The Dreams of a Child

Anna wiggled in her sleep. She always does that when she needs to wake up. It happens once, maybe twice, a night. Like an alarm. Usually I am still awake. Usually it's a signal to me that I need to go to bed now. 

So she woke up and came back to lay beside me. 

I had the tv on  - GAC - a soundtrack to my evening. The climax, the finale...

Dierks Bentley. I Wanna See You Close Your Eyes. 

Anna watched intently (as she always does a tv)

Most of the way through the song, she says: 

Mama, I wanna be that girl. 

So do I, Baby, so do I... 

Ariannese

"Mama, I will just take my money and buy you a new car if you take your money and buy a bike so we can ride bikes together."

My Little Entrepreneur

Anna was approached the other day and was asked to do some work. Her first little paying job: picking up pine cones that have fallen into the yard. The man is the owner of the property I pet sit for. She was so excited to get her first paycheck. Counted it out herself and made immediate plans on how to spend it. She even tried to buy my dinner tonight with it. 

I smile though, recalling our conversation a few hours ago. 

We talked about how for every $10 she gets, she needs to put $1 into the Tithe envelope for the church, $1 into the Save envelope to go to the bank and the rest can go into the Spend envelope for her to do whatever she wants with. 

She looked at me and said, "Mama, can I put $2 in the Save?"

"Yes, Sweetie. And do you want to put $2 in the Tithe too?"

"Yes."

How proud a Mama is when her child makes wise decisions all on her own. 

She did say, too, at the start of the second day of "work" that she didn't want to pick up pine cones. She didn't like it. But she wanted the money so she was going to do it anyway.... lol 

Onery Onnie

*My nickname for Arianna is Ahnie

*We're in the south and I guess it's common to pronounce ornery as onery 

One day, Arianna and I were eating dinner with a few new friends. The dad, having only a boy, was charmed to flood Anna with attention and teasings. He picked up on her personality very quickly and asked her "So are you onery, Ahnie?"

"No, I'm just Ahnie."

"Onery Onnie! Onery Onnie!"

Ah, a new nickname is born... 

Mama Said....

I am guilty of saying today:

You have a brain. God gave us brains to think smart thoughts, so
think smart thoughts and do them.

Things Mama Never Thought She'd Say

No! Anna! Stop throwing the cat down the stairs!

Ariannese

"I'm going to win my own cheap trophy gold when I finish my picture.
When I grow up, I'm going to win a statue."

A Sunday Evening

A glance at the clock reveals the time to be an hour earlier than I thought it was. In this month when days have all blurred together and time has warped and stopped at its own will, this discovery is no surprise.
We decided to spend the afternoon inside since it's a little chilly out and after a movie and some snacks, Arianna has taken on the task of putting together puzzles.
She is quite good if she thinks about it. But every once in a while I get a whiny plea for help. And if I keep watching I see me coming right out of her.
I am always surprised at a siting of myself because to look at her, she is her daddy's daughter. Granted, in a photo with my aunt, Arianna looks like HER daughter. But really, if I hadn't birthed her....
So I'm watching as my Princess Rose Jewelry (which she so precociously named herself) can't find where a piece fits and gets increasingly frustrated at the puzzle and herself.
*The part where she gets fed up and quits is her dad, but the frustration taken out on the poor cardboard pieces is SO me*
I try to coach her where the pieces might go - sometimes she takes the recommendation, sometimes she doesn't.
And I think how much things - my life - would be different if I had listened to the coachings of those around me who love me.
I hope she will be wiser.
But still I sit here and try to right the wrong that is me in her.