Until Now.
Carolyn immediately spotted Ruthie. She has dark brown hair and blue eyes and looks very much like Carolyn. Elizabeth immediately spotted Julie who has blonde hair and brown eyes and looks very much UNlike Elizabeth.
Yesterday, we took the children shopping so that they could pick out presents for their siblings. And it just so happens that we conveniently have a two-story American Girl doll store in one of the local malls. Charlie had the girls - shopping for the boys - and I had the boys - shopping for the girls. The boys and I wandered in to the American Girl store and although they had Julie in stock and we picked Julie up and turned her box around in our hands ... William and I both agreed that Marie-Grace had the same exact coloring as Elizabeth. Her brown hair with the beautiful blond highlights and blue sparkly eyes? It was uncanny.
Surely, Elizabeth would LOVE this doll. Because Elizabeth is so pretty and this doll is so pretty and the dolls are supposed to look like the girls who own them.
Right?
Right?
So we bought Ruthie and against my better judgement, Marie-Grace.
Supposedly, the girls don't know what their brothers gifts for them are. But since our purchase, Elizabeth has done nothing but talk about how much she loves Julie. When we visited with Santa, she made it a point to tell him, "Santa, I'd really love to have Julie. SHE HAS BLOND HAIR." Then she pointed at William and said, "Kind of gold, like my brothers. Do you see?"
William looked up at me with a grimace and whispered, "Oh no, Mom. I really think we need to go get the other doll." I returned his grimace and said, "You mean the one that she said she specifically said she wanted and we just got the one that we thought she'd like better?"
He nodded and asked, "Can we please go first thing in the morning?"
UGH, what a huge inconvenience this will be, competed with the thought, "Yes, Virginia, there is a Santa Claus. He exists as certainly as love and generosity and devotion exist, and you know that they abound and give to your life its highest beauty and joy. "
Although my boy isn't one to get up and out of the house early, this morning at 8 AM, William was back at the mall and first in line to exchange Marie-Grace for Julie. With the new doll in his arms, he was wearing a smile ear-to-ear as he said, "Oh my goodness. I can't wait to see her open this present. It is going to make her SO HAPPY!"
Of course it will.
It came straight from the heart of Santa.
