Fourteen (A Lyrical Photoshoot)

Your little hands wrapped around my finger
And it’s so quiet in the world tonight
Your little eyelids flutter cause you’re dreaming
So I tuck you in and turn on your favorite nightlight

To you, everything’s funny
You got nothing to regret
I’d give all I have honey
If you could stay like that

Oh darling don’t you ever grow up, don’t you ever grow up
Just stay this little
Oh darling don’t you ever grow up, don’t you ever grow up
It could stay this simple
I won’t let nobody hurt you
Won’t let no one break your heart
No one will desert you
Just try to never grow up
Never grow up

You’re in the car on the way to the movies
And you’re mortified your mom’s dropping you off
At fourteen, there’s just so much you can’t do
And you can’t wait to move out
Someday and call your own shots

But don’t make her drop you off around the block
Remember that she’s getting older too
And don’t lose the way that you dance around in your p.j.s getting ready for school

Oh darling don’t you ever grow up, don’t you ever grow up
Just stay this little
Oh darling don’t you ever grow up, don’t you ever grow up
It could stay this simple
And no one’s ever burned you
Nothing’s ever left you scarred
And even though you want to
Just try to never grow up

Take pictures in your mind of your childhood room
Memorize what it sounded like when your dad gets home
Remember the footsteps, remember the words said
And all your little brother’s favorite songs
I just realized everything I have is someday gonna be gone

So here I am in my new apartment
In a big city, they just dropped me off
It’s so much colder than I thought it would be
So I tuck myself in and turn my nightlight on
Wish I’d never grown up
I wish I’d never grown up
Oh I don’t wanna grow up
Wish I’d never grown up
Could still be little
Oh I don’t wanna grow up
Wish I’d never grown up
It could still be simple
Oh darling don’t you ever grow up, don’t you ever grow up
Just stay this little
Oh darling don’t you ever grow up, don’t you ever grow up
It could stay this simple
I won’t let nobody hurt you
Won’t let no one break your heart
And even though you want to
Please try to never grow up
Don’t you ever grow up
Just never grow up

…

In case you guys couldn’t tell, today is Tessa’s fourteenth birthday, so I put together these pictures and the words to “Never Grow Up” by Taylor Swift. Make sure to wish Tessa a happy fourteenth in the comments! (Since this is a special post, I will not have one tomorrow like I usually do.)

By the way, Tessa’s actual birthday is technically February 29. However, she only gets a birthday every four years – so we celebrate it on the 28th instead.

Bye, y’all!

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The Unique Blogger Award + The 25 Things That Make Me Happy Tag!

Hey guys, what’s up? I am super pleased to announce that I have been nominated for the Unique Blogger Award, thanks to Emma from Dazzling Dollies! Thank you SO MUCH, Emma!!!!

The rules for the Unique Blogger Award are:

• Answer all the questions asked by the blogger who nominated you
• Share the link of the blogger who nominated you
• Nominate 8 to 13 bloggers for the same award
• Ask 3 New Questions

Okay, here are Emma’s questions:

• What’s your favorite part about blogging?
• What’s your favorite TV show?
• What is the next doll that you want?

My favorite part about blogging is when people tell me that I inspire their own blogs. This makes me really happy! Also, when people tell me that a comment I left “made their day,” I feel very pleased. I love making new friends while doing something I love!

My favorite TV show is Project Mc², even though it is kind of young for me. I also like to watch When Calls The Heart, which is a Hallmark Channel romance TV show.

My next doll . . . well, either Luciana, though I probably won’t get her, or another custom. I have one in mind, maybe to do later this year . . .

Hmm, for nominations:

• Izzy & Gracelyn @ The Diary of Two Dolls
• Arabella @ Anything in the Wonderful Life
• Tori & Bella @ AGsparklesisters
• Bella @ A Doll’s Life
• Rose @ A Purpose of Winged Dogs
• Lizzy @ Learning To Live, Struggling To Thrive
• Mary E. @ Forever American Girl
• The AG Homeschooler @ AG’s Wondrous World

You guys get to answer these questions!

• Do you play any sports? What is your favorite one?
• Do you have a hard time not checking WordPress every five minutes? (I know I do . . .)
• Why do you blog?

I know that’s more like four questions, sorry . . .

And now it’s time for the 25 Things That Make Me Happy Tag!

I was tagged by Enni (although technically she tagged anyone who has flown on a plane and I have done that countless times), so thank you SO MUCH!!!

25 Things That Make Me Happy Are (these are very specific and random things):

1. Orange-scented bath products (I believe I mentioned this in my Thanksgiving post)
2. Doing laundry! I LOVE LOVE LOVE doing laundry!
3. The little noise that plays over the intercom in airports before they announce something like a 20-minute baggage claim guarantee (you guys probably have no idea what I’m talking about)
4. Swinging at the park
5. My beautiful coloring Bible with gorgeous illustrations
6. When the numbers work right when I’m doing math (I am momentarily fooled into thinking I actually LIKE math, ha ha that’s crazy right)
7. The smell of the air when spring is just arriving (especially in AK, since the air is very clean up here)
8. Walking out of a plane into fresh air that is 50 degrees warmer than the air you left back at home
9. Checking 25 books out of the library at once
10. The library scanning machine that involves placing all the books inside at once and it scans them immediately, so there’s no need to do it one by one. (We have a very high-tech library, and the return system is even cooler – you place the books inside and it goes up the conveyor belt to the ceiling to be returned. I don’t know why I like it so much, because it has caused me to return a couple of books that apparently I was still being charged for weeks later? #technologyproblems)
11. Cleaning my rabbit’s cage (which I should probably do tomorrow . . . 🙂
12. Spying on trick-or-treaters who have no idea I’m watching them
13. Getting up at 6:30 and doing all my schoolwork, though I’m not very happy at the time of doing the actual waking up
14. The feeling I get when I’m downhill skiing (I LOVE SKIING, even though I just started this year – I was living in California when I was at an age that would be good to start learning at)
15. Finding out the name of a song I love so I can actually download it onto my iPod
16. When I FINALLY remember a French word I have been trying to memorize for weeks
17. Watching people practically kill themselves on America’s Funniest Home Videos
18. Cleaning my room (I love doing this each week, it makes me feel so organized – which I am so totally NOT)
19. Animal Farm by Geroge Orwell. In case you haven’t read it, it’s this ridiculous novel about a bunch of talking pigs leading a dictatorship – which is required reading for English class. I would recommend it for ages 13+
20. Getting new bands on my braces! I have an appointment in about a week, and I don’t know what colors I should get – any color combination suggestions?
21. Taking aesthetically pleasing (wow, I don’t think I have ever used that phrase before) pictures of my dolls outside. You can’t get aesthetically pleasing pictures with the lighting inside of our house
22. How the trees look outside once they’re covered in frost in the morning. It looks like we’re living in a magical kingdom
23. THE MAGIC OF PHOTO EDITING WEBSITES (which I only recently discovered)!!!
24. The sweetness of the little kids I babysit, who laugh at the smallest things and remind me of more important things in life – like having fun and smiling a lot ❤️
25. Flying on planes! I totally love it (minus the TSA thing) – especially if I’m flying first class (yes, I have flown that way once)

I tag anyone who has traveled internationally!

Alright, that is all for today! See you all on Thursday (when I will hopefully have Part 2 of The Trials of Tessa up!)

The Dog Blog: Grace

Morgan: Welcome to today’s edition of The Dog Blog! It’s Morgan here with the lovely Grace, Lindsey’s Bassett Hound!

Grace: Hello, everybody.

Morgan: Grace, can you tell us a bit about yourself? What are your favorite activities?

Grace: Hmm . . . well, since I’m a Basset Hound, I have a real talent for sniffing things out. Lindsey and I play this game where she hides something from me and I have to sniff it out for her. I have the best nose in the family. Other than that, I like to go for walks and sit by Lindsey while she’s writing an interesting story. She always reads them aloud to me. If I don’t like something, I scratch at her pantlegs. She says I’m her best editor, in fact!

Morgan: I know you’re very close to Lindsey, but what about any other dogs in the family?

Grace: I really enjoy playing with Yank and Bennett. Those two are high-energy. They really get me moving on days when I feel like just napping.

Morgan: Oh? And is that often?

Grace: Yes. Every day, in fact.

Morgan: I see. Now, what about your favorite type of treat?

Grace: Well, unlike most dogs, I am a vegetarian. I love lettuce and carrots. My main meals consist of peas, broccoli, carrots, lettuce, and some chunks of watermelon for dessert. I absolutely detest meat. Eating other animals, while I am an animal myself? Horrendous!

Morgan: Does Lindsey buy you the organic variety of vegetables?

Graec: Absolutely. It’s healthier, you know.

Morgan: Of course. Is Lindsey a good owner to you?

Grace: Zzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzz.

Morgan: Um, Grace? Are you awake?

Grace: What?!?! Squirrel!!!

Morgan: Er, it’s just me, Grace.

Grace: Oh dear, I’m terribly sorry. What were you saying?

Morgan: I was asking you if you think Lindsey is a good owner.

Grace: Oh, of course. Yes, she is. If I could write book like her – unfortunately, I don’t have opposable thumbs – I would dedicate it to her. She’s a very talented one. Always getting into mischief, though. I have to be here to keep her out of trouble. The house would probaby not be standing if it weren’t for me.

Morgan: Hehe. I see. One last question, Grace. What would you say your best and worst personality traits are?

Grace: Hmm . . . well, my best one would probably be my loyalty to Lindsey. The worst one? I’ve been called boring before. Possibly because of my tendency to nap at improper times.

Morgan: Thank you so much for joining us, Grace. Have a nice day, everyone!

Grace: Zzzzzzzzzzzzz.

A Note from AGs in Alaska: Hi, everybody! Someone told me on my survey that they would like to see a Dog Blog post with pictures in it! Thank you so much for taking the survey, and yes, I will try to do that on my next DB post.

One more thing – this is my 100th post! Thank you so much for continuing to read and comment, guys – it means a ton! Have a great weekend, y’all!

The Trials of Tessa, Part 1

“I wonder when I’ll adjust to this new family, Cooper,” I say to McKenna’s Labradoodle. We’re sitting on the heart, bored. Cooper, because he hasn’t gone for a walk today. Me, because I have no idea what to do to entertain myself in this new house with my new family.

“Hey, Tessa!” McKenna calls, materializing next to me in that creepy way she does. “What are you up to?”

“Nothing much,” I tell her. “Just hanging out with Cooper.”

“Ohhhhhh,” McKenna sighs. “I see. You’re bored, you have no idea how to fit in with your new family, and you think we have nothing in common.”

“How did you know?” I ask, shocked. Can McKenna read minds in addition to appearing out of nowhere?

“Trust me, I’ve been through this with four other sisters. You would think I would understand the signs by now,” she explains.

“Oh,” I say. “So . . . they went through this too?”

“Absolutely. And the best way to cure it is to do something fun together. Hey, I’m about to head to the gymnastics center for open gym time. Wanna tag along? I have a gazillion extra leotards that would probably fit you,” McKenna offers.

I ponder this for a few minutes before nodding my head. “Sure. It’s worth a shot.”

It’s not like there’s anything else I can do.

“Watch and learn, sis,” McKenna says forty-five minutes later. We’re at Shooting Star gymnastics, and my sports-obsessed sister is about to show me a few moves on the bar that I’ll (hopefully) be able to do.

McKenna flips herself upside down, her legs reaching the bar.

In one swift motion, she’s on top of the bar. “That was pullover,” she explains. “The most basic bar move. Wanna try?”

That was basic? I think, as I step up to the bar. I replay what McKenna did in my head, hoping I can do the same thing.

A few seconds later, I’m on the ground.

“Um, maybe bars isn’t your thing so much,” McKenna says. “Why don’t we move on?”

We step over to the beam, where McKenna hops up and positions herself. “Watch this. It should be simpler for you.”

McKenna flicks her arm out and I step back. With just the right amount of sass, she begins to walk down the length of the beam.

A few minutes later, McKenna hops off. “Why don’t you try now,” she says. “Gymnastics have to look confident, and walking on the beam is the best way to practice that.”

I hop up, McKenna watching from behind. “Go for it, Tess.”

It doesn’t go quite as McKenna’s did. My legs begin to wobble instantly.

I fall off the beam, crashing into McKenna. “Owwwww,” we moan in unison.

“Ya know, Kenna? Maybe gymnastics isn’t my thing at all.” I say.

From behind me, McKenna says, “Yeah. Maybe not.”

-End of Photostory-

Did you guys enjoy the beginning of an informal little photoseries? I think it’ll be around three or four parts, once each week. Kind of illustrating Tessa’s journey in becoming a part of her new family. Sound good? Is there a specific sister you think Tessa should follow around in the next few parts? Just leave me a comment down below!

The I Love You Tag

Two posts in one day! Yay! Since today is a holiday, I thought it would be fine if I broke my rule of not posting twice in one day. Besides, this is the last day I could do the I Love You Tag, which was created by the amazing Lizzy! I was tagged for it by both her and Hope . Thank you so much, guys!

The rules are:

Use the tag image I created!

Link the creator(me) and the original post!

Send the card/tag to 5 or more other blogging buddies! You can send it to me and anyone else that I tag because there are no questions! So no one has to redo a whole bunch of questions! You can just send the card to me or the same people I did and explain why YOU love them!

Thank you to Lizzy!

Here are the people I am thanking for being amazing blogging buddies today (there are so many of you amazing people out there and I could not possibly thank you all so this is an incomplete list):

Kaylyn – I love you because you are always positive and upbeat! I really enjoy snail mail/emailing each other, it always brightens my day!

Hope – I love you because you share your faith on your blog, which I really enjoy reading about!

Madi – I love you because you are SO RIDICULOUSLY AMAZING AND INSPIRING. I don’t know what I would do without you!

Lizzy – I love you because you leave such sweet comments on my blog!

Rebekah – I love you because you have been following me from the beginning and have such a creative stuffie blog!

Elysium – I love you because you are such a creative writer and your blog is truly unique and amazing!

Jewel – I love you because you take such gorgeous pictures and do AMAZING photoseries!

Bella – I love you because your blog is fresh and fun, plus your photography is spectacular!

Natalie – I love you because your blogs are both super special and fun to read, I literally freak out when you make a new post!

Loren – I love you because your photography is absolutely stunning and you are so fun to chat in the comments with (plus you are a fellow American Heritage Girl!)

I think now would be a good time to mention that I have 64 FOLLOWERS!!!! I am so happy that 64 of you think that my blog is amazing enough to follow. I cannot thank you enough for all the sweet comments that you leave and your encouragement. Like I have said before, I never thought I would actually make FRIENDS while blogging. Seriously. The thought never even crossed my mind. THANK YOU SO MUCH FOR BEING AWESOME, GUYS!!!!

Valentine’s Day Advice from Crystal

Hello, darlings! It’s Crystal, here with a few Valentine’s Day scenarios! I hope you enjoy the post, and have a great V-Day!

Scenario #1: You have zero idea as to what to get your BFF for Valentine’s Day.

What to do about it: What is your friends interested in? Does she adore chocolate? (Just make sure that if she is allergic to nuts, you don’t get her chocolate with nuts in it . . .) What about stuffies? Maybe you don’t even need to get her a typical V-Day prsent at all . . . if she likes photography, get her a memory card! A hand-written note saying why you value her friendship is a nice touch, too.

Scenario #2: All of your friends are going out on dates, and you’re the only one stuck at home.

What to do about it: DO NOT, I repeat, DO NOT sit around upset about it. They’re out on dates, where they are so focused on looking/being perfect, but you get to sit around in your PJs and paint your nails, watch cheesy romantic comedies, and make popcorn! Which one sounds better to you?

Scenario #3: You are SO BAD at art, and all of your Valentine’s Day cards look like they were made by an alien with no thumbs.

What to do about it: There are three options here: Explain to your friends that you did your best but you are bad at art before you give them their card, buy your cards at the store, or don’t give them a card at all. If your friends are real friends, they won’t mind a messy-looking card – they’ll value the person who gave it to them instead!

 

Scenario #4: You ate too much candy and now you have a cavity forming . . .

Sorry. Can’t really help you with this one.

That is all my advice for today! I’m going to wrap this post up with MY definition of Valentine’s Day.

Val·en·tine’s Day

noun

A day to celebrate friendship (even if it isn’t of the romantic sort) and have fun! Eat candy. Exchange little presents. While it is okay to celebrate Valentine’s Day with a boy (as long as your parents are okay with it), you can have just as much fun (sometimes more, since you aren’t worrying about being/looking perfect) if you hang out with your BFFs.

I’ve gotta run – catch your guys later!

The Customization of Tessa Elizabeth

Hello, everyone! I want to give a HUGE thank-you to everyone who took my poll. It is super helpful for me to know what YOU GUYS want to see. And, according to what you told me, y’all want more photostories/photoshoots and Day in The Life!

Happy to oblige.

Also, I know what you’re thinking – when exactly is Tessa going to make an appearance on your blog?

Let me explain – when I got Tessa, I knew that I would have to do Travels With Grace and catch up on stuff like Day in The Life before I could let her star on my blog. I am really, really excited for today’s post – the customization of Tessa Elizabeth!!!

I did a VERY INCOMPLETE customization photo process, but I was so excited about getting Tessa and customizing her that I didn’t really do a very good job of taking photos along the way. But what I have is here. 🙂

Now, right before we move on to something much more exciting than announcements and stuff, I want to give a big shoutout to Elysium (formerly known as Avaroo2003 from Ava’s Pokémon Blog), who started an epic new blog you can check out right here. It’s called An Author’s Odyssey, and Elysium posts these super amazing writing prompts that you guys can use. I have started to do it, and it is A TON of fun. I strongly encourage you guys to go check it out, follow, and participate!

Now, onto the Customization of Tessa Elizabeth!!!!

(Note: There may or may not be photos of disembodied dolls. Proceed with caution.)

So . . . our story starts off with a box.

A box I cannot show you a picture of because I stupidly did not cover up our address with a card and you can now see where we live and I’m too lazy to install the Flash plugin so I can edit the picture because I am a very mysterious person.

Ths is what the box looked liked after I opened it.

(Best. Photo description. Ever.)

AHHHHHHHHHH IT’S A HEAD!!!!!!!!!

Belonging to this lovely doll in need on major TLC.

This is Tessa’s hair . . . pre-customization.

Hope I’m not freaking y’all out with this! If you’re not already disgusted . . . funny story!

So we (my mom and I) have a doll head and a doll body. Why not have a little fun?

My mom as my dad is pulling out of the driveway: Holds doll body up to window, makes arm wave.

My dad pulling out of the driveaway: Does not notice.

Me: Laughing hysterically.

In case you couldn’t tell, this photo has been majorly cropped so you can’t see all of the baby photos on our back wall.

But now you know that my hair is brown! Big clue as to finding out my true identity. Hey, you have now eliminated half the world population!

La head.

The two wigs, side by side!

Before gluing it on . . . BTW, how do you spell gluing? Is it glueing?

I will save you the stunningly gorgeous picture of Tessa as she has pins sticking out of her head as the wig’s glue dries. Instead . . . the finished product!!!

Tessa Elizabeth, my very first custom!

I hope you guys enjoyed that little Behind The Scenes view into my messy house process of creating a custom doll. I will see you all on Wednesday for my Valetine’s Day post!

A Quick Survey . . .

I’m not counting this as a post, since I’m only going to be typing a few sentences, but would you guys take my survey? I want to know what YOU want to see on AGs in Alaska!

 

The Valentine’s Day Tag + The All You Tag

Hey, I’m back!!!

(audience screams) Noooooooooooo!!!!

Sam from Dolls ‘N’ Cupcakes tagged me for her brand-new tag! I love this idea! Rules are:

1. Link the 1st post (This one)

Here.

2. Thank the person who tagged you and link their post.

THANK YOU SAM!!!!!

3. Answer the 10 original questions and then answer the 4 questions the person who tagged you made (I will write the 10 questions everyone tagged will answer, then the person who tagged you will come up with 4 more questions for the people they tagged to answer.)

Here are her questions (they are would-you-rathers).

1. WYR Get a lot of Valentines Day cards for people you don’t know very well or only 1 card from you crush/husband/wife/boyfriend/girlfriend?

One card! (I don’t have a boyfriend though . . .)

2. WYR host a Valentine’s Day party or be a guest at one?

A host, definitely. I love having parties at my house.

3. WYR receive only chocolate or only teddy bears for Valentines Day?

I AM A CHOCOLATE ADDICT.

4. WYR spend Valentine’s day with friends or family?

Probably friends, because my family doesn’t do much for Valentine’s Day. Except then I would miss out on our tradition of going to the bookstore on Valentine’s Day . . . so, IDK!!!

5. WYR Recive a romantic card or a funny one?

Uh . . . both?

6. WYR Write a Valentines day poem to read aloud to your whole school/coworkers or have a Valentine’s Day poster you made displaying everywhere in your work place/school.

A poster. I don’t like sharing my poetry that much.

7. WYR make hand make cards for your friends or buy them?

I am terrible at art, so buy them.

8. WYR receive 100 chocolates or stuffed animals?

Definitely chocolate!

9. WYR get anything, I repeat, ANYTHING that you pick out for Valentine’s Day or a surprise gift?

Anything, of course!

10. WYR give cards to only boys or girls?

Girls. I don’t know any boys who I would consider giving a card to. 🙂

Here are the questions for YOU GUYS!!!!

WYR eat only chocolate or only cheesecake on Valentine’s Day?

WYR dress in pink or dress in red for Valentine’s Day?

WYR you rather go on a date or hang out with your friends on Valentine’s Day?

WYR cook a meal for your family on Valentine’s Day or go out to eat at a fancy restaurant?

Rule #4. Tag 9-14 people.

Elysium

Kaylyn

Hope

EnniMorgan

The AG Homeschooler

Natalie

all-American Girl

Rose

Twintastic AG

Okay, that’s all for the V-Day tag!

Next, I was tagged for the All You Tag by Kaylyn! Thank you so much!

Rules are:

Thank the person who tagged you.

Answer the questions. They will always be the same.

Tag 5-10 people.

The questions are:

Do you like school?
Yep, I love school!

What is your favorite subject?
I really enjoy English, Russian, and ASL. My favorite is probably ASL or English.

If you could change one thing in the world, what would it be?
It would be great is people would set aside their differences and accept that no two people are going to agree on EVERYTHING. And that’s a good thing! People are offended so easily, and if everyone would just see that, there would be a lot less fighting.

What are some of your favorite memories?
Hmm. My first one is when I got to fly first class on Alaska Airlines. It was amazing. They served us a three-course meal! The second one is at the beach when we lived in California. We put on life jackets and just bobbed up and down in the waves. It was super fun. My last favorite memory is going to the Griffith Observatory in Hollywood and getting our picture taken with the Hollywood sign in the background.

Name one or two embarrassing moments:
Oh boy. Well, once, my friends were over and we were bouncing on my trampoline (in California). We were singing super loudly and all of a sudden, my dad came out of the garage! Since it was right next to where our trampoline was, he had heard our obnoxious singing the whole time. We were super embarrassed.

I tag:

Mary E.

Emma (Dazzling Dollies)

The Blog Dolly

Arabella

Lizzy

Anyone else who wants to do either of these tags in completely welcome to!

I will be doing a Monday post and a Wednesday post next week, since Valentine’s Day is on a Wednesday and not a Thursday. See you guys next week!

How Much Does AGs in Alaska’s Brother Know About AG?

This post is going to be amazingly awesomely hilarious!!!

Why?

It’s featuring my brother! My two-years-younger, adventurous, trouble-making brother.

This post was inspired by Sam and Loren and Micah (on YouTube). Thanks, guys!

Here we go!!!!

Me: Okay, so, um . . . how many dolls do I have?

Brother: 9.

Me: No, I don’t have nine dolls.

Brother: Okay.

Me: You need to guess again.

Brother: 10.

Me: No.

Brother: 11.

Me: No!

Brother: 8.

Me: Yes! Okay, who was my first doll?

Brother: Crystal.

Me: And who was my most recent doll?

Brother: Tessa.

Me: Ye- wow, you got it right.

Brother: I named her.

Me: You did not name her!

Brother: It was my idea.

Me: It was not your idea. It was your idea to name her after someone from the Michael Vey books. You wanted me to name her Tara!

Brother: And then I said, “How about Tessa?” And you said, “I like Tessa. That works.”

Me: *dramatic pause* That is not what I said. Okay, whatever. Uh, moving on . . . So, what do you think about the new Girl of The Year?

Brother: I don’t know.

Me: You don’t know? What do you think about a doll who likes science?

Brother: That’s . . . awesome.

Me: Do you like science?

Brother: *blah blah blah blah blah ridiculous nonsense I will not write here*

Me: *yells brother’s name here* I can’t put that on my blog! Okay, come up with appropriate responses to these questions. Okay . . . how long have I been doing blogging?

Brother: Two years.

Me: No, my doll blog.

Brother: Okay, one year.

Me: No, less time than that.

Brother: Like, eight months?

Me: No.

Brother: Six?

Me: Yes, six months! Do you read my blog?

Brother: I scroll through it to support you.

Me: Oh, to support me. That’s sweet of you. (Note the sarcasm here.) Which one of my dolls likes gymnastics?

Brother: McKenna.

Me: Okay, um . . .

Brother: The only reasons I know these questions people is because she’s constantly blabbering about them.

Me: *Another dramatic pause* Seriously?

Brother: Yeah.

Me: *loud sigh* Okay, hey, hey, you get back here. I’m not done. Let me think. Um, which doll of mine is the one who has red hair?

Brother: Morgan.

Me: Nooooo, her hair is brown!

Brother: Um, it is . . .  I don’t know.

Me: It’s Emily. Okay, how many times have we been to the AG Store Los Angeles?

Brother: Four times.

Me: Four times? That’s close.

Brother: Five?

Me: No.

Brother: Three?

Me: Yes, three. Let’s see . . . how many of my dolls have their ears pierced?

Brother: Three?

Me: No.

Brother: I don’t know.

Me: Four. Okay, now I’m going to move onto some questions about . . . like, American Girl in general. Who is the current girl of the year? (This was back in 2017.) Not the one that’s about to come out, the current one.

Brother: It is . . . I know it . . . um, um, Lea.

Me: No, that was last year.

Brother: I don’t know.

Me: It’s Gabriela. Let’s see . . . you won’t know that . . .

Brother: No, tell me.

Me: Okay, fine. What was the original American Girl name?

Brother: You told me this one time.

Me: I did?

Brother: Yeah.

Me: You won’t remember. Okay, let’s see . . .

Brother: What was it called????

Me: Pleasant Company. I’ll be right back . . .

Brother: The what now?

Me: Pleasant Company. (Runs to room, returns with AG magazine). Okay, so what is this one called? (Points to doll.)

Brother: That is . . . the one from 1924, or something. Molly.

Me: That’s not Molly, Molly’s from the 40s, and no, this is Samantha, she’s from, like, 1904 or something.

Brother: See, I was on the right track. That was the one I was thinking of.

Me: How old was I when I got Crystal – wait, I can’t put that on my blog.

Brother: Why?

Me: They can’t know how old I am! Yet – maybe later. In the future. Okay, just look at this picture, not the words. Which doll is this?

Brother: The one who likes basketball. Jessie.

Me: No – wait, Jessie? Her name is Julie! That’s pretty close. Yeah, she does like basketball.

Brother: She wanted to be president. In the movie. (He’s talking about the short film AG made about Julie, if you haven’t seen it, it’s on their website.)

Me: Do I have this doll?

Brother: Yeah, you have Kit, but its name is Lindsey.

Me: Yes. But it’s not an “it,” its a “she.” What year was Grace Girl of The Year?

Brother: It was three years ago . . . wait . . . it’s 2017 this year, right?

Me: Yes.

Brother: But it’s going to be 2018 in a few days, right?

Me: No, in like 11 hours.

Brother: Okay, so three years ago it was . . .  2015!

Me: Now, is there anything you would like to tell my wonderful league of followers about dolls, or yourself?

Brother: (pause)

Me: Hello? We have dead air here!

Brother: (Says something I shall not write here.)

Me: Okay, we’re done here. Say bye.

Brother: (Says another thing I shall not write here.)

So . . . that went differently than I expected. But I hope you enjoyed it anyway! See you guys on Thursday!