Day 661 | Birthdays + Materialism

We have no shortage of toys around our house. If you've been here, you can vouch. I will say, however, that the numerous times I've tried to weed some out, I inevitably find one favor from a birthday party that's acceptable for me to pitch (everything else stays because they play with it all...I swear).

As birthday season approaches, I start to feel a bit guilty about adding more "things" to our already more-than-adequate supply. Should we start asking for alternative gifts for our boys? Should Chris and I scale back on what we get them? Should I push for "no gifts, please" on the birthday party invites?

All of this swirls around in my head until, at last, I acknowledge that the boys truly love LOVE receiving gifts. They don't have to be large (in size or monetary value) or something that's been on their list forever (Chase's changes daily, afterall). Regardless of what it is, kids love the excitement of unwrapping and discovering these tokens that someone has spent time and energy and money selecting just for them. The pure joy emanating from them during these gift-openings is infectious. And I think their ages have something to do with this. They're still young enough that they aren't expecting anything specific for special occasions but they're old enough to really love new toys and get excited about all the new playtime possibilities. 

So, at the end of the day, presents are good. I'll try to be more mindful of instilling gracious gift-receiving behaviors in our boys and, on the flip side, donating the items we really can live without. 

Having said all that, thank you friends and family for bringing such happiness and excitement to our sweet Robbe yesterday through your gifts (both physical and in thoughts and well-wishes). Since Robbe can't quite express it himself yet, Chris and I will say how extremely appreciative we all are on his behalf.