So sorry for your loss.

DS6 was just saying tonight that even though sometimes megabloks have a character/theme he is interested in, he just doesn't like them as much as lego. They aren't as well made.

We were given a Radio Flyer Steer & Stroll when my older was little. Both boys liked the idea of it, but it was really hard to use in reality. If you can get her out to test ride, that would be best. I wish I'd gone ahead and gotten mine balance bikes at that age. My nieces have classic trikes that they love.

My 6yo is the same way. He inherited it from my sister. She never stopped talking. She'd fall asleep midsentence at night. Our dad used to joke that hopefully she'd learn to summarize when she got to high school.

We were just at Legoland last week, and confirmed that the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtle sets would be released in January. But Toys R Us has them now. I just bought a set at our local store. There's a 15% off full price items in the current ad. My 6yo is going to be thrilled. Thought I'd mention it for any other Lego/TMNT fans. :)

This should work if you have the person on your nook as a friend: go to apps and select "nook friends." Tap "lend me" and your lendable books should show up. Tap the book (maybe on the lend me banner?),and a box to send the offer should pop up. Then you will be able to select a contact, and hopefully the person is saved there.

Oh, another project I did for my son twice now that was fun was a stained glass window activity. I gave him thin strips of black construction paper, and various shapes in various colors of tissue paper. Then I handed him a glue stick and let him go to town on our picture window. I love this project as much as the boys. We looked through a big Tiffany coffee table book ahead of time.

Maybe this isn't what you have in mind, but something I've been wanting to do for my 6yo is a cardboard castle setup. You cut around the tops of tp and paper towel tubes for towers, and then the top edge of flat pieces adding windows and doors. Then your child can set up a castle with a little tape or other fastener.

Voted & bumping.

Thanks! I've thinking about hexbugs for the stockings. These sound fun.

I am a fan of gears and hand brakes for big kids. If you're willing to spend the money or can find one on craigslist, I'd go for a Specialized Hotrock or Trek Mystic or Mountain Lion. If you pick a mountain bike, don't worry about shocks. If your daughter doesn't want to try gears and hand brakes yet, I'd be tempted to find an old Schwinn Hollywood or Bantam. They're slow and heavy, but really comfortable to ride. The most important thing is for her to be comfortable.

Besides Legos, DS6 is getting a big nerf gun and extra darts, a Matchbox Big Boots K9 police set, a new sled, the Angry Birds Jenga DeathStar, a Leapster Explorer GS, a puzzle, a Lego wiimote, and his Santa request. He's wavering between a few Lego sets, and a wooden crossbow from the Nova Natural catalog. He's also been wanting a chess set, but we'll see.

We like active life explorer. It gets us up and moving on yucky days. You have to run and stomp and jump on a mat, so no faking from the couch. And if little brother jumps on, he can run and stomp with us without really ruining the game. I haven't tried wii fit, but would like to.

Newf. Best dogs ever.

A couple of presents DS3 was thrilled by were a Robin costume, and a small battery powered lantern.

I'm definitely not doing the tandem trailer. Don't think it's physically possible for me. Do you think a single trailer is unsafe too? Not as part of a train - just adult bike and trailer.

Glad to hear your 8yo can still ride it. I think my 5yo would be fine on one. I'm really really leaning towards a Burley Piccolo trailer bike. The hitch is apparently much more stable than the ones that attach to the seat post. It's $$$, but if we can use it until the just turned 3yo is 8, it will be worth it. I'm just not finding a used one anywhere in the area. Also, Burley is now selling a conversion kit that turns the trailer bike into a regular bike. Which will extend its usefulness even more. I'm going to call a few more used shops and try craigslist a bit longer. But I may just bite the bullet. And if the train doesn't work for us, I think we'd still get some use out of it now, and more when the little guy is big enough to use it.

Just to add some info I've found: Adams makes a trail a bike tandem. They also make a baby seat specifically to attach to a trail a bike. I found out that it is very hard if not impossible to haul the tandem unless you weigh enough more than the load you're trying to haul. Also, a bike shop near me that thinks highly of Adams trail a bike singles, doesn't think the tandem is very stable.

Oh wow! I love these! Must get some for my guy. Thanks for sharing!

Crazy 8 is owned by Gymboree, and I've found some cute shirts there. One of DS5's faves from there has a space shuttle. Osh Kosh sometimes has good shirts.

I have a Jamis Tangier, which probably isn't what you're looking for at all. But I really really love it, and Jamis is a great though lesser known brand that makes some nice cruisers. They last well too. I bought mine a few years used, about 12 years ago, and rode it hard including to work in the loop. I just had to change the handle bar grips today, but all the moving parts are still working well. What dog thing do you have?

Thanks again, everyone! I did some more searching on the wonderful web. If anyone has $400 burning a whole in her pocket, there is a hitch called the FollowMe Tandem that hooks your kid's bike to your rear axle. So conceptually, there would still be space for a rear mounted child seat on the same adult bike. I can't find one used for sale anywhere, so I may have to start following Swiss ebay or something. ;) It will be cheaper to buy DH a used bike, I guess. He's just not available to help haul very often.

Thanks! What book, btw? I hope I can find such a good deal! Thanks, all!

I wondered if this would work and be safe! Great! I will start trolling craigslist for a trail a bike, I think.

I thought about the trail gator too. Would I be able to use it if DS3 was in a rear seat at the same time?