Cinders and Ashes! Only 47 More Days To Find James and Edward
Thomas has taken over. I know there are lots of you out there who are all "I hate licensed character products," "I only buy educational, wooden toys for my kids," and "I only buy lead-free toys for my little darlings." Yeah, I used to say those things, too. But Thomas! Oh Thomas! He's chugged right into Carson's heart and mind. Peep, peep!
I don't know how, but he can name every single train. Somehow he even knows all of their numbers and gets quite exasperated when I mix up Percy and Henry or Edward and Thomas. Carson has very specific ideas of which trains he'd like to receive for Christmas from Santa. So far he already has Thomas and Henry. We spend hours each day, looking at this sheet of paper that came with one of his toys that has all of the Thomas characters on it.
He covets Edward. COVETS.
And James? He LOVES James. Christmas will be ruined if he doesn't get James. Santa, I hope you are taking notes.
Murdoch? Who? He loves him, nonetheless.
His first crush, Emily. He wants to marrrrrrrry her. Not really. But she is a MUST-HAVE.
There are still? only? 47 shopping days left before Christmas. Emails have already been flying between myself and the grandparents regarding which kind of Thomas toys to buy (NOT! wooden, NOT! Trackmaster, only the TAKE-ALONGS! the TAKE-ALONGS for heaven's sake!). I've perused Amazon, E-bay, and numerous other toy websites, searching for the best prices on these coveted toys.
I want him to have the best Christmas evah! And if licensed character toys are what he wants, then licensed character toys are what he'll get.
Mommy, Mommy! Look! James!
Emily! Murdoch! No Troublesome Trucks, no Troublesome Trucks, Mommy!
How could I say "no" to a boy who obviously gets such joy from Thomas?
What licensed characters are you buying your kids for Christmas?
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A great big THANK YOU for the 88 comments backing up my claim about Sayman's Salve yesterday! Way to go Internetz for helping me kick Tate's ass!
Gloat? Me? Nevah!
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50 People are even more brilliant:
oh i'm old-school on the licensed characters. it didn't bother me A BIT when no. 2 son threw himself totally into teenage mutant ninja turtles, or when no. 3 just HAD to have the green power ranger (yeah, my kids are old ... and so am i).
enjoy your thomas years.
I have no shame. It's all about licensed characters in my house.
Caden isn't quite into Thomas yet..
Maybe I need to buy him some...
I don't mind licensed characters either. Oh, and I just bought him a pair of light up shoes also.
Don't worry about those other judgemental people.
Have you seen the kid-size RIDE-ON Thomas?? Holy toddler nirvana!
Listen- you do what you have to do. Who wants to play with a "Wooden" toy anyway? What fun is that? A little lead never hurt anybody...oh wait. ;)
-hh
Carson is SO CUTE!! How could you deny him??
We're a little too young to care for licensed characters, but I'm sure that won't stop the grandparents from trying. And there will DEFINITELY be next year!
My oldest was/is a Thomas freak. He knew every. single. one. before he was two years old. He's now six and, although Cars and Webkinz have taken over this years Christmas, he still loves Thomas AND FRIENDS and there are always new friends. If you see wooden Hector and Whiff. I must know where.
Enjoy Thomas.
I have missed him a lot this year. He no longer chugs under my feet as Im cooking dinner or winds up under my pillow because he's cold.
I think it is awesome that he can name them. I love that kids get so excited about stuff they enjoy and can correct you if you get it wrong.
Peanut is heavily into Mickey Mouse and all things Disney. I have a
friend who thinks Disney is the Evil Empire and that I am OH SO LAME for buying into it. She Pooh-Poohs (ha!) the commercial upbringing of my kids. Whatever.
My kids are imaginative and my kids could kick her kid's generic toy ass.
I don't condone violence, really.
Before kids, I was all, "No commercial toys for my children." And now? My house looks like a Disney Princess museum that Dora occasionally invades. Meh. I'm so over caring about the "evils" of commercialism. I try not to buy the wee ones too many toys, but the ones I do get them are going to be ones they like. And sadly, that usually means ones that I don't necessarily like.
We have license characters too. *blush*. oh wait, who doesn't!?! ;-)
That Carson is so farking cute! I'm wondering when and if to introduce Thomas to my 1 year old son. I fear the same attachment as Carson.
Oh, I forgot to say - The shot of him looking at the line up of Thomas characters was priceless! Elliot has a similar catalogue of princess stuff and can name every single one. Girl is going to find a princess laptop under the tree this year! Squee! I'm so excited for Christmas.
My nephew was into Thomas the Train like that when he was younger - and he knew ALL of them too.
Fortunately, my dad travels quite a bit for work - and I do occasionally. Every trip meant searching out toy stores, Wal-Marts and whatever else to try and find pieces he didn't have.
It got to the point that setting up the entire collection took up my parents' living room and dining room.
But, he loved it. And that was all that mattered to them (of course).
Awwww, enjoy Thomas.
My 5 year old is into Star Wars. UGH! Those are some ugly toys.
Now Dark Vader rides onto of Emily and R2D2 attacks Thomas - on our train table. It is a full blown war zone. Poor Thomas and Friends - things aren't looking too good for them.
Maybe I will EBAY them, before Xmas and make some cash?
He is so cute with all that Thomas love. And as for the lead? (cause my son has the train table and trains, too). If it causes brain damage, just think of the Ivy league tuition we'll not have to pay out in a few years.
Justification complete.
Disney's Cars. Babyhead lurves em. I have to fight to get him out of his Cars jammies in the morning! And "Nina Turtles". And Pirates of the Caribbean. He loves all three so that is what we are doing this year. He runs around in his "pieyant" hat and twirls his "chuckies" like Michealangelo...at least I think it is Mikey...
Anyway...We are also doing learning toys too this year like play food and the like.
Congrats on beating Tate's ass!!! My Little One is almost to big for toys (sigh), she wants them but doesn't play with them. Of course it looks like Disney puked in her closet. Little Princesses!!! This year Santa gets to look for a Wii!!! And the boy who knows. The oldest and his wife.... God only knows, video games I guess!!!
We don't have any favorite characters yet. He's just into "boy" things like trucks, tractors, trains, cars, etc. I don't know if the lack of a specific interest in a character is his age or his lack of interest in television.
But I think that the Thomas things are cute. And it's great that your son is so into them. I hope you're able to find everything you're after.
I am embarrassed to admit hour many "Thomas" products we have accumulated in the four years since my mother bought my son, Jacob, his first Thomas train for Christmas. Let's just say that we should ammend our homeowner's insurance, because his collection is easily one of the most valuable things in our house. Four years of birthdays and holidays . . . cha-ching! Originally we started our with the metal trains, but the paint chips after awhile. So now we have almost all the wooden trains and vehicles. Yes, I said almost all. And now my daughter is getting in on the act, too. She is CRAZY in love with Gordon and literally squeals every time she sees him.
We have more than our share of Thomas crap around our house, too. Nicholas has Thomas, James, Edward, Emily, AND Murdoch. Carson would be in heaven if you came over for a playdate.
p.s. Ebay is the way to go for hard to find trains.
I love when they get "into" a toy...
Fa is into Littlest Pet Shops...LURVES them.
He is TOO cute! Id be buying trains by the truckload! Liv luvs all things Polly Pocket.
Licenesed toys rock. I was a HUGE Muppets fan at his age and I had it all. Thomas is so not a bad one for them to like. I hear those Eward trains are hard to find though, so good luck. I know my cousin found that some of them aren't made very often.
My nieces are into Tinkerbell and Bratz. Yes, the dreaded Bratz. But so what, they love it and I as their auntie, have no problem with it. I had Barbies as a kid.
I just bought Elle's B-Day gift....it's one of those American Girl dolls, but a mini one with 6 books. I'm pretty sure she'll love it. ALso Liv loves that show Dragontales, so for Christmas, I hope I can find some Dragontales toys.
Sacha loves him some Thomas trains. Fortunately, there is no where in town I can really buy them, and I know how much farking money the whole set will cost, so I will avoid it as long as possible.
We're all about the books and clothes this year.
I'm with you - bring on the licensed characters, lead paint and all! Well, you can leave off the lead paint, but not the characters!
Those pictures are adorable!
In this house it's ALL about Dora and Pablo!!! Oh, and Diego. I swear my 2.5 year old is IN LOVE with Diego and PAblo. She got all fan-girl squealy when he made a surprise appearance on a Dora episode!!
When my son was little it was Blue...from 6 months old (when Blue was new)...until he was bout 4 it was all about the Blue. Now it's anything Star Wars! He never really got into Thomas.
Hmmmj. 94 comments yesterday. I'm feeling lost in the crowd. (I'm NOT jealous. snort)
I remember the days of Payton pouring over those inserts and catalogs for hours!
So you don't want wooden? Well, I was going to say you can buy the sets at Michaels and use their 40% off coupon. That's how we bought most of ours stuff back when.
I went through this with my 4 year old half brother last year. I thought he was the only kid who could stare at those dern papers for hours, relishing each and every train -- day dreaming about which trains he wanted. SAVE THE PAPER! He'd scream, when we were cleaning up the presents.
Oh goodness, it looks like I'll be doing Mickey Mouse and possibly some Cars stuff this year for Adrien.
Enjoy Thomas while you can. We have moved on, the train table is in storage. (Peyton get's it in a year or so).
My older boys are into yup, you, guessed it video games. One wants a Wii, the other a playstation 3. Oh yeah and the oldest wants a laptop. I would welcome Thomas, Barney, or any other character I bashed once upon a time.
Peyton is getting a Step 2 tree house. Where I am going to put it is now the question.. I don't think my 8 TH floor patio is a great place for it. I may just have to move this long rant to my blog.
I don't think we are going to have any lisenced toys this year, Amy is a little young to care.
Next year however? I am sure that will be a whole different story.
That last picture of him is precious - you captured pure joy.
Sometimes I'm glad I only have a girl because I think I could muster as much energy to play with trains as I can to poke myself in the eye with toothpicks.
It makes it so much easier to get gifts!
I am ashamed to say I will be buying more Bratz dolls this year for Her Highness even though I think they are tarty little things. (hangs head in embarrassment) What won't we do for our kids??
Ahhh Thomas. It's like toddler heroin. You just play with one or two here and there. With friends, just a social thing - you could stop any time you want to. Next thing you know, your mainlining with Sir Topham Hatt and Percy by the old rock quarry.
Look at the glaze in his eyes. My kids used to look like that when they were all hopped up on the junk.
Aww - Thomas! My Boy (now 7) was a-dict-ed. I miss that. Now he's difficult to buy for. Sigh.
Now my Girlie - she's all into the Wizard of Oz. She's getting the Good Witch costume for Christmas! =)
We're all about commercialism here. What fun is it to play with generic dolls that don't accessorize? The girls' room looks like Barbie and the Disney Princesses got drunk and wrecked the joint before heading out to TP Ken's house. More of the same for Christmas this year.
Oh, and wooden toys? Have you seen what baby drool does to them after a while? Not pretty.
You probably already know this, but the Marshalls and TJ Maxx near us have TONS of Thomas stuff. Little Elvis isn't old enough to be into anything like that yet, so I didn't pay too much attention, but I swear, there was some sort of Thomas box everywhere I turned!
Not wooden? We already bought the really BIG Thomas trail set for our big present this year & it includes lots of the trains & Sir T Hatt. Our boys are about 5 mos apart, and we're still very into Thomas - but not on tv for some reason. So, it doesn't get any better. And, lead? Only mildly worried.
There are people who only buy wooden and educational toys?! Thank god I don't know of any.
Cordy also loves the Thomas take-alongs. I think it's because they're metal, and easy to fling, so they do more damage. Kids like to know they can draw blood or seriously bruise someone with their toys.
Not sure which characters she'll be obsessed with by Christmas. Unless they make Yo Gabba Gabba toys by then, we'll probably try to have a licensed merchandise free Christmas. Oh wait, she'll want Little Einsteins for sure.
Everything from Star Wars to Little Einsteins to Max & Ruby.
You name it, they gotta have it!
I am "exploring" the green route this year trying to educate myself but there will be thomas for sure. and diego. and dora....
now I need to think of five more nights of channukah gifts!
your kiddoodle is SO cute!
It's probably a character flaw, but I DESPISE Thomas. I hate the show (can tv BE any more boring?) and all the little trains. That being said, that boy is such a cutie-pie you MUST give in and buy him everything he wants. ;)
I am a sucker for succumbing to my child’s desires. This year S wants a "bank" aka ATM machine, he is so getting that ATM machine. Baby A is too little to care but loves everything Sesame Street, so bring on Elmo. Spoil my children? WTF is that?
Christmas is for happiness. If Thomas = happy. Get Thomas! But that’s just how I look at it.
I have no idea... So far Charity wants a fishing pole, a drum, and wizard of oz stuff. But, seeing as how she's 3, I expect that to change about 367 times between now and Christmas.
Love the trains!!
I DIED laughing over your title. My sons (ages 2 and 4) exclaim "Cinders and Ashes!!" all the time. Hahahaha. Obviously they're all a bit obsessed here too...
Thomas. My son is the same way. He has been in love with all things Thomas, memorizing all the names, poring over his little "magazines" for, hmm, 3 years.
It just never gets old.
The Trenches ovah heah are Thomas central. I recommend the gray plastic track from Target. It has the roundhouse that's portable (the track fits inside the lid) and you can buy add-on tracks. We keep ours all put together on the train table. I gave up on the wooden train set b/c it NEVER stayed together--causing LOTS of melt-downs...but enough about me...it aggravated the boyz too.
if we lived anywhere near each other, Zander and Carson would have to get together for a Thomas play date! Zander tells US which engine is which...i can't keep them straight! he just got a pack of the Thomas wall decals, and had fun naming them, and then sticking them to the wall...he made himself a little Thomas mural! :)
there have just been so many Thomas recalls, it's hard to know which stuff is safe. i'm not so worried about Zander, but Logan sucks/chews on ev.er.y.thing! and loves to scrape paint off with his teeth....nice. that's lead-poisoning waiting to happen!
so we are still researching which Thomas stuff is best for this house!
My son was all about Thomas for years, and now my 20-month-old daughter is. Thank God we still have all my son's (wooden) Thomas trains - and yes, she too knows the difference between all the engines. We are actually taking the kids to A Day Out With Thomas the end of this month. This is where a LIFE-size Thomas engine comes to a railroad near you, and you actually ride in coaches pulled by Thomas himself.
Yeah, you can't say no.
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