I've written before about my Dad's friend, Carl, who along with his wife, Jeannie, are now my friends as well. They have followed my blog for years now and have watched my little ones grow.... And they know them quite well as seen by some care packages that they recently put together for the kids with amazing insight and thoughtfulness as to each of their individual personalities and interests.
The kids have seen these boxes and their curiosity has been brewing as they've seen their names written on the outside and asked when they can open them. To their delight, we opened them this evening and I took a lot of photos so that Carl & Jeannie could enjoy seeing the reactions after putting forth such effort to put these packages together.
"Sargent Andrew" was up first....
He was SO excited about his new army clothes but unfortunately his expressions were covered by the clothes in a lot of photos, Katie was so excited because she knows how much Andrew loves "army guys."...
Happy Boy.
In no time at all the clothes were on and the posing began...
And he even tried to blend in with the sofa. :)
The Bug was up next...
She opened the box, took one look, and "fainted."
I think we'll need smelling salts for Christmas morning. :) She is something else.
She was soooo Excited, and was "reading" the directions on the back of the package.
There were all sorts of baking things and a fun weaving craft.
She saw everything and then fainted again....
It was all just too much. :) :)
She was NOT happy that we didn't have time to weave or bake. Unfortunately, that fun will have to wait for tomorrow.
But it looks like we're going to have a lot of fun!
Matthew was last.
But certainly not least. I had a 10 page letter of instructions that Carl had sent to accompany Matthew's package. I sat and read it to him while he followed all the instructions that told him how to use each tool inside his tool chest and even had different projects for him to complete to become familiar with each tool....
He was SO happy with his tools...
When he went to bed, the hammer had to go with him to wait on his dresser.
Here he is becoming familiar with the different tweezers to move small items from one bowl to the next.
He let Andrew try as well.
One of the exercises was using some of the different pliers to cut and bend wire. I sat and read the letter/instructions to matthew as he learned about the different tools, their uses and did some of the little exercises. It was so thoughtfully laid out and creative! He LOVED it. He too, was disappointed that we had to stop before he was done (I think we still have 5 pages to go!) There are two boxes left full of things for him to take apart and learn about...so the fun is just beginning!
Thank you so much, Jeannie & Carl for this fun treat for the kids! They were so excited! I'm impressed by your thoughtfulness and creativity and how well you were able to tailor these packages to the children.
More photos to come as the projects are finished!
