Toys We Love!!

Well it's already November....so that means the holiday season is fast approaching us!! Time to think about the perfect gifts for the little ones!! I know over the years their have been many not so great holiday gifts that after a week or two make their way to the attic only to resurface a year later...and still strike no interest with the kiddies. So this week Works for Me Wednesday over at Rocks in My Dryer is hosting "All about the best holiday gifts edition". So these are a few of the best gifts my kiddies have really loved and enjoyed receiving over the past few years!! I promise you will find these toys played worth every day around here!!!!

Playskool Ball Bopper- Little Miss received this when she was just a month old. We opened it up at about 6 months....Little Man was a bit anxious to check it out!! Little Miss...along with all the kiddies that come over to our house absolutely love playing with it!! You turn it on and it play music and the balls pop up through the top then travel down the tube to pop out again!!! Little Man even plays with it on occasion with Little Miss!!

Power Wheels Jeep- Yes, I know this is a bit of an expensive one...but let me tell you the kiddies will definitely get your moneys worth out of it, I promise!!! We bought Little Man a Jeep Power Wheels 3.5 years ago...and he still rides it almost daily (at least 5 days a week!) And now Little Miss is into driving it...well crashing it, really. Not too good of a driver yet!! LOL LOL

When we purchased it we used a $10 off Toys R Us coupon, and purchased it on sale..... It has to be the best toy purchase we've ever made for the kiddies so far!!! And for the hours, upon hours of fun they have had in it...it was well worth every penny!! They have many, many different Power Wheels out there...Toys R Us even carries their own brand of them. They have different options at a few different price levels...which makes the options several.

A Train Table- Little Man received a train table on his second birthday as a gift from the grandparents. Slowly he started collecting trains over the years...and to this day still plays at his Train table daily (It is in the family room). As he got a bit older he has used his imagination more and more in acting out and recreating Thomas scenes he has seen on Thomas DVD's and from airings on WHYY on Sunday's. I love to hear him "Talk Thomas" as I call it....it's amazing to me to hear him say "Bust my buffers" or "I'm cross", or " in his young little voice!!

Yes this can also be another expensive toy purchase....but as I have learned the kiddies become Thomas lovers for a long time...so you can gradually collect the Thomas gear. A few stores also have non Thomas brand buildings, bridges,etc. that you can inter mix with the Thomas stuff too. AC Moore is also a great place to check out for Thomas gear as well. They have frequent Thomas sales....or you can use their weekly 40% off item coupons on Thomas items as well!!

Step 2 Sand & Water Table- For us this toy gets alot of use all spring, summer, and most of fall. The winters here are a bit chilly...but during the others months this is a big backyard hit!! We purchased this when Little Man was almost 2 and still have it. We only ever put sand in it....it is supposed to be water on one side and sand on the other....but just thought it would turn into a big mess. The 2 sides are divided...but kids are kids...and we wanted to eliminate the temptation....LOL LOL So we just made the whole table sand. It has worked very well this way. As Little Man has gotten a bit older he now does sometimes add a little water to the sand to make it a little wet to build roads.

Each and every year we refill the table with new sand (maybe sometimes a few times even) and we always get a few new sand toys each year as well....to switch things up a bit too!! On the top of the lid there is also a little road indent for cars, trucks, etc. that Little Miss thinks is cool to drive hot wheels on....

This is a toy that not only our kiddies enjoy...but also the neighborhood kiddies as well!! Now they can have fun in the sand not only at the beach, but at home too!!

Arts N Crafts- This has been a favorite in our home for years!! Little Man just loves to color, paint, glue, stick stickers on paper, glitter...anything really to create his own masterpieces to hang up around the house or give to others!! As his gets older now he enjoys arts and crafts kits as well. AC Moore or Michael's craft stores are a great place to get these for a great price if you pick them up on sale or use a coupon for them. At any age I think this gift is a safe bet....plus it is fun to do these together with the kiddies as well!! Even the younger ones can get in on the craft fun as well.....Little Miss has her own Color Wonder set that she just loves to be creative with!!

Well these are a few of the top toys purchases in our house over the past few years....all of which we still own and love!! Curious as to see what others find to be some great toys?? Be sure to head over to Rocks in My Dryer to find out!!