The Windy City

We took the girls and my parents into Chicago today. It was the girls’ first time to the Windy City. I know, it’s amazing that we live so close and they’ve never been, but today we had a very special reason for an overdue visit. Emma had saved up enough to get her beloved American Girl doll. Through doing extra jobs around the house and the generosity of birthday benefactors (she used all of her grandparent and great-grandparent birthday money to go toward the doll and an American Girl gift card from her friend), she had reached her goal of saving to buy the doll of her dreams. So, the six of us loaded up and headed to Chicago. There are many things I’d like to remember from today, and most of them are best told in pictures. First, as we entered the city, Lily looked around in wonder at the tall buildings and skyscrapers and exclaimed, “Look! It’s a magic castle.” “There are so many magic castles, Daddy.” It is such a privilege to see things through the eyes of a child’s first experience. I love my little Lily, pictured here ready to go on our recent Mommy / Daughter date to the Beauty and the Beast play. She thinks in rainbows and magic castles and hugs and “I love you so much!” declarations. She is such a joyful presence, and she was fun to have along as an important part of our family on her big sister's big day.

 

Next, as we arrived at American Girl Place in Chicago, I reveled in the anticipation Emma felt as she got so close to her goal and soaked up the excitement her grandparents felt for her, at the fact that we could all enjoy this moment together as a family.

 

The store itself was a bit overwhelming for Emma, so after checking out the dolls, we took a lunch break to think about her big decision of which doll to choose.

 

We had lunch at The Signature Room on the 95th floor of the John Hancock building. The kids and adults were all in awe of our incredible view. We left with full bellies and happy hearts, feeling like we’d seen so much of Chicago from above.

 

After lunch, Emma couldn’t wait to return to American Girl Place so that she could bring her doll home. That was our next stop, and she bought a doll that looks a lot like her and a brush for the doll’s hair. She handed over her money and paid for pretty much everything but the tax, which we were happy to quietly cover.

I will remember the absolute delight on Emma’s face as we had the doll be “born,” freed from the package as we all gathered in the kitchen after we returned home. She was so proud of the doll she had “bought herself” and thanked the people who helped contribute to her cause. 

 

Speaking of memories, today made me think of a memory I hold dear from my own childhood. When I was a little girl, I saved for a long time to buy my very own Cabbage Patch doll, the cherished doll of my time. I remember thinking how amazing it was that the clerk rang the doll up for the exact amount I had saved, $36.25. I also remember floating through the grocery store with my family after, barely believing that regular life and grocery runs went on when something so incredible had happened to me. It wasn’t until I was an adult that I found out that my parents had gone into the store ahead of time, paid the difference between the $36.25 that I had and how much the doll had cost, and had not let on that they helped me accomplish my goal. Never had I felt more loved than when I discovered this in my college years. They had taught me the value of hard work by having me save for my doll for about a year, but they had also demonstrated grace by giving me more than I deserved and doing it quietly, so that I would only know of it much later. This has been an especially busy time in our lives, but I hope that our sweet Emma will also look back upon this someday and realize that we loved her so much, we wanted to teach her to work hard, save, and make her dreams come true. Though life has been jam packed, we couldn't pass up the opportunity to take her to the store and let her empty her wallet and walk out feeling richer. Now, she has a beautiful doll by her side, but what makes her so much more blessed is that she has a family that couldn’t be happier for her, so many people who will always be on her side, encouraging her to work hard and pulling for her dreams to come true.