harper faye is 7...

making our way...

kit packed more than us.

he only pretends to be disgusted...

she still looks so small....

look at those muscles as he creates a lovely smokey eye...

when i was a little girl i remember quite vividly taking a trip to cabbage patch land with my granny and pop and my cousin jessica. i remember eating at a waffle house and spilling my orange juice. i remember jessica spilling her orange juice too. i remember my granny telling me that the waffle house had "magic" tables. i remember driving in the backseat for a very, very long time. i remember how my cousin jessica would hold a tissue under her nose just before she fell asleep and trying to copy her because i thought it was cool. i remember walking around in the store and seeing the cabbage patch dolls plucked from the garden and given over to the girls that anxiously waited on their arrival. when i think back on my childhood, this is one of my favorite memories.

undoubtedly, this is why going to the american girl shop was without question an occasion i wanted to share with harper. we planned to take this trip for harper's birthday and i pray that this trip was at least half as wonderful for her as it was for me. i am sure the reasons we enjoyed the trip differed vastly, but i can only hope that this day has been burned into her memories as my doll trip was so (SO) many years ago.

without question we spared calvary the agony of shopping for doll stuff for hours. also without question we spared ourselves the agony of shopping for doll stuff for hours with jack. i can only imagine what may have happened if jack had made the cut. thankfully kyle's mom and dad obliged our request to keep not only jack but also calvary and finley for the night. i know they had more fun there then they would have had with us and, honestly, it was such a blessing to watch harper enjoy herself without having to worry about whether someone was bored, hungry, or catching the place on fire.

let me just say that these american girl people have really worked out an amazing business venture. the crowds on a random day in august looked like christmas. girls were frantic with excitement. squeals were everywhere. but harper kept her cool. she calmly looked at EVERY SINGLE ITEM for sale and then just as calmly started making her choices.

kyle and i have tried to make harper aware of money and how things cost money so that they would be more thoughtful in the moments that they casually ask us to drop dough every minute of every day. for the most part i feel like we have done a pretty good job, but the moment that harper was looking through the catalogue the weeks leading up to our trip remains to be one that breaks my heart. i, like we have done many times before, told harper to circle the items that she would like. after a time i came and looked over her shoulder and noticed that she had not circled many things. when i asked her about it she responded, "i'm looking at the price and most of this stuff is too expensive". in that moment i felt like i had robbed my daughter of the innocence of her childhood belief that anything was possible. it is kind of nice to believe that money is limitless, or at least not a factor. but i felt like hope was restored when we stood in that store amidst squeals and screams and harper looked with patience and contentment as she made her choices. she never once seemed disappointed not to get something. she never asked for more. she simply weighed her options and spent the money that she had received wisely....or as wisely as you can at a doll store. i felt overwhelmed and the irony of that moment is that when i watch my child in their contentment and gratitude i only want to give them more. and then more leads to more. and more and more leads to the expectation of more and more. and then expectation of more and more destroys contentment and most often gratitude also becomes a casualty.

not to say that harper is without bratty moments. let's not be unrealistic. but in this moment, there was no brat in sight. only a child experiencing joy.

kyle was a pretty good sport about the whole thing and he only grumbled a few times when he was asked to hold a doll from time to time.

we celebrated 7 years of life today. 7 years of laughter, hugs, kisses, tears, sibling fun, sibling fights, dresses, tea parties, baby dolls, pretend classrooms, disney princesses, shoes, books, backpacks, snacks, candy, growing teeth, losing teeth, playgrounds, swings, climbing trees, riding bikes, setting the table, making "drinks", and most recently ipod madness. i can only imagine what the next 7 years will hold but i am delighted with the girl she is now and i have every intention of enjoying every moment that i have with her.