Two times gifted... Two smiles.... two times a blessing!!

This Christmas Bradyn is old enough to get what Christmas is really about, well sort of. if any of you have been to our house, my children don't go without.. They have a "toy room" FULL as well as a bedroom that is full of toys, books, cars, Trains, Trains, oh and track for the trains :). Mommy and Daddy (the tetes uncles and grandmas and grandpas are guilty as well) have always gotten whatever they have asked for and never made them wait till an important day, like a birthday or Christmas. We have been working on changing this habit NOW!! anyways Both my boys birthdays have recently past, and we have TONS of unopened gifts sitting in storage. one because we have no room for them, and two because they were overwhelmed by all the NEW things they had gotten we took away the unopened ones and they never noticed. (we did this last year and those gifts still sit in storage too) this year after birthday season I tried to take the gifts back and get store credit, but all the stores have changed their return policy's and no one would take them back without a gift receipt. GREAT! so back to storage they went. Not really sure what we would do, maybe regift them next year? (to them not someone else haha) they would never know.
Fast forward to this past weekend, we were walking out of Walmart and there was a big army truck parked right outside, which of course caught Bradyns eyes. he is all about Army "stuff" because both his Tete's and an uncle are all in the Army. So we stopped to see why it was there. They were collecting new toys, for the kids who have one or both parents serving overseas in the military. We explained to Bradyn that some kids were really sad because this Christmas morning there parents weren't going to be there with them. he asked why, and so we went on to explain that they were in Iraq fighting the bad guys for all of us. a concept that is somewhat familiar in his little mind, as his own Tete is leaving for Iraq in a week. He said oh and off we went. as I thought about how difficult this Christmas is going to be for us, With Lindsay freshly in Iraq, I couldn't help but think of my own kids, and how horrible it would be if Bill or I weren't able to be with them on Christmas morning. Im SO grateful for our troops and all the sacrifices they make for us!! I couldn't stop thinking about this organization. On the way home that day, I started to rethink about all these unopened toys we have just sitting there. I turned to Bradyn and told him wouldnt it be great to give all those toys we have to the kids whos parents are at war, and he said yes how about one for them and one for me... lol sweet kid was going to try to barter with me.... I explained that he had plently of toys and really these kids would be SO happy to have them. so he said ok and then asked if he could go to war too.... I was like No honey only Army men and women go to war.(forgive me if you are in a diffrent branch of the military, in our house all of you are Army Men) lots of Bad guys are there, and you need to have special school for that. so he asked me "When I get bigger mommy Im going to war" I laughed and said Im praying you dont!!! When we returned with our gifts, we made a big deal about How great it is to be able to be doing this. so he was very excited to place the presents in the boxes for the kids. His Tete Lindsay happened to be home this weekend visiting one last time before she ships out to Iraq next week. with Lindsay's help they carried the presents, and he walked away very proud of himself!! and Mommy and Daddy were just as proud our little guy wanted to share his toys with the sad boys and girls!

(forgive me if you are about to see a gift one of you may have LOVING gave one of our boys!!! Just know you have blessed twice with the same gifts!!!!!)

Bradyn in the Car piled high with toys and his Tete Lindsay and Jay






I know not all of us can afford gifts this year, so I encourage you to go here http://www.letssaythanks.com/AllDesigns.aspx to this site and write a quick thank you to our soilders gone at war. little notes like these from "home" keep them going