Toy Avalanche

My sons celebrated their third birthday on Monday, and we have experienced Toy Overload.

I repeat: The toys are overtaking our home.

Nearly everyone got them toys this year, which is funny (funny ironic), since just the day before The Professor and I were discussing how we needed to overhaul our collection of toys sitting in our basement and decide what to keep, what to sell, and what to pass along.

And then we got more toys. Lots more toys.

Don't get me wrong, I am so thankful for people who want to shower my kids with gifts. And if they want to do it with toys, then so be it. That's fine. Truly. My mom put it best: "I didn't want to get them clothes, since this is their birthday. What three-year-old wants to open up a package of clothes?" (Well, mine did get pretty excited about some from their aunt, but she's right, toys are pretty awesome.) I just think that if I had had some warning of the amount of toys we were going to be receiving, I might not have gotten my sons toys for their birthday, too.

I kind of want to kick myself.

Okay, here's a run-down of the gifts they received this year, just in case you don't believe me:

-a nice box of clothing for the spring, from their Aunt Jane

-two pairs of super awesome LIGHT-UP tennis shoes, a 3-disc THOMAS DVD OMGOMG, and two Thomas books, from their Grandma and Grandpa

-a pair of pajamas each from their great-grandparents

-a Melissa and Doug magnetic dress-up doll (named "Joey"), from their Ta and Pa (my folks)

-a flash card set, also from Ta and Pa

-a Melissa and Doug sandwich-making set, from their Aunt Cici and Uncle Jojo

-a cake-making set, also from Aunt Cici and Uncle Jojo
(I'm including pictures of the Melissa and Doug toys simply because they are so awesome. We heart Melissa and Doug at our home.)

-two large floor puzzles, one train-themed and one construction-themed, from their godparents (their godparents also brought Charlotte two books and a collection of farm animals, which we could include in this list, as my kids share everything)

-a wooden tool chest, from their Grammy Great

-a set of pots and pans and other cooking utensils, also from Grammy

-a toy recorder, a toy harmonica, sidewalk chalk, pinwheels, a bubble blower, and other fun sundries from their Great Aunt Connie

-a tea set, from their parents

-some cooking utensils, from their parents,

-a 90-piece box of play food, from their parents

-a wooden puzzle of the countries of Europe, from their parents (Will complement the America puzzle, no? The Professor is holding off on this one, waiting for a rainy day.)

-some books, from a cousin

And...I think that's it. I'm probably leaving off something, but perhaps you get the gist of it. We got toys. Lots. Of. Toys. And again, I'm overcome with gratitude. We have so much. So many friends and family who love us and our children. So many things in our home to help spur imagination and creative play. So much. We are blessed. And if that means an overabundance of food-related toys (did you sense that theme? B is our aspiring chef), then so be it.

Now I'm off to munch on a wooden sandwich. They're just so darn cute.