The Happiest Girl in the World

Yep.  That's Abby.  Today she got the only thing she has ever really wanted.  At least since this time last year when she was first introduced to the phenomenon of American Girl.  It all started with a catalog in the mail.  Ben gets Lego Club magazines and she was so excited to become a part of the "Doll Club" that she could hardly contain herself.  She read her doll club magazines front to back multiple times each day.  She knew exactly what she wanted.  Julie.  On crutches.  She saved her money and was waiting for the day that we could take her to the American Girl Doll store. 

Honestly, we had good intentions but it is virtually impossible for us to have a day when no one has school and no one has to work and there are not 400 other things going on.  So we never went.  And she seemed to kind of forget about it.  Until the new doll club magazine showed up in the mailbox.  And she saw McKenna.  She's a gymnast.  Abby wishes she was a gymnast so obviously it was love at first sight.  And her new doll club magazine was even more worn out than the old one.  She knew exactly what she wanted.  One morning she came downstairs and gave me the low down.

Abby: "Mom, I want to get McKenna, that's $105 and earrings, that's $9 and hearing aids, that's $14."
Me: "Great.  Now you just need to figure out how much you need all together."
Abby: "I already know.  $128."

At that point I didn't know what to say but, "I guess we should count your money."

Well anyone who knows my kids knows that once you tell them something they will hold you to it so the next weekend, she and I sat down to count the money in her piggy bank.  I'm really not entirely sure where all of her money came from.  I know that some of it is from gifts and that she gets an allowance from us (when I remember to give it) but I had no idea just how loaded she was!

She sorted her money and then I helped her count it.

See that bill on the right?  That's a hundred.  Yep.  You're looking at $165.95.  So the $128 she needed?  Chump change.  We went straight to the Internet to order McKenna.  She couldn't have been more giddy.

Once on the World Wide Web, we found out that McKenna was back ordered until November 30th, but that didn't stop Abby.  We also found out that hearing aids were not available.  She was disappointed (her cousin Andrew wears hearing aids so she really wanted McKenna to have them too) but agreed to settle for just the earrings.  We made our order and sat back to wait.

Every morning she talked about how she couldn't wait until November 30th.  She knew just how many days until her precious cargo shipped.  And then, last week,  a surprise!  An email saying that McKenna had shipped early.  I had her read it and she couldn't have been more excited.  And shocked!  It wasn't even November 30th!!  I could track the package, but for some reason she had it in her head that it would take a week so I didn't correct her when she thought it would be here on Thursday.

Today, I got home a few minutes early and we both got the best surprise when she walked past the front door and saw a package on the porch.

 She couldn't be happier.  McKenna is everything she hoped for.  And I couldn't be more proud.  She worked hard, saved her money and waited for a long time for something that she really wanted.

Tonight, McKenna (with her very own BeBe) is snuggled up in her own bed, right next to Abby. 

Because apparently, "you don't sleep with American Girl Dolls because they are fragile."  I think I have a lot to learn about Doll Club.