Favorite Toys: Melissa & Doug

Jack has many favorite toys! And he cycles through them. But some toys that keep coming back are Melissa & Doug.

For his first Christmas, Nana gave JackJack a “Three Little Pigs” play set by Melissa & Doug. And while he has lost (or Lily, our dog, has devoured) several pieces, he still plays with the fabric houses and the wolf from the set.

Later, Jack’s second birthday or Christmas, Nana bought JackJack a Melissa & Doug puzzle set. There are ten different wooden puzzles.

JackJack loves this puzzle set! It’s not an interlocking puzzle, like the first puzzles that might come to mind. Each picture has need for circles, ovals, squares, rectangles, and triangles. So the same pieces work with every puzzle. It makes for a good lesson in shapes and colors. At first, JackJack needed a lot of help with the puzzles, but now he plays independently, and he is always proud of his accomplishment.

(Please disregard the state of our rug. The vacuum broke and our new one delivers Tuesday.). 🙂

They also are stored conveniently in a heavy duty wooden box with organized divisions to fit all pieces.

Thanks, Nana!

For Christmas this year, our neighbors, Bob and Mary, bought JackJack another Melissa & Doug playset.

Think paper dolls, but sturdy, magnetic and stored well! They come in a nice, wooden box for easy organization and storage. The doll comes with about 7 outfits: firefighter, policeman, knight, pirate, contractor/handyman, and construction worker, superhero.
The outfits don’t mix and match well because the shirts and pants aren’t always just the right size, but JackJack really enjoy problem solving to find the outfits that match and fit well. This does have some small pieces, so, of course, we supervise him well.

Thanks, Mary and Bob!

I can certify that these are all favorite toys! JackJack independently pulled these all out to play with this hour!

Favorite Toys: Feeleez

One gift JackJack received for Christmas were Feeleez cards.

I wasn’t sure JackJack was old enough to appreciate the cards. They are like memory cards but with characters showing different feelings.

Jack really enjoys them. He likes naming the feelings, acting the feelings out himself, and pairing cards that go together.

Great buy, Nana and DeDee!

Favorite Toys: LeapFrog TAG Jr. Reader System

I was skeptical about the Leapfrog Reader systems. You see, I was concerned that the electronic reader would squelch JackJack’s love for real books. I was also concerned that we would spend lots of money on the special books and not be able to afford a variety. So, I didn’t even think about purchasing one.

Nana bought JackJack the TAG Jr. reader, and we are so glad she did!

First, the reader device that scans the pages is Scout, Leapfrog’s main character. JackJack has a Scout stuffed animal and a bedtime book about Scout, so he was already familiar with the character.

Next, JackJack likes that he can be independent in his reading. And Scout mixes reading the text with music and interactive games.

Nana bought a Curious George Colors book and a set of Short Vowel Sounds books. Jack’s favorite has been the “o” book. We’ve heard the “Izzy will jog” song about 37,000 times!

We were also impressed that the Scout bedtime book we had works with the system. And, it’s really easy to download new books to the device.

The only downfalls so far have been that Scout can only hold 5-6 books in its memory at a time. Also, it took us a second to figure out how to open up Scout to change batteries. And, JackJack had to learn not to push a button every time he scans a word. For a while he kept accidentally turning off the device.

Here’s JackJack playing with Scout in Lily’s crate. (I think he thinks the crate is a fort.):)

Thanks, Nana and DeDee!

A Visit from the Aunties

JackJack has plenty of aunts and uncles. And great aunts and uncles. (Holla if you’re reading!). And a couple of amazing adopted Aunts.

Alie and Emily became some of our dearest friends when we lived in Virginia. Right after we married, Ted and I moved to Harrisonburg, VA for Ted to attend graduate school at James Madison University . Ted took an internship as a hall director, meaning we lived in a freshman residence hall out first year of marriage. We had a 330 square foot apartment. Yes, you read that right, 330 square feet. So, while I delved Into my first year of teaching and Ted into his counseling classes, our friendships developed quickly with those living around us, other hall directors. Alie was an archaeology major and Emily an education major, both seniors. When we all lived in the same town, there wasn’t a week that went by that we didn’t see Alie and Emily at least once.
In fact, when Ted had to move to Georgia a month before me, Alie and Emily, roommates at the time, let me sleep in their dining room! Memories abound!

Though we now have much more distance between us we make an effort a couple times a year to see Alie and Emily. Alie is working for JMU leading the Archaeology lab, and Emily is now married and expecting a baby in March.

Emily and Alie trekked to our house in Georgia for New Years. Emily’s husband had to work, and couldn’t come. :(. We missed him lots! And we were so thankful for FaceTime.

We had lots of lazy, laid back time. Time for good conversations, and catching up!

We threw Auntie Emily a Pancakes and Pajamas Baby Brunch.

JackJack helped shop for baby gifts, and even signed the card.

JackJack actually helped Auntie Em open most of her gifts.

We went to the playground. And on a failed search for a Rolo McFlurry. 😦

Auntie Alie built an awesome fort for JackJack using the kitchen table, chairs, blankets, the shell from JackJack’s Christmas tent, and a collapsable tunnel. We are thinking about making New Years Eve fort building a tradition.

We had fun hanging out inside the fort, and Ted installed lights.

We participated in a Mire family New Year tradition. We made faccia de vecchia. It’s an Italian pizza-like bread. There’s no sauce, and the meat and cheese is kneaded into the dough with lots of olive oil! Yum!

We also exchanged gifts for Christmas. And we celebrated Emily’s birthday!

It’s not often that you have so much to celebrate at once. 🙂

JackJack also played in Lily’s crate. Haha.

JackJack had so much fun with his Aunties. He hasn’t stopped talking about them since they left. Funny kid is calling Alie “a” and Emily “o.”

We can’t wait to see our friends again in May, and meet Emily and Joel’s little one.

Favorite Toys: Tool bench

JackJack is, of course, spoiled rotten! He’s an only child. He’s an only grandchild on both sides. Many of Ted and I’s friends don’t have children yet and adore JackJack. Jack is the only child in any of our 3 churches and, he’s just so cute you can’t help yourself! But, I’m biased!

Being spoiled, JackJack has an abundance of new toys from Christmas. We are thankful for all the gifts he’s received, but you never know what will click best with a toddler, so I thought I’d highlight some of his favorites as I capture him playing!

Auntie Joy sent JackJack this toddler tool bench which he opened Christmas day at Nana’s house, but we didn’t want to assemble it until we got home. It was definitely the hardest to assemble gift JackJack received! But I had it together in under an hour on Wednesday night.

Thursday morning was like Christmas all over again! Ted introduced JackJack to the tool bench, and Jack hasn’t stopped playing with it since!

The tool bench and accessories are all plastic, but very sturdy. There are nails and screws and a hammer, screwdriver, and a wrench, a cell phone and a ruler. Jack can hammer and screw them in and out of the tool bench. All parts are large, so not a choking hazard. There’s also a working vice, and gears that interlock and turn. Jack can play independently or with us!

This toy has been a hit, and I’d definitely recommend it to other families with little ones!

Thank You, Auntie Joy and Uncle Brian!