

-supplies to make some valentine gifts for the ladies I visit teach and the girls' school teachers

-bubble bath solution, pedicure supplies and the works for a "spa day"

-fixin's (that's right I said "fixin's") for a sweet Super Bowl party--Go Packers!

-heart shaped cookie cutters and ingredients for sugar cookies and pink icing

(PS-Sorry Hays...this much snow really isn't normal.)

"Honey let's play hooky 'cause it snowed last night..."

Brrrrrr.....
It was 1* outside with windchill.
That's a little too cold for Bella Vista, and way cold for the girls. They didn't last very long outside, but they had fun while they were out there.

The rest of the day involved me sitting in the "audience" (hallway) and high quality live puppet theater. The girls pulled up a stool behind the curtain, so Corbin could reach. It was a short lived effort, but very sweet nonetheless.

Before Reese got on the bus, this morning, she had a lot of questions about what Quincy, Corbin, and I will be doing with our day. She begged one last time for me to let her stay home and play with us. I think she is starting to realize that the world doesn't stop when she isn't home, or when she is asleep.

Little does she know, the world of every mother stops a little bit when her children aren't home.

I assured her that that if she could see the mountain of laundry that I plan to fold, the dishes I'm going to wash, the shower drain that will be unclogged (gag), diapers that I'll change, (or if only knew how grueling the phone calls to the Boise State Admissions office and Health Insurance company are going to be), she'd choose to go to school.

She told me, "it would be so nice if you could wait to have any fun at all until I get home."

Too bad every day can't be a Snow Day. Carry on.

Social Influence

Last night during dinner, Reese perked up and shared some big news in a very matter-of-fact voice.

"The Razorbacks lost the Sugar Bowl last night. The other team was cheating. It's pretty sad."


Isn't she just a little Bob Costas?! ( Well, minus the fake hair and botox)
Question[s]:
Since when does my kid speak in Sports Center?
Does she hang around on the playground talking about the big game with her gal pals?
Does she even know who the Razorbacks are?
What kindergartener was allowed to stay up unil 11pm on a school night to watch the Sugar Bowl?

My head is so full of queries, it might explode soon.
Aaron is beaming.

Buddy the Elf, what's your favorite color?

Aaron: Hey girls, who locked this door? Was it you, Reese?
Reese: Me? Noooooo, [laughs] I think Quincy did it.
Aaron: I think it was you.
Reese: [smiling] nope.
Aaron: Reese, tell me the trutth
Reese: What? I a-am.
Aaron: If you're telling the truth, then why are you smiling so big?
Reese: Uhhhh...."I just like smiling. Smiling's my favorite".

I'm starting to think Aaron's gift of perfectly coined movie quotes is hereditary

Home Alone With Reese

Aaron brought home takeout from Gusano's (yum).
Reese opened the pizza box, drew in a deep breath and said,
"Mmmm, Is that 'a lovely cheese pizza just for me?'"

Dear Santa (part 1)

Ho Ho Ho! It's time for the annual Willy Family Christmas Wish Lists.

Let's begin with Aaron, this year.
Oh, that's right. He bought a boat without telling me, and doesn't get presents anymore.
Moving on.


Kidding.
Sort of.

Numero uno on Aaron's list is an acoustic guitar.
I think he must have been inspired by Reese's request for a guitar (we told her she has to wait until she is 8) and figured if he starts now, he'll have a 2 year head start.

He's been dropping subtle hints to make sure I get it for him. Every time he does this, I not-so-subtly remind him that that isn't how Christmas works. He's gonna have to wait, and just be surprised or disappointed on Christmas morning.

The rest of his list is more of a checklist, rather than a wish list. That's right. My man likes to make it easy for me to Christmas shop for him.
A lovely golf club showed up on the doorstep last week.
2 new dress shirts and 2 regular t shirts appeared on his bedroom dresser.

He also went Black Friday Shopping (against my professional advice) and bought a digital camcorder that we plan to bust open on Christmas morn.

and the George W. Bush book that he wanted.

See how easy he makes it for me?
Merry Christmas, Aaron! I really think you're going to love the gifts you got yourself.
I am totally wrapping up that golf club....and probably sticking a big bow on the boat.


Meg:
First and foremost, I really want nothing more than one of these, for Christmas.
I think that should make things pretty clear, for "Santa", in regards to what I want for our 10 year Anniversary.

Ahem, which is in July, btw.


This weekend, I learned a good lesson about the importance of waiting 24 hours to clear one's head, before purchasing furniture.

It's not important. It is stupid. When 24 hrs is up, you will go (excitedly) to the store to pick up your beautiful mid-century buffet with glass cabinet cut the perfect size to hold all of your milk bottles, and the perfect place to house your kitchen aid mixer, and 1/2 dozen drawers for everything that is currently crammed into your kitchen cabinets, and it's extra perfect because it's already been painted black, and it's so cheap that you can buy it with the Christmas money you were given, and and and...


and someone will have already purchased it the day before, and taken it home to make HIS wife the happiest in all the land. Boo.



I am still holding onto an ounce of hope that the mystery buyer is maybe, possibly, hopefully-but-probably-notfully MY husband, buying it for me, and somehow, a beautiful buffet will appear in my dining room on Christmas Day. Keeping fingers crossed for a Christmas miracle.


Lesson learned here: Don't hesitate. just buy it. That system is clearly working out nicely for Aaron.


And here we have the lesson learned in waiting for an item to go on sale before buying it. I've wanted these orange running shorts for awhile. Now that they're only $14.99, they don't carry my size anymore. So if you find them in Small in your local Gap store, please please buy them and send them to me!
Lesson #2 Learned. Don't wait for the sale price, cuz they'll run outta your size.

Winter running means frozen noses, rosy cheeks, icicles on my eyelashes, and cold hands. There's not a lot that can be done for a cold face, but I could really use some of these to keep my hands from freezing off. Huh. Maybe I should just buy them for myself. I really don't want Lesson #3 Learned to be "wear gloves or you'll get frostbite". That would suck.

I totally want these clothbound cassic children's books. Actually, I'd be thrilled to open just about ANY of the Penguin Clothbound Classics. One of the things on my 2011 "list" is to read something by Jane Austen. So maybe this one or this one.

I'd also love to add hardcover copies of books 1-6 (I own #7) in the Harry Potter series to our library.
This clothbound complete set was once available on Amazon...but it's no longer there. What the heck? I want it! BTW-check me out, I'm shopping online...well trying to, at least. Baby steps.

So I totally set myself up for disaster, this year. A week ago, Reese and I selected and checked out, "Meet Felicity an American Girl" from the library as our chapter book to read together. She loves it, and is fascinated by Felicity's character. So, when the American Girl Catalog came in the mail (now seriously, WHO ordered that??? Not me. Is this a joke?) on Friday, I (foolishly) thought it would be fun for the girls to flip through it and look at all the pretty dolls.

Yeah yeah, I know. It's Christmas time. Who gives their kid a toy catalog at Christmas time? Dummies, that's who.

Call me a dummy, but I figured the worse case scenario would be the girls asking for dolls for Christmas. Done. Tangled Barbies coming right up from Grandma, this year.

Uhhh, what I didn't expect was Reese running into her bedroom, grabbing the Felicity book (that has pictures! doh!) and finding Felicity in the catalog and announcing,

"MOM! it's the SAME Felicity! She's a doll, too! I want that one for Christmas. I love her. "

Oopsie.

Felicity has been added to every mile-long Christmas list in our house, including this one. $150 for a freaking doll. A doll! Not just any doll though. Oh no. I vividly remember asking for an American Girl Doll every year until like 8th grade. Now that I see that you have to sell a kidney on the black market to afford one, I totally forgive my parents for not seeing that part of my Christmas list each year. (I wanted Addy Walker) Sara Parker had like 3 of them, and I was totally jealous and wanted one for myself. Reading this, you might conclude that I'm still bitter that my childhood dream never came true, but that's not the case. I'm bitter because if I had gotten one of these beautiful but over priced dolls, I could have saved it for 20 years, given it to Reese, and then it would have been my parents that are out $150 and not me.

I'm thinking this will make a great Christmas gift for her when she's a little older (like when I've had time to read her the Addy books and convince her that that's the one she wants, so I can play with it too....uh, I mean...)

Lesson: I have the maturity level of a 6 yr old.

But really, I think maturity is out the window, considering I'm 28 and still make (and post) a Christmas List, every year.

Speaking of 6 yr olds....Reese's birthday post is coming atcha tomorrow.