Before the kids left with Alice (aka Grammy) last week we had discussed where we could meet to pick them up. Dallas was mentioned and Salem latched onto the idea because Dallas is home to Texas' only American Girl store. Salem has become American Girl obsessed of late. She got Mia (2008 girl of the year) for Christmas and used her birthday money to buy Chrissa (2009 girl of the year). She visits the website daily, pours through her catalogs, and has even looked up flights to Chicago to visit the AG store there. I've never cared for dolls, not even when I was little. I outright hated Cabbage Patch Dolls. However, since visiting American Girl meant so much to Say, we decided to make it happen. We even made reservations for brunch at the bistro.
I figured her excitement would prove contagious, and it did, I was just as excited as she was by the big day. As we approached the giant pink building Salem looked like she was walking on air. Ryan, on the other hand, started backing up and whispering, "I don't want to go in there!" over and over. We were only able to calm him when we reassured him Daddy would be taking him to the Lego store VERY soon. Upon entering the store Ryan visibly shut down and made sounds like a robot short circuiting. Jeff had to carry his limp body around the few minutes they stayed.
Salem was smiling ear to ear and walked directly to Rebecca as soon as she was through the door. Yes, thank you American Girl for coming out with a new doll that looks so much like my daughter just days before our visit. Unfortunately for Salem, Jeff and I decided that three dolls in one year would be too many. Being told you can't spend your own money on something you want is never fun but learning to wait is a very important lesson. While she wasn't pleased, she handled our decision well. Luckily there were hundreds of other things she also wanted to buy. I have to say, I'm quite proud she put a lot of thought into her purchases and left the store with money to spare. I don't know if you could pay me enough to go to Dallas again but it was a fun weekend and Salem got to realize one of her dreams.
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