All About Alli

We have had a lot going on with Alli lately, so she is getting her own blog post.... She just doesn't know it yet. Hopefully I won't embarrass her.

Lately Alli has shown us how much more responsible she has become and that she is making some much better decisions. We are very proud of her and excited about what is to come. She makes me smile and laugh. She is thoughtful and caring, creative and smart, goofy and giggly. She is a great girl and I am lucky to be her stepmom (or, "bonus mom," which I think sounds so much better)!

We signed Alli up for swim team this past week. I am so excited for her and so proud of her for trying something new. She LOVES swimming, but she has never done any organized swimming before. She also isn't very confident in her diving. However, she is being very courageous and she is going to jump right in to swim team! I know she is going to be great at it. Hopefully she will have lots of fun! I will be there at the side of the pool to cheer her on all summer!

Now onto kind of a long, but important story... Alli has a close friend who lives in our neighborhood. While her friend, K, is very sweet and polite to us, we have had some concerns about the choices that K makes and her deceitfulness (to Alli, to Rick and me, to her parents). Alli is fully aware of some of our concerns and recognizes that K makes some poor decisions.

The other day when we were driving home from swim team sign-ups, we ran into K walking on the road by our house (about 2 miles from her house) with a boy. We stopped to say hi and make sure she was ok. The boy bolted and K asked for us to give her a ride home. It was almost dark outside already. I asked K if her parents know where she was; she responded no. I told her that I am sure her parents were pretty worried about her, especially when it was getting dark. After we dropped K off, Rick and I talked to Alli in the car about K's decision making and our concerns. We like K, but we don't like some of the things she does and we don't want Alli getting any ideas.

Fast forward until the next evening. Alli and I were sitting in the living room when she tells me that she had a talk with K that day. She proceeded to tell me that she told K that we all care about her and want what is best for her, but that K needs to start making some better choices and decisions, because right now she is headed down the wrong path. She further advised that she would not be able to remain friends with her if she kept doing the wrong things. She comforted K, letting her know that we are here for her if she ever needs anything, but she needs to start thinking about the consequences of her actions, not only to her but to her friends and family too.

OH MY GOODNESS....I had to fight back the tears of excitement and pride as Alli was telling me about her conversation. She has grown so much over the past year. It just makes me so happy and excited for her!