the toys that won this christmas

Patrick was so excited that Santa brought him a rad train table this year.  Other than what was in his stocking, it's all we got for him and it was plenty.  This thing has kept him occupied for hours!  He's still a little young to realize that he's breaking apart the track that took the elves 3 hours to put together but we just keep fixing it and move on! 

Some others that have been a total hit:

1// Melissa & Doug puzzles. 
We bought the set that came in the wire rack for storing (which is used more as a semi garage than a storage rack but hey, it works).  Patrick loves the alphabet one especially.  He'll say T for Yarn or C for Duck.  He knows where they all go but he has a lot of learning to go as far as knowing what each letter is.

2// Long Haulers. 
These were presents from my sister - he got two of them.  Twin semis.  Hooray.  They've been so fun to pretend with though.  We pretend to get flat tires and go to the construction site, etc.  You can find them at the ever-amazing and ever-redneck Rural King.

3// Imaginarium Mountain Rock Train Table.
Great quality.  Great fun.  Great price.  Downside:  it takes up a ton of space in the family room.

4// Fisher Price Drill Action Tool Set.
If you like to play with your kids, you'll like this more than your kids.  The drill actually works - it will screw in and screw out the screws.  There's probably better terms but I know nothing of construction.  This is a must-have for any toddler!

5// Big Picture Floor Pad.
Patrick has really been into coloring lately and this one is really fun for floor coloring.  The pictures go in alphabetical order, and each item on the page begins with that letter.  So there is a picture of an Elephant flipping Eggs next to an Eggplant.  Get it? 

Another amazing winner that Jeff put together after I compiled this list is the Little Tikes Tough Jobs Workshop.  Once again, just as fun for the adults as it is for the kids - I could play with this thing all day long.

Toddlers are so much fun to play with and it makes toy-buying a blast.  If you know of some amazing toys out there that my kid has to have, please, do share!