Most Loved Toys

Last week I wrote a post about some of my favorite things.  Today, I thought I would share with you some of my kids' favorite things.  These are items that they both use frequently, have been worth the money/gift and we would recommend to others.  

This fold out couch we bought when Rylee was 6 months old and starting to sit up on her own.  It has been the best purchase we made.  Both kids absolutely love this couch, and it is very well loved. They watch t.v. on it, read books on it, eat their snacks on it and wrestle on it.  I really want to get rid of it because it's getting kind of gross, but my husband says we can just wash it in the tub.....can't wait to see how black that water will be!  Our cats we used to have loved the couch too.

This dump truck was a Christmas gift this past year.  Ironically, James was going to take it back to the store as Wyatt had gotten a different one a few weekends before Christmas from a relative.  On Christmas morning though James decided Wyatt didn't get anything cool enough and got the truck out of his car.  The kids have had hours of fun playing with it!  If you push it from behind (Rylee runs with it), and then let go,  it goes rolling quite a ways.  Wyatt sits in it sometimes while Rylee pushes him.  So glad we didn't take it back!

This ride-on tractor has also gotten lots of use.  Both kids ride it around the house and Wyatt likes to hide things inside the seat that opens.  It came with some farm animals too but they got tossed in the corner real quick by the kids. This toy would only be better if it were the right color.....

Rylee got this doctor kit for her 2nd birthday (I think) and it has been used to treat hundreds of patients!!  I've been very thankful for it, and Rylee's medical knowledge, many times when I've been "sick".  Wyatt is also starting to really enjoy these tools and likes to take temperatures and listen to heartbeats.

Mega Blocks.  What kid doesn't love these??  Not sure I even need to say much about these.  We actually got them as a gift from my former employer for Christmas.  Wyatt doesn't care that they are pink ;)

This little guitar is one of our favorite musical instruments.  I believe Rylee got this for a gift when Wyatt was born.  Both of my kids (particularly Wyatt) love to wear this around their neck and rock out!

This desk was a 1st birthday present for Rylee and it has been sat in hundreds of times and by lots of different kiddos.  We used to have it in our living room and Rylee would sit in it to watch t.v., eat snacks, color, read, etc.  It's in our basement now so doesn't get quite as much use, but Wyatt always sits in it when we play down there.  I'm confident if this was in our living room still, it would get daily use. It has a little drawer under the seat to store things in (coloring books, etc).

Play food.  Whether they are playing restaurant, store, or feeding sick patients in the hospital, we use our play food almost daily and it can be found in every room of the house!  We have a play kitchen too, but the food sees way more use than the kitchen does.

This little folding table and chairs is a must!!  The kids sit here for snack times and sometimes lunch or supper.  They love that they can feel like a "big kid" at their own table.  We also use it as more seating (for the kids) when we have too many people to sit at our dining table.  Rylee will also do crafts at this table too.

So, these aren't exactly toys, but we got this idea from friends and it has become a favorite.  We stack all of the cottage cheese containers and then either run into them or throw balls at the tower to knock it down...lots of fun!  We have had these containers (10 of them) for about 2 years. James stole a couple to use for painting and Rylee noticed they were missing right away!

Lastly, our most recent favorite is the mattress as a trampoline!  I know, I know....terrible idea!!!  It started a few weekends ago when Grandma stayed with us and Rylee wanted to have a sleep over on the living room floor, which they had had at Grandma's house the weekend prior (even though Grandma has a bed they could have slept in).  I didn't want Grandma to sleep on the hard floor (especially when we have 3 beds they could have chosen from to sleep in), so we brought Rylee's mattress out to the living room for them to sleep on.  Little did we know it would turn into a trampoline and would be the most fun they've had at home in a long time!!!  I was hesitant to let it continue because we tell Rylee not to jump on beds....but I just couldn't make them stop.  Now when she asks for it, we drag it out to the living room and let them bounce their little hearts out.  I figure at least they are getting exercise that they wouldn't otherwise be getting.

That's it....some of our most loved toys.  We have plenty of others that they each love independently, but it's safe to say that the above are tried and true by both kiddos in our house and we would recommend them in a heartbeat (even the mattress trampoline, hehe).

I won't count this with the rest, but as some of you saw, we put a tent up in our basement yesterday for Rylee to play in...it was a HIT!!  She has never played in the basement alone as long as she did yesterday!  We are going to sleep in it tonight....she is super excited and already has so many camping activities planned for us (like shadow puppets with a flashlight).  Can't wait!  I bet it comes with a sore back to ;)