Best Christmas Presents

Well, it's been over a month since Christmas and all the lousy gifts are lost and the kids haven't gone looking for them.  A few really great gifts are still around.  Which ones are they?  Here's my list.

1.  Alex Water Flute:  These things are awesome.  The best thing is, they stay in the bath tub so they're not cluttering up the house.  No, I'm kidding, that's not the best thing.  It is up there though.  They're really great. You can fill each one to a certain note and the kids can play songs on them.  They're fairly pitch-accurate (which my husband with perfect pitch appreciates) and they really sound kind of pretty.  Not gonna lie...I play with these myself.  They also come with song cards which will be great when my 2.5 year old is more like...8.  This is a long-term toy.  They're well made and I think they'll last until then too.

2. Hand-Me-Down Lego Train Set: My husband grew up playing with a Lego (the big Legos, not the little choking hazard ones) train set.  It has the tracks and the train and people and TONS of blocks.  It's been sitting in our garage and then in our basement and has been through all manner of disgustingness in the past five years.  Three days before Christmas, we pulled them out and threw them in a tub of bleach water to get out all of the grossness, wrapped them up, and gave them to my 16 month old.  LOVE at first sight!  Plus, she and my 2.5 year old can both play with them.  This is yet another toy that will grow with them for years and BONUS...it was free!  :)

3.  BOOKS!  My girls LOVE books.  They got several for Christmas and they are NOT lost.  It's so nice to have more books to mix in the, "read this one again, Mamma  mix!  My favorite that they got is Madeline.  Fun fact:  Did you know that Madeline was published in 1939?  And it's still a totally awesome book.  

4. Little Hoover: This puppy gets pulled out every time I'm vacuuming.  It lights up, makes sound (loud enough to convince the kid it's running, but quiet enough to not be terribly annoying), and has a hose and tools.  The tools fall out, but other than that, it's great.  Plus, I got it at a consignment sale for a whopping $5.  Yes, please!  I can't find a link to the one I have, but it's so cool too because it looks so realistic.  Not pink, no smiley faces, just a regular, blue Hoover.  Just like mine.  

And that's really it.  Clothes are great and the girls got a couple crocheted hats that I LOVE, but as far as toys go, those were the winners this year.  Not to say they don't appreciate and even play with the other things they got (toy phones were a bit of a hit), but these are the things that have really stood out as favorites.  Hope that helps all you mommies for next year!

Oh wait!!  I forgot one!!

This is probably the biggest favorite!  The girls ask to watch it at least once a day (I do limit it to only watching it once a day, but they may ask for it multiple times!) and it is full of great songs about Jesus!  Is it a little annoying?  Yes.  Is it as annoying as other kids shows?  Nope!  I really like most of the songs it's just the kids and the Donut Man that are a bit annoying, but my girls LOVE it and I love that they're learning about Jesus and His love.