The most thoughtful Nonny EVER

What would YOU do if you heard that my little city was finally getting an aquatic center? Would you send me a box full of supplies to help my daughter and I to enjoy it?

Good thing I have an amazingly generous, thoughtful, and creative mom! Check this out:Kickboard, Tinkerbell swimsuit with ruffle-bum skirt, straw-sippy cup, swim shampoo, comb, water shoes, sandals (size 6 - she's growing!), $$$ for the membership fee, swimsuit cover-up/dress (size 4T - we have a tall girl!), SPF 50 spray sunscreen, goggles...I asked her to try the suit & coverup on and she wiggled out of her clothes faster than I've ever seen her before. She loved wearing the Tinkerbell suit (though was confused when I mentioned Tinkerbell - I'll have to get the Peter Pan movie so she recognizes the character on her suit) and the pink dress looked so comfy and princess-ish on her. In the bottom right photo she's trying on her new watershoes, and in the top left she's getting her goggles on. It was a bit of a struggle for her to figure them out. This was her first attempt:When we actually opened the package she got the idea. Then she tried on the headband-bow that her Nonny (or aunt Meredith??) added in:I don't think headband-bows work well for toddlers with a full head of hair - it gets all bunched up. Or maybe I just need to tie her hair back. Either way, she loved it and said, "I so pretty!"
She also loved her new socks that were added in the box - obviously, not for swimming - but very much needed, with how often she takes her shoes off and runs around in socks-only! They even have the days of the week on them. Totally educational.
I didn't even tell my mom I needed any of this... nor did I tell her that I don't have a swim suit that will fit me for the summer months... but just last night, Meredith called me from Target because she had been sent out to find a maternity suit for me!
Kinda plain and boring, I know... but I figure that I won't want to draw any more attention to myself than my gigantic belly will do on it's own.
This is the best part... so, immediately when the box arrived I called my mom so she could be on the phone as Brianna and I were opening it. I knew she had put a LOT of thought, effort and $$$ into sending this (she had been talking to me everyday for over a week about her big surprise coming in the mail) so I wanted her to feel involved as we opened everything up. About halfway through this thrilling event, I told her to hold on so I could blow in my camera. I wanted to get some pictures of Brianna having fun opening the box and seeing her new treasures. But my camera is totally jacked up - the battery pops out randomly, the SD card slot has to be blown in several times or it won't read, the lens is always blurry or smudged... hence the fabulous photography you've seen from me the past few months/years. I'm no good at photography anyway, and a junky camera doesn't help. But I won't go buy a new one - it's not on my necessity list. And right now, the family budget may go in the red if I leave the strait & narrow necessity list.
You can't even imagine my shock and delight when, as I was blowing in my camera, my mom laughed and told me to keep looking through the box. Because this is what she had put at the bottom:YAYAYYAAAYAYYAYYAAAYaaayYYYAYAAAaaa! I can take normal pictures now and not spend 5 minutes hitting and cursing my junky old camera! My mom used her yearly Costco reward gift certificate for me. And it means the world. Not just that she gave me all these awesome material goods, but that she was so thoughtful. Gifts that take a lot of time and effort are the most meaningful to me. I told her this counts for the next several birthdays.
I really hope Brianna has children someday so I can have my chance to to pay this forward to my future grandkids. Brianna totally understands these gifts were from Nonny, and now associates Nonny with swimming - "I go swim with Nonny! I go see Nonny!" Yeah, I want to too!