is this what it's like being a Grandma?

Okay.....a little bit of a story......my niece came over yesterday and spent the day with us....her name is Areej. (beautiful name, isn't it?)When I came to Egypt she was 2 yrs old....and she's a charmer!! Here's a bit about her, cuz I love her so much........

*she's 7 yrs old turning 8
*she's very smart, Masha Allah
*she's memorized 8 Juz of the Quran, Masha ALLAH
*She is the youngest child in her family and between her and her next sibling is 13 yrs
*she's usually forgotten in the midst of her older siblings
*she has no one to play with most of the time
*her and my daughter, Maryam are great friends
*My youngest daughter Tasneem LOVES her to death!!!!
*she loves crafts
*Did I tell you she's smart?
*I give her all of Maryam's clothes and shoes then they give them back to us for Tasneem
*she's really pretty, Masha ALLAH, but her mom isn't good at brushing hair, or picking out clothes, so she usually looks frumpish

So do you get the picture?? When I send clothes to her mom for her, I usually fold outfits together, so that her mom knows that it's a complete outfit. (fold the pants and shirt together, skirt and blouse, etc etc) Her mom is REALLY bad at picking out things.

Last year there was a wedding, and someone gave her mom an old dress for Areej to wear, when she saw Maryam's dress she was soooo sad/envious and I felt so bad for her....(Maryam's dress is like 7 yrs old, it used to be my 14 yr olds dress that her grandma bought her in Canada, it's super fancy and ALL my kids have worn it) So I took Areej's dress, and basically took it all apart, sent it to the tailor and had some navy blue piping added on it, but some iron on patches of flowers, sewed on some sequins and with some of the material that was cut out, made her a beautiful crown/veil out of a hairband, and I made Maryam a veil to match her dress as well.....Areej was so happy/ecstatic when she saw the dress, that it made it all worth it. And this summer there is another wedding.....so I asked Areej if she'd mind if we'd switch dresses cuz everyone saw them last time......so this wedding Areej will be wearing the princess dress and Maryam will be wearing the fixer upper with crowns.....I promise a picture at the wedding, ok? Needless to say, Areej and Maryam are BOTH happy this time.

Oh yeah, another thing......her Mom never goes anywhere.....just to the store and back.....as a family they almost NEVER go out and have fun......last year was the first time in the 6 yrs I've been here that they've gone out...they went to a farm with their daughters fiancee's family and spent a week. Other than that, about every 4 mos or so, they go to see family in Egypt.......that's it. So the girl hasnt' been much of anywhere. So we took her to Carrefours with us, and she played at Magic Planet with the girls...and then we took her out for Chinese food with us.....and when we came home she hugged me so hard and told me that except for going to the farm last summer, this was the 2nd best time she had in her life. (insert sniffles here)

So yesterday she came over and spent most of the day with us cause her mom was going to buy the daughter getting married some clothes before the wedding.....(it's a day journey here, they buy TONS of stuff) We had a great time....she had a bath at my house, (which she loves cuz we got one of those HUGE corner jacuzzi tubs) and I gave her an outfit to wear, we did her hair all fancy and played with her, told stories, etc. etc. She played her heart out, watched TV...and then to make it all great....at 11:30pm, I called her mom on the cell phone to see where she was and she was still in downtown Cairo, so I told her that not to bother calling me to send Areej downstairs when she comes home, that we are all going to bed. Talk about MAKING AREEJ's DAY!! When I told her that she was sleeping over, she ran and hugged me till I couldn't breath!! What a darling!!!

So after all this, I just wanted to say...........that when you are a part of a child's life when they are young, they affect you more, than if they are older....you know what I'm saying?? Let me try to explain....when I came to Egypt....some of the cousins are 20 and 24 yrs old.....I love them and think they are great girls....but they will never be in my heart like Areej, when she was just 2 yrs old. And I am sure that works vice versa.

I love this little girl, and it makes me so happy when I introduce her to new things, we've finger painted together, painted t-shirts, painted vases, made candles, painted stones, played hide and seek, told jokes, mended her hurts, made her laugh, washed her shoes to make them nice and pretty again, put on make-up, held hands..........and at the end of the day, she goes home happy.

She's touched my heart in a way that is quite different from my own kids. SubhanALLAH, how Allah has created us.

So please everyone......make a difference in a child's life today. It's so rewarding. A smile is all the payback you need. Allah listens to children when they make dua'......ask them to make dua for you.......

And just a little note to Areej, if you are listening....(she's not...but oh well!)

I love you, sweetie.