Despite the move, we’ve been blessed to have plenty of visitors over the last several weeks. And everyone comes bearing gifts. Most of our visitors also bring a gift for Bo. Heaven knows our little guy doesn’t have any toys and desperately needs more (insert sarcastic tone here) but it is so nice that they remember him and that he is able to feel like such a special big brother. I was joking with Katie last week that every Monday she comes to our house to find Bo has more toys. That definitely seems to be the case at this point.
Aunt Manny (aka Mandy) is the best (or the worst, depending on how you choose to look at it) at bringing boatloads of gifts and spoiling all of the kids rotten. Bo is starting to link Aunt Manny and Santa Claus to each other. 
She brought each of the girls adorable outfits and Bo a Cars game and several truck books that he just loves. That doesn’t include the countless other gifts she’s brought or the numerous cards she’s sent to lift my spirits since we’ve moved. I think she may be keeping Olney’s Hallmark in business. Seriously, I don’t have to worry about clothing the girls or buying Bo toys. Mandy has it taken care of for me!
She brought each of the girls adorable outfits and Bo a Cars game and several truck books that he just loves. That doesn’t include the countless other gifts she’s brought or the numerous cards she’s sent to lift my spirits since we’ve moved. I think she may be keeping Olney’s Hallmark in business. Seriously, I don’t have to worry about clothing the girls or buying Bo toys. Mandy has it taken care of for me! 
Bo sits on his new Lightening McQueen bean bag chair. Just another part of the “Aunt Manny” collection of toys!
Besides tons of Bo toys, we’ve been blessed with help, food, blankets, tons of cute outfits, visits, handmade hats, photos, etc. And we couldn’t be more grateful. Friends and family have driven several hours to see us. They’ve gone out of their way to bring us food. And we’ve discovered several of our neighbors as well when they show up on our doorstep with a complete meal. And usually a “surprise” for Bo as well.
Interestingly enough, some of the best gifts haven’t come from people that I’ve ever met in real life — they’ve come from my friends in the blogosphere.
The blogosphere connects people in so many ways and I feel a special connection to so many people that I’ve only “seen” online. However, I often find myself in situations where I am discussing my “blog friends” like they live next door, writing emails seeking advice from someone I know has already walked in my shoes, and connected in ways that my “real life” friends and family struggle to understand.
I receive numerous packages in the mail. PR firms send me products they would like for me to review. Books arrive from Paperbackswap.com. I order clothing for myself and the kids (I’ve started on the girls’ wardrobe for next fall…). Boxes are my ticket to the outside world these days and our postman jokes that we are keeping USPS in business. But sometimes, I open a box and I’m totally shocked. And those are always the best surprises…
Susan, from She’s Becoming Doughmesstic, sent us the most adorable personalized cookies. I tried to take my own picture but I couldn’t do the cookies justice and this picture is stolen from Susan’s site. They were incredible! So adorable and very yummy as well! She also sent Bo some little Halloween treats.
Long time blogger friend, Emmie, sent a twin nursing pillow and tons of sleepers for the girls that her own twin boys wore. Her boys are several months older than Bo and she no longer blogs, but we still keep in touch on Facebook and via email. We had hoped to meet this past summer but with the move and my pregnancy, we didn’t make it happen. Someday…
Another blogger buddy, Amy, has a daughter who is close in age to Bo and sent adorable drink labels with the girls names from this site. They are so cute and I love that they are personalized!!
Heather was a part of a blog swap with me and she sent numerous cute items for the girls and actually provided all three kids with their Halloween costumes this year. A big thanks to Heather for all the goodies and for elevating me of the worry of deciding what the kids should be this year!
There are also people I know in real life that I’ve been able to get to know more through blogging. One of those people is Amanda who is from my hometown and reads my blog. She recently began making baby hats and sent the girls three hats each and made Bo two hats as well.
Bo in his orange and brown hat that Amanda crocheted for him!
These two pictures were taken by my friend Jenny (more on that in a minute) but the hats were crocheted by Amanda. I had left a comment on how adorable the hats were on her Facebook page and was thrilled to see their fuzziness in the package Amanda sent after the girls were born!
Jenny came to visit two weekends ago (braving the 3 1/2 hour drive alone with a 5 month old!) and graciously took photographs of the girls. From what I have seen so far, they turned out really well. You’ll be seeing more of them on the blog soon but you can click over to her site now for a preview.
You’ll be seeing more of them on the blog soon but you can click over to her site now for a preview.Mike and Mary Lou (my friends who own Spieth Photography, where Mandy and I worked growing up) are going to come to visit for Bo’s birthday and I can’t wait to have more pictures taken of the girls, Bo’s 2 year photos, and family photos. I hope we can capture a good picture of all five of us to use for Christmas cards this year!
I know I’ve talked about this before, but I’m a very bad gift giver. I remember holidays, but forget to send a card. If I see something (ya know, with all the time I spend shopping… haha – I’m barely leaving the house these days!) I will pick it up and buy it for a friend or family member. But for the most part, I really struggle with gift giving and have grown to dislike Christmas a great deal because of the mandated gifts. (However, I don’t seem to have that aversion to buying Bo Christmas gifts… I think I could already be done with his shopping…)
As a notoriously bad gift giver, it touches me even more that so many people in our lives have taken the time to give us so many gifts. It makes me want to be a better gift giver myself… It makes me want to take more time to remember the important days in so many others lives. And then I remember that I only slept four hours last night and I decide to go to bed instead.
At least I’m good at writing thank you notes…
I love the pictures of the girls in their hats! I've been trying to find hats similar to that online. Is she available for hire? If so, I'd love her e-mail address.
Girl, you're a great gift-giver!
A note to the other commenters, check out crocheted hats on etsy.com – tons of beautiful ones on there!
What beautiful gifts. You have some fabulous friends.
Friends, whether cyber or otherwise, are a wonderful thing.
We have the Inchbug name labels too. My best friend got us two sets in different colours for my twins' first birthday.
Two and a half years later, we still use them to identify their water bottles and cups at school and when we go out. Now they can read their names instead of keying off the colour!
Love those hats!! I may need to see if your friend would make my three some hats, as we'll be needing them this winter
“Best friends are the siblings God forgot to give us.”
Thus, my job as sister, and consequently Auntie, is to spoil the children, side with them when you are obviously right, be a place for them to run away to when they are teenagers, and take them to get there first tattoo.
I'm working hard to hold up my end of the bargain.
Love the post Jamie!
I like that pic of Bo in his hat too!
-Amanda
Love Mandy's quote. As an only child, you definitely fill a sisterly role in my life.