Our intense little Lily turned 8 in April. Oh, what a birthday 8 is! Lily was aglow with excitement for this birthday. She has been eagerly anticipating it for a year now. :)
On the morning of her birthday, which fell on a Sunday this year, Lily came bouncing into our room. She was all sparkles and smiles as she asked for cheese pizza (no surprise there!) for her birthday dinner. I was thankful I had everything on hand to fulfill her request. I made the dough and set to work making her cake, as well. It was an early morning, as we have 9:00 am church. It was so fun, though, and completely worth it for such a lovely little person.
Church was its usual busy and frustrating self. Chaos seems to find us as soon as we plant ourselves on the church bench. We made it through sacrament meeting, though, and came home starving. As we wouldn't be going to dinner till 3:30, we decided to put that dough to work and made cheesy breadsticks. Not necessarily the most healthy snack we've ever put together, but everyone enjoyed it!
We frosted Lily Love's cake (she requested Red Velvet cake, something I've never made before) and got our salad ready for dinner. We finished wrapping presents and headed over to Jim & Rachel's. We had dinner with Grandpa David (Judy was out of town tending the Webb girls) and Rachel's dad, Grandpa LeGrand. Such fun company.
Lily, with as much patience as she could muster, waited for dinner, clean up, and playing to be over so she could open her presents. She has been saving and saving and saving for about 4 months to help pay for the American Girl Doll of the Year, Saige. She's never been a doll lover and so we've never been willing to spend the money on AG dolls for either of the girls. They've gotten Journey Girls and other knock-offs before, but never the real deal (that's not entirely true -- my parents gave both Chloe and Lily Bitty Babies when they were really little). Lily was convinced that this was what she wanted for her birthday. As we don't spend over about $50 on birthdays as a general rule (bikes are an exception), and as 8 is a rather expensive birthday (baptism dress, scriptures, etc), we told her that she would have to come up with half the money for the doll if that was what she really wanted and that she would be receiving nothing else from us - just the doll. She was okay with that and diligently saved her allowance and did a few extra jobs around the home to save the necessary $50. It was a great lesson for her -- especially as she handed over that $50 in cash on allowance day a few weeks before her birthday. She had a slight moment of hesitation, but ultimately gave us the cash and anxiously awaited her birthday. I'm certainly grateful she decided to spend the money because we had already ordered Saige! There was no turning back at that point!
She opened thoughtful presents from her siblings first, things each of them had spent their own personal spending money to purchase: bubbles from Cannon, nail polish and a Best Friends necklace from Chloe, and blush from Brigham (he knew he wanted to buy her makeup before we even arrived at the store!). She was eager and thankful to each of them. And then she ripped open the gift wrap around her doll. I think this picture perhaps captures the excitement she felt as she held that tangible reward for her patient savings! I've discovered that a reward for hard work and patience is just as exciting as a surprise!
She has really enjoyed her doll. She doesn't play with her daily, by any means, which does not surprise me, but she reads to her, fixes her hair, changes her clothes, etc. She especially enjoys when a friend has a doll and they can play together.
We are so proud of Lily. She has had a difficult 7th year. She's had difficulty getting her emotions under command. She's often argumentative (a clone of her mother in that regard, unfortunately) and bossy. If's she's not angry, she is sad - melting at the slightest hint of criticism. And yet, she's also the child in our home who is the most quick to respond to our requests. She is the most eager to be exactly obedient to a new principle she has learned. She has had some challenging relationships at school, even a bit of bullying. Yet she is our ray of Lily sunshine. She says really, truly, hilarious things. She is observant and thoughtful. She is precise. She is reliable. She has a true heart full of love for Jesus.
The sevens are hard. I have decided that Satan is determined to discourage these young pre-covenant makers. He wants them to feel like they aren't good enough. He wants them to be scared. He wants them to feel that they're just too little to control themselves. Now, in many ways they are too young to control themselves and I accept that. These new bodies are powerful and the emotions that come with them are strong. I want Lily to always know that she is bigger and better than the body she is connected to. She has a strong will. She is a choice daughter of God. She is worthy and capable. She is needed in His kingdom. And she will falter in her quest for obedience, but that is part of Heavenly Father's plan.
Eight is such a great age. This past year, we have seen such growth in Chloe and I can already see Lily rising to that same level. I'm excited for her to experience the gift of the Holy Ghost. It will make such a difference in her ability to control her emotions.
Lily Love, you are a gem. An absolute gem of a young lady. You have filled our lives with humor. You have given us some of the most poignant questions to ponder. You have a special ability to see others around you who need a friend. You are thoughtful and kind. You are so intelligent. We often shake our heads in wonder at your ability to read, comprehend, spell, and do math. You have a gifted intellect. You have such a sincere and pure heart. We love you!
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