A very happy three-days-late birthday to Annis! Annis Octavia (who was indeed the 8th child to join our family, hence the middle name) turned 11 on Wednesday, though she would rather have skipped right to 12, because she strongly prefers even numbers!

She is often to be found in her room with a kitten on her lap these days. Our new cat Sukey* (see bonus post for more about Sukey!) seems to have chosen her, out of all 17 members of our household, as her person. I don’t think she minds too much, though she admits it makes it tricky to get things done. In the photo above, Annis is copying the Bible, a project she’s been working on since January. So far she has finished Genesis (all 50 chapters) and is halfway through Exodus!

Annis is silly and creative and clever and witty. She is a deep thinker and an even deeper feeler. Her compassion for other people can bring her to tears, but she’s also quick to find the joke in a situation. When Romilly’s fiance Davis was visiting last week, Annis heard Trevor say, after Milo sustained a minor bump to the face, “Oh, no! Your nose is missing!” And she quickly remarked to Davis, “I hope you’re keeping a list of all these dad jokes so you can start practicing!”

Her Bible knowledge is exceptional, and she is constantly processing her world through this lens. She was watching Trevor prune her rose bush the other day, and she commented that the woman’s part of this sin curse (pain in childbearing) had always seemed much harsher to her than the man’s part (thorns and other difficulties in making the ground produce food). Then, as if on cue, Trevor managed to get a thorn embedded in his finger THROUGH HIS NAIL (which is a story in itself and may end up needing minor surgery!). She changed her tune then, and said, “I don’t know. Maybe you would want to trade with mom after all!”

In the spirit of Romilly’s “Romilly But Very Small” Annis began her own comic called “Lego Annis” (the cover of the book reads, “by Human Annis”) Her wit and subtlety always keep us laughing.

Annis is never bored. She has a world of interests and creative pursuits (many of which I don’t even know about until months later when she finally decides to share them with me.) She loves the Spanish language and has written stories in it as well as the beginnings of a personal Spanish-English dictionary. She is an accomplished crocheter and becoming quite a skilled little baker as well. She is always drawing, writing, and watercoloring. Just yesterday she won first place in our AWANA Grand Prix for car design for her taco car!

This girl gives me more hugs throughout my day than the rest of her siblings put together, and she is always encouraging my heart with her kind words. She seems to know when I’m having a hard day and shows up just in time to tell me I’m the best mom ever or to thank me for everything I do.

Annis has a strong interest in missions and sharing Jesus with others. She has recently been considering Bible translation missions, which would certainly combine two of her great passions! I took a peek back at her 7th birthday post in 2021 when she wanted to be “a missionary pirate and a ballerina”, among other things. I love that her heart has always been to share the love of Christ (and I’m glad she has found new ways to channel her creativity since then. Jesus and piracy probably don’t mix well!)

Annis continues to be defined by her love of all things anise and licorice flavored, receiving for her birthday both a jar of star anise to flavor tea with and an anise plant to add to the small empire she has in our garden.

It’s so hard to sum up a child in a brief blog post, and there is so much more I could say about this girl. It is always a joy to be your mom, my sweet and spicy girl. I love you!