Abigail Turns 8!!!

A happy girl from the beginning.

Always cute.

Now she's 8! Happy Birthday, Abby!

Today is Abby's birthday. I took this picture this morning after she opened her presents. She has been wanting eyeglasses so badly and even found some in the American Girl catalog for her doll and begged for those. She dragged me to the dollar store one day and wanted to buy some of those bifocals, but I wouldn't let her because I wasn't sure they'd be good for her eyes. She was devastated. With a tip from my sister, I found a pair of fake eyeglasses and knew they would make her birthday perfect. She could not be more thrilled.

Now let me wax sentimental about this sweet daughter of ours. Abby plays such an important function in our home. She is my go-to girl, she's totally dialed in and so helpful. She's naturally very nurturing and so takes great care of her younger brothers. She takes rules seriously and tries her hardest to be obedient. She's emotional, sometimes even volatile, but always the first to be sorry when she knows she's gone too far.

More than all she does for each of us, she's a unique fun girl who we all love to be around. She's full of contradictions. She can be extremely shy or the life of the party. She is hilarious and can have us all laughing with her wit and funny observations or she can be quite sober and thoughtful. One of the things those who know her best often observe is that she has wisdom beyond her years. I can't tell you how often I've overheard her boiling something pretty profound and advanced down so simply and sweetly to a sibling or friend or even Brennan or me. When the girls were probably about 3 and 5 they were playing a game. It wasn't going Anna's way and she was getting worked up into a full blown tantrum. Abby watched for a moment and and then said, "It's not that hawd (hard), Anna. It's dus (just) a game." She also has a natural sense of tact and can say things directly without being blunt or offensive. My Dad's favorite Abby story is when she was probably about 3 or 4 and we were all at my parents' house eating dinner. I can't remember for sure, but I think Abby was wanting something we had told her no on several times. She spoke up again and addressed my Dad, but Brennan had had it and came down on her for asking again. She let him say his piece and then politely, but assertively said, "Axowey (actually), Dad, I wasn't talking to you."

One day at a random little bookstore I found these little prints with a name and it's meaning. They were exactly like the ones my mom had given each of my siblings and me when we were young. I felt so lucky when I actually found each of my kids' names plus Benjamin (this was before he was born) because I knew I would have a Ben someday. Anyway, Abigail's says "Source of Joy" That, my friends, sums it perfectly up. We can't even begin to express our love and gratitude for this amazing spirit that resides in our little 8 year old Abigail Jo. We love Abby!