Ansley enjoying one of her Christmas gifts while Christian was napping. She loves Polly Pockets, and even though they are SO TINY I sometimes get frustrated with them, she gets so much entertainment from them that the momentary frustration is worth it.
(And I just want to point out that her skirt is flipped up if you are thinking something looks weird, that's what it is.)
She may be sassy and fiesty and emotional. She could have tendencies that come from her mother, like irrational fears and outbursts over nothing. But, no matter what, I love this girl, and I love having a girl. I love the denim skirts worn for weeks on end and the leggings and shoes and stripey socks. I love hairbows and pink and charming smiles. I love American Girls and Polly Pockets and glitter. I love baking together and oohhing over kittens and remembering my own childhood. Yes, probably what strikes me most about having a little girl is how much it stirs up within me memories of my own childhood.
What a gift she is!
Today I indulged Ansley a little bit and let her do whatever she wanted. Within reason, of course. For instance, set the table with a blanket? Sure! Bring out a pumpkin candle? Why not? Eat a cookie before dinner? Of course.
We also went to a bookstore and stayed for a very long time, but didn't buy any books (because I convinced her we could get them all cheaper on Amazon). We ate lunch at Panera, just the two of us, which was fun. We bought three gingerbread cookies and asked the cashier to give them to random people and tell them Merry Christmas. Then we watched the surprise and delight on people's faces. Ansley bought a bottle of water and a cinnamon pretzel for the Salvation Army bell ringer at Sam's. Her face said it all, and Ansley was hooked. More random Christmas surprises! We had such a fun time making a day of it.
(Among other things, Ansley ran ahead and held the door open for people with lots of packages or lots of kids. We purchased kitty litter and food for a local animal shelter. And Ansley shouted Merry Christmas! to just about everyone she saw.)
We had the cutest little chef when we went to...
Oh, wait, that's Ansley!
We had a fabulous Field Trip today at Bonefish Grill. The kids had a great time pretending to be servers, chefs...and enjoying a yummy lunch! It was great!
(A blog to come.)
I love the cozy view of my kids soundly sleeping every night when I go to bed. John was out of town tonight, but as I walked past Ansley's room, I just thought of how familiar this sight is: every night I walk past and see the fish tank light on and my sweet girl sleeping. (We still shut Christian's door, so I don't see his room every night.) And I always think of how far we've come: from a girl who used to want to sleep with every light in her room on, then to a lamp, and now she turns her own lights off after she is done reading and falls asleep with just the fish tank.
Six years have gone by so fast.
