Gifts from Grandma Nancy

In addition to making his birthday dinner, cake and cupcakes, Grandma Nancy also gave Sam two very fun presents. First was his own "Cars" chair so that he has his own place to sit in the living room. The second was probably more fun for Ryan than Sam (although Sam enjoys it very much). She bought him a "Star Wars" fort. Ryan set it up in the play room and immediately crawled in it. Sam soon followed. It has already offered us tons of entertainment (mostly watching Ryan get in and out of it). Sam has got the hang of it and now loves going through the tunnel to find a parent at the other end.

Grandma Nancy also bought him clothes but didn't wrap it for his birthday. It is a tradition that started with my Grandmother Pena (my mom's mother in law). She doesn't believe in giving clothes as gifts. (Although if you think about it, clothes are a fitting gift for a child because they need it the most. Sam got some GREAT and fun clothes from family and friends). Grandma Pena felt (still does) that birthdays and Christmas are about the fun and excitement of being a child. It should involve toys and fun! I have taken that to heart and learned it from her (so did Grandma Nancy). Sam's Great Grandma Pena called for his birthday to offer him birthday wishes. Her exact words were "Don't forget that for today, Sam gets anything he wants. It's his special day." For as long as I live, I'll never forget how special my Grandmother always made me feel on special days, especially Christmas. To this day, she fills all of our stockings for Christmas and probably will until the day she's no longer on earth. Anyway, Sam was spoiled, pampered and catered to on his special day. He always will be.

Don't mistake what I'm saying - clothes will always be welcomed as gifts in this house. I'm just sharing a little bit (in this journal format) about my traditions and how they got started (for Sam's record for the future).

More stories and pictures to come.