Christmas in August

This post is way too long overdue.  I always seem to have things to blog about but don't seem to have the time.  Many times I end up just not blogging about stuff because a few days go by and then there's something else to blog about.  This is one post I've wanted to do for a while and am not going to pass up.

Over the summer, sometime in July, I noticed that Jackson recently started to become more active.  After thinking about it, I realized that Jackson was growing out of his toys and there were a bunch of different types of toys I wanted to get so I could challenge him.  I made a list of toys that included stacking/nesting toys, cause/effect toys, sorting toys, toys that roll, and a few other things I can't remember now.  I went to a few stores and started looking around for toys.  Individually they weren't too expensive but with everything I wanted, it would cost quite a bit.  So, I did what I do best and started stressing about it.  I was feeling like I needed to get the toys in order to advance Jackson's development but couldn't really afford them.  I decided to talk to my best teacher friend, Joan about what was going on.  I expressed my feelings and Joan, being the sweet, amazing friend that she is, asked me what kinds of toys I was looking for.  I was hesitant to tell her because knowing Joan, she would do something silly like buy all the toys.  After much persistence and letting me know she would just keep an eye out for the toys if she passed by any garage sales, I told her what I wanted.  End of story.  I didn't really think much of it after that.  Joan made me feel a ton better, telling me that I am an amazing mom even if I don't have the toys I wanted for Jackson, and we continued on, texting each other a million times a day.

A week or so goes by and Jackson gets a package in the mail from Auntie Joan.  We open it up and find this:

  

It's a Sesame Street shape sorter.  Perfect!  It is so cute, exactly what I was thinking, and Jack loves it!  However it was very unexpected and unnecessary.

A week later or so we take our trip to North Carolina and when we get home there are 4 more packages waiting for Jackson.  We open them up and Auntie Joan has sent Jack 4 more new, perfect toys!  It was like Christmas in August!  This is what he got:

The classic shape sorter, stacking/nesting bowls that can be put together to make balls, a ball and mallet toy, and stacking/nesting cups that can also be used in the bath.  They have different animals on each cup and all have different holes at the bottom to let water out.

AMAZING!  This was exactly what I didn't want to happen but am SO grateful.  And Jackson truly loves all his gifts!  Now, 2 months later, Jackson still loves playing with all of the toys Auntie Joan got him.  They are among his favorites.  He is able to put the circles and squares in both shape sorters, loves knocking down the nesting cups and rolling them around, enjoys hitting the balls with the mallet (and hitting everything else he can with the mallet), and loves to watch the water fall out of the bath nesting cups.  We're still working on stacking the nesting toys, figuring out how to put the other shapes in the shape sorters, and matching the balls to the coordinated spots before hitting them with the mallet.  But we have plenty of time to keep working on these skills as Jackson's little self continues to grow and develop.  Thank you so much Auntie Joan for all of your love, support, and generosity!  We love you!