Giving punches receiving in the kidneys!

So the other day, Jenny and I had a few hours without the kids, which rarely happens, and we were trying to figure out what to do with ourselves…we forgot what we used to before we were parents! We decided that all great missions begin at Starbucks… no seriously, they do. Nothing like some chocolately goodness to make you grab that net and catch that beautiful butterfly! We got our drinks and were met with disappointment soon after. Not because the drinks were bad ( ok mine wasn’t perfect), but because we passed by the toy collection box, and it had a lonely stuffed bear inside. Above the box were tags, and each tag represented one child… the tags were genius. They just had an age range, and boy or girl designations. Normally, this wouldn’t be too big of a deal, but the deadline for toy submission was that very same day! In not so many hours, someone will show up to collect a box containing all of ONE toy! Jenny picked up these tags, and her motherly instinct kicked in, because I could see that to her, each tag was not just a tag, but a child. Jenny is one mom who doesnt leave kids-anyone’s kids- behind. Needless to say, we had our mission!

We made a mental note of the age groups on the cards and headed out! We had fun picking out some gifts for children less fortunate than ours, and used the opportunity to teach our daughter about the importance of helping people and the impact that one gift can have on someones life. Kaitlyn was especially proud of herself for helping to pick out gifts for the kids, and she had just as much fun as we did! What really impressed us is that while we were out getting cute lil gifts for kids of all ages, she didn’t ask for a SINGLE toy for herself, and that is a difficult thing for a 7 year old to do…especially when she wanted some of those things for Christmas. I swelled with pride =)

Even baby Indiana helped!! He tested the baby toys for us to determine their “value”…based on his feedback, I imagine that the older kids can just give the babies all of the discarded boxes and paper, and everyone would be happy.

Thanks to Jan Strickland from Beverly’s Fabrics in Carmichael for making it so easy for us to help give more children a christmas than just our own!! Jan also hosts car shows with a one-toy entry fee… what an awesome lady! She distributes the toys to pediatric hospitals, Shelters, WEAVE, and others. If you are interested in making a child’s day, head to your local Starbucks and see if they are participating!
(We found many gifts that cost roughly the same as a Triple Venti Espresso Truffle with Whip).

<3, Dave , Jenny, Kaitlyn, and Indy