November 22, 2010
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Great Toys & Simple Thanks
Great Toys
I’m sure you have a gazillion toys in your home but some are more enduring than others. I wanted to share a few things that Evan loves…things he has consistently played with for the past 6 months or longer.
Evan plays with this at least once a day. Something about the way the beads move along the pathways is fascinating to him.
PROS: builds fine motor skills and logical thinking, small so it doesn’t take up much space
CONS: nothing!
Ikea Latt children’s table & 2 chairs
Everybody can benefit from a space to call their own~ even babies. Kid-sized tables/chairs are so popular because kids love being able to eat/play/draw at their very own table. There are so many different kinds of children’s furniture sets but I opted to start with a cheap one. I didn’t want to worry about it getting ruined or Evan not liking it. Luckily this super cheap $19.99 set worked out great for us!
PROS: kids love having their own space, the low price, made of wood, love the clean colors
CONS: because of the cheap price I don’t think this is as sturdy as the other pricier ones on the market (but it’s still pretty sturdy, see below)
This toy is one of Evan’s favorites! I ordered it after I saw it featured in a parenting magazine. This isn’t just a “toy” but also a great learning tool. It really helps with developing hand-eye coordination and honing fine motor skills as the kids learn to stack and nest the cubes. Evan loves stacking them up and then calling out all the letters/images he knows~ dog, A, B, horse, juggle. I think this would make a great gift for a 1, 2 or even 3 year old.
PROS: builds fine motor skills, lightweight, kids can learn their numbers/alphabet/colors/animals, so many different games you can play with it, beautiful vintage drawings
CONS: won’t last forever because it isn’t as sturdy as wood/plastic
Since we love these nesting cubes so much we’d like to share one with you! Just leave a comment in the next few days and I’ll randomly pick someone to send this to.
[sandelion23! I'll message you for your address!]Simple Thanks
I’m so thankful for…
* a baby who loves me unconditionally even when there are many days I know I could’ve done better.
* amazing in-laws who love me just like a real daughter and will babysit my baby and my friend’s baby just so we can have a morning out on the town with other mommies.
* my parents who worked so hard all of their lives to provide a better life for me & my brother and yet still feel bad they couldn’t do more for us.
* a wonderful husband who says I look pretty even when I’m in my old pjs with my glasses on first thing in the morning and who actually likes my silliness.
* a dog who warms my heart and hands whenever I need something to smile about.
* friends and family who lift me up when I’m feeling blue, make me laugh and inspire me to be a better person.
* friends like you who take the time to leave comments even though I know how very busy you must all be!
What are the things you’re thankful for? Have a wonderful Thanksgiving!
Comments (54)
aww, so many things to be thankful for!!
and the in laws one, you seemed to have lucked out with that!
haha
Bella and Evan look so cute sitting together at the table!
Aww nesting cubes are pretty fun. J’s ratty cardboard ones are lookin’ pretty worn! I should check these out
And what is it about boys who like to use their play tables as stands?! I always worry the tabletop will give under their weight.
Evan and Bella make the cutest of buddies! Love the ones where they’re sitting at the table together. =)
Awww. Happy Thanksgiving!
love the pictures of bella sitting on the chairs. i see you have the pororo mats and baby playzone jail thing too. it’s so funny how how most houses with babies all look the same with similar stuff~ happy thanksgiving!
Happy Thanksgiving, Jenny! The Ikea table looks pretty good. I have a table from my brother but it’s kinds heavy. I was looking for something light. I’m going to have to stop by Ikea to pick one up. Thanks for sharing. Your blogs and pictures always bring a smile to my face.
so sweet Jenny
what a great list of thanks! makes me think about what i’m thankful for…=)
Great list of thank yous and toys! Sae likes pretty much all of the same things but we have yet to buy her a table yet need to think about getting one.
I cannot believe Thanksgiving is almost here, any day now. I hope everything is wonderful for you guys over there and you have a wonderful week!
I love practical gifts. Now I am going to ck out the IKEA items next time I am there. I got my daughter a similar style Melissa & Douglas stacking tower last year but returned it b/c she was too young and wasn’t interested then. I am going to check out the Schyilling brand.
I know I have a lot to be thankful for. Thanks for reminding me. I like your comment abt how u could do better. Feel the same way here.
I love Bella’s expression in the picture where you’re hugging her and Evan, she looks like she’s straining a bit against all the love. My dog Tiger isn’t particularly fond of all the hugs either but I am!
Totally thankful for awesome friends, good health, and a wonderful fam~~You’re right so much to be thankful for~! I love all of your pics as always, and C still hasn’t grown out of that Ikea bead roller coaster either keke! Happy Thanksgiving buddy!
I love this post <3. That picture of Evan standing on the table made me laugh out loud! His expression is hilarious! I’m so happy that you started posting again…..I love seeing your product reviews and reading updates on Evan and your life. =) Our boys are growing up fast~ Have a wonderful Thanksgiving cheengu. I am so very thankful for you~
Thanks so much for your encouragement =) !! Seems like you had an amazing time in Seoul and your husband did a really good job with the video!!! Looks professional!!! The parts of the video with your grandparents where it’s sunlit are great! Also love the photo of evan and bella playing sitting in their chairs…looks like they are playing chess hehe!
i always love reading your posts! i haven’t seen evan since two halloweens ago…he must be sooo big now! jacob has similar nesting cubes, and he loved playing with them right around evan’s age until he was about 2 years old. he’s more into jigsaw puzzles now, but every once in awhile, he’ll pull his nesting cubes off the shelf.
Love the picture of you squeezing your babies! I don’t think I told you but our Einy passed away recently from cancer
he was only 7. So sad…
Bella is such a great playmate for Evan. I have an 8-months old and two dogs and she’s just starting to interact with them. Too cute. I am thankful that I made this far caring for a baby and two dogs and I haven’t lost my mind.
I adore the fact that you choose toys that help Evan’s development. I’m going to keep that in mind when it comes to gift giving.
I’m thankful for all my friends and family and of course this wonderful and inspirational blog to read. =)
Happy Thanksgiving!
love the pic of you squeezing your little loved ones.
you do indeed have a lot to be thankful for, and i know all those great people (and doggie) in your life are thankful for you as well. and who wouldn’t love you like their own daughter? you’re the best!
i need to check out ikea’s toy section next time we go. i’m too easily distracted by meatballs.
those stacking blocks look awesome. so do the chair and table set. bella and evan chilling is hilarious.
what a wonderful post to read. you have a beautiful family and so much to be thankful for! happy thanksgiving!
haha i love the pic of evan on the table!! you have a beautiful family. thanks for the recommendations!
See I have kind of an evil streak. If I knew your address, I’d be mailing you a band-in-a-bag which is especially awesome because it doesn’t need batteries, finger paints, a couple of whistles, a pop gun, the corn popper, the farmer says, a xylophone, a drum, this thing from Crayola,and probably some other stuff for your son.
For your dog, you get this – the nutty squirrel (IMHO one of the best dog toys EVER)
Happy Thanksgiving! Evan and Bella make awesome siblings! I’m going to have to check out ikea sometime.
There all such great toys, We love IKEA too! I love the stack box toy, we have a much more smaller one that we got from korea. and Aden love the thing too, but he doesnt actully stack it yet. Just likes to tip it over.
Awww, your so lucky your in-laws live near by, I have no one to watch Aden. and its so hard to find a babysitter.
Happy Thanksgiving to your family! Will this be E frist turkey???
awwww what a sweet post jenny!! love the one of “do not try this at home” hahah~!!! i loveee you soo much and am soo sad we won’t be seeing you this thanksgiving!!!
i miss you guys already!! ahh we NEEEEEED to skype~!!!!!!
awww, jenny. i loved this post. thank you for sharing the wonderful things you love. very timely too as i was looking for a special gift for my nephew for christmas. i haven’t been on xanga and hope to find time to finally update but i am so very thankful for many things in my life as well. i am reminded that counting your blessings daily is what gives true joy in our hearts. even though we have never met, i am thankful for friends near and far like you
!
happy thanksgiving to you and your family!
there’s SO MUCH love in that photo of you hugging your babies!! i can feel it from all the way up here! great recs. mia has the nesting cubes and still plays with it at 4yrs. you are so blessed with a beautiful family! i am thankful for my lil family and for kindred spirits like YOU.
you express and write beautifully. i feel so badly about not blogging consistently; i too am thankful for those very things/mostly people in my life. your evan reminds me a lot of my little brendon. (except b is 15 mos. old.) thanks for sharing, fellow mommy.
love the pics of evan and bella. they look like best buddies
Happy Thanksgiving!
Thanks for the great toys list! One of Leah’s best toy is the fisher price learning house, but it’s huge! I still use Dapple liquid soap from one of your older posts!
happy thanksgiving love! im thankful to have you as my friend~
@hkcho - LOL~ I can imagine J standing on his little table too! I’m sure the table makers had that in mind so they made them pretty sturdy~ even the cheapo Ikea one! Hope you’re having a wonderful Thanksgiving! =)
@O_miss - I love practical gifts too! I was really impressed with the quality of the toys at Ikea~ most are made out of wood and are really sturdy. Happy Thanksgiving! =)
@GCake1105 - Can I just tell you that I love the name Tiger for a dog!!! I always tell Andy if we ever get another dog I want to name them Tiger…even if we get a girl dog, hehe. Happy Thanksgiving!
@cheendy - I love when you do product reviews too! It’s so perfect that our boys are basically the same age. Which reminds me…they’re going to be TWO soon…ahhhhh…I can’t handle it! I’m so very very very thankful for a friend like you. There’s something so wonderful about you that makes everyone fall in love with you. =)
@manyangies - Thanks sweetie! That’s so awesome that you even noticed that part with the cool lighting from the sun. I told Andy and he was happy someone noticed~ I love how it looks! =)
@missdoya - I love reading YOUR posts! You’re seriously one of the most dedicated mommies I know. I love your monthly updates on J. I can’t believe we haven’t seen each other in so long. We have to fix that soon! I can’t wait until Evan can play with puzzles. J totally impresses me!!! I don’t think other kids his age are that advanced yet. After seeing how good J is at puzzles I was inspired and went out and got Evan a really simple one. =)
@jeanxbeanx - Oh buddy…I’m so sorry to hear about your dear precious Einy. I hope he passed peacefully and that the kids were okay. You know, that little guy brought so much joy to so many people. I remember sitting in my office so stressed at work so I would procrastinate and look at photos of E & A together. This was way back when you guys were abroad and before we even “knew” each other. I would sit there and ooh & aah and daydream about one day having my own little boy & fluffy dog. Now thinking about our dogs and how short their lives are has gotten me all weepy. Happy thoughts~ happy thoughts! I hope you guys are comforted knowing how much Einy was loved and how much he filled your lives with happiness. *hug*
@Joyce C - You’re so lucky you have two dogs AND a baby! That’s double the love for your little one (but also so much extra work for you). =) If you have a blog please share~ dogs + babies are my favorite combo. =) Happy Thanksgiving!
@MissJeter2002 - Your comment totally brought a big smile to my face! I was just telling a friend that I don’t think that non-mommy people would be interested in my blog, hehe. You’re so sweet and I’m thankful to have a blog buddy like you! Happy Thanksgiving!!! =)
@minglenyc - Thanks! I hope you’ll start posting about your little guy again too~ although I know it’s much easier said than done. =P Hope you have a wonderful Thanksgiving! =)
@morrighu - Thanks for the recs! I totally forgot about that farmer says toy but used to love it as a kid. I just ordered it! The nutty squirrel looks awesome~ gotta get one of those too! =)
@Mrs_Cho08 - Awww~ it must be so hard not having a good babysitter. My in-laws actually live like one hour away so I can’t have them come over all the time…although I wish I could! =) Yes~ this will be Evan’s first turkey! Aden too, yeah? Last year they were both still so small! We still have to do a playdate~~ and stop just randomly running into each other, hehe. Happy Thanksgiving!
@hudson_umma - I’m so thankful for a friend like you too! I used to love reading your letters to H. They were seriously the sweetest and most heartwarming letters ever. I know you’re super busy but I’d love to see you blogging again. =) Happy Thanksgiving!!!
@HSookiC - You, my friend, are definitely one of the most kindred spirits I have been blessed to know. You constantly inspire me. I hope to see an update from you on one of your blogs or even on FB. Those handful of Dec 2010 photos just weren’t enough for me, hehe. Happy Thanksgiving!
@one_happy_bride - Thanks so much! I’ve never thought of myself as a good writer so I’m totally flattered that anyone would think so, hehe. Don’t feel bad at all about not blogging consistently! It’s soo hard to even think about blogging when you’re taking care of a baby. I really wanted to keep up with it but then somehow let 6 months pass. I hope this time around I’ll be able to keep going, hehe. I’d love to see an update on your little B! It’s so fun seeing updates on other kiddos, esp. when they’re little boys around Evan’s age! =) Happy Thanksgiving!
@pinkplaid610 - That learning house is so cool! If Evan sees it anywhere he loves playing with it. We just don’t have enough space at our place for another big toy. I still love Dapple stuff too~ I think I could be a salesperson because our cupboards are stocked with Dapple supplies. =P Happy Thanksgiving!!!
@skippeeahn - thank you for your kind words! you’re doing such a great job with evan, too! good for you that you got him some simple puzzles. J started with simple peg puzzles right around evan’s age and look at him now! so, keep at it and have fun !
Happy Thanksgiving! Evan is getting so big and even cuter – how is that possible!
had no idea you had a blog!!! this is such a great post!
thanks for sharing what evan loves! i’ll definitely buy grant the nesting cubes. btw, i’ve been thinking about raising a puppy lately but i’m afraid it would take too much time & energy to take care of one. ;( how do you do it? i’m debating whether to raise a dog or just get pregnant with a 2nd instead. lol
i’ll def check out your blog every now and then~
Beautiful. You are so blessed. I’m thankful for the very same things. Cady has that very same bead roller coast from Ikea, and she loves it! I love Ikea
i love the picture of you hugging evan and bella…soooo cute! i am thankful for our 10+ years of friendship and love!