Sarabeth's Birthday Wish

After a rough night last night and a slow morning this morning... I missed a lot of the information coming out of Washington DC.  I believe that your days on this Earth are numbered before you ever come to be... and that nothing happens that is a surprise to God... but yet, I still can't imagine going to work one day and not coming home. Just like we can't imagine sending a kid to school and them not surviving that day. Life is precious and we never need to let go of that.

I've mentioned before (I think) that my sister-in-law had a job change this Summer that has her making the commute into Atlanta several times a week. It's about 80 miles each way. She's doing what she loves doing and has been able to use a commuter service that allows her to make a large part of the commute without the stress of driving in rush hour traffic. It's an adjustment, though, for a mom who was used to being local to her kids' school and around for the after school pick up every day. I am thrilled to be in a position where I can help with this, as I love spending time with my nieces. By the end of the year they'll have Mawmaw, Pop and myself available all the time and their Grammy is also nearby and has a schedule that allows her to help. And of course their dad is able to pick them up most days. I love how loved they are. Seriously.

The plan is that either Mawmaw or myself will pick the girls up on Mondays (and of course, any other days as needed) and today was the first time I had taken my mom through the pickup process. It's not difficult, it's just that my mom has lived in the same place for 40 years and this is a different place and she's not used to navigating around here. So instead of it just being me with the after school babysitting shift, it was both my mom and I which allowed us to have a little individual time with the girls, which is always a treat. Mama went on a nature walk with Jamie (who told her not to scream if she saw a snake) and I got to have a little chat with Sarabeth.

Summer 2004 

Sarabeth is so very much like her dad, my big brother, which I think, since I've known him for a very long time (my whole life, in fact) makes me an expert on communication with a Jim/Sarabeth type person. (this always makes my brother a bit of an expert in dealing with drama queens like me, it works both ways.) She is a bit introverted and has a tendency to initially be a little reserved and then warm up to whatever circumstance she's in. She's always been this way, even as a baby. Even as a baby I knew that she was glad to see me but she was so solemn and quiet for the first little bit and then would gradually become more animated, such as in this picture with her wearing my "gasses". She's a funny girl... has really great comedic timing and can be really dramatic and silly. It's worth putting in the time it takes to draw her into conversation. We have a special bond and I treasure the time I spend with her.

Age 4, 2008

So today we were discussing her birthday - which is in October. She'll be eleven. This year instead of a big birthday bash she's having a spend the night party with a group of her friends. I asked if I was invited  -for the time before time to go to bed - "I'm not spending the night, you understand" and she said of course, adding that "we're going to need a lot of help." *grin*

This of course led into a conversation about what she wants for her birthday. She's sort of moving past the stage of toys... she said she doesn't want any clothes... (except socks... fun socks are always welcome)... doesn't like jewelry... doesn't want cash or gift cards to shop for herself... She's a bit sporty (which trust me, she does NOT get from me!) so she doesn't really want anything princessy or girlie. As I pressed her for something she really wanted... she said... "well, there is this one thing I want but it will probably have to come from my parents... and I might need your help talking them into letting me have it." Oh boy. I'm the fun aunt but I'm always very much the "mama and daddy's rule is law" aunt, having raised three kids of my own. She says, a bit conspiratorially,  "I want a pig."

A pig. She wants a pig. Those of you who have been around my blog for a long time might remember Austin's agriculture class and the meeting I went to about him potentially raising a hog. I had the foresight to know that Austin raising a pig would be like Austin raising a cat, meaning that I would be doing the care and feeding of said animal and I was OBVIOUSLY not suited for such responsibility. This makes me a bit more of an expert than most Suburb Sally's on what goes into raising a pig but still...  way beyond the scope of my expertise. I didn't let on, of course, allowing myself to be drawn into the scheme and be the cool aunt. "A pig?" said I. "A pig," she joyfully agreed.

2012 - Age 10

Sarabeth's logic is that her sister, who really struggles with allergies to dogs and cats, would probably not be allergic to a pig. I suggested that maybe we should do a little research before we present this idea to her parents so we hopped on in internet and did our pig homework. After finding a web site that showed that pigs grow to 1500 pounds... we decided to scale back and look into teacup pigs. And of course, it didn't take long for us to discover that they were beyond a reasonable birthday present budget and were often sick due to being bred from runts. By the time it was time for me to go, we had concluded that we needed to go back to the drawing board to come up with birthday present ideas that don't involve mud.

Which also means that Aunt Heather is scouring the internet for stuffed pigs. You know, just for fun.

So anyways... that was my Monday. Love and hugs, y'all!