Christmas gifts still being played with...

I am happy to say that many of the Christmas gifts that were given to the boys this year are still being played with frequently.  The lines between things being Tam's toy or Jude's toy have been blurred and sharing is usually upheld = awesome.   Jude tries so hard to do all the things that his big bother does.  For example, Tam got a plastic marble track set that can be re-arranged into a variety of configuration.  He loves this...and so does Jude.  However, Jude has to be watched like a hawk because he will occasionally place the marbles in mouth instead of down the track! 

Another favorite is a set of Hotwheels tracks that attach to the wall. This is ingenious!  The tracks hang all the wall with adhesive wall strips (that come off but don't take off the paint).  Brian set the track up in the bedroom hallway so that the top track is just at the top of Tam's reach.   The cars race down the track, twisting and turning, and eventually rolling across the floor and under the bedroom door.  Tam loves sending the cars along the track.  Jude can reach the middle of the track and loves to attempt to send the cars down...more often Jude is a road hazard :-)  Both boys love it and can play together reasonably well.  If the tracks are pulled down, they are replaced easily, and it isn't all over the floor for me to trip over.  Total win.

Other favorite toys include the leap pad, play cameras, rocking moose, playdough truck, geotrax and wooden trains, and books.