Friday Favorites- Griffin's Favorite Toys

1. first years stacking cups 2. push trucks 3. fisher-price xylophone 4. fisher-price rock-a-stack 5. little tykes slide

I hope everyone had a wonderful Thanksgiving!  We had a great holiday and I even braved a little pre-black Friday shopping with my mom to get a couple things!

I'm always looking for fun things for my kids, especially when it's gift-giving season.  Last week my Friday Favorite's post was Hadley's favorite toys so this week I'm sharing Griffin's favorite toys.

Griffin is my handsome one year old little boy, although these toys would be great for any one year old!

1. Stacking Cups
My little engineer loves stacking cups.  We have a set in the bathtub and one to play with.  He spends a lot of time trying to stack them, putting them inside each other, putting different things in the cups, etc.  It's cute watching the wheels turn in his head when he plays with this toy!

2. Push Trucks
These are the cutest little trucks!  They have a little "zoom" power, so when you push them across the floor and let go, they are able to go pretty far.  G-man loves pushing trucks around and making car sounds with them.  These are definitely some of his favorites.  They are smaller so he can carry them around, but there aren't any pieces so I don't have to worry about him putting something in his mouth.

3. Xylophone
Like any one year old, Griffin has discovered banging things makes noise and he loves how this "makes music" when he bangs it with the yellow baton.  He also likes to drag it places and bang on it with different things to see how different it sounds.  He's pretty smart. ;)

4. Rock-a-Stack
Along with his stacking toys, he loves this rock-a-stack.  He loves putting the rings on and taking them off, trying them in different orders, throwing the rings, etc.  It's also a great game for us to play together.  I can point out the different colors, which rings are big vs. small, and just like the stacking cups, I can see the wheels turning in his head.  I love toys that don't make a lot of "noise".  I want them to learn without the screen time!

5. Slide
This is probably one of the best purchases we've ever made.  Both of my kids love this thing!  I was surprised that Griffin could climb up and turn around without falling, as there isn't a platform for him to really stand on, but he's my physical one and he just figured it out one day.  This will keep him occupied for hours.  He'll climb up, slide down, laugh and clap, climb up, slide down, laugh and clap...over and over and over again!  I will say, I don't think most one year olds can maneuver this type of slide.  When Hadley was Griffin's age, we got her this slide which allowed her to get her balance on a platform before sliding.  However, if you have a monkey like me, go for it!  Just be mindful that until they get the hang of turning themselves around, they might be in for some bumps and bruises!

Friday Favorites- Hadley Edition

1. playdoh  2.  princess toys 3. kid craft kitchen 4. american girl bitty baby better kit 5. kid craft dollhouse


I'm linking up with Narci, Andrea, and Erika for Friday Favorites!  Christmas is quickly approaching and I'm always on the lookout for gifts for my kiddos, so I thought you might be, too.  Today's favorites are Hadley's toys!  Everything she plays with and enjoys right now.  Next week, I'll do Griffin.

Hadley is my spunky, sweet three year old little girl, so these gifts would be great for little ones her age!  She has such a huge imagination these days and all of these toys just add to the creative things she thinks up.

1. Every. single. day. Hadley wants to play with playdoh.  We have plenty of cookie cutters, playdoh toys, etc. but she really loves "baking" cookies with it.  She mixes all of the colors together (sometimes my Type-A personality just can't take it!), piles it on top and shows off her masterpiece.  She odes have a habit of letting the playdoh dry out, but no worries there because it's like .99 at Tar-jay! #winning

2. She got these princess dolls for her birthday and she plays with them all the stinkin' time, mainly in her dollhouse.  Sometimes she calls them by name, other times she makes up names for them.  She dresses them and undresses them, and they are part of the ever-growing family living in her dollhouse.  #duggarsanyone  The only downside to these dolls are the exceptionally small pieces.  Each princess has a gown and bows to put on and take off...and I'm constantly making sure Griffin isn't anywhere near them.  He doesn't put much in his mouth anymore, but if you have littles who love shoving things in their mouths, be on the lookout.

3. Hadley got this kitchen for Christmas last year and I swear kid craft makes the best stuff!  Hadley is about 32 inches tall now and still can't reach the very top of the kitchen.  She loves the phone that comes with it--and all of those playdoh cookies she bakes?  Go straight into her oven!  Kidcraft also has replacement parts  and it's pretty easy to get something if you need it.  During our move, one of her doors got broken in half and we were able to get a replacement door.  Awesome! We got a gender neutral kitchen since we knew Griffin would most likely want to play when he got older as well, but these kitchens come in all different styles and colors.

4.  Hadley has one bitty baby and a set of bitty twins.  This girl is a little momma and says she wants to "be a nurse like Mommy" when she grows up.  She loves doctoring up her babies.  The stethoscope makes a heart beat sound, the top of the shot syringe pushes down, and the bandaids fit most baby doll extremities.  It was a great purchase!

5. I've mentioned her kid craft dollhouse before.  You can read about it here.  She got it for her birthday and this thing is a monster!  It is so tall.  I read the dimensions before purchasing, but it's different seeing it in real life!  She loves this thing!  It comes with 30+ pieces of furniture and was pretty easy to put together (so my husband tells me!).  She has two separate families that "live" in the dollhouse, along with her princess collection and there is plenty of room for all of them.  She also received a family car and the pet set to go with it.  The dollhouse entertains her for hours.

These are Hadley's top 5 favorite toys right now!  What toys do your girls like?  What should I add to Hadley's christmas list?

Friday Favorites

I'm linking up with Andrea, Erika, and Narci to share my Friday Favorites!

[ONE]
I've never really been in to olive green before, but this year I am!  I've been searching for an olive vest and was striking out everywhere.  Apparently I'm not the only one who's taken a liking to it.  I was at Target a few days ago and found this vest in the children's section, tried it on and put it in my cart.  A whole world of opportunity opens up if you can wear kids clothes! ;)  I can wear some XL stuff from the kids department, so I look from time to time.  I think it might get really weird when Hadley starts wearing those sizes and we can share clothes....although, she's barely on her growth chart so if she's ever an XL anything I'll be surprised!





[TWO]
I've started trying my hand at contouring my make-up.  I am not a frou-frou girl.  I know nothing about make-up, eye shadow, how to put outfits together.  I've been rocking the "mom" vibe since I was like 12, but I've decided I need a little more now that I'm (cough, cough) almost 30.  I *think* I did okay my first go round?  Essentially, HELPPP!!  All of you wonderfully gifted ladies out there, help me figure out what I'm doing!



[THREE]
Every time we leave school Hadley has to go say goodbye to all of her friends- which is every single kid in her class.  She runs to each of them and says, "Goodbye, ___!" and pats them all and says goodbye to them by name.  Her heart is made for making people feel special.  She says goodbye to her "teacha's" (teachers) and reserves hugs for her best friends.  I never rush her because I'm pretty sure it's a gift she's been given and I don't know how she'll use it, but I don't want to dampen her beautiful spirit.  (So, it takes us a good 10-15 minutes to actually leave the class!)

[FOUR]
Tuesday after I dropped Hadley off at school, Griffin, Bear-Bear (Griffin's lovey- who he's grown attached to and it's so freakin' adorable!), and I went to vote!  The state we live is not an early voting state and I hate that.  But last voting year I was working so I had to absentee vote and this year I'll be out of town on election day so I got to absentee vote again!  It really wasn't bad.  Griffin was great and we were in and out in 30 minutes.  I got my vote in, so should you!  Your vote counts--if you don't believe me, ask the U.K. ;)



[FIVE]
I've been watching all the girly movies lately: The Holiday, Love Actually, and My Best Friend's Wedding to name a few.  If G wakes up early, I'll turn it on and have it in the background while we play, or I might watch it while Hadley is at school and Griffin is napping.  I never get through a movie in one sitting, maybe just 30 minutes, but it's so, so good!  The Holiday and Love Actually are definitely getting me in the spirit of the holidays!



Happy Weekend, everyone! :)