2021 Birthday Post 5 of 13: Annis

Our little Annis Octavia is 7 today! This spicy little miss is so hard to put in a nutshell! I thought I’d give you a little peek behind the scenes of planning for her birthday to give you a bit of the flavor of her personality.

This year I’m making each of the kids a mini-me doll wearing an outfit of their choice and complete with one “accessory”. Everyone so far has chosen a favorite stuffed animal for their accessory, and worn a favorite casual outfit. This is what Annis chose:

The notebook is a beloved hand-me-down, and Annis tells me that the R stands for “Ro’s Sister”. She has worn this dress at least once a week on average since Christmas, so it really was the only obvious choice.

This was her birthday wish list. I think it speaks for itself.

Annis prides herself on being the only Young kid to look just like me. In fact, according to her, you can really only tell us apart by the tiny white dot on the tip of her tongue that she was born with.

She might tell you all this herself if you are lucky enough to be one of her people, but she is very selective about who she lets into her rich inner thought world. Our backyard neighbor Miss Pam is one of her chosen ones, and Annis sneaks out to chat with her as often as possible when she sees her out working in her garden.

Annis loves drawing and writing. She wrote a series of short books last Fall about her concerns on various topics. This was one of my favorites (a close second being “Annis’s Concern about Chili” which consisted of one word: “Beans!”)

She had a long-standing penpal relationship with the tooth fairy, which I recently felt convicted to clarify with her. When I explained to her, fearing a most dramatic display of tears and mourning, that it was actually me writing her the letters, she told me matter-of-factly, “well, I knew it couldn’t be a real fairy. The writing was way too big!” (Rookie mistake!)

When she grows up, she wants to be a ballerina, a mom, a pirate missionary, a diver looking for treasure under the sea, and a vegetarian (“cause I just realized…I might be eating a unicorn!”). I think it’s safe to say it’s a little too early to call it 🙂

When I look back at pictures of little Annis, I realize her seven years really have been a bit of a blur. Annis was born just three months after Delia came home in what was probably the most intense period of time our family has ever been through.

And yet she has emerged this feisty, clever, hilarious, loving little person. She is a picture of God’s grace in our lives, of how He gives us good gifts even in the midst of hard trials (and I hasten to add that Delia is a good gift, too! But you’ll have to wait until July to hear more about her.) I am having so much fun watching this girl grow up. She is such a character!

We love you so much, our sweet and spicy girl. Happy birthday, Annis!

One thought on “2021 Birthday Post 5 of 13: Annis

Leave a Reply