Early birthday gift

Well, lately I have felt like I am trying to drink water from a fire hose taking in so many amazing (and unexpected!) blessings. I feel very fortunate in my life. Here is one example.
Of course my baby is turning 2 in 8 days. Even though I can't believe it I have been collecting gifts for him and I have been going back and forth for months about the idea of a train table for him. I like the idea of a table and I think the kids would use it for other things besides trains. Plus, I know he would LOVE the trains on it. However, I wasn't sure I wanted to make a commitment to owning such a large piece of furniture. We do have limited space here, it's not like we live in a huge house. I want to keep most toys out of their room until after Andrew makes the (successful) transition to a big bed (NOT anytime soon!). So, I knew the train table would be in our family room which we now refer to as the playroom. Back and forth, back and forth, back and forth...So, I struck a compromise with myself and decided if I could find a nice used train table on craigslist I would get it for him. Yes, I buy my children second hand toys as gifts. Emma's little people zoo she got for Christmas was second hand as well. But, you know what? They don't care! It's awesome! I'm going to try and get as much mileage out of used presents as I darn well can! Anyhoo...I found a train table that looked very nice and had a storage drawer underneath (essential). Plus, this table came with tons of trains and tracks. All for $60. I wanted to see it. The lady sent me more pictures and it was very very nice looking. Over the course of our emails to each other it came up that my husband is in the navy and so is hers. She said she would sell it to me for $50 as a fellow navy family. Very nice of her indeed! I was thrilled with my $50 gift and I really felt like I was getting the best deal! I took the car seats out of the car and went to pick it up on Friday. We knew there was no where we could hide it so Mike told the kids I was going to pick up a special birthday gift for Andrew. They were very excited for me to come home. Well, I got to the lady's house and she helped me load up the train table which was practically brand new! I couldn't see ANY signs of wear on it whatsoever. The box of tracks and trains she gave me was also huge! I felt like I was making the birthday deal of the century. Well, I gave the lady 2 twenty dollar bills and a ten. She slid the ten dollar bill from my hand. I said "no way! You are not selling me this for $10!" You could have had all $60 from me. She just said "no, I really want to give it to you for $10. Please take it and I hope your kids love it." I was FLOORED! I have no idea why she decided to sell it to me so cheaply. BUT, I am so grateful! Now, for $10 look at what Andrew got for his birthday:


What a sweet lady. It's such a refreshing experience to meet a new person and have them bless your life in a way you never expected. My kids DO love the train table. I'm sure they'll love it for a very long time!