shopping for kids = hard

in my family we draw names for each of the siblings and spouses as to cut down on the amount of gifts we have to purchase. simple enough. i have my sister, which is also relatively simple as we have similar styles. that and she's beyond content with a sephora giftcard should all my other ideas not come to fruition.

but, i do have two adorable nieces and one handsome nephew thanks to my brother derek and his wife lori. i don't have their names this year, but i really wanted to still get something for the kiddos. it stems from fears that one day i'll show up at their house in utah and they won't recognize me and i'll think, if only i had gotten them christmas gifts each year, that would have won a place in their memories... that and the oldest niece maya, seven, is definitely old enough now to remember gifts. i can distinctly remember being that age and getting gifts from my aunt and being so excited. that's who i want to be. the cool aunt that every year the kids are excited to get gifts from.

hence my motivation to quickly run to target tonight to grab something. emphasis being on quickly.

one hour later and i found myself stressed about what to purchase for my two-year-old niece, avery. would she like the stuffed dog or lion better? or should i be buying her a book because that could stimulate her mind? everything cool is for ages 3 +, but she's smart enough, right?

alas, in the end it turns out that avery will soon be the owner of some darling bright pink shoes, kyle some sporty spiderman undies and my favorite item is this skirt below for maya.

i've decided that next year i'm definitely getting a dvd for the whole family...