Sweet Holly

So the kid have spent their break with Oliver and with Grandma Sarah and Grandpa Bob. Holly called me as they were driving back to Oliver's this afternoon. That made my heart happy.

She's complicated.

She can be stubborn. And a perfectionist. From the time she was about 2 she would make her bed with no wrinkles. And get so mad if you messed it up. She has yet to have a big bike wreck, I think. She pretty much kept on the training wheels until she was certain she could ride without failing at it- and it helped that she wanted to keep up with the little girl down the street. She has ambition. Drive.

She knows how to push buttons. She's the one child who will do the think you tell her to do - the thing that she really doesn't want to do - and will do it so painfully slowly that you won't be sure if she's really following the directions or not.

She can get very upset when things aren't the way they should be. The world might be ending if she doesn't have her glue stick to cut and paste vocabulary words for her homework. Writing in the words or using tape is really not okay. Or if she just doesn't understand what she's supposed to do for homework... it is so upsetting to her... you just have to imagine the emotion.

She's a firecracker.

Oliver called earlier in the week to share a story about her.

They spent the weekend at Stone Mountain in Georgia, and the neighbor kept Lucky for them while they were gone. When they got home and went to pick Lucky up, the neighbor had a big bandage on his hand. Uh oh.

Seems Lucky got out of the back yard at some point, and the neighbor picked him up to get him back in. And that was only okay with Lucky for a little bit. So he bit the neighbor.

Now the neighbor is a Vietnam vet. And his other hand was damaged in the war. So aside from the just being bitten kind of bad thing to happen, the placement of the bite complicates the neighbor's life a little more. Everyone felt bad about it.

Oliver and the kids invited the neighbor to dinner - his wife was out of town, and that had been part of the reason he was happy to keep Lucky over the weekend. For company. But the neighbor couldn't make it to dinner - he was going to get some shots.

So when they got home with Lucky, Holly turned to her dad and asked if he thought she could help the neighbor somehow - maybe with cleaning. Because he couldn't dust and vacuum very well with his hurt hands. She wanted to go over and clean his house for him. Oliver suggested a get well soon card and she got to work.

He said it was the prettiest card he'd seen her make. She wrote with her very best handwriting and got everyone to sign it. She even signed it for Lucky. And she insisted on making him a plate at dinner and waited and watched the house next door to see when he got home. She insisted on taking the card and food over.

She has a big heart. And a strong will. And she feels things deeply. And when she puts them all together it's just amazing to see what she accomplishes.