Back with our next section of books… Again I'm highlighting a few of our favorites! :)
51. Enzo in the rain by
52. Knuffle Bunny Too by Mo Willems
53. I Am a T Rex (Dinosaur Train)
54. In a People House by Theo LeSieg
55. I love Trucks by Philemon Sturges
We've been reading this book forever! Probably one of the top board books in our house.
56. The Jungle Book by Jennifer Adams
57. Clifford's Peekaboo by Norman Bridwell
58. Ten Engine Friends (Thomas and Friends)
59. The Dinosaur Alphabet Book by Jerry Pallotta
60. Hello, Brutus by Aimee Aryal
61. Wings on Things by Marc Brown
62. Don't Let the Pigeon Drive the Bus by Mo Willems
63. Mousetronaut by Mark Kelly
Logan picked this one out himself from the library and really liked it.
64. Look and Find- Thomas and Friends
65. Tell Time with Thomas by Christopher Awdry
66. I Love you through and through by. Bernadette Rossetti-Shustak
67. Bears on Wheels by Stan and Jan Berenstain
68. Oh the thinks you can Think! by Dr. Seuss
69. Chicka Chicka Boom Boom by Bill Martin Jr and John Archambault
I love this book. Slightly silly but good practice for the alphabet. :)
70. C is for Clown by Stan and Jan Berenstain
71. Inside Outside Upside Down by Stan and Jan Berenstain
72. The Ear Book by Al Perkins
73. Clifford Counts Bubbles by Norman Bridwell
74. Express Coming Through (Thomas and Friends)
75. Where Do Diggers Sleep at Night? by Brianna Caplan Sayres
This book is super cute!!! What boy doesn't love construction vehicles?
Showing posts with label Toddler. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Toddler. Show all posts
August 24, 2015
August 17, 2015
Logan 2 and a half
I haven't done a post on Logan in forever. We've had a lot going on and I just didn't have it in me to sit down at the computer at the end of my pregnancy and then at the beginning of the year with a newborn.
To say Logan has changed since my last update would be quite the understatement. These first few years of a childs life are really amazing. I've watched my newborn turn into a baby and my baby turn into a toddler. It feels like it happened overnight.
At 2 1/2 Logan has pretty much lost all of his baby fat. He's running wild 24/7 and this boy is fast! He is in and out of picky eating stages which doesn't help us try and get some more meat on his skinny bones. When he eats... he loves cheese, yogurt, smoothies, almond milk, applesauce, cashews, raisins, hot dogs with ketchup, grilled cheese, meatballs and quesadillas. Also, the roasted pepper and tomato soup from Trader Joes with parm cheese on top. Meats are hit or miss, veggies depend on his mood but luckily fruits are usually good to go! I try not to make it too much of a battle. I offer healthy foods for him and trust that he will eat when he is hungry and he wont when he is not.
At the beginning of the summer, I would have written that he was pretty timid with the playground equipment. He loves swings (always have) and likes to run all around but he would not go down the slides. Well it took one day of sliding down with his buddies and overnight he turned into a climber. Climbing the ladders at the park, sliding down the tallest slides and then bringing it home and climbing right out of his crib. Womp womp. Transition was rocky, which based on his personality- I totally expected. Nights were fine but naps were our battle ground. This kid is on the go all day long and stopping for a nap is never his idea of fun. It took a few weeks for us all to get used to our new normal and while he still fights us on naps every once in a while… things are much better.
The day he climbed out of his crib, we also started potty training. I was not ready for it at all! He decided it was time and so after nap, we packed away the diapers and headed to target for underwear, pull ups, treats and stickers. I had imagined easing into potty training and making some fun sticker charts together. Instead, I found a few Thomas charts off Pinterest and up on the wall they went. It took a day or two for him to really get the hang of it but all in all, it was a much easier transition than I imagined.
One of the most amazing things to watch develop this year has been his communication skills. At two, Logan had a lot of words and could communicate partial thoughts to us. A few months later and those thoughts expanded. Now, we get full sentences and complete thoughts. 'Eat apple' became 'I want to eat an apple'. It blows my mind to see the things that he remembers from days, weeks and even months ago. It also equally blows my mind the things he tells us when he is in imaginative play. He is a dinosaur one day boom boom booming around and we are deep sea diving the next… swimming from sharks and seeing sea turtles.
Other than that, Logan is becoming such a fun and loving kid. He hugs his friends and tells me when he misses them. He loves Quinn and always wants to hold and hug her. The few times she has been crying in the car and he has one of our phones- he will turn off his show and turn on the white noise for her. He rubs my back and shoulders for me, kisses my boo-boos and when he tells me that he loves me it just melts my heart!
This age is not without a little stress though (like every stage of life). Tantrums happen- usually out of hunger or skipping a nap. He is starting to get a temper and yelling when he can't figure something out and gets frustrated. And sometimes he just won't sit still and it bugs the life out of me. However, we have more fun together than ever and I would say that the good times we have Heavily out weigh the tough moments.
We've done a lot this summer and still have a bit more fun to go until I'm ready to admit fall is creeping near. (It's still my favorite time of year but this summer has been amazing and I'm not ready for it to be ending). We have to hit up the pool a few more times to practice what we learned in swim lessons… we need a few more beach days and many many more messy popsicle faces!
I love this little guy so much. His personality is really coming out and I feel lucky to spend my days with him.
To say Logan has changed since my last update would be quite the understatement. These first few years of a childs life are really amazing. I've watched my newborn turn into a baby and my baby turn into a toddler. It feels like it happened overnight.
At 2 1/2 Logan has pretty much lost all of his baby fat. He's running wild 24/7 and this boy is fast! He is in and out of picky eating stages which doesn't help us try and get some more meat on his skinny bones. When he eats... he loves cheese, yogurt, smoothies, almond milk, applesauce, cashews, raisins, hot dogs with ketchup, grilled cheese, meatballs and quesadillas. Also, the roasted pepper and tomato soup from Trader Joes with parm cheese on top. Meats are hit or miss, veggies depend on his mood but luckily fruits are usually good to go! I try not to make it too much of a battle. I offer healthy foods for him and trust that he will eat when he is hungry and he wont when he is not.
At the beginning of the summer, I would have written that he was pretty timid with the playground equipment. He loves swings (always have) and likes to run all around but he would not go down the slides. Well it took one day of sliding down with his buddies and overnight he turned into a climber. Climbing the ladders at the park, sliding down the tallest slides and then bringing it home and climbing right out of his crib. Womp womp. Transition was rocky, which based on his personality- I totally expected. Nights were fine but naps were our battle ground. This kid is on the go all day long and stopping for a nap is never his idea of fun. It took a few weeks for us all to get used to our new normal and while he still fights us on naps every once in a while… things are much better.
The day he climbed out of his crib, we also started potty training. I was not ready for it at all! He decided it was time and so after nap, we packed away the diapers and headed to target for underwear, pull ups, treats and stickers. I had imagined easing into potty training and making some fun sticker charts together. Instead, I found a few Thomas charts off Pinterest and up on the wall they went. It took a day or two for him to really get the hang of it but all in all, it was a much easier transition than I imagined.
One of the most amazing things to watch develop this year has been his communication skills. At two, Logan had a lot of words and could communicate partial thoughts to us. A few months later and those thoughts expanded. Now, we get full sentences and complete thoughts. 'Eat apple' became 'I want to eat an apple'. It blows my mind to see the things that he remembers from days, weeks and even months ago. It also equally blows my mind the things he tells us when he is in imaginative play. He is a dinosaur one day boom boom booming around and we are deep sea diving the next… swimming from sharks and seeing sea turtles.
Other than that, Logan is becoming such a fun and loving kid. He hugs his friends and tells me when he misses them. He loves Quinn and always wants to hold and hug her. The few times she has been crying in the car and he has one of our phones- he will turn off his show and turn on the white noise for her. He rubs my back and shoulders for me, kisses my boo-boos and when he tells me that he loves me it just melts my heart!
This age is not without a little stress though (like every stage of life). Tantrums happen- usually out of hunger or skipping a nap. He is starting to get a temper and yelling when he can't figure something out and gets frustrated. And sometimes he just won't sit still and it bugs the life out of me. However, we have more fun together than ever and I would say that the good times we have Heavily out weigh the tough moments.
We've done a lot this summer and still have a bit more fun to go until I'm ready to admit fall is creeping near. (It's still my favorite time of year but this summer has been amazing and I'm not ready for it to be ending). We have to hit up the pool a few more times to practice what we learned in swim lessons… we need a few more beach days and many many more messy popsicle faces!
I love this little guy so much. His personality is really coming out and I feel lucky to spend my days with him.
July 8, 2015
1000 Books before Kindergarten #26-50
Back with our second round of books... (if you missed the first post you can read it here)
26. There's a wocket in my pocket by Dr. Seuss
27. I Love You, Little One by Nancy Tafur
28. Goodnight, Goodnight Construction Site
29. Subway by Suen Katz
30. Twinkle Twinkle Little Star
31. Pirates, Ho! By Susan L Thomson

This one was a random library pick and Logan loooooved it. We read it a few times a night for 2 weeks straight.
32. The Duckling Gets a Cookie!? By Mo Willems
33. Naughty Bunny by Richard Scarry
34. The Snow Day by Ezra Jack Keats
35. Around the World We Go by Margaret Wise Brown
36. Zero by Kathryn Otashi
37. Go Dog Go! By P.D. Eastman
This one is one of my childhood favorites and a book my mom saved for my children. Love it!
38. Buckeyes 1,2,3
39. Animal Nursery Tales by Richard Scarry
40. The story of a little mouse trapped in a book by Monique Felix
41. Green Eggs and Ham by Dr. Seuss
42. Little Blue Truck by Alice Schertle
These books are awesome! We've been reading them forever... we all love them.
43. Duckling Wants a Cookie!? by Mo Willems
44. Helpful Thomas (Thomas and Friends)
45. Ride with Thomas (Thomas and Friends)
46. Year Round Engines (Thomas and Friends)
47. Ten Tiny Toes by Caroline Jayne Church
48. Let's Explore a Pirate Ship by Nicholas Harris
49. Penguin and Pinecone by Selina Yoon
50. From Head to Toe by Eric Carle
This book is so much fun! Logan loves to act out all the actions as we read it.
These are our latest reads! Again, feel free to tell me your favorites in the comments and I will be sure to put them on our library list to check out. :)
26. There's a wocket in my pocket by Dr. Seuss
27. I Love You, Little One by Nancy Tafur
28. Goodnight, Goodnight Construction Site
29. Subway by Suen Katz
30. Twinkle Twinkle Little Star
31. Pirates, Ho! By Susan L Thomson
This one was a random library pick and Logan loooooved it. We read it a few times a night for 2 weeks straight.
32. The Duckling Gets a Cookie!? By Mo Willems
33. Naughty Bunny by Richard Scarry
34. The Snow Day by Ezra Jack Keats
35. Around the World We Go by Margaret Wise Brown
36. Zero by Kathryn Otashi
37. Go Dog Go! By P.D. Eastman
This one is one of my childhood favorites and a book my mom saved for my children. Love it!
38. Buckeyes 1,2,3
39. Animal Nursery Tales by Richard Scarry
40. The story of a little mouse trapped in a book by Monique Felix
41. Green Eggs and Ham by Dr. Seuss
42. Little Blue Truck by Alice Schertle
These books are awesome! We've been reading them forever... we all love them.
43. Duckling Wants a Cookie!? by Mo Willems
44. Helpful Thomas (Thomas and Friends)
45. Ride with Thomas (Thomas and Friends)
46. Year Round Engines (Thomas and Friends)
47. Ten Tiny Toes by Caroline Jayne Church
48. Let's Explore a Pirate Ship by Nicholas Harris
49. Penguin and Pinecone by Selina Yoon
50. From Head to Toe by Eric Carle
This book is so much fun! Logan loves to act out all the actions as we read it.
These are our latest reads! Again, feel free to tell me your favorites in the comments and I will be sure to put them on our library list to check out. :)
June 15, 2015
1000 books before Kindergarten
Have you guys heard of this? I'm always looking for fun things to do with my children and I love having a goal to reach. I try and keep us pretty busy during the week, getting out of the house at least once each day. Logan really likes going to the Library or Barnes & Nobles and at both places we never leave without at least one new book. I loved reading as a kid and figure you can never have too many books!!!
So if you have littles and haven't checked this out... Go here.
I'll be posting our list of books as we go along and highlighting our very favorites. Feel free to recommend books that you love as well. I'm concentrating on books I read to Logan (since we read a ton before bed after Quinn is asleep) but will be including her in our reading as much as possible. Basically our age range is baby to toddler. ;)
So here we go... Our first few books!
1. Mr. Tiger Goes Wild by Peter Brown
2. Huckle Cat's Busy Day by Richard Scarry
3. Hop on Pop by Dr. Seuss
4. Zero by Kathryn Otashi
5. Dinosaurs Love Underpants by Claire Freedman
This book is super cute and really funny. We've been talking about underpants to get Logan prepped for potty training.
6. Ten in the bed by Penny Dale
7. Wet Pet, Dry Pet, Your Pet, My Pet by Dr. Seuss
8. Goodnight Moon by Margaret Wise Brown

This one is a classic and for a good reason. Logan likes to find the mouse on all the pages with the room. We've been reading this one to him forever!
9. Splish, Splash, Baby! by Karen Katz
10. Baby Einstein First Words
11. Olivia goes to Venice by Ian Falconer
12. Olivia and the Missing Toy by Ian Falconer
13. Potty Time with Elmo (Little Sound Book)
14. Uh Oh! Gotta Go! by Bob McGrath
15. Because a little Bug Went Ka-choo by Rosetta Stone
This was one of my favorites growing up. I remember reading it so many times. So, I busted out my old copy this past week and we've been reading it on repeat.
16. Numbers Colors Shapes (board book)
17. Big Rigs (Flowerpot Press)
18. Off Road Trucks (Flowerpot Press)
19. Baby Counts (Little Scholastic)
20. Baby Bear, Baby Bear, What do you see? by Bill Martin Jr./Eric Carle
Who doesn't love all these books. We are obsessed with babies over here so Baby Bear is our current favorite.
21. I'm a Big Brother by Joanna Cole
22. Quiet LOUD by Leslie Patricelli
23. Animal Airways by Andrea Pertlik and Sally Hopgood
24. Good Night, Thomas
25. Should I Share My Ice Cream? by Mo Willems
These Elephant and Piggie books are great! We have been trying to work on the concept of sharing and Logan looooves reading this one. Maybe it will help? ;)
That's all for now... I'll update again with out next 25!
So if you have littles and haven't checked this out... Go here.
I'll be posting our list of books as we go along and highlighting our very favorites. Feel free to recommend books that you love as well. I'm concentrating on books I read to Logan (since we read a ton before bed after Quinn is asleep) but will be including her in our reading as much as possible. Basically our age range is baby to toddler. ;)
So here we go... Our first few books!
1. Mr. Tiger Goes Wild by Peter Brown
2. Huckle Cat's Busy Day by Richard Scarry
3. Hop on Pop by Dr. Seuss
4. Zero by Kathryn Otashi
5. Dinosaurs Love Underpants by Claire Freedman
This book is super cute and really funny. We've been talking about underpants to get Logan prepped for potty training.
6. Ten in the bed by Penny Dale
7. Wet Pet, Dry Pet, Your Pet, My Pet by Dr. Seuss
8. Goodnight Moon by Margaret Wise Brown
This one is a classic and for a good reason. Logan likes to find the mouse on all the pages with the room. We've been reading this one to him forever!
9. Splish, Splash, Baby! by Karen Katz
10. Baby Einstein First Words
11. Olivia goes to Venice by Ian Falconer
12. Olivia and the Missing Toy by Ian Falconer
13. Potty Time with Elmo (Little Sound Book)
14. Uh Oh! Gotta Go! by Bob McGrath
15. Because a little Bug Went Ka-choo by Rosetta Stone
This was one of my favorites growing up. I remember reading it so many times. So, I busted out my old copy this past week and we've been reading it on repeat.
16. Numbers Colors Shapes (board book)
17. Big Rigs (Flowerpot Press)
18. Off Road Trucks (Flowerpot Press)
19. Baby Counts (Little Scholastic)
20. Baby Bear, Baby Bear, What do you see? by Bill Martin Jr./Eric Carle
Who doesn't love all these books. We are obsessed with babies over here so Baby Bear is our current favorite.
21. I'm a Big Brother by Joanna Cole
22. Quiet LOUD by Leslie Patricelli
23. Animal Airways by Andrea Pertlik and Sally Hopgood
24. Good Night, Thomas
25. Should I Share My Ice Cream? by Mo Willems
These Elephant and Piggie books are great! We have been trying to work on the concept of sharing and Logan looooves reading this one. Maybe it will help? ;)
That's all for now... I'll update again with out next 25!
August 25, 2014
Big Brother
I know that things around here have been pretty quiet this summer. Well, there has been a good reason for that...
Our family is growing by one. He/She will be joining us sometime in January!!!
We are thrilled to be adding a squishy little winter baby to our clan and I am very happy to say that I am finally feeling better.
I am 20 weeks! Hooray.
I am one of those people who pregnancy is very hard on them in the beginning. I have really bad morning ALL DAY sickness and have trouble keeping a lot of foods down. These first few months were all about survival over here... and let me tell you- second time around, the exhaustion is out of this world!
15 weeks I finally started feeling better, most of the time. :)
16 weeks I felt baby move for the first time.
19 weeks Geoff felt the baby move as well.
Tomorrow we go in for our ultrasound and find out if we are adding another Boy or a little Girl to our family.
Anyways, I hope to start posting again more often but I am not going to stress myself out over it either. Thanks for anyone still reading along for hanging in here with me all this time. :)
June 20, 2014
Freshly Picked Giveaway!
Happy Friday Friends!
Does anyone else just love Shark Tank? I don't know if it's the sharks themselves, the deals they make or learning about new companies and products (and the determination that got them started) but I love watching the show. My favorite is to watch it with my dad whenever I'm home in Ohio.
If you watch the show, then you are probably familiar with Freshly Picked... and if not, let me introduce them and their inspirational story to you.
Freshly Picked was started by Susan Petersen who was frustrated with baby shoes and in 2009 started to make her own moccasins with scraps of leather from a yard sale. Using her own baby as the tester, she continued to make designs until she came up with one that looked adorable and stayed on his feet.
To keep the business going when money got tight, she convinced here brother, who owns a window installation business, to let her keep the old windows. Encased in aluminum frames, she broke out the glass and recycled the aluminum to a scrap yard. This started her business.
We started putting shoes on Logan when he was around 6 months old and crawling. Around the house, we kept him barefoot but if we were going to be out and about... shoes it was. I read somewhere in all my baby research that soft soled shoes were the best for babies to wear while learning to walk so we kept him in soft soled shoes. When he started walking outside we got him his first pair of Stride Rites early walkers and these are the only shoes he has worn.
Freshly Picked was generous enough to send us a pair for Logan to try out!
We chose the Camo color - found here and it was a really hard decision with all the adorable colors. Good thing I don't have a girl... it would have been impossible with all the golds, pinks and purples.
What I love about these shoes
1. They are adorable. Honestly, I love love love the look of these shoes when Logan is running all over the place.
2. They are made in the US. There is nothing better than supporting a company that keeps jobs in the US.
3. They are easy to get on and do not slip off my little guys feet. This is so important with shoes. The last thing I want is for him to be running around, slip out of his shoes and fall over.
My only con's are
- They are a bit pricey. At $60 a pop, they are definitely not the cheapest shoes around. But again, you are paying for well designed shoes that are made in the US.
-Mine are suede and might be a little tougher to clean than the leather. However, I went for style on this one. :)
Now for the fun part... YOU can win a pair!
Here is how to enter....
Check out the Freshly Picked site, Enter the Rafflecopter (could take a minute to load) and leave a comment below, letting me know what you love about these shoes and what color you like best. (I know it's hard... )
a Rafflecopter giveaway
This will be open until June 30th and the winner will be posted shortly after the giveaway ends- so check back to see if you won!
This giveaway is open to US residents only... sorry!
Good luck!
Does anyone else just love Shark Tank? I don't know if it's the sharks themselves, the deals they make or learning about new companies and products (and the determination that got them started) but I love watching the show. My favorite is to watch it with my dad whenever I'm home in Ohio.
If you watch the show, then you are probably familiar with Freshly Picked... and if not, let me introduce them and their inspirational story to you.
Freshly Picked was started by Susan Petersen who was frustrated with baby shoes and in 2009 started to make her own moccasins with scraps of leather from a yard sale. Using her own baby as the tester, she continued to make designs until she came up with one that looked adorable and stayed on his feet.
To keep the business going when money got tight, she convinced here brother, who owns a window installation business, to let her keep the old windows. Encased in aluminum frames, she broke out the glass and recycled the aluminum to a scrap yard. This started her business.
We started putting shoes on Logan when he was around 6 months old and crawling. Around the house, we kept him barefoot but if we were going to be out and about... shoes it was. I read somewhere in all my baby research that soft soled shoes were the best for babies to wear while learning to walk so we kept him in soft soled shoes. When he started walking outside we got him his first pair of Stride Rites early walkers and these are the only shoes he has worn.
Freshly Picked was generous enough to send us a pair for Logan to try out!
We chose the Camo color - found here and it was a really hard decision with all the adorable colors. Good thing I don't have a girl... it would have been impossible with all the golds, pinks and purples.
1. They are adorable. Honestly, I love love love the look of these shoes when Logan is running all over the place.
2. They are made in the US. There is nothing better than supporting a company that keeps jobs in the US.
3. They are easy to get on and do not slip off my little guys feet. This is so important with shoes. The last thing I want is for him to be running around, slip out of his shoes and fall over.
My only con's are
- They are a bit pricey. At $60 a pop, they are definitely not the cheapest shoes around. But again, you are paying for well designed shoes that are made in the US.
-Mine are suede and might be a little tougher to clean than the leather. However, I went for style on this one. :)
Here is how to enter....
Check out the Freshly Picked site, Enter the Rafflecopter (could take a minute to load) and leave a comment below, letting me know what you love about these shoes and what color you like best. (I know it's hard... )
a Rafflecopter giveaway
This will be open until June 30th and the winner will be posted shortly after the giveaway ends- so check back to see if you won!
This giveaway is open to US residents only... sorry!
Good luck!
June 4, 2014
Citrus Lane Subscription Box
Does anyone else have a toddler and have your Facebook full of Ads for kid friendly products? I don't know if it's all the photos I post or my status updates but it's known I have a kid.
Anyways, I have seen the ad for Citrus Lane boxes for months! Finally after seeing it one too many times, I decided to check it out and sign up. I chose to have a box sent to us in May since Logan has a December birthday and we definitely didn't need anymore things post Christmas. I figured it would probably have a few items that were geared for the summer months.
The box came while we were in Cincinnati visiting friends and family. It was a nice surprise to come home to mail that wasn't a bill or catalog after our trip. I think I was a little more excited about it than Logan until we opened it up and he got busy pulling everything out of the box. What could be more fun for a toddler than a box of goodies?
Here's what was in our box!
Chunky Wooden Puzzle from Melissa and Doug
-All our puzzles are Melissa and Doug. Happy to add this one to our collection
Fresh Feet Wipes for Kids from Jasmine Seven
-Guess I will find out if these are worth it this summer!
Cookies from Back to Nature
-this is a good get into the carseat bribery snack. No shame here... it is a struggle to get this kid to sit.
Parthenon Sand Mold and Track Roller from Hape Toys
-we needed more toys to take to the beach when we go... will see how these stack up. :)
Hero from Goodbyn
-bento style food container.
(Not shown) 25% off form Vinemarket.com
What I really liked about our box is that it's made up of brands who we already buy products from- Melissa and Doug, Hape... It's also tailored to our age group so we received products that I know we will use. I've seen a lot of subscription boxes our there in the blog world and haven't been swayed to try one out until now.
Personally, I'm the type of person who finds what I like and buys the same things over and over again (especially true for makeup- it takes a lot to knock me out of my comfort zone and try something new). I don't like to clutter up my house with too much "stuff" that I'm not sure I will use. However, children's belongings are a whole other beast and I am really pleased with what we got. I'm planning on keeping our subscription for June and see what I think of the next box!
If you would like to check out Citrus Lane for yourself- you can click here and get 50% off your first box. (I also get a credit that goes towards our next box so if you choose to check it out and use my link- thank you!)
Cost of the monthly box is normally $29. You will sign up for a subscription but can cancel anytime. :)
This review is not sponsored in any way- just wanted to share our experience for those mama's out there who were also a bit interested in what these boxes were like. :)
Anyways, I have seen the ad for Citrus Lane boxes for months! Finally after seeing it one too many times, I decided to check it out and sign up. I chose to have a box sent to us in May since Logan has a December birthday and we definitely didn't need anymore things post Christmas. I figured it would probably have a few items that were geared for the summer months.
The box came while we were in Cincinnati visiting friends and family. It was a nice surprise to come home to mail that wasn't a bill or catalog after our trip. I think I was a little more excited about it than Logan until we opened it up and he got busy pulling everything out of the box. What could be more fun for a toddler than a box of goodies?
Here's what was in our box!
Chunky Wooden Puzzle from Melissa and Doug
-All our puzzles are Melissa and Doug. Happy to add this one to our collection
Fresh Feet Wipes for Kids from Jasmine Seven
-Guess I will find out if these are worth it this summer!
Cookies from Back to Nature
-this is a good get into the carseat bribery snack. No shame here... it is a struggle to get this kid to sit.
Parthenon Sand Mold and Track Roller from Hape Toys
-we needed more toys to take to the beach when we go... will see how these stack up. :)
Hero from Goodbyn
-bento style food container.
(Not shown) 25% off form Vinemarket.com
What I really liked about our box is that it's made up of brands who we already buy products from- Melissa and Doug, Hape... It's also tailored to our age group so we received products that I know we will use. I've seen a lot of subscription boxes our there in the blog world and haven't been swayed to try one out until now.
Personally, I'm the type of person who finds what I like and buys the same things over and over again (especially true for makeup- it takes a lot to knock me out of my comfort zone and try something new). I don't like to clutter up my house with too much "stuff" that I'm not sure I will use. However, children's belongings are a whole other beast and I am really pleased with what we got. I'm planning on keeping our subscription for June and see what I think of the next box!
If you would like to check out Citrus Lane for yourself- you can click here and get 50% off your first box. (I also get a credit that goes towards our next box so if you choose to check it out and use my link- thank you!)
Cost of the monthly box is normally $29. You will sign up for a subscription but can cancel anytime. :)
This review is not sponsored in any way- just wanted to share our experience for those mama's out there who were also a bit interested in what these boxes were like. :)
May 27, 2014
17 Months
17 months... we are almost at a year and a half. Gulp. This month we are B.U.S.Y. so I know it will be here before I am ready for it.
Right now, we are at the height of imitation in our household. Logan is taking in everything. If we dance, he dances... if we have water, he wants water...
If one of our glasses is left out, he will walk over to it and make sipping noises at the glass and laugh. We got back from the gym the other day and it was beautiful out so I decided we should sit on the deck and have a snack together. I brought out a bag of pirates booty and grabbed a small bowl for Logan. When I told him we were going to go outside and have a snack, he walked over to his play kitchen and grabbed himself a small bowl and brought it outside. This age is so so cute.
It hasn't been all fun and games, we had a week where Logan was pretty sick. They first night we were downstairs watching some tv before bed. We heard Logan cry out around 11pm. When we checked on him on the monitor, he wasn't crying but he was sitting up in his crib. A few minutes later he was still sitting up but slumped over holding himself upright by holding onto the crib slats. I went up to check on him and he had thrown up all over the crib but I guess he didn't want to lay in it so he was trying to keep himself upright. Poor kid! Geoff caught a bit of what he had so I ended up taking care of two sick boys. We stayed in, snuggled, watched way too much tv and they both slowly got better.
During that week Logan pretty much stopped eating most foods. Doctor gave us a handful of safe foods and Pedialyte since he wasn't supposed to drink milk. Does any kid actually drink Pedialyte? Our experience was a complete failure. Mashed potato was the big food winner for the week and I was so so happy once he stopped throwing up and started to eat normally again.
For the longest time, we would use sign language with basic words that we used everyday in baby/toddlerville. Milk, water, eat, banana, hungry, more, all done... After a while, we knew that he understood most of them but would never sign back. We got 'milk' for a while but it was pretty much used for 'I want' which we would sign while pointing to food, toys, breakables, phones... you get the picture. So after a while, we kind of stopped signing. I knew he understood the words themselves and just went with that. Imagine our surprise when out of the blue he started signing more when we wanted more of something to eat. The next day, we was pointing at the fruit basket at lunch and I asked him if he wanted the apple or banana and he signed banana to us. Little stinker!
This month held Easter- we celebrated Logan's second Easter with pancakes and Easter baskets.
I was so happy Geoff was home as well- spending time as a family really makes the holidays so special. Logan's favorite part was throwing the grass all over the house... haha.
We had two baby birthday parties for friends, lots of Mygym classes and with the warmer weather we spent a good amount of time taking walks, running around the playground and playing in the yard. It's been fun and I officially love spring.
Logan is now running and getting really really fast. We are working on not running into the street and also holding hands when we walk. This has been tough to enforce when we are in the yard because he gets so excited when the cars drive by in the street. I really wish we had a fence but I know that once he understands then it will be a lot easier. Other than streets and parking lots, I really love to watch him run all around. The pure joy that is on his face makes my heart melt.
Loves- Taking walks to the playground, being outside, pointing out cars and dogs, running, his bunny lovie.
Dislikes- Getting into the carseat, the word no, sitting still.
New words- Moo and Baa, we hear the most. He's repeated Hello once or twice.
This age is so much fun! I can not wait for all the adventures we are going to take this summer!!!
Right now, we are at the height of imitation in our household. Logan is taking in everything. If we dance, he dances... if we have water, he wants water...
If one of our glasses is left out, he will walk over to it and make sipping noises at the glass and laugh. We got back from the gym the other day and it was beautiful out so I decided we should sit on the deck and have a snack together. I brought out a bag of pirates booty and grabbed a small bowl for Logan. When I told him we were going to go outside and have a snack, he walked over to his play kitchen and grabbed himself a small bowl and brought it outside. This age is so so cute.
It hasn't been all fun and games, we had a week where Logan was pretty sick. They first night we were downstairs watching some tv before bed. We heard Logan cry out around 11pm. When we checked on him on the monitor, he wasn't crying but he was sitting up in his crib. A few minutes later he was still sitting up but slumped over holding himself upright by holding onto the crib slats. I went up to check on him and he had thrown up all over the crib but I guess he didn't want to lay in it so he was trying to keep himself upright. Poor kid! Geoff caught a bit of what he had so I ended up taking care of two sick boys. We stayed in, snuggled, watched way too much tv and they both slowly got better.
During that week Logan pretty much stopped eating most foods. Doctor gave us a handful of safe foods and Pedialyte since he wasn't supposed to drink milk. Does any kid actually drink Pedialyte? Our experience was a complete failure. Mashed potato was the big food winner for the week and I was so so happy once he stopped throwing up and started to eat normally again.
For the longest time, we would use sign language with basic words that we used everyday in baby/toddlerville. Milk, water, eat, banana, hungry, more, all done... After a while, we knew that he understood most of them but would never sign back. We got 'milk' for a while but it was pretty much used for 'I want' which we would sign while pointing to food, toys, breakables, phones... you get the picture. So after a while, we kind of stopped signing. I knew he understood the words themselves and just went with that. Imagine our surprise when out of the blue he started signing more when we wanted more of something to eat. The next day, we was pointing at the fruit basket at lunch and I asked him if he wanted the apple or banana and he signed banana to us. Little stinker!
This month held Easter- we celebrated Logan's second Easter with pancakes and Easter baskets.
I was so happy Geoff was home as well- spending time as a family really makes the holidays so special. Logan's favorite part was throwing the grass all over the house... haha.
We had two baby birthday parties for friends, lots of Mygym classes and with the warmer weather we spent a good amount of time taking walks, running around the playground and playing in the yard. It's been fun and I officially love spring.
Logan is now running and getting really really fast. We are working on not running into the street and also holding hands when we walk. This has been tough to enforce when we are in the yard because he gets so excited when the cars drive by in the street. I really wish we had a fence but I know that once he understands then it will be a lot easier. Other than streets and parking lots, I really love to watch him run all around. The pure joy that is on his face makes my heart melt.
Loves- Taking walks to the playground, being outside, pointing out cars and dogs, running, his bunny lovie.
Dislikes- Getting into the carseat, the word no, sitting still.
New words- Moo and Baa, we hear the most. He's repeated Hello once or twice.
This age is so much fun! I can not wait for all the adventures we are going to take this summer!!!
April 19, 2014
Baby Model!
Back in November, we went to a Photo shoot for Sippy Cups for the company The First Years. Pretty much we were just in it for the experience and to be able to say our baby is a baby model. :) I didn't want to have any expectations in case Logan wasn't feeling it that day. However, surrounded by women who were paying attention to him, he was quite the little ham. It was so much fun, he got a small paycheck (which is going towards his education fund) and that was that.
Fast forward to this past week when I got an email telling me that Logan's photo made the website! Woo hoo! He is on the home page and on the sippy cup page for the Disney Cars cups!
Feel free to pop over and check it out! :)
(the photos rotate through a few!)
The First Years
The First Years Sippy Cups
Fast forward to this past week when I got an email telling me that Logan's photo made the website! Woo hoo! He is on the home page and on the sippy cup page for the Disney Cars cups!
Feel free to pop over and check it out! :)
(the photos rotate through a few!)
The First Years
The First Years Sippy Cups
April 17, 2014
16 months
Another month, another monthly update. I feel like time flies so fast and when I've just written about one month, we are closing in on another. Here is more of what we have been up to at 16 Months!
Sixteen months has been a really really fun age so far! We've had our share of ups and downs (we are at an age where Logan is showing us very distinct likes and dislikes and hitting a few tantrums) but I can look back and confidently say that things just keep getting better and better! The other day I ran a few errands while he was napping. When I got home he looked at me in the doorway, yelled 'Mama' and came running over to me- so so cute and I think my heart almost exploded out of my body.
Let's talk about teeth (probably the most talked about topic of new moms after sleep issues)!
I'm pretty sure that we are finally getting a break from teething. Logan got his first two teeth at 4 months and they haven't stopped coming in since then. I think all the molars have finally broken through and we have ALL teeth besides the 2 year molars. Really, really dreading those suckers!
Middle of this past month, Logan got hit with a little cold. Stuffy, runny nose and a slight cough had us a really off our normal routine.
That week of sickness changed his eating habits, he didn't eat or drink much at all. More than once he refused whole cups of milk and I was a little worried that he wasn't getting enough to sustain all the running around he does. The breaking point was when I made pancakes (his favorite breakfast meal) and he refused to eat them- throwing half on the floor and placing the rest on his head.
I tried to have faith that he would eat/drink more when he felt better and didn't make a big deal out of it. Boy was I right. Since he has felt better, his appetite has been ginormous! The other day he ate all of dinner, had fruit for desert, drank all of his milk and then got into the diaper bag, pulled out his snack cup and walked around the first floor eating cheerios!
He is also getting much much better using his spoon and fork. I give them to him anytime we have a meal where we use them- so that way he can imitate how we eat and practice. I have been very laid back about letting him explore and use them at will. I've only shown him how to hold them correctly a few times because at times he is fiercely independent and wants to do things for himself. So far, so good... it's been messy and a lot more laundry but I love how excited he gets when he gets a spoonful of food in his mouth all by himself.
He had also been sleeping more this second half of the month. There have been a few days where he slept 12 hours at night and took almost a 4 hour nap in the middle of the day. It's insane. A few days I felt like I hardly saw him much at all outside of eating, bath time and errands. I always feel conflicted when he sleeps really late. I hate to wake him up just to go a gym class or run an errand but I also try and keep him on schedule.
What do other moms do? Keep them sleeping and figure they need the extra sleep or wake them up to keep on a schedule?
I'm assuming that this is a growth spurt since suddenly a few tops and bottoms have become a bit snug and a little too short! ;)
We've been laughing a lot watching Logan imitate us this past month. When Geoff's mom was here he would watch her and then dunk his crackers in his "coffee" (aka the air), just like she was doing. He will join in if people are singing but my favorite is the jumping. If we jump, he will jump and a few times he has gotten off the ground and a little bit of air. This is always followed by lots of laughter. I've caught him "jumping" in his crib and also on the couch... not good. We are currently feeling out the way we want to re-direct and discipline actions that just aren't safe.
He is also quickly learning body parts and will point to his nose, head, belly and toes all the time.
He likes to hike up his pants and show off his legs and he laughs when he does the same to Geoff and touches his leg hair.
Logan is a pretty social little guy. He loves performing for everyone and gets so silly when people are watching him. That said, he can also be very shy and it takes him a few minutes to warm up to a new setting. He instantly relaxes when his little friends are around and he wont hesitate to walk over and give them hugs and kisses. He hugs all the time and will crawl over and sit in my friends laps when we are together.
This came in handy when we snuck away for a date night- heading down to Boston to watch the Celtics game. My friend Laura came over to hang out with Logan and put him down for the night. She said he was great for her and we got to enjoy ourselves knowing that he was with someone familar!
We still are going through a little bit of seperation anxiety, he still will cry out when he hears other babies/toddlers start to cry and he has gotten scared of another kid on more than one occasion. We were at Barnes and Nobles at their train table in the kids section when another kid came right up to him and smacked him in the face. It was his way of saying hello but you can bet that it didn't go over well with our little guy. He is definitely not a rough and tough kid just yet. He gave us his sad cry face and I thought the Papa Bear was going to come out of Geoff... fiercely protective father. The other kids parents handled the whole situation really well and everyone left happy.
One last things is our evening routine. Logan now knows when we are upstairs and nearing bed time. We will sit and read a few books together and we always read the same book last each night. When we now get to the "Bed book" he shakes his head and will not turn the pages but close the book or throw it on the floor. Luckily we both know it by heart so I still "read" it to him and off we go to brush our teeth. I love the ways his personality are really shining through.
Favorite toys- Balls, Whittle World People, anything outside, grabbing the phone and carrying it around when we facetime with Geoff!
Likes- Eating, Running around, Playground, Going on walks, Pointing at cars and dogs ("dah"), seeing his friends, reading books and tackling his giant Panda before bed.
Dislikes- Getting strapped into his car seat (again), not being able to go outside when we open the door, diaper changes, nose wipes and most recently getting a bath...
Favorite new food- Cupcakes. He has been going nuts over these at our friends Birthday parties! One more this weekend!!!
Sixteen months has been a really really fun age so far! We've had our share of ups and downs (we are at an age where Logan is showing us very distinct likes and dislikes and hitting a few tantrums) but I can look back and confidently say that things just keep getting better and better! The other day I ran a few errands while he was napping. When I got home he looked at me in the doorway, yelled 'Mama' and came running over to me- so so cute and I think my heart almost exploded out of my body.
Let's talk about teeth (probably the most talked about topic of new moms after sleep issues)!
I'm pretty sure that we are finally getting a break from teething. Logan got his first two teeth at 4 months and they haven't stopped coming in since then. I think all the molars have finally broken through and we have ALL teeth besides the 2 year molars. Really, really dreading those suckers!
Middle of this past month, Logan got hit with a little cold. Stuffy, runny nose and a slight cough had us a really off our normal routine.
That week of sickness changed his eating habits, he didn't eat or drink much at all. More than once he refused whole cups of milk and I was a little worried that he wasn't getting enough to sustain all the running around he does. The breaking point was when I made pancakes (his favorite breakfast meal) and he refused to eat them- throwing half on the floor and placing the rest on his head.
I tried to have faith that he would eat/drink more when he felt better and didn't make a big deal out of it. Boy was I right. Since he has felt better, his appetite has been ginormous! The other day he ate all of dinner, had fruit for desert, drank all of his milk and then got into the diaper bag, pulled out his snack cup and walked around the first floor eating cheerios!
He is also getting much much better using his spoon and fork. I give them to him anytime we have a meal where we use them- so that way he can imitate how we eat and practice. I have been very laid back about letting him explore and use them at will. I've only shown him how to hold them correctly a few times because at times he is fiercely independent and wants to do things for himself. So far, so good... it's been messy and a lot more laundry but I love how excited he gets when he gets a spoonful of food in his mouth all by himself.
He had also been sleeping more this second half of the month. There have been a few days where he slept 12 hours at night and took almost a 4 hour nap in the middle of the day. It's insane. A few days I felt like I hardly saw him much at all outside of eating, bath time and errands. I always feel conflicted when he sleeps really late. I hate to wake him up just to go a gym class or run an errand but I also try and keep him on schedule.
What do other moms do? Keep them sleeping and figure they need the extra sleep or wake them up to keep on a schedule?
I'm assuming that this is a growth spurt since suddenly a few tops and bottoms have become a bit snug and a little too short! ;)
We've been laughing a lot watching Logan imitate us this past month. When Geoff's mom was here he would watch her and then dunk his crackers in his "coffee" (aka the air), just like she was doing. He will join in if people are singing but my favorite is the jumping. If we jump, he will jump and a few times he has gotten off the ground and a little bit of air. This is always followed by lots of laughter. I've caught him "jumping" in his crib and also on the couch... not good. We are currently feeling out the way we want to re-direct and discipline actions that just aren't safe.
He is also quickly learning body parts and will point to his nose, head, belly and toes all the time.
He likes to hike up his pants and show off his legs and he laughs when he does the same to Geoff and touches his leg hair.
Logan is a pretty social little guy. He loves performing for everyone and gets so silly when people are watching him. That said, he can also be very shy and it takes him a few minutes to warm up to a new setting. He instantly relaxes when his little friends are around and he wont hesitate to walk over and give them hugs and kisses. He hugs all the time and will crawl over and sit in my friends laps when we are together.
This came in handy when we snuck away for a date night- heading down to Boston to watch the Celtics game. My friend Laura came over to hang out with Logan and put him down for the night. She said he was great for her and we got to enjoy ourselves knowing that he was with someone familar!
We still are going through a little bit of seperation anxiety, he still will cry out when he hears other babies/toddlers start to cry and he has gotten scared of another kid on more than one occasion. We were at Barnes and Nobles at their train table in the kids section when another kid came right up to him and smacked him in the face. It was his way of saying hello but you can bet that it didn't go over well with our little guy. He is definitely not a rough and tough kid just yet. He gave us his sad cry face and I thought the Papa Bear was going to come out of Geoff... fiercely protective father. The other kids parents handled the whole situation really well and everyone left happy.
One last things is our evening routine. Logan now knows when we are upstairs and nearing bed time. We will sit and read a few books together and we always read the same book last each night. When we now get to the "Bed book" he shakes his head and will not turn the pages but close the book or throw it on the floor. Luckily we both know it by heart so I still "read" it to him and off we go to brush our teeth. I love the ways his personality are really shining through.
Favorite toys- Balls, Whittle World People, anything outside, grabbing the phone and carrying it around when we facetime with Geoff!
Likes- Eating, Running around, Playground, Going on walks, Pointing at cars and dogs ("dah"), seeing his friends, reading books and tackling his giant Panda before bed.
Dislikes- Getting strapped into his car seat (again), not being able to go outside when we open the door, diaper changes, nose wipes and most recently getting a bath...
Favorite new food- Cupcakes. He has been going nuts over these at our friends Birthday parties! One more this weekend!!!
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