Gift Giving

Not trying to toot my own horn or get all emotion, but I wanted to capture this.

For those of you who know me, know that I can't wait to give gifts for the holidays.  I have a very hard time not giving gifts earlier than I am supposed....I always struggle with this...

This year there is a gift that I am especially struggling with.  I wanted to give it to my SIL 2 weeks ago.  As soon as I came up with the idea of giving this gift I couldn't think of anything else until I had it, or it was made.  I am not saying it is "the perfect gift" by any means, but it means a lot to me and I am sure it will mean just as much to my sister in law. 

She has entered into a whole new world the past few months, and I want her to know that I support her 100% of the way.

My gift started out as a simple order from a blogger online, who happens to have already taken the journey that my SIL is taking right now.  Without realizing it, my money was refunded and my gift canceled.  I guess they ran out of the sizes I needed.  So here I am a 2 weeks out from Christmas and the gift I was most excited about just got messed up.  I wasn't going to be happy until I figured out some way to make it happen.

So my journey starts with making purchases at walmart, not in the right colors or sizes that I wanted, but it would have to do with the time frame I was dealing with.  Next stop was Old Navy where I found all the right colors, but 2 were short sleeves and 1 was long sleeve...we were getting there.  Then I walked back to walmart to return those that I had purchased a few moments before.  So....I had the blank shirts...half the battle.

A guy in town and also a family friend does screen printing, I emailed him tons of pictures, told him what I was looking for, gave him a print out when I dropped off the shirts and left hoping for the best.  When I got them back I was elated, they had turned out exactly as I had hoped, now my only problem was holding onto them for a week until Christmas.

So we have one style done!

In true Wendy fashion, I always outdo myself, while sitting on these shirts for a few days, I came up with a different style that I liked even more than the first.  One stop to a different walmart and I was off with more blank shirts.  Screen printed the following day and a little sewing by me (not a pretty sight)...

and we have round 2!

Needless to say I can't wait to give these to Sierra.  Technically she gets to open them because I didn't get her a toy, but I think they are for Kris as much as they are for the rest of the kids.

So to Kris, you know I support you 100%, and I can't wait for you to have these shirts. To me, they already mean a lot more than just a t-shirt. To me they represent the paper work journey you have already been on, everything that you are hoping for and the physical journey you have yet to take. I hope you love them as much as I do. I am so excited for you and your family and I can't wait to meet my little niece or nephew. I know we still have awhile to wait, and the hardest part of your journey hasn't even started yet, but I am right here with you wishing, waiting, and hoping. From when you get that first picture, to when you hop on that plane to Africa, I wish you nothing but the best. So here is to you, what you are doing and one less. XOXO


First Idea

 Second Idea

Sorry for the cellphone pictures, the gift is already wrapped and these are the only pictures I have, but I will see if I can get a good picture of her 3 kids in them on Christmas day or whenever they wear them! If you can't tell, the button I sewed on it in the shape of a heart :)