the lists

Back by popular demand, The Lists for the upcoming holidays...


What Jonathan would love:

• Puzzles. This kid rocks at puzzles! He's doing 16 piece floor puzzles on his own and can even handle up to 42 piece puzzles with a bit of guidance. 
• These types of felt puzzles are super cool for the diaper bag and would be great for a crafty looking for a DIY gift!
• Books. Especially learning and interactive books (counting, colours, eye-spy, find-the-whatevers, lift-the-flap, etc). I know he'd love something like this (this kid lives for Thomas stuff) and I'd love that it's compact and portable for traveling :) 
• A train set expansion pack (especially if it included a turntable!) would make his year. This kid lives for trains and making tracks. The expansion kit does not need to be name brand, just Brio compatible. A set like this would thriiiiiiill him. I'd check Ebay, Kijiji and the like for good deals. He'd also be ecstatic to receive a Tidmouth Sheds (round house train shed), or the train characters Annie and Clarabel or Bash, Dash and Ferdinand, however these trains are quite expensive, so pre-loved is definitely the way to go. 
• Like most 2 year olds, stickers are fascinating. These reusable sticker books by the fabulous Melissa and Doug would be a great gift. 
• Clothes. Who doesn't need clothes? Jay currently fits 2T quite well, but will be into 3T soon enough. 
• A more personal and very fun gift from a Manitoban family member would be a 'coupon' to a morning of fun with them at the Children's Museum at the Forks. We visited the museum with him last July and he loved it. I can only imagine how much more enjoyable it will be during the winter months in Manitoba and what a great bonding experience it would be for someone wanting to spend some time with him while we are in town :) 

What Matthew could use:

• Clothes! Yes, he has an older brother so he does have access to hand-me-downs... But it just so happens that his brother was born at the exact opposite side of the calendar year. So when his brother was 4 months he was sporting itty bitty baby shorts in June... Whereas Matthew will be 4 months in February... Living in Winnipeg... See the problem? 
• On the same train of thought... This kid needs a size 6 months snow suit for the carseat (non-puffy and good for under a car seat cover). I've heard great reviews about this one from MEC. 
• A thermometer. We totally need a new baby/infant thermometer (not picky on what kind or anything) 

A few things Tom would love:

• Teensy 3.0. If you're techie, you'd probably know what this means. Thankfully (for the rest of us) he gave me this link to a store in Winnipeg that sells them for $31. Good luck. 
• He says he'd also be thrilled with this external hard drive from BestBuy
• He thought these steak thermometers for the BBQ were super cool. (A set of 4, perhaps?)
• Windows 8 This is something I'd ask Uncle Ray about purchasing ;) 
• Clothes. Lord willing this guy will continue to have meetings with pastors, be in front of congregations, and speaking at churches... Nice sweaters and dress shirts are always a great choice. He usually has great luck for fit at Mark's Work Wearhouse. I know he'd like something like this in beige or this one in dark grey 

A few things I'd love:

• Starbucks gift card (my personal treat!)
• Honey Bee tea from David's tea (pretty much anything from David's tea is awesome, but I tried this particular tea at a friend's house and it's just lovely!)
• Gizmos for he kitchen: A funnel (I kid you not!), a meatloaf pan with removable drip tray (seriously, I'm not kidding!), I'm also in desperate need of a new baking set (cookie tray, muffin pan, etc). I'd also really like these appetizer plates from Epicure 
• Clothes. I'm in dire need of clothes too! A gift cert to Thyme would be awesome to put towards a few new nursing tops :)
• New boots! I LOVE my brown fun (not winter) boots, but they are done. So done the shoe repair guy told me to not bother, but buy new ones. And I'd love some new ones! Grey or brown, size 8, minimal heel (I'm tall enough already). A gift cert would work really well for this... Or a surprise :) 
• Baby wearing insert for my winter jacket! A gift for both Matthew and I!  These are super awesome, but expensive - Anyone have sewing skills? I'm sure I can find a DIY for us ;)

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