Amy's New Friend

It's amazing to me what I'll do just to see Amy smile.

She's been begging to have her new school friend, Jackson, come over to the house for a playdate. So I contacted his mother last week and arranged for him to visit us today, along with his mom and little sister. Amy has been eagerly counting down the days, and began planning the details about a week ago.

First, she had to decide what to wear. She finally decided upon a favorite sweater and skirt, which I dutifully ironed last night at 10pm, before collapsing into bed.

The reason for my total exhaustion last night was because of all the preparation that went into readying the house for Amy's new friend. She worried that there wouldn't be enough "non-girl" toys for him to play with, so we spent a long, long time sorting through toyboxes and digging out old dinosaurs, toy cars and trucks, pulling board games out of closets, and readying arts and craft supplies.

Then, there was the issue of refreshment. She informed me that Jackson loves chocolate, so she requested that I bake a chocolate chip bread that she and her sisters enjoy. And so, last night, after putting batteries in the old dinosaur toys and fixing the noise-making choo choo trains, I baked some bread. I think I put more work into preparing for Amy's playdate than I do into my own social plans.

But in the end, it was all worth it. Amy and Jackson had a wonderful time, and when Amy said her prayers tonight, she thanked God for a "perfect day with my great friend".

And for that, I'll gladly bake bread. Although, I now remember quite clearly why we took the batteries out of that loud, roaring dinosaur two years ago. He might very well find his way back to the bottom of the toy box sometime soon...if I can manage to get him out of Brian's hands for a minute.