This Girl

Anna's Birthday Today!

Eight years ago today, Anna Germaine, our eighth child and fourth daughter, came into the world.

The world will never be the same.

We didn't know it then, but Anna was our last little girl, and after three big sisters, she had quite a world of hand-me-downs to grow into.  And bows and headbands and leggins and sparkly shoes.  She gained every feminine influence a little girl could soak up from her big sisters and her aunts and her mommy, with lots of chitchat about clothes and princess movies.  And tea parties.  So she's quite the girly-girl.

But, then, she also came into the world of farm life, with four big, big brothers and the remnants of little-green-army-guy battlefields all around her.  She understands all about mucking hen houses and fixing fences.  And climbing trees. She grew up with brothers' wisecracking and teasing and throwing her in the air.  So she's also a first-class tomboy.

Girly girl and tomboy.

And funny. The combination of experiences in her eight short years have combined to give her a unique perspective of life -- and a crazy storehouse of wacko facts.  You never know what she's going to do or say, but you know it'll be original.  This girl is her own person, with her own view of life.  I will never have to worry about Anna following the crowd, as she doesn't even notice what the crowd is doing. Which is significant because she doesn't know what life would be like outside of a crowd. But, Anna --she's too fixed on what she's doing, herself, to care about other folks.  Which may be what makes her seem so random sometimes...  She is a hoot.  A trailblazer to Never Never Land.  And yet feet planted right flat on the ground.

We love her dearly.  Our littlest girl.  Anna Germaine, eight years old today.

Happy Birthday,  Anna Banana!