let's talk christmas one final time.

i say this because i think this post can actually be super helpful!

since my farmer and i didn't get the gals anything for their birthdays at the end of october we pretty much made it rain for christmas.
pig // sawyer nikes // zany zoo
tunnel // laptrec // puzzle
kaye nikes // phone // tunnel
now that we're two weeks post christmas i thought it would be a great opportunity to recap the gifts that were hits and the ones that didn't go over quite like we thought.

K A Y E hits

 B. Toys B. Toulouse Laptrec 
this was a huge hit with both girls even though we intended it for kaye. it's also been a hit with any other kid that visits our house! we've taken it in the car with us and it provided a solid hour of entertainment for our older gal. kaye even uses it next to me when i practice my calligraphy. how cute is that? for under $20...that's a win.

Crocodile Creek Puzzle
kaye has very recently took a turn for the artistic. she started coloring in the lines, she enjoys drawing shapes, and don't get me started on the playdoh...granted, it keeps her engaged for long lengths of time. i just hate finding it everywhere...especially when its ground into my rug. oh well.

so santa brought kaye a puzzle and it's a hit! (santa actually brought two puzzles, but i'm saving one for a rainy day.) the crocodile creek puzzles are wonderful! the pictures are vibrant and the pieces are large and easy to use.

they make cute boy puzzles too! dinosaur + farm + tiger

 i do most of my shopping online (amazon), but amazon was all but sold out! plus their price was a little higher. i ended up finding both of the girl puzzles in store at barnes + noble, but i know you can get them at target, too!

 Nike Shoes
we got kaye a new pair of running shoes since she seems to have slowed her growth spurt. they were a definite hit and she's worn them every day since. the nike free shoes are awesome because they are so comfortable and they are suuuuuper easy to get on your kid's foot. actually...the best part about these shoes is kaye puts them on and takes them off by herself. that's a win.

 K A Y E misses

 Dollhouse
i knew for months we were going to get kaye a kidkraft dollhouse. i had no doubt in my mind what a hit it was going to be. she always plays with a small dollhouse over at her nana's house and the one we got is three times that size. WIN! high fives all around. not so fast. i don't know if it's intimidating or she's not into dollhouses anymore??? but it wasn't as big of a hit as i had thought it would be. she plays with it here and there for bits of time and sawyer does too, but the lesson learned was - smaller can be better.

S A W Y E R hits

 B. Zany Zoo - hittish
this wasn't as big of a hit with sawyer as i thought it was going to be. i really pictured her sitting and interacting with the zany zoo for long periods of time. so much so, in fact, i bought one for my niece (7 months old) as well. apparently she loves it. big hit.

it's also a quasi-hit with kaye. she'll bop over to it several times a day and that's usually when sawyer becomes interested in it as well.

B. Hiphone
HIT. this was a hit. it's just a little, play smartphone. sawyer is obsessed with pushing the circle button at the bottom of my iPhone, so i knew she would love this. it says stuff like, "hi cutie!" and you can record a message, too. super cute.

Nike Shoes
sawyer's very most favorite gift, though, were the little nike runners we got her. as soon as she tore the paper off and made her way into the box she demanded we put them on her. every single morning, i kid you not, she points at the shoes from her crib and has us put them on her. she wears them around the house most of the day. if she's not wearing them, she's hugging them. ?????? best last minute purchase of my life, apparently. again, these shoes are so comfortable and easy to get on...love that.

Rocking Pig
this little rocking pig from land of nod is sooooooo cute! and it's even cuter when i have my sawyer gal rocking and rolling atop it. now, granted, sawyer is too little to climb onto it, so we always have to pick her up to mount her pig, but she can easily slide off when she's done. girlfriend loves her rocking pig and i'm so glad we got it for her.

M O M hit

 B. Tunnel-o-Fun
one day, as the farmer and i were browsing the target aisles looking for gifts i saw this tunnel and knew it had great potential. it's just a tunnel...so simple. i snagged it at $19. the reason i like it so much is you can collapse it down. i just shove it right under out couch. then, when we bring it out both girls get excited. kaye usually just puts it over her head and walks around (weirdo), but sawyer enjoys crawling through it and poking her little head out. also...it has a little house you can attach to the end of it...like a little fort. i can definitely see myself ordering that in the next hour. but i'll keep it for a rainy day!