Gr8
Saturday was Allison's 8th birthday. In the LDS Church, 8 years old is the age at which children are baptized, so it has particular significance.
My parents and Katie's parents came up for it. We're pretty low-key about things like this, trying not to let Church culture overwhelm the actual significance of the event. For example, we didn't get her a plain white dress because I don't understand the point of buying a dress she will likely only wear once. (We'll see about a wedding dress.)
Everything went fine for the most part, but I had forgotten some dry clothes and Katie went back home to get them, which made everyone wait an extra five minutes or so. Afterward, Allison wanted us to go to Chuck-A-Rama for dinner. (Side note: It might be cheaper for me to send Sam there for dinner every night than to actually buy food for him, given how much he eats now.)
Allison has an interesting duality. She can be the sweetest child, putting up with a lot of annoyance from her younger siblings. Sometimes I sit by her on the couch or at church and she pulls my arm tightly around her, and it's very sweet. I feel like we have a good relationship, since I get her up and off to school in the mornings and usually read to her and tuck her in at night. But she also has a whiny screech that can peel the paint from the walls, particularly if she can't find a toy she is looking for. She has become very sociable and loves being with her friends more than Sam does. There's a stubbornness that makes her learn new things like riding her bike or how to skate using her friend's inline skates.
She's also developed a sense of independence. For quite some time she has been wanting to ride her bike to school, and I've never felt that great about it (there are no sidewalks and narrow roads, and she needs a new helmet and a bike lock). So instead, this morning she informed me that she wanted to walk to school with Sam, and insisted she knew the way even when he wasn't sure. I drove a ways behind them just to make sure they did know the way (I had to give one course correction), and they made it. So I guess when the weather is nice they can do that some more.
Allison is a sweet, intelligent girl, and I'm glad she's in our family.
Everything went fine for the most part, but I had forgotten some dry clothes and Katie went back home to get them, which made everyone wait an extra five minutes or so. Afterward, Allison wanted us to go to Chuck-A-Rama for dinner. (Side note: It might be cheaper for me to send Sam there for dinner every night than to actually buy food for him, given how much he eats now.)
Allison has an interesting duality. She can be the sweetest child, putting up with a lot of annoyance from her younger siblings. Sometimes I sit by her on the couch or at church and she pulls my arm tightly around her, and it's very sweet. I feel like we have a good relationship, since I get her up and off to school in the mornings and usually read to her and tuck her in at night. But she also has a whiny screech that can peel the paint from the walls, particularly if she can't find a toy she is looking for. She has become very sociable and loves being with her friends more than Sam does. There's a stubbornness that makes her learn new things like riding her bike or how to skate using her friend's inline skates.
She's also developed a sense of independence. For quite some time she has been wanting to ride her bike to school, and I've never felt that great about it (there are no sidewalks and narrow roads, and she needs a new helmet and a bike lock). So instead, this morning she informed me that she wanted to walk to school with Sam, and insisted she knew the way even when he wasn't sure. I drove a ways behind them just to make sure they did know the way (I had to give one course correction), and they made it. So I guess when the weather is nice they can do that some more.
Allison is a sweet, intelligent girl, and I'm glad she's in our family.
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