ttb

Kids are funny. My DGS turned 2 in January, and he's just as happy playing with sticks and retractable tape measures as he is with his toys. Electronics are something else entirely and his parents have had to curb his enthusiasm with that. Here are some gifts that were hits with him since he loves school buses and Thomas the Train Engine. Fisher Price Little People School Bus. Thomas train set and the Brio train set. My daughter got him the trains and track for Christmas. I'm not sure if both sets of trains will work on the same track. There was some question about that at Christmas. I'm not sure they do. I bought him Playhut's Thomas the Train Engine Play Hut. He loves that when they put it up. Mega Blocks First Builders Big Building Bag. He's had that for a while now and plays with it all the time. They're kind of like the old Duplo blocks but more colorful. They make artificial fruit and vegetables that can be "cut" with a plastic knife on a cutting board. His other GM gave him that. I was a bit leery of the knife idea but he really loved it. Get the fruit/veggies that are joined together with velcro. It makes a neat sound when you "cut" into them. I think the others use magnets. I bought him a bright yellow slinky last week. He liked that. Good Easter Basket item. He has a baby doll, plastic head, hands and feet, but a soft body that's he's had for over a year now. It was really cute when he was smaller and would cover the doll and pat it to sleep. The pats were pretty hard. He still takes it and his teddy to his crib every night. I bought him a little kite which I think he'll really like, but we haven't flown it yet. One book that I got him which I think is cute is Even Firefighters Go to the Potty. I bought something called the Kaboost Portable Chair Booster to have at my house in lieu of a high chair. That's been working out fine now that's he's bigger. Just something to think about so you don't have to deal another high chair. Amazon sells them.

I think it's a swell gift idea and would be pleased to find it in my stocking so I hope your gifts were received with good cheer, Lynn. My friend's son recently had his done and was tickled to find some Australian native DNA in his background. Scandinavian/German/Italian was all that was in the oral tradition of the family, so it was a neat surprise. Our family's Ancestry.com hobbyist received an email from a "surprise" cousin that we did not know we had, after several family members' DNA was registered. Photos were exchanged and yes, there is no way to deny the blood kinship--he looks just like the rest of us, poor fellow. The generation of folks who might have been shocked/hurt by this surprise family member are all gone, and I am glad for him that his lifelong question of paternity could be answered. I can see that it might be awkward for younger families who find out they have siblings they never heard of, but I'm a fan of sunlight in dark family corners-- and I also think it's time that some kinds of families stop acting like those situations never happen "among our kind of people", lol. I also had my dog's DNA done and I'm getting our newer dog's done, too. Very fun to find out what went into these rescue/shelter mutts we love.

Happy birthday! So glad you had people and food to make it special with! Plus a birthday date with a yummy lunch and a fun shopping trip is always a great thing.. Love your sparkly pretty! Amethyst is a favourite of mine as well! I pretty much call it my birthday month! You can borrow the idea if you wish ;-).