A couple of weeks ago, T & I made a trip to Minneapolis and I was FINALLY able to get my hands on this bookcase and these baskets from IKEA. They've been on my list for a long time to help with some organization in C's closet, but shipping to our area costs about 3x as much as the piece itself. Since we are rarely in the cities, we never had the opportunity to stop at IKEA until our recent visit. The box, while not enormous, was certainly not super compact, and it was a bit of a circus trying to stuff it into my small vehicle...(cough cough...need a bigger car please!) Yesterday, I got around to putting it together with my little helper by my side. C was fascinated by the entire project, and had to climb all over it, inspect the packaging, help me hammer in the pegs, and screw in the screws. Teamwork!



I've been working on dwindling down my closet this past few weeks, and am getting rid of about half of my current wardrobe. Seriously....you should see the stacks in our bedroom. I have so many articles of clothing that don't fit right, don't make me feel great, are worn out, aren't great quality, aren't in style, or I haven't worn in years, and I'm tired of them taking up valuable space in T & I's shared closet. C has been enjoying watching as I play dress up with my wardrobe, and in lieu of having my best friends travel from afar with champagne in hand, has been my own personal little audience of one for my Sex & The City moment.

C outgrew the inflatable duck tub we had been using for bath time, and recently made the change to the full-sized bath. Since he's still little and slippery and loves to wiggle around, I picked up this bath mat to help him get some traction during bath time. 

In case you are looking for your next great bottle of wine (lets be honest...who isn't?), may I suggest to you the Wall Street Journal Wine Club. T & I have been members for the better part of a year now, and have LOVED the variety, price-point, and quality of the wines in each box. Cases arrive quarterly (or however often you prefer) filled with red, white, or a mix of both. You can read and write reviews of what you think, scout out additional bottles you might like to try, or peruse the seasonal/special monthly cases available for purchase. Also included in the case are tasting notes that give a little info about the wine, vineyard, region, winemaker, and food pairing suggestions. Awesome!

Earlier this week, channeling his inner kid, T rented the latest Disney-Pixar collaboration...Inside Out. It was a great animated movie all about feelings. You know...the basics like joy, sadness, anger, disgust, and fear. Anyways...a big part of the movie focused on memories, and how they form who we are. Whether they go into long term storage, or slowly are forgotten as we make new memories. I won't lie, T & I both had tears, so if you rent this, make sure you have a box of tissues handy! It got me thinking about the random everyday memories I have with C that I hope never to forget. Little things like his excitement over bath time; his joy over being chased or wiggling out of a diaper change; his fascination with playing music, watching diggers, or going for tractor rides; his love of getting into mischief and unloading an entire wipes container when I'm not looking (yes...that happened); how excited he gets about going to the park, visiting the beach, or swimming; the way he contentedly crosses his feet when he is eating dinner in the high chair at the table with T & I; how he gives me a smile right after I tell him how much I love him before turning the lights out for the night...or how if he doesn't smile, then I know he may fuss a little before falling asleep. These little moments...when you add them all up...are really what life's all about.

Throwback Thursday: Reading

A little 'Throwback Thursday' for you...a.k.a. I forgot I took these pictures back in July, and they were just too precious to be forgotten in an obscure folder on my computer. As I've mentioned several times before, C LOVES reading...a trait I'd like to think he got from his mama since I couldn't even tell you the last time I saw T read something other than a medical journal or an iPad screen...Oh wait! He did recently read a book about home-brewing on his Kindle. (No, in case you're wondering, he hasn't convinced me that we have room to start this potential hobby in our basement.) 

Pretty much since the first day we brought C home, we have been reading to him on a daily basis. Reading is part of our morning, nap time, and bedtime routine, and has often been part of C's playtime when I'm otherwise occupied with mundane tasks like laundry...cooking...cleaning...you know...all the things in life that still have to be accomplished even when we have an adorable little person in our lives that would probably rather be playing with us. Sigh... I've got to say though, when C gets a little too quiet in his room while I'm working in the kitchen and I go sneak a peak to find him intendedly studying a book about the Iowa Hawkeyes, or his mini book series about Rescue & Emergency Vehicles or Tractors & Farm Trucks, my heart does a little flutter. I do love him so! A good book has been known to calm a meltdown, ease the logistics of travel, and maybe even help C to learn a thing or two about the world he lives in!

Over the summer, aside from one of C's favorites, An Okoboji Day, we read several books about boats...and tried to no avail to get C to actually say 'boat' as his first word. We're still waiting on that one, but we do know how to make all the sounds of various boats thanks to this book, and have recently been enjoying this bedtime story about  a little tugboat who helps all the other boats in the harbor, but needs a few boats to help him when he is tired and ready for bed.

I can only hope that C's love of reading will continue as he grows older. Maybe he won't love the same books that T & I loved as kids (ahem...Goosebumps), maybe he'll take a liking to comic books, magazines, the Harry Potter series, or maybe even books about how things work. Whatever and wherever his interests may lie, I just hope that he'll always carve out time for reading and learning. There are just too many wonderful stories and things to learn about the world not to pick up a book and turn a page! Oh...In case anyone is wondering...I just finished All The Light We Cannot See, and The Life-Changing Magic of Tidying Up is waiting on my nightstand for my next read. To see what else is on my reading list, follow me on Goodreads!

'The more that you read, the more things you will know...The more that you learn, the more places you'll go!' ~ Dr Seuss

More true words have never been spoken.

A (Few) Days at the Park

As the season of warm weather outdoor play draws to a close, what better way to reminisce of days gone by than a collection of snaps from some of the best outdoor adventures at the park. 

Aside from things like reading...or eating one too many of Grandma J's chocolate chip cookies...one of C's all time favorite activities is getting outside to play at the park. He's not too particular about which park, or any specific playground equipment, but if he can snag someone's fingers to walk with as he explores all of the different nooks and crannies, he's a happy boy. Bonus points if there happens to be a slide and other kids to watch! Without further adieu...I give you the very best of park season.

Sooooo excited!

Earlier during the summer, Arnolds Park installed a new Harmony Music Park right outside the amusement park. When C discovered it one night on our way home from dinner at Maxwells, it was instant love. I still hold that in his mind...July 29, 2015 goes down as the best day of his life thus far. Once he discovered that he could use the provided 'sticks' to bang on the instruments to make music, our quick trip back to the car was seriously lengthened. He walked us between instruments, testing each one to see how it worked. When it was time to go to the next instrument, it was meltdown city...after each and every instrument. Since the initial visit, I'm happy to report that we have been back several times to enjoy the park and avoided any incidents of meltdowns. Whew!

Playdates at the park with cousin J are always so much fun!

Please mom...don't make me go home!!! I LOVE the park!

Of course, T had to take C on the very tallest slide in the park.

Typically, we tend to end up at the parks that are on our walking or biking routes, but every so often, we get to explore parks that are not in immediate vicinity of our home. Just this week, we discovered two new parks that were so much fun that we may just have to expand our everyday park radius. I'm not sure who had more fun...C or Papa T! I'm also pretty confident that any future vacations we may plan may need to have some serious thought put into there being parks nearby! 

'We didn't realize we were making memories...we just knew we were having fun.'