Monday, November 7, 2011

This girl...

This girl makes me crazy.  This girl frustrates me.  This girl teaches me.  This girls makes me smile.  This girl makes me laugh.  This girl is my mini-me.  This girl is my Ally...

Ally has always been "my" girl.  She really hasn't been a Daddy's girl too much in her 12 years.  She's always been a Momma's girl.  I kinda like it that way.  :)

When I say she is a mini-me, I mean that.  From the time that she was really little, she always seemed to have the same interests as me and always wanted to do what I was doing.  To some extent, she even wanted to eat the same stuff as me.  She and I have several similarities, the most obvious of those being her creative side.  This kid likes to create stuff.  Not just any kind of "stuff", but artistic "stuff".  When she was little, I would give her scrappy supplies to use while I was scrapping.  It was funny how often she would watch me to decide what it was that she was going to do.  Even now, she does this.   She truly has a creative soul.  I kinda like that.  It's pretty cool to see some of the things that she comes up with.  (You should see what she does with duct tape!)

One way that we are complete opposites is when it comes to reading.  As a kid, I couldn't read enough.  I would hide under my covers to read, and after getting caught doing that several times, I found a better place...in my closet with the light on and the door closed.  I could stay up all night reading a book.  Still can.  I can finish a thick book in a matter of just a few days.  I LOVE to read.  Allison, not so much.  If you asked her, she'd say, "I HATE reading."  Well, that makes me kinda sad.  I get such enjoyment from reading.  I wish that she did.  Maybe one of these days she will learn to appreciate it and not think of it as "work".  I'll keep trying.

Tonight I had the pleasure of spending some time with my big girl.  After her swim practice it was just me and her because Whit and Daddy had an end of season soccer party to attend.  So, Ally and I enjoyed eating dinner together.  We had been on her case for the past month about her grades and attitude.  Both have needed improving.  (Does this happen with all 12 year olds???)     I really wanted to spend some time with her, and I needed to let her know that all her hard work over the past 2 weeks to get her grades back up hadn't gone unnoticed.  It was past time to let her know we were proud of the hard work she had been doing.  I think she really enjoyed herself.  It was nice to spend some time with her by myself.

For my big girl, I wish this:

*to continue to work hard and strive to always do your absolute best
*to have a heart for others -  a tender place that lets others know that you are a person they can trust and depend on
*to continue to work on appreciating your sister (I know sibling rivalry is "normal", but my wish is that you'll see Whit as your best friend and confidant at some point in the future.)
*to continue to learn about God and share him through your words and actions with others

Ally, I love you more than you could even imagine.  I hope that when you see this, you'll see that you are a very important part of my life and our family.  You are an amazing young lady.  DO NOT ever forget that!  I love you!!!

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