After our trip to the American Girl Store yesterday, Becca wanted to get all of her dolls together for a picture. When we heard that American Girl was going to be retiring 4 dolls, we knew we had to hurry and snag them up before they were gone. Yesterday we were able to find three out of the four that we wanted at the AG Store in Seattle. Ruthie was completely sold out, company wide, and our only hope of finding her is online through e-bay or on craigslist. So here's the three dolls that she bought yesterday. She also was able to get each dolls' book and accessories.
So here's the gang. 14 out of her 15 dolls are pictured here and somehow Erick, Noahh, Becca and I live inside of our tiny 800 square foot home, WITH ALL OF THESE DOLLS. How do we do it? Still not sure. One wonderful thing about our home being so small is that we're always close and we never run out of room for love. We can all be doing different things, but usually are in the same room, and that keeps us close. Without any cable, our kids aren't watching television all in separate rooms and we always eat every meal together. Now that we've been living this way for almost 5 years, I can't imagine having a bigger house at all. I'd never trade in this small house for a larger, more spacious home.
I've heard people tell Becca that she's "spoiled" because of the dolls. Which I don't really see as being true. Becca doesn't receive any allowances for her chores and never gets paid to babysit. We always seem to work out a deal that she is able to EARN her dolls. For example, I won't have a single pile of dog turd on my lawn all summer long. That's how she's earning her new doll, Marie-Grace. Weeds? I don't have any weeds! She's agreed to pull 10 weeds EVERYDAY all summer long in order to earn one of her other newest dolls, Cecile.
We love the fact that our 11 year old is still interested in, and loves her American Girl Dolls. In a world filled with a lot of evil and inappropriate things...the longer I can keep her entertained with dolls that provide some sort of wholesome activity, I'm going to do it. It provides her with lots of time to be creative as she's always building them furniture or dressing them in the latest AG fashions. She's gotten really good at doing hair too!
So do I think that spending $130 on a doll is worth it? Absolutely. I love seeing Becca use her imagination when she's playing with these beautiful dolls. I'd rather spend money on something that will last, than throw it away on a months subscription to cable television filled with inappropriate subject matter that we don't need to be watching. Erick and I go without the latest fashions and toys so we spend money on our kids. When they EARN it.
Ivy, (doll on the left), was one of the three that Becca got yesterday. We promised Becca that she could pick out a doll for her Easter present and this is the one she chose. I mean, by the time we would have bought a basket, filled it with a bunch of crap toys, that colored plastic hay that's such a nuisance, and a bunch of candy that's really bad for her... we would have spent a $100 bucks anyways so what's the difference? I mean, if I asked Becca what she got in her Christmas stocking 2 years ago she wouldn't be able to tell me, but I could pick up any one of her dolls or accessories, and she'd remember exactly when she received it, for what occasion, what she had to do to earn it or who bought it for her.
I'm proud of her for everything she does. She's doing excellent with her schooling, always the top of her class...and she's incredibly helpful to her dad and I. She's an amazing big sister, and she's not afraid of hard work. So I guess you could say I'm "spoiling her", but not with dolls. With love perhaps. When I see her collection of dolls, I don't think of her being spoiled, I think of all the hardwork she's done to earn her dolls. I see how well she takes care of them and how much she enjoys them.
We're trying to teach her that hard work doesn't go unnoticed, and that's how you get what you want in life. It's about setting priorities, goals, and doing what you can to achieve what you want. For her, as an 11 year old girl, she values time with her friends, sleepovers, and going places like the American Girl Store. She'll work hard and do just about anything to enjoy those types of things.
...oh and last night I had a dream that I was with my grandmother. The avid (thought to be crazy), doll collector, Grandma Rogers. I was in her house looking over the hundreds and hundreds of beautiful dolls she had made herself or purchased for her own collection. It was magical. When I woke up I started to cry and I told Erick that I would give ANYTHING in this entire world to have her around today so she could experience a place like the AG store with us and play with her great grand-daughters and their dolls. I can't imagine anything on earth making her more happy than that. Erick just turned to me and said, "I'm sure she was with you yesterday. She's just one of the many angels that follow you around everyday".
