Young Mr. Nathan was quite taken with this toy today and played with it for ... hours ... no exaggeration! He almost totally ignored his usual favorite, the suitcase full of Matchbox cars!
Nathan was very intense about this entire experience. This particular marble run is the layout featured on the box cover and the only one it gives instructions for. You can make tons of different runs if you are so inclined. I actually purchased this for our house weeks and weeks ago but hadn't gotten around to assembling it. Last night it took me no less than 40 minutes to put this together ... engineering is NOT my expertise, and Grandpa Jones was singing in Festival of Lights! He was no help at all. [Editor's Note: Grandpa Jones has just read through this post and reminded me that after watching Nathan play with the marble run for a few minutes this morning, HE FIXED FOUR PIECES that I had on backwards and with these four fixed pieces, the marble run ran much better and as it was intended ... so I guess Grandpa Jones was a helper-after-the-fact ... which is something, but not as good as a helper-from-the-beginning.] 
There are three points of origin at the top from which you place your pretty colored marbles. They travel down curvy slides, jump through hoops, make wheels spin, etc. as they go down down down all the way to the bottom.
Since marbles are dangerous objects for littles ones like Nia, we didn't allow her to play with it. Actually, she was upstairs most of the day with either grandpa or me, but we took her downstairs now and again to watch the marbles go.
Look at Nathan's face ... it was a joy just to watch him have so much fun. We were able to coax him upstairs for lunch and an afternoon cookie break ...
But then he was right back at it! He'd get his marbles all set up on the three starting points and watch them race to the bottom.
Since we've already used up Nathan's Christmas present budget, I think Grandpa and I are going to have to get Nicolas one of these for Christmas so that he can play with Nathan ...
Miss Nia enjoyed herself very much upstairs. She spent most of the morning pushing this toy cart around, gathering objects to put on the top to take for a ride ... it looks like she has a mighty full cart!
We told Nathan at lunch: "You have a very pretty little sister." He turned and looked at her, smiled, and said: "Yes, I do!"
For Christmas last year, Adam and Emily gave me one of these cute Hallmark animated deals that plays "Sleigh Ride", complete with a shivering penguin with a jingling bell, a dancing snowman, and little puppy that barks! It's so cute. Nia liked it too. She watched it for quite awhile ...
... and after showing her which hand to squeeze on the snowman, she could start and stop it all by herself ~ and she did, about 100 times.
Nia even had the train table all to herself this morning. We had several huge unintentional train wrecks, but then she got the hang of it.
You can't see them in this picture, but she even took all the trains for a ride in her cart!
Nathan came upstairs briefly to show us how to operate the trains like a big boy. He looks like a pro in this picture. He's finally learned that hooking all 17 cars and engines together is a bad idea because a train that long doesn't travel around the tracks very smoothly.
But just when Nathan appeared the most confident, it turned four o'clock and our train clock went off (it goes off on the hour), sounding like a huge steam train coming into Union Station. Nathan cracks me up about this clock ... he hates it! He runs ~ I'm not kidding either ~ he runs away from it, climbs up on the couch, tucks his feet up and waits until the horrid noise stops. Dylan is in total agreement with Nathan here ... Dylan isn't afraid of it, but it really irks him to the point where he has taken the batteries out of it!
Grandpa Jones and Nathan playing the marble run
2 comments:
That marble run looks like something that I would like at my house!! :) With all of the Christmas stuff we have to buy, it probably isn't a great time to purchase it though. Matthew is the only one who could use it, BUT...he would just love it! Don't they just have the best toys lately? I could just buy and buy! But I have to restrain myself!! Looks like Nathan had lots of fun. Matthew would do that for hours also!
This would be my third time reading this post--Is it bad that I'm so completely taken with my own kids? I am so ready to have them buzzing around the house again...making noise and messes. I've never appreciated blogging more than in these last few weeks: I SO enjoy seeing pictures and reading about Nathan and Nia. Thanks so much!
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