It must be the week for WILD gifts arriving at our house.  WILD I SAY!  Greg’s cousin Debbie has a lovely, lovely daughter named Reilly.  I mean like….amazing kid.  The kind of kid who grows out her hair just to cut it to make wigs for kids on chemo.  The kind of kid who has the strength to stand in front of a hundred people and sing Amazing Grace at her own Great Grandmother’s funeral.  I could barely breathe I was crying so hard, but there stood Reilly, just singing strong and loud, with God and the whole world watching.  She’s one neat gal.

Reilly decided she had outgrown her Barbie Jeep, and hey, maybe Sara & Kelly would like it.  And just like that, Sara & Kelly inherited an entire JEEP.  Like, the toy I dreamed of my entire childhood. I’ve never even owned a Jeep as an adult.  Such an awesome and generous gift; and make no mistake about it, these girls know their Jeeps.  Avery has one, and they talk about it incessantly.  I might say,”Avery is spending the night Friday.”  To which they will reply, “Yeah Avery!  Hey Mommy, did you know that Avery has a Jeep?”

Getting it from Connecticut to Indiana was a trick, but without one dime spent in shipping, and a few months of lag time hanging out in Goomommy and Goodaddy’s formal living room…we managed to get it to Indiana before the weather turned.

The first week it sat in the garage covered by a sheet because it rained, and then rained, and then rained some more.  We finally gave Reilly’s present to the girls on Sunday, thinking they’d be overjoyed.  Giddy.  Downright nutty.  But here’s a little known fact about wacky rootie kazootie children who live 24/7 with ants in their pants: when they’re really, really excited, they calm down.  They didn’t make a sound.  Not one giggle, not one look that indicated they were shocked or surprised.  They quietly climbed in, Sara threw that baby into reverse, then she put it in high gear, and OFF THEY FLEW.  For how long?  Hours…maybe days.  We lost count.

Kelly never wanted to drive and I think it was clear Sara would have never acquiesced the driver’s seat.  They didn’t have time to smile for a picture.  We gave up on the video camera because they wouldn’t slow down long enough to wave.  They had some JEEP’IN TO DO.  On Roading, Off Roading, what have you.  They wouldn’t talk to us either.  “Hey girls!  Are you driving to South Carolina (their favorite imaginary place to go)?”  No reply.  It’s not safe to converse and drive.  They wanted us to know that they are taking this new responsibility with a sense of maturity.  After all, they are 4 & 2.  They can be trusted with a Barbie Jeep.  They wouldn’t even turn on the radio.  Sara said it was distracting her from driving.

So every morning, Sara jumps out of bed, Kelly draws back the blinds, and the girls analyze the weather.  Today was cold and rainy and windy and downright horrible.  Oh yes, and Sara had a fever of 102.  She stood at the window, looking out at the gray rain, and said, “Look there!  I think it’s slowing down!  I think the sun wants to come out.  Look Mommy!  It’s DRIVING weather.”  No sweetie, that’s driving RAIN, not driving weather.  What on earth will we do when it snows?  Do Barbie Jeeps come with snow tires?  Before you think I’m crazy, just imagine Sara NOT asking that question. Because she’s gonna ask it.  Oh you KNOW I’m going to find her in the garage, looking for the antifreeze come December.

Kelly did scream “Pank U Rye-eey!”, but we didn’t get it on tape.  By then Greg and I had given up on getting their attention and realized in a moment of disbelief, we might actually talk to EACH OTHER.  Thank you Reilly, for this fantastic gift.  The girls love it so very much.  And thank you for the hours I’ve spent talking to my husband these past few days, while we follow two girls who now truly believe they are BIG girls.  Big, Barbie Jeep owning girls.  So help us God…