Presents

Not only is Julia on a huge Christmas music kick, but she is also on a huge present-giving kick. After stopping in the toy store with Ethan over the weekend, she came home with a Christmas gift for Madeleine; a pink version of the Wow! Car that Julia got as a birthday gift from her friends Ben and Adriana. Julia is SO excited for Madeleine to receive her gift. She must have told everyone she knows at least four or five times that she got a Wow! Car for Madeleine. She has specifically asked me if I can hand out that present first on Christmas morning, and in case I forget, placed it front and center under the Christmas tree. And further unable to suppress her joy at giving this particular gift, Julia decided she can't even wait for Madeleine to unwrap the gift to see what it is:



Thank goodness Madeleine can't read yet.

In a similar spirit of giving, Julia came home from school today bursting with excitement over the Christmas gift she had made and wrapped for me during class. Each year, the teachers help the kids construct a hand-made gift to put under the tree for the parents, but this year, Julia absolutely couldn't wait for Christmas morning for me to open it. As she hopped around and squealed with excitement, I unwrapped my lovely new Christmas decoration:



"It's for you AND Daddy!" she exclaimed in delight.

She apparently decided, while at school, that it was only fair to make a gift for her sister as well, because she also brought home the following project:


The absolute perfect gift for Madeleine. A piece of cardboard with lots of little tiny things glued onto it that Madeleine can rip off and stuff in her mouth...

Once she was on a roll, Julia couldn't bear to stop. She also drew a picture for Daddy, which she insisted on wrapping and putting under the tree:



"Okay, Mama," she instructed me. "If you see something FLAT under the tree on Christmas morning, give it to Daddy, because I made this SPECIAL PRESENT for him, and I know he'll LOVE it, because, Mama, I know that Daddy loves spending time with me."

I can 100% guarantee that he will love it, because crafts made with love and care from children are the absolute best.