Gifted

As you might remember from last year, our boys LOVE to give each other gifts at Christmas time which results in a number of special looking packages being placed under our tree. This year, the twins spent their hard-earned money and went shopping for gifts for their brothers which I thought was really sweet and very generous. Benjamin made a family gift with random items from around the house which we thought were lost. The writing on the box was especially cute.

"too evrebude in th Rikcs famle frum Binjmin Riks"
Apparently, when he was sounding out all the other words he went ahead and spelled his name phonetically also. I love it when they first are learning to write and spell. So cute.

He also made gifts by collecting pennies and writing people's initials on them with a Sharpie and then hiding them all over the house. We are still reaping the benefits of that gift. Just yesterday, I found a penny marked with a "D" between some plates in the cupboard that we don't use very often. At least we no longer have children who try to eat pennies so the hidden money is just surprising instead of deadly.

This year, Tobias also decided to get in on the gift-giving fun. He would bring me small things wrapped in crumpled scrap paper and wound with blue painter's tape and ask me to write a name on it. I didn't bother asking what was in the package. I figured they were probably just drawings or some of his own toys that he was giving away. I'm kind of glad I didn't ask because then the opening of the gifts was just as delightful and hilarious for me as it was for everyone else. Here is a catalog of the very creative gifts that Tobias gave this year:
To Elijah and Mom: little plastic lions, tigers and giraffes stolen from the family bucket of toy animals
To Dad: a plastic chess piece in the form a revolutionary war soldier complete with tri-corner hat.
To Gabe: a single loom band (think tiny rubber band the size of a dime) found on the floor in the basement
To Mom: an elastic bracelet with multi-colored doggies on it stolen from Benjamin
To David John: a huge box which, when opened, contained exactly five neon colored index cards
To Benjamin: a large glitter bouncy ball which Tobias regretted giving him and immediately tried to reclaim with physical force and loud wails
That one was pretty awesome. Lots of Christmas spirit there in watching someone try to wrest the gift they had just given from the receiver's hands. However, the true masterpiece was the last gift that he gave to Dad. When Marc removed the blue painter's tape and scrap paper there was a small sealed package inside that had clearly been delivered by mail but neither Marc nor I had ever seen it before. Yep, Tobias committed mail theft and stole it out of our mailbox. That's some real gift-giving dedication. When Marc opened the package it contained a pair of earrings, for me. From my mom and dad. We laughed so hard. I loved the earrings. Thanks Mom and Dad. Now, however, we were wondering if any other important mail had gone missing. We're a little concerned. In fact, we've decided that when Tobias gives you a gift and it causes feelings of anxiety or distress or just hilarity there should be a verb for that. You've been gifted. You got a huge box and then felt disappointment that there were just five index cards inside? Gifted. You got a gift but were then beat up for having it and it was stolen back? You've been gifted. You open a gift to find that your three-year-old has committed mail theft, a felony offense with a possible $250,000 fine? Totally gifted.

Of course, the true gift is the story of the gifts and how much laughter it brought to our house. All of the other boys were good sports and were gracious in their thanks. Thank you for your thoughtfulness Tobias. This is a gift we will truly treasure and every time I wear those earrings I smile at the memory of being gifted.