Gifts to Remember

We've received some memorable gifts at our house the last two months. The first came from Santa. But a little back story is required.

Beemer is a marketer's DREAM. She is constantly telling me we need the things she has seen advertised. She has even run to find my phone after hearing "Call Now!" Last fall she developed an appreciation for the "Touch and Brush" - a toothpaste dispenser that dispenses the "perfect" amount of toothpaste, thus saving you from the fight to get the last of the toothpaste out of the tube. It is also supposed to reduce the "toothpaste mess" in every bathroom.

At first I just smiled at Beemer's insistence that we needed this item. But the weeks went on and her requests continued, along with her ability to quote the commercial. (Opposed to the other requests that are forgotten the minute the commercial is over.) Then, one night as she was brushing her teeth, she dropped the toothpaste cap behind the toilet. She couldn't reach it with toothpaste on her toothbrush without getting toothpaste everywhere, so she called Ahenobarbus for assistance. As he reached the doorway to the bathroom, Beemer stated, as she pointed to the cap, "That, that right there is why we need a Touch and Brush." After AT and I stopped laughing, we agreed that Santa needed to bring one to our home.

Christmas morning, Beemer was THRILLED when she opened her very own Touch and Brush. She hugged it and jumped around. It was touching and hilarious all at the same time. We are just glad she is so easy to please. The Touch and Brush is now installed in our bathroom and happily dispensing toothpaste. Beemer is thrilled, as you can see.

On a side note: I have cleaned up more toothpaste in the last month than ever before.

The second gift was my favorite birthday gift. On the morning of my birthday, we were all cuddling in my bed enjoying a few more moments of warmth and peace before the day began when Beemer asked AT if I had any presents. I had asked for money for my birthday so that I could get my netbook, but it wasn't here yet. As we explained this to Beemer, she was NOT okay with my not having gifts to open on my birthday! (I mentioned in a previous post that she was very concerned about the milestones that came with my birthday this year.)

So, she thought for a minute or two and then left our room singing "I'll give you something of mine" quietly to herself. Five minutes later she called AT to show him what she had found. He agreed that it was a great gift and helped her to wrap it for me.

When I unwrapped the gift later that day, I found a copy of this book:

She said she picked it because the cover is yellow (my favorite color) - it's a dark cream, you can't really tell in the picture. When AT asked her if I could keep my new book on her bookshelf. Beemer said no - the book was mine now, so it should go on the bookshelves in my room. So, that is where it went.

What Beemer didn't know is that the book was already mine. Many of the books in their room are mine, but I keep all the children's books together. This book was given to me years ago by my mom on Easter. But that wasn't the point on my birthday. I was so touched my my five year old making sure that I had a gift, putting such thought into it, making sure it would be something I would like, and selflessly giving me something of hers to fill what she saw as a void. What a great birthday!

When my mom gave me the book she wrote inside the cover. I will now be adding this story to the inside of the cover so that I will always remember the details of the second time I received that book.