I knew that when I woke up earlier this week, it was going to be a fun and crazy day. It was my birthday, the two younger girls were performing their ballet dance at a retirement home, and Jason and I were going out for my birthday, have a nice dinner, and do some Christmas shopping after that because the kids were spending the night with my mom.
A week before, my mom and I had went shopping. We were talking about my birthday and she got a great idea. Why not let the kids give me the presents she was buying me for my birthday? I knew what I was getting because I picked out some things I needed for my kitchen. (Isn’t she awesome?!)
Last Sunday all the kids went to decorate cookies and help decorate her Christmas tree. Jason and I had to run a few errands so while we were gone she let each child choose what they wanted to “give” me and then she helped them wrap the presents and the kids each made cards for me to go on top. Evidently they figured out how to make “flaps” in the cards because there were pop-ups and hidden pictures and messages under the little flaps.
By doing this each child had a gift to give me. This was a really big deal for them to have presents to give me on my birthday. They felt so grown up and that they were contributing to making me happy. All the way home they were giving me hints. One was “it has ingredients in it.” (They’re getting pretty good with understanding what hints mean!)
Needless to say, by the time my birthday arrived, the kids had been excited for days! They had hid the presents in their rooms so I wouldn’t snoop or peek in them (I seem to have a reputation for that from my days of being their size…).
They could barely wait the for me to come downstairs and open these presents. I think my favorite part of that morning was EVERY child (except for our oldest) had to open the presents they had wrapped for me because they were so excited about giving them to me! I had to include a few of the photos of them doing so!
Highlighted quotes of the day:
4-year-old- “It’s your birthday, mom! You can be coo-coo!”
2-year-old: “Happy birthday to my mamma! Happy birthday to you!”
6-year-old: “Now that you have the ingredient book, you can make these yummy cakes!”
6-year-old: “I drew that picture myself!”
10-year-old: “Would you guys just let mom open her own presents!”
These were the presents they gave me: 2 bread pans, a set of cookie sheets, a magazine, a cake decorating book, and hot pads. The hot pads were so extremely popular (they’re bright orange) that the younger two took them upstairs to the toy kitchen and I’m still waiting on using them. Each time I try, they let me know that they need to help so I send them off back to their own kitchen where they can’t get burned.
This is what this season is about. It’s not the gifts, it’s not the wrapping. It’s the purity, the goodness, and joy of giving. Obviously these gifts were not intended for the kids and they weren’t something the kids would have ever wanted at a store. My kids are learning about the true joy of giving which is one of the best gifts we can teach them. To be selfless, not selfish!
My birthday was crazy, chaotic, and was one of the very best I can remember. It wasn’t about the gifts, it was embracing the season of life that I’m in, the chaos we encounter daily, and watching the kids change, growing up a little each day, and loving my family. The icing on the cake was the girls performing that night and faces of the elderly residents watching those little girls perform for them, a very nice reminder of what this season is all about.
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