Zoey: the meaning of her name is "life", which is why she could carry no other name than the one she was given. I often look into her strong, beautiful eyes and I feel a sense of guilt and glee at the same time. I feel sometimes guilty that she is the oldest, that she carries such responsibility, and glee for all the same reasons. She is the one who can handle that big job and she thrives in her leadership role. Her little sister and brother adore her and despise her multiple times within any given hour. She bosses them, she tends to them, she helps them with their homework, she pictochats with her sister, and she sword fights with her brother (with nerf swords, of course).
I am so thankful for her and I hope and pray that her oldest child role doesn't break her down, but makes her stronger (if that's possible). She has the will of no human I have ever known and I admire her ambition. The trick with this one? To send that will and ambition in a direction that benefits many. She has a soul that should be shared, a heart that is full of concern for humankind, and with all of that, she has little patience for anything that causes annoyance in her world. Sadly, that is often her little brother or her little sister.
She's our little Zoey - full of life, spunk, and sass. As we begin to embark on this pre-teen adventure with her I can only hope we all come out a little wiser, a little stronger, and a little more forgiving toward each other.
In my attempt to guide her will and ambition, I just signed her up for a book club today. She is going to be giddy beyond words. I just know it. When I came home from my own book club on Monday night, I found her in bed with a piece of paper and a crayon. On it it said:
BOOK CLUB!
Who: Zoey & Livy
Time: Saturday 3:00-4:00
Book: (left blank because she couldn't think of one they could both read)
She dreams of a book club, she's nagged me about this pretend book club of hers every day since. So today, I signed her up for one. A book club with new people to meet, a new book to read, and a chance to be Zoey outside of her little town, her little school, and her little siblings. May she sprout and bloom through this adventure!
The book she'll be reading?
The Lighting Thief - I hear there is a movie of the same title coming out sometime soon. It looks a bit intense, but I think she can at least handle the book.
