Calling all parents of young children...

I am in the process of advising Santa on some things my children would like, and find myself attracted to the same things that I advised last year.

What are your kids "tried and true" toys? You know, the ones that have stood the test of time, let their imaginations run wild, lasted year after year? Give me some ideas, please! Write me a comment with any "hits" or "misses" you have!

To reciprocate, here are my recommendations:

• A play kitchen (any brand will do - ours happens to be Little Tikes)
• Loving Family Doll House (I love this doll house - you can purchase the people of different ages and ethnicities, which we did)
• Tinkertoys (had 'em as a kid - and now Ethan and Abby absolutely love them!)
• Legos (another classic)
• All things "dress-up"
• Geotrax Train System (we have lots of add-on, so our tracks can be really big!)

Things I thought would be great, but were flops:

• Wooden Unit Blocks (I imagined my children creating huge playscapes with them, but they are not interesting to them. Better [and cheaper] choice - simple Legos)
• Stuffed animals (my kids barely play with them)

Gettin' Flaky

Yesterday was the first real snow of the season. Abby, Ethan and I went out in the great packing snow and made snowmen. Abby made her entire snowman herself, while Ethan's was a collective work of art.

Changes of season are always such a cleansing time...

Wintertime,
it's skates and sleds and featherbeds,
it's wintertime, Snow is all around.
Frosty nose and ears a throbbin'
then one day, "hey look! a robin!"
pulls a worm out of the ground.
Mother earth's about to change her gown...
[Tom Chapin, "Mother Earth's Routine"]

It's Summertime

Tonight, an unplanned purchase at Target resulted in a great time in the yard with the kids next door.

I love summer.

Abby, the daredevil (this girl LOVES rollercoasters)

"Baby Tayla" (poor girl will never outgrow that with me - I've called her that since birth, and she'll be two in a couple of months)

Gracey was scared, but insisted on going like the bigger kids.

Ethan slid off the "raft" most of the time, but loved slipping and sliding!

My full grown kid, in his clothes.
I love this man.

No time, no time

Time - I have none.

But I have just enough time to post this hilarious video I put together of my niece Courtney. I gave it to her as a bonus to her graduation video at her open house yesterday. And, yes, she took all of these pictures herself (as all of her friends do as well).

Try not to pee your pants.

10 Years Ago Right Now

I was eating (or rather, not eating) at my wedding reception. I sat between Mark and Rob, Mark sat between me and Jennifer. When people would clink their glasses (mostly, my nieces and nephews), we would kiss in a silly way. One time, we turned to Rob and Jennifer and kissed them instead!

I had the best day on May 23rd, 1998. I was relaxed, and content. I knew I was making the right choice. :)

Home Again, Home Again, Jiggity Jig

We are back from a week away in Gatlinburg, Tennessee with our dear friends Jennifer, Danny, Emma and Allison. The views were beautiful, the weather iffy, the number of things to do overwhelming, the company wonderful.

I will post later with the details of our trip, but for now, a humorous conversation with Ethan and Allison about superheros. [The best line is when Allison is going to be a "buffalote" (a.k.a buffalo).]

[You'll have to pardon my raspy voice - I lost it while on vacation]

6 Random Things About Me

I was tagged by my best bud Jennifer to write a post about 6 random things about me. Here goes!

1. I am the happiest and most confident that I have been in my life right now. I have a great support group of friends. I have two kids that crack me up each and every day. I have a husband that goes above and beyond in everything. I am loving my 30's!

2. When I was in elementary school, in a brief effort to be environmentally conscious, I convinced my best friend Amy to wander around the neighborhood with me, collecting trash. She thought I was nuts.

3. Organizing something makes me giddy. I just recently cleaned out the cupboards under the kitchen sink, and I look inside whenever I need a little pick-me-up.

4. I have a short torso and long legs. I just recently realized that this is why pants that rise to the waist always look ridiculous on me. Thank goodness low-rise is in style!

5. When I was in middle school, I wanted to be different (funny, because everyone else wanted to be the same). I wore my dad's button down dress shirts and ties to school my whole 7th grade year. It actually started a little bit of a trend among a few of my friends.

6. I take a bath every night. Winter, summer, doesn't matter. It's my relaxation time. I have done this since I was about 15.

So... tell us 6 things about yourselves:

Jenny

Tracy

Gwen

Big Binder

Andi

Lynn

Rules:

• Link to the person who tagged you.
• Post the rules on your blog.
• Write six random things about yourself.
• Tag six random people at the end of your post by linking to their blogs.
• Let each person know they have been tagged by leaving a comment on their website.
• Let your tagger know when your entry is up.

Have fun.