Gifts for Ella...

Dear Family and Friends (who should happen to read this blog ;) ),

Greetings from up in the Northwest! We hope you and your families are well and looking forward to the coming Spring season.

Our family is doing well, enjoying much indoors activity as we await the warmth and growth the springtime promises here in Oregon. That includes Ella Rose's big second birthday!

We appreciate how much you love our daughter and we're sure that many of you will want to express your affection for Ella Rose through the buying of gifts for her birthday.

We took the liberty of putting together a quick clear gift registry of gifts we’d really appreciate:


"Dashiell Family Wishlist" on amazon.com


If you’d like to go a different route, however, here are some additional gift ideas!:

- Spend time together when you are in the area. And the activities don’t need to be exotic. A trip to the park, a performance, or the local swimming pool with you would be special.

- A box of scarves (from a secondhand store is best!) or mini photo album of your family would be great. These are surprisingly satisfying to children.

- Choose a toy you remember from your childhood--such as a hula hoop, wooden airplane, or red wagon. A story about you as a child using that toy would be a great thrill.

- Give something living! Plants would be a great gift to not only lighten up Ella’s playroom but also give her something to check on and watch its progress as it grows! We also appreciate seeds all year 'round.

We feel that it is our responsibility as parents to do what we can to ensure that Ella Rose has a brighter, cleaner, healthier world to live in. So, in the hopes of raising her in a way that is true to our environmental concerns and values, we are ever working toward a more zero-waste lifestyle. That means consuming less material possessions in general and seeking the good things in life in a way that has less of a damaging impact on this world we all share. Less (stuff) is definitely more (time), especially in the life of a child, that not only saves the environment but money too ;)

In general, our "no thanks" list is as follows:
No plastic
No battery-powered toys
No trademarked characters
No toys/clothes made through child/slave labor (China)
No stuffed animals

If you've already purchased something as a present for Ella Rose that falls under this category, don't worry about it! I know that Ella will love whatever you have thoughtfully picked out for her. This letter is just to let you know what our preferences are as her parents.

Thank you so much for taking the time to read this letter and for making this occasion a celebration of what really matters to our family.
Take care and many happy wishes,

The Dashiells