Ideas for Yearly Birthday Gift

I've seen a really cute train that has a car with a number for each year (not to play with, but to display on a shelf). I think you can find it at a Hallmark store or gift shop.

Even though our son was born in July we decided to get him a Christmas Ornament each year, ((Christmas is July)) this way when he gets married he will have these ornaments for his own tree. His first ornament was a Hallmark Ornament of a little boy in a walker. We put it on an ornamotion on our tree so it spins.

I read somewhere about a mom who dressed her one year old in an adult outfit (man's dress shirt,tie, pants, adult sized shoes). She kept the outfit, put him in it every year on his birthday, and took a picture. She put the pictures in a special album and when he was an adult and could finally fit into the clothes she gave him the clothes and the album. That seemed like a neat/different idea to me.

Congratulations on your baby's birthday! I had such a hard time when my little guy turned one (he'll be 2 in September). Enjoy every moment!

The one really cute/cool idea I read about (maybe I'll do this starting next year) was to purchase a plain tablecloth and some fabric paints. Each year have your child put a hand or footprint on the table cloth and, if they want, a small decoration that they draw (obviously this is for when they're a bit older). YOu can take the tablecloth out each year for his birthday every year.

I like the ornament idea. I buy my kids an ornament each year for xmas but I never thought of this for their birthday. I have the same thought in mind that they would then have these for their first xmas tree.

It is fun because every xmas we put the ornaments on the tree and we can talk about and remember what each one represented for that year. We can retell stories about "the year Ashley went ice skating downtown" or "the year we went to Mexico near xmas" and we can do this every year rather than saving the items in a box and never talk about them.

We also get a family ornament for each vacation we go on. It really is a nice way to keep our memories and it's fun to talk about them.

I love the idea of the pearl necklace. Very cool. My friend's parents bought "their daughter" a sterling silver "charm bracelet" and bought charms at significant points in her life and she only wore it for special occasions. Maybe even buying the charms at this point and the bracelet at a later time might be fun. She still has it and continues to build on the bracelet. She's added charms for her marriage, the birth of each of her children, and other significant moments in her life, as an adult.

Personally, I loved "footprints" and "hand prints" when my children were younger. That's a very cool keepsake for you. We built our home when our children were 5 and 2 years old. I still love to see the "hand and footprints" that grace the entrance to our walkway, even now when my children are a teen and a tween. Making a garden stone out of handprints would be fun.

Enjoy.

When I was 1yr old my Aunt bought me a candle that you burn each year for your birthday. The one she got me goes up to 21 years. When I turned 21 it was almost sad to burn the candle for the last time!!! I have gotten them for my kids and now for my Grandkids. I just bought one at http://www.uscandleco.com/ they are under birthday on the left side, they sell two different ones. We all loved them and it is a great way to celebrate birthdays.

I buy my boys (two- ages 2.5 and 4.5) something nice that a man needs when he's older. Their 1st bday was a pocket watch engraved with their initials. Their 2nd bday was sterling silver cuff links engraved with their initials. 3rd bday was matching sterling silver money clip engraved with their initials. 4th bday was matching sterling silver tie clip engraved with their initials. I'm thinking I'll do a set of each in gold as well, and handkerchiefs too.

I also buy them the annual American Eagle One Ounce Silver Proof Coin (Lady Liberty $1 coin) from www.usmint.gov

Finally, I buy them special collectible dollars for their corresponding age $1 bill, $2 bill, 3-cent paper currency and $5 Silver Certificate.

My MIL gets them the Lenox train cars (~$25) with the corresponding age.

I recently became an aunt to girls. I plan to buy them a nice piece of jewelry every year (adult-sized not child-sized). :) I can't wait.

It was hard to come up with something for my boys; Good Luck!

Our idea is similar to the letters but I got each boy a card and each year my self and thier father write something about what we enjoyed that year with them. Then he gets to see it each year and its a fun reminder of how old they are getting!

Something you could do each year not as a gift but as a keepsake is write a letter to your son. In it write what is going on in his life and your life. how you feel to have him. What you have been doing what is important to him "playing cars , fav cartoons , activities etc" write about some milestone that has passed. seal them and tie the stack up with a ribbon. when he is 21 you hand them over. It is a wonderful gift to have. maybe add a family tree along with it. this gift doesn't cost anything but means so much.
S.