Today we are celebrating Mallory's SECOND birthday! Her actual birthday isn't until tomorrow, but Monday birthday's are lame and her dad may or may not be around during waking hours so we're partyin' today! "Party" of course is a loose term in this house; we just aren't huge on birthdays and like to keep things simple. We do a meal and cake of the birthday guy/gals' choosing , wrap a couple of gifts - bada bing bada boom - Birthday party!
I really enjoy both browsing and utilizing the various gift guides that are on Pinterest. You can seriously find gift ideas for any celebration, milestone, occasion, and person imaginable! Friends just purchased their first home, you're attending their housewarming party and need to bring a gift? Pinterest has you covered. Your nephew's bat mitzvah is next weekend. What are you getting him? You have no idea? There's a pin for that. Your daughter is turning two next month and seems to need/want for NOTHING in the "fun gift" department? Well, here's your pin for that too. ;)
*cheesey!! ^^*
1. Oversized Anywhere Chair || This was something I've been looking forward to getting Mallory for quite some time. Two of her friends have Anywhere Chairs that she really enjoys so I knew she would love having one of her own. The quality of these chairs is just amazing and I love that you can customize each chair--I went with navy slipcovers and white writing. I actually went ahead and got Mike a matching chair when I ordered Mallory's. (Pottery Barn Kids is doing $20 off Anywhere Chairs and Beanbags this weekend!!! You still have a couple of hours to capitalize! I think this is also a great Christmas gift. Get the deal here!)
2. Toy Basketball Hoop || Of all the "toy" sports gear out there, this seemed the most -I live in Alaska so this will be played indoors for the foreseeable future- friendly. I recommend checking your local second hand stores for items like this. In all reality, kids get a couple years of use out of toys like this and they are on to the real deal. I say save some money and buy it used. Take it home, give it a good bleach bath and you're good to go! (We have actually started buying most of the kids' clothing used as well because there is just no point in ruining expensive clothing! I'm certainly not going to keep them from playing in order to keep their clothes looking nice.. But that's a rant for another day.)
3. Various Sports Balls || Sticking with the "energy releasing while not wreaking maximum havoc indoors" theme from the basketball hoop, we figured its time to really start exposing her to the sports her mom and dad love so dearly. Kyle and I both tried every sport under the sun before really narrowing our focus to those we loved most. For Kyle those were baseball and football while I rode the basketball and soccer train. We are so excited to rediscover our favorite sports through our children. (Leave it to a mom to make a bunch of balls sentimental, right? GAG!)
4. Helmet || Safety first! :) See number 7.
5. Shoes || Praise the Lord my daughter loves shoes!! For real. She is constantly bringing me shoes and asking me to put them on her so she can stomp around the house. I'm a fan of buying her shoes because we have a pretty healthy wet/dirty shoe washing rotation going, so the more options, the better! These shoes were dirt cheap on Amazon! Definitely check the toddler new balance on amazon--good stuff! I actually may grab these and tuck them away for Christmas...
6. BALLOONS!! || Freaking balloons I tell ya. If we had gotten Mallory balloons and only balloons, she would have been EXSTATIC! Helium balloons are her kryptonite. Like, if we want Mal to be a productive member of society, or even just breathe and circulate blood effectively, balloons need to be out. of. sight. She's obsessed!
7. Radio Flyer Glide And Go Balance Bike || How difficult is it to make plain bikes these days?! I mean, everything is either Frozen and Barbie or Ninja Turtles and Spiderman!! Can we just get a damn red or yellow bike that can be passed around amongst siblings?! Sheesh! Anyway, I love gliders. This same principle is actually how my dad taught my youngest sister to ride a bike; just took the pedals off her hand-me-down bike and she learned to balance so quickly! Fortunately, Radio Flyer still makes things in their classic red color. (Oh. And you're welcome too Mike. This will also be YOUR bike. ;))
8. ABC & 123 Books || I don't know if it's her age or personality, but Mallory really enjoys educational books or books that we can use to "quiz" her. She loves being able to point and identify numbers, colors, animals, shapes, etc. so we grabbed her a few new books to scratch that it. I'm actually quite impressed with Nordstrom's selection of children's books.
9. Shopping Cart || All things pushable and with wheels are Mallory's go to lately! In fact, when her friends are at the house, 9 out of 10 tantrums stem from each of them not having their preferred push device. HA! She already has a stroller for her baby doll and has even started using her old walker out of sheer desperation so we figured this toy shopping cart would be a good investment. I also think it opens the door for future gifts--a kitchen or store? Some play food? Quite a few possibilities here once the juices get flowin' (This exact cart is on sale right now at Khols.com!)
2. Toy Basketball Hoop || Of all the "toy" sports gear out there, this seemed the most -I live in Alaska so this will be played indoors for the foreseeable future- friendly. I recommend checking your local second hand stores for items like this. In all reality, kids get a couple years of use out of toys like this and they are on to the real deal. I say save some money and buy it used. Take it home, give it a good bleach bath and you're good to go! (We have actually started buying most of the kids' clothing used as well because there is just no point in ruining expensive clothing! I'm certainly not going to keep them from playing in order to keep their clothes looking nice.. But that's a rant for another day.)
3. Various Sports Balls || Sticking with the "energy releasing while not wreaking maximum havoc indoors" theme from the basketball hoop, we figured its time to really start exposing her to the sports her mom and dad love so dearly. Kyle and I both tried every sport under the sun before really narrowing our focus to those we loved most. For Kyle those were baseball and football while I rode the basketball and soccer train. We are so excited to rediscover our favorite sports through our children. (Leave it to a mom to make a bunch of balls sentimental, right? GAG!)
4. Helmet || Safety first! :) See number 7.
5. Shoes || Praise the Lord my daughter loves shoes!! For real. She is constantly bringing me shoes and asking me to put them on her so she can stomp around the house. I'm a fan of buying her shoes because we have a pretty healthy wet/dirty shoe washing rotation going, so the more options, the better! These shoes were dirt cheap on Amazon! Definitely check the toddler new balance on amazon--good stuff! I actually may grab these and tuck them away for Christmas...
6. BALLOONS!! || Freaking balloons I tell ya. If we had gotten Mallory balloons and only balloons, she would have been EXSTATIC! Helium balloons are her kryptonite. Like, if we want Mal to be a productive member of society, or even just breathe and circulate blood effectively, balloons need to be out. of. sight. She's obsessed!
7. Radio Flyer Glide And Go Balance Bike || How difficult is it to make plain bikes these days?! I mean, everything is either Frozen and Barbie or Ninja Turtles and Spiderman!! Can we just get a damn red or yellow bike that can be passed around amongst siblings?! Sheesh! Anyway, I love gliders. This same principle is actually how my dad taught my youngest sister to ride a bike; just took the pedals off her hand-me-down bike and she learned to balance so quickly! Fortunately, Radio Flyer still makes things in their classic red color. (Oh. And you're welcome too Mike. This will also be YOUR bike. ;))
8. ABC & 123 Books || I don't know if it's her age or personality, but Mallory really enjoys educational books or books that we can use to "quiz" her. She loves being able to point and identify numbers, colors, animals, shapes, etc. so we grabbed her a few new books to scratch that it. I'm actually quite impressed with Nordstrom's selection of children's books.
9. Shopping Cart || All things pushable and with wheels are Mallory's go to lately! In fact, when her friends are at the house, 9 out of 10 tantrums stem from each of them not having their preferred push device. HA! She already has a stroller for her baby doll and has even started using her old walker out of sheer desperation so we figured this toy shopping cart would be a good investment. I also think it opens the door for future gifts--a kitchen or store? Some play food? Quite a few possibilities here once the juices get flowin' (This exact cart is on sale right now at Khols.com!)
Happy Sunday!!