Viva Gordita

Santa brought my 7 year old daughter, Iris a puppy this Christmas.

She was desperately hoping for a puppy. She talked about it all month long. Even though I told her I wasn’t ready for a puppy as I already had my hands full, she still held out hope that Santa would override my wishes.

Santa did indeed come through, and Iris got that puppy.

Iris’s new puppy

I believe Santa bought this puppy at our local thrift store for 25 cents. It was supposed to be a joke. When Iris looked in her stocking and pulled it out, we all shouted, “Oh wow, look at that, Santa really did bring you a puppy this year!”

Instead of the look of disgust I was expecting, Iris’s eyes actually lit up. Her mouth turned up at the corners and she exclaimed, “This is awesome! I love Chihuahuas! He even has a beret on!”

Iris received many great gifts for Christmas. Santa knew about her love for music and singing and brought her a karaoke machine. This was new, in a box and I’m sure cost Santa more than 25 cents. My husband and I bought her a new doll and lots of other little things.

Iris liked all of her presents but as the day wore on it became clear that her “new puppy” was her favorite. She carried it around everywhere and wouldn’t stop talking about it. As an added bonus, when you squeeze the puppy’s belly it says, “Viva Gordita.”

Our Christmas day was filled with many renditions of Tonight Tonight by Hot Chelle Rae courtesy of Iris’s karaoke machine and in between …the house echoed “Viva Gordita” all day long.

I’m sure Santa was unaware about this added bonus because clearly what was supposed to be a joke for Iris became a joke on me.

When I laid down to go to sleep last night, even though the puppy was tucked under Iris’s arm in her bed, I could hear  a dog with a Mexican accent saying “Viva Gordita” over and over.

A Cardboard Box and Scrap of Fabric Will Do Just Fine

A powerful message lay before me the other morning when I saw my 7 year old daughter, Iris, sleeping in her bed with this right next to her:

Kitty in her bed

It may look like a stuffed kitten wrapped in a blanket in a little bed but it said much more to me than that.

The kitten she’s had for some time but the blanket and bed are new.

The blanket was made by Iris about a month ago. My mom and I were canning beets at my mom’s house. Grandma let the kids dye cloth in the beet juice as a fun activity and learning experience.

The blanket Iris made by dyeing a white scrap of fabric in beet juice

The bed is a box that contained 60 new pencils I purchased recently for school supplies. I was going to throw the box away when Iris asked if she could keep it. I scrunched up my eyes and shrugged my shoulders and said, “Sure.” I had no idea why she would want this.

The pencil box Iris used for Kitty’s bed

I do now.

Iris has plenty of doll blankets. Iris has doll beds for her Barbie dolls that are being occupied but none the less I’m sure they would have shared.

Iris made these two things by herself.

That makes these so much more special than anything I could have bought for her.

Kids don’t need expensive toys.

A cardboard box and scrap of fabric will do just fine.