Some Moments Take Your Breath Away

Alice had a nurse appointment for her five year old shots today.  Because I don't like to spring things like shots on a kid, I told her about it the day before.  We were coloring while Angela took a surprise nap.  I casually mentioned the shots and how she would not be able to go to kindergarten without them.  Right after dropping the "shot bomb" news, I proceeded to mention how afterward we would go to our favorite local farm for donuts and animal feeding/petting.  We also had a Toys R' Us gift card from her birthday to spend, so we would do some toy shopping as well.

The news of the good stuff seemed to counteract the fear of the shots.  While Alice and I continued to color, she talked excitedly about the upcoming fun errands.  After a very brief moment of silence (it is Alice, the "Motor Mouth" after all), Alice looked at me and said, "Mommy, we can get something for Angela with my gift card too so she has something new to play with."  I was stunned.  I totally did not expect this burst of generosity.  Don't get me wrong, Alice is a great kid who is very loving of her sister, but she is also five years old.  I told Alice that I would buy something for Angela with house money and thanked her for the offer.

Despite the allure of Toys R' Us, Angela fell asleep in the car on the way there.  She remained asleep for most of the outing.  It was a good opportunity to teach Alice the importance of making smart shopping decisions.  I had her walk around the whole store before she picked her favorite thing.  The funny thing about this was I had to keep reminding her to pick something for herself.  Alice kept pointing out good gifts for Angela.  Even when Alice finally picked her gift (the Toy Story set of Barbie and Ken), she did it with her sister in mind.  "Angela can be the boy," she explained as she handed me the package. 

Needless to say, Mommy splurged on a few things not covered by the gift card for her thoughtful girl.  How could I not?