Gifts

During one of the breaks I had during my conference this weekend, I went to the hotel gift shop in hopes of finding something, anything, to take home to A and O.

I knew things would be expensive in there but I also kind of knew they wouldn’t be any more expensive than gifts from the airport and I didn’t have time to go anywhere else to even look for souvenirs . So the hotel gift shop it was.

I walked past the shot glasses (inappropriate for a ten year old and a six year old, unless I’m a big old prude…which, if so, so be it.) I also ignored the coffee mugs.

I finally found the stuffed animals. This is a great gift for Alyssa. She loves stuffed animals. Olivia, on the other hand, thinks stuffed animals are stupid and hasn’t a clue as to what she’s supposed to do with them.

But, aha! I saw a plush panda that was riding inside a purse that was shaped like a panda head. Perfect! I would buy it, snip the little plastic thing that held the panda inside the purse, give the panda to Alyssa and the purse to Olivia. Two gifts for the price of one.

Brilliant. That’s what I am.

But wait. My eye is caught by something pink and sparkly. Yes, there it is, the perfect, absolutely perfect gift for Olivia. It’s a sparkly pink elephant on a ring. She loves pink. She loves sparkle, she loves rings.

But if I get the panda purse stuffed with a panda AND the pink elephant ring, that will mean O gets to presents and A gets only one. And that can’t happen.

I can’t not get the elephant ring. It’s too perfect.

So I hold the panda in its purse and the elephant ring and keep looking. What would be perfect for Alyssa? Some sun glasses that have “FBI AGENT” printed on the lenses? No, not even close.

A T-shirt? No.

A bracelet. Ha. Hahahaha. No.

What is that over there? What is that?!? An absurdly large pencil with real lead and a real, giant eraser? Oh my goodness! Yes, that is the perfect gift for Alyssa. It will remind her of the big fork from an iCarly episode.

So that’s what I got them.

And I was right. (I’m a mom, aren’t I usually right when it comes to my kids? Just don’t ask me to plan and schedule your travel arrangements and I’m good.)

Alyssa loved her absurdly large pencil. She thought it was seriously awesome.

And as Olivia opened the tiny box that held her sparkly pink elephant ring she actually gasped with wonder as she pulled it off the cotton that padded the box.

Later she asked, “Did you know this was just the right present for me the minute you saw it?”

I told her I did know.

She continued, “Because it was so gorgeous, right?”

Yep, I told her. Because I knew she’d love the gorgeous ring as much as her sister loves that giant pencil. Sometimes, it feels really good to be right after such an enormous moment of being so very wrong.