For Cora’s birthday, the grandparents gave her one of those water activity tables you see in so many back yards. We’d let it be known we were on the hunt for used back yard toys, and so this showed up as an answer to prayer.

In fact, I’d almost put the water table on Cora’s official list, but the neat freak in me made me hold back. Once both girls got a look at the box, though, I knew there was no going back, and truthfully I was glad the decision had been made for me; both girls love the water, and our little inflatable pool takes so long to heat up we hardly ever get it out!

When Maddie woke up the day after Christmas, her first words were, “I want to go see if my trampoline is still here!” The day after that, she said, “Let’s go look at my trampoline!” Madeleine jumps on that thing fifty times a day, and I rejoice every time she does so.

Maddie’s had a couple weeks now to break – I mean, break in – her new toys, and she’s ready to offer up her stand-out favorites. As a reminder, Maddie’s 18 months old right now.

If you’re not au currant on our history with Elmo, read here and here.

If you are familiar with Maddie’s longstanding love affair with the Red Menace – I mean cute lil red guy – then you’re probably bracing yourselves for what comes next. Fear not – nothing new has been added to our Elmo-stuffed household.

But something I thought could be gotten rid of has been raised to level of favored toy.

Remember how I said that Maddie would have nothing to do with the hot new TMX Elmo? Apparently that’s not entirely true.