Christmas Ideas

It was great seeing the family for Thanksgiving. We talked about Christmas a little bit and maybe this is a little tacky... BUT, we've been asked a lot about gift ideas for the kids and thought that with such a big family, this might be a good way to get the word out. So, here is a list. Maybe you won't mind putting a comment on the post if you get something from this list? We'll see how this works this year...

Kiley (13 months old) - we don't have many kids' toys for her, but did save a LOT of our books. In clothes, she is a size 18 mos for any winter/warmer items and a 24 mo. or 2T for summer things. She is a shoe size 4 right now - but she has very wide feet so some don't fit, and she won't be a 4 for long. Here are ideas for toys:

• a jack-in-the-box for $16
• Hasbro Playskool Busy Ball Popper for $28
• a bath tub toy for $19
• gogo caterpillar for $15
• LeapFrog Fridge Phonics Magnetic Alphabet Set for $15

Sydney (8 years old) is pretty easy to shop for... in clothes she is more difficult because she is kind of picky and big for her age. She is mostly a size 14-16, a child XL or an adult XS, In pants, we typically find a 12 or 14 for her, but have to shop around to get the length right. Her shoe size is up to a 4 or maybe even a 5. Here are my ideas for Sydney:

• Bella's mystery deck - $14 - she loves games and dogs and I like toys that encourage critical thinking and logic
• customized Monkey plate - I know this one sounds crazy but she LOVES monkeys and the color blue, and I think it would be a winner. It's kind of pricey at $26 + shipping, but I found a coupon code for $10 off a $50 purchase in case anyone has another purchase to make from this store.
• Frigits magnetic balls and ramps - $30
• Zoingo Boingo Freestyle Pogo - $22
• Justice gift card
• Target, Barnes & Noble, Bath & Body Works, or even Gamestop gift card

Jake is by far our hardest to shop for. His attention span is brief and he is picky. And, he is limited in what we allow him to play compared to what he can do with his Dad (in terms of electronics, T rated video games, etc.) He wears a size M in shirts and a 10 in pants and a 4 in shoes, but is picky even about the color of the denim so I can't just go buy him a few pairs of jeans. Here are our best ideas:

• a Gamestop gift card
• Safari Rush Hour - $18 - he enjoyed Rush Hour Jr. and it was a fun game we could take on trips
• Black Max football - $10 - Jake is loving football and this sounds like a great ball to try
• Percy Jackson and the Olympians: The Last Olympian - $8 - the final in a series of books Jake is currently reading
• Boys from Brooklyn - $10 - another book that sounds good

When we get a comment that someone has bought something, I will mark that on the list so it stays current, and I can add to the lists if needed. Thank you all so much for trying this out with us!