Callie is 3... Like 3 weeks ago.

That's right, my baby is 3. I waited to post because I wanted to make sure to write down her stats, and the soonest appointment I could get her into was today. 

Freaking threes, man. It is just... Not an easy age, at least for this little girl. 

I thought her 3 year old stage would be easier compared to Wilson. I was wrong. 

She is quite the little talker, and it's so different compared to Wilson, who is still a little behind in his speech. 

She loves bananas and strawberries, and asks me to go to the store and buy more. 

She loves the color pink, and kitties. She loves to color and draw and marker. Any she can get her hands on. 

She loves My Little Pony, and Pingu. 

She is wearing size 8 shoes, 3t in shirts and bottoms, but she is a skinny thing! 

She and her brother are always in cahoots and either trying to get into something or did get into something. 

She's a little shyer than Wilson, and takes a little to warm up to people she doesn't know. 

And at 3, she is still a thumb sucker. We might be in trouble. I'm not too worried though. At some point she may stop. Or she may be one of those people who do it all their lives! 

Teaching the kids about giving.

I know it's probably a little cliché to give back during the holiday season. I would love to say that I always remember to donate, or volunteer. I wish I did! 

So I wanted to share with the kids about the gift of giving. I know that right now that can't understand, or be thankful, that they have so much. 

Two parents who love them, a (somewhat, with the military lifestyle) stable home, and all their needs taken care of. 

But I wanted to start a small tradition with them, to give toys to children who don't have as much. 

I am so lucky, to be able to have enough money, even if I don't use all of it as smartly as I could. We are getting better, but as I like to say, you can't take it with you when you go! ;-) 

My kids were getting more than enough this year. And I had toys already, that I was saving for birthdays. Or that were a really good clearance deal, that I couldn't pass up. 

So we took these toys to a local community donation center that was asking for toys for children. 

I tried to explain to them, that there are kids just like them, who don't have as much. And we have toys that we could give to them. 

Wilson asked me why these kids didn't have toys. What could I tell him? My sweet boy, that concept seemed so foreign to him. I'm not sure Callie was paying attention. 

We opened the trunk and Callie immediately grabbed a toy that she would've liked. Wilson grabbed one too, and a nice gentleman helpled with the rest. 

We took it back into the room, and the kids got excited seeing all the toys that had been donated. They handed their toys off easily. Which I hate to admit, I worried they wouldn't.  

We snapped a quick picture, and went back to the car. 

I told them I was so proud of them, and thanked them for wanting to give other kids presents. 

Wilson then said that Santa was going to take the presents to the kids, and that he would be busy. 

I hope I can do this every year with the kids, next year I will probably take them and we will pick out a toy or two, and maybe put it in the toys for tots box at the store, or maybe the donation center again. 

I hope that they will have fond memories of doing this with me, and learn that giving is such a wonderful feeling, when you can give freely. I hope that they will be able to appreciate that we were able to have enough, that we could give to others.