2009 Christmas Lists

Our 2009 Christmas Lists are up. Check out:

- Julie's Christmas List
- Ella and Sophie's Christmas List
- Ben's Christmas List

Ben's 2009 Christmas List

$20 and under
Casual socks such as these (Nordstrom), or these (Old Navy)


Under $50
Patagonia cadet cap - Condor Grey - LARGE ($28ish)

LL Bean Long Sleeve Sunwashed T-Shirt - Blue, Cayenne, or Mountain Red - $24.50

LL Bean Henley Sunwashed T-Shirt - Blue, Cayenne, or Mountain Red - $24.50

J Crew long-sleeve broken-in no-pocket crewneck tee (medium) - ocean, navy, light maritime, or old metal - $24


Under $100

J Crew Fine lambswool half-zip sweater (medium) - heather sage, heather tile, or heather flannel, $59.50 - $69.50

Ruehl button-down shirts (large) - before Ruehl goes out of business! maybe this, this, or this - $78 unless on sale, or Julie knows how you can get these for 40% off

Leather Gloves - Black - Large or X-Large ($59ish)


Over $100



Unmentionably* Ridiculous (don't know why I'm even putting these down):
Canon EF-20mm f/2.8 Super wide lens - $430ish

Panasonic TC-P46G10 - $1,100ish

* so why would I mention them then? More out of academic curiosity, really.

Ella's and Sophie's Christmas Lists

Sizing:
Ella - 3T - shoe size 8
Sophie - 2T or 18 to 24 months - shoe size 6

In general, Ella and Sophie like the following things:

• Kipper the dog (both)
  
• Wall-E (both)
  
• Thomas the Train Engine (Ella)
• Dress-up (both)
• Airplanes
• Plastic Piggy Bank for Sophie - this one is cute...
  

Note - please don't get DVDs. We have plenty of media and don't really use DVDs per se.
Other Note - Craigs List is sometimes a great resource for totally usable kids stuff that costs a lot less

Under $50

• Clothing - Gap tends to have the market for this age group. Pants, shirts, sweatshirts/sweaters, accessories - always appreciated and very much used! (Here are some ideas, and here, and here, and here, and here, and here, and here)
• Fingerpaints
• Crafty things
• Books
• Marble Run - $18.49 - the girls both LOVE marbles (no need for more marbles - have lots of those)
  
• Footy Pajamas like this or this - 2T for Sophie and 3T for Ella - $20ish
• Play kitchen sets (probably best source for this would be Craig's List)

• GAP Side-tab Warmest Jacket (I think I like this one the best) - $45ish - 2T for Sophie and 3T for Ella
• Warmest Overalls to match the Gap jacket above for Sophie - 2T or Ella - 3T - $39ish

$50 and up

• Bulk wooden train track - $49ish
• Melissa and Doug Deluxe Standing Easel or KidKraft Deluxe Wood Easel $45ish to $90ish
• Sophie - Sleep Sack 18-36mths
• Pottery Barn Kids Anywhere Chair - (approx $120)

** - these gifts would probably be particularly appreciated/useful

Mandy umbrellaing it in the thunderstormy iPhone line...

Happy Birthday to Sam and Sophie!

Sam and Sophie, whose endearment for each other can clearly be seen in the above photograph, are both a year old/older today. I am sorry to say, Sophie's progress over the past year has been markedly more accelerated than Sam's. While Sophie has increased her verbal and physical dexterity exponentially, Sam appears to be largely unchanged on both fronts over the past year - perhaps even declining. Sophie's hair is growing into a respectable punk-rockesque 'do. Alas, Sam's receding forehead tells another story altogether...

So, congratulations to you both! And Sam - hope you do better in the year to come. You've got some strong competition...