The Cookes

New York: Day 4

2012-05-30T18:13:00.003-05:00

The morning of day 4 started off with breakfast at The Red Flame diner (again). I finally remembered to take a shot of the inside of the diner this time. Casey had just enjoyed a breakfast burrito.

Then we took the subway to the Upper East Side. I've always been amazed at tile mosaics in the subway. There are so many of them and that is such a meticulous and time consuming project.

Walking through the upper east side was another taste of residential New York, which was fun to see. We were headed to the Metropolitan Museum of Art.

The architecture of the museum itself was beautiful. The photo below is the entrance foyer ceiling.

Bonjour, Monsieur Monet. I know that prints of Monet's most famous paintings are everywhere. But when you see the original work right in front of you, it becomes amazing again. I loved rediscovering his mastery.

Check out the herringbone pattern of the wood floor. I love it!

Matisse...

And Picasso. Actually, I think I may have taken these next two photos "illegally." They were part of a special exhibit, which prohibited any kind of photography (the rest of the museum permits flash-free photography). But I didn't know it was prohibited...Casey told me as we were walking out of that exhibit that he didn't think I was supposed to take photos. Oops!

There was art from various periods of history and from all around the world. This is another place that you could literally spend days exploring. I would have loved to see the contemporary art wing, but it was closed that day (not sure why).

Several rooms were dedicated to Greek art and sculpture.

And a wing for Egyptian art too. This particular display (below) was an Egyptian tomb with original paintings. It is kind of mind-blowing to me that these pieces of art are as old as they are and that we get to see them.

We only spent a couple of hours in the museum, but we saw a lot. We thought about heading up to The Cloisters since our tickets included that. I have heard that it's fantastic. But, at the time, we didn't think we had enough time to head even further north. Looking back, I think we did. Oh, well. MOMA would have been fun to see too, but this was a Tuesday and it was closed.

We hopped into one of the taxis you see in the photo up there that were lined up in front of the museum. The nearest subway station was a half a mile away and we decided not to walk. We also wanted to see some of the parts of New York (from the cab) that we hadn't seen yet. So, we rode all the way from 86th on the east side of the city down to Chelsea Market on 15th between 9th and 10th in the Meatpacking District.

I loved Chelsea Market. It's a collection of food, flower, and other shops and restaurants. There's an Anthropologie in there too. The industrial feel of the market gives it such character. The dark, rustic wood floors contrast beautifully with the brick walls and metal lofted ceilings. There is quite a history to the market as well...going all the way back to the 1890's, when it was a bakery complex.

We were at Chelsea Market to check it out, of course. But I also wanted to stop in The Lobster Place to get something special for lunch.

The Lobster Place is mainly a market that sells fresh seafood. Like live lobsters from Maine...

...or fresh Oysters of every kind.

But they also have a "Shack in the Back" that serves several prepared food items. We were there for their lobster rolls. The roll was stuffed with Maine Lobster mixed with celery, scallions, lemon pepper, and a little mayo. It was perfect.

Casey thoroughly enjoyed his lobster roll too. Seating is at a premium in Chelsea Market so we ate our lunch on some huge rocks near the water feature in front of The Lobster Place. I love the "directory" (right photo) of all the stores/restaurants. Chelsea Market runs between 9th and 10th street so that's what those numbers on the top represent.

There are several bakeries in Chelsea Market, but the one I wanted to visit was Eleni's because I had heard about their cupcakes.

They sell cookies too...all shapes, sizes, and themes. And they are beautiful.

We got three cupcakes and split them. Let's just start with my favorite...the Chocolate Ganache cupcake. This is a chocolate cupcake with a vanilla buttercream filling, topped with a rich, chocolate ganache icing. As usual, the icing was my favorite part.

Then, there was the classic Red Velvet Cupcake. I had to get this one...I love red velvet cake. The frosting is vanilla buttercream instead of the traditional cream cheese icing. Although I love cream cheese frosting with red velvet, I thought their buttercream was excellent.

Casey's pick was the Oreo Madness cupcake. He loves all things Oreo. It was a chocolate cupcake with an Oreo baked inside, vanilla buttercream frosting, little toasted marshmallows (under the buttercream...see one peeking out on the left side?), and topped with half an Oreo cookie. All of the cupcakes were good. They were not the best I've ever had, but they were very good.

After leaving Chelsea Market, we rode the subway to the 9/11 Memorial in the Financial District of Lower Manhattan. You have to have a pass to enter the memorial that you reserve online. It gives you a time that you can enter. It does not cost anything to visit the memorial, but they try to keep control of the crowds this way. There is heavy security to enter the memorial and quite a few police officers inside the memorial too.

Currently, the memorial consists of two huge square fountain/pools at the sites of the original World Trade Center towers. Around the pools are the names of each person who died on 9/11 inscribed into black stone. Just like every memorial I've visited, it is sobering to physically see the names of each person who perished that day. You really get a sense of the magnitude of the loss. Both the number of names, and also that there is a family behind each one of those names who lost someone they loved that day.

You can see in the background of this next photo that there is quite a bit of construction going on around the memorial pools. They are building a museum between the two pools. I wish it had been completed when we were there. There are also two towers that they are building on the far sides of the memorial, as you've probably heard.

One of the towers (left photo below) is well along in its construction. The other one is still in the groundwork stage. It's a huge pit of construction as they build what will be the underground part of the building.

The area around the memorial pools is dotted with trees that will grow to be a beautiful compliment to the site.

We got back on the subway after viewing the memorial and headed back to our hotel. We rested a bit before dinner, which was at Ceci Italian Restaurant two blocks north of our hotel. It is a wonderful, little restaurant that you might not notice just walking by on the street. But the food, service, and atmosphere were perfect for our last night in NYC.

For an appetizer (left), we had some spicy fried calamari (yum). For our entrees, Casey had grilled shrimp with linguine (center). I had gnocchi bolognese (right), which was awesome. Somehow, I did not get a photo of our dessert...a wonderful chocolate torte.

After dinner we went over a few blocks to Times Square again. We wanted to see it one last time, but we also had a plan.

We found the AMC movie theater near Times Square and got tickets to see The Avengers. We were in NY during opening weekend for this movie and tickets were sold out during the weekend a couple of nights before. But, since this was a Tuesday, we got lucky and were able to get tickets to the 3D IMAX showing. It was really fun to see this movie, much of which is set in NY, while we were in NY.

And that concludes our trip to NYC. We left the next morning, but all we did was get up and go to the airport to catch our flight home. We had such a great time, saw so much of the city, and really enjoyed just being with each other (alone) again. Definitely a successful trip. And we will be back again some day because Ethan is already asking to go!

New York: Day 3

2012-05-27T20:32:00.000-05:00

After another breakfast at The Red Flame, day 3 in New York started out with a morning at the American Museum of Natural History. We took the subway and there's a station that connects to the museum so it was really easy to find. Casey and I both love museums, so we had a great time. There is so much to see that you could get lost in there for days. We basically just breezed through, looking at all the exhibits. But even that took a few hours.

The lobby when you walk in the front entrance:

The African animals room...one of our favorites.

A Redwood tree from California. The white words on the tree show how they use the rings to tell how old a tree it. Look how huge it is...also very old (but I can't remember the exact number).

Another favorite room...the ocean animals.

The museum in on the upper west side with Central Park right across from it. Here's Casey checking something on his phone right after we exited the museum with the park behind him.

We stayed in the museum for a few hours, and when we came out, it was time for lunch. We headed around the corner and a few blocks west to one of the Shake Shack locations in NY. This was another place that I heard we must try. And, oh my goodness, was it good. See the line? Well, it moved pretty quickly.

We scored a table by the front windows so we got to watch people walk by as we ate. And here's our meal: two Shack burgers, fries, a chocolate shake (for Casey), and a grape soda (for me). We both agreed that it's probably one of the top 3 burgers we've ever had. It was that good. And the perfect portion for a burger too.

After lunch we strolled around the upper west side a little bit on our way to a bakery I wanted to visit. So far on our trip we had been around midtown, lower Manhattan, and Brooklyn. Each place has a unique feel. The upper west side was so quiet and residential with beautiful architecture.

I loved looking at all the homes in a row and their different styles and details.

The bakery I wanted to visit is called Levain Bakery. Their cookies are famous. And now I know why. This place is so tiny and you have to walk down some stairs just to get to it. It's really easy to miss. But, we found it, and I'm so glad we did. I bagged up my cookie (Casey didn't get one since he'd just had a chocolate shake), and we headed back toward Central Park. More on the cookie later...

On the way back to Central Park, we passed a couple of markets like this. The flowers were gorgeous! Peonies, lilies, roses, and even orchids. That would be so tempting for me if I passed that on my way home every day!

Ok. So when we made it back to Central Park, we found a bench, which was actually kind of off the beaten path and up on a little hill. It was the perfect place to sit and rest for a while and look down on other people walking through the park. And then I pulled out my dark chocolate peanut butter chip cookie. I don't know if you can tell just how big it is, but it's pretty big. I absolutely love cookies that are puffy and thick like this one. Please don't give me a thin, crispy cookie. As good as it looks, it tasted even better...perfectly soft and chewy. I wish I had one right now, in fact.

We spent the next couple of hours wandering around Central Park. It's pretty big and you can get lost in there too. We made our way from the upper west side to the south eastern corner of the park...taking in the views on the way.

Central Park is just beautiful. It has so many unique landscapes, lakes and parks. We barely scratched the surface on our walk.

I love that in certain parts, you really can't see the tall buildings that surround the park. And you don't even feel like you're in a big city. But, in other areas, they are plainly seen. The juxtaposition of city and park is really interesting.

When we surfaced from our walk in the park, we were at 5th Avenue and Central Park South. Right on that corner are The Plaza Hotel and FAO Schwarz toy store. We knew we wanted to check out FAO Schwarz and grab a couple of gifts for the boys. I remembered from my last visit there that it's an experience unlike most other toy stores.

We stepped in the "fun" mirror that's right by the entrance (above photo), and then walked into candy land. If you can't find the candy that you want here, you will not find it anywhere. They have it all. And it's so fun to look at.

Walking through FAO Schwarz turns you into a kid again. It might be all that candy in every possible flavor, vintage, and type. Or the menagerie of stuffed animals, some of which are bigger than you.

Or it might be how they theme each section of the store. This was the geological toy area. The books, dollhouses, cars, trains, musical instruments, crayons, etc. all had unique themes and displays.

And of course you remember the big piano from the movie, Big, right? It's still there, and they let you give it a try if you want.

Just look at all the stuffed animals. Every kind you can think of (almost...no sea urchins). We got Ethan a lion, which he has been wanting. We got Logan a NY fire truck that has sirens and goes on it's own. Both toys were big hits with our boys.

After the toy store, we made our way leisurely down 5th Avenue toward our hotel. We peeked in some of the stores and just window shopped in others. When we got back to our hotel, we got changed for dinner.

We had reservations at The Strip House in Greenwich Village, which has an old-school atmosphere from the jackets the waiters wore to the vintage (burlesque) photos on the wall. The bordello vibe is carried through with the deep red and gold decor colors.

Below is our meal in photos. Clockwise from top left: cold potato soup shooter (wonderful), crab cake (excellent, but not the best I've ever had), 8 oz. filet (medium rare with fleur de sel on top and a wonderfully thick crust...a delicious steak), crispy goose fat potatoes (yes, just as good as it sounds!), creamed corn (we love corn, ok?), and the house specialty, chocolate cake (left much to be desired...I found it kind of flavorless, believe it or not.) Overall, it was an amazing meal.

It had been raining a little bit that night (on and off), so we took a cab to and from the restaurant. Only one more full day in NY left!

Ethan's 4th Birthday

2012-05-25T23:30:00.000-05:00

Today, Ethan turned 4. He was so ready for his birthday to come this year. He's been saying that he's four years old for a couple of months now.

This morning, our birthday boy came downstairs to some balloons at the bottom of the stairs. He loved the balloons and was so surprised to find them there. He came into our room and said, "Mommy, there are balloons in the living room!"

Then, Ethan and I went to the donut store to pick out a couple of donuts. That was his request for his special birthday breakfast. I wish I had taken my camera to the donut store because he was so cute just staring at all the donuts in the case. He was thrilled when I told him he could pick out whichever two he wanted. He made his decision in about 10 seconds...a strawberry glazed donut and one with sprinkles on top.

I cut the donuts both in half so he could try each one without eating two donuts! (He ended up having some other things for breakfast too since he was still hungry.) We lit a candle and sang "happy birthday," which (unlike previous years) he loved.

I hate that this next photo is out of focus, but I just loved his little smile so I kept it anyway.

We also gave Ethan a small little gift to have on his actual birthday...the Finn McMissile submarine from Cars 2. A big hit, as all Cars are. He immediately asked to watch the movie. And since it was his birthday (we don't usually watch movies first thing in the morning), I put it on. His birthday was off to a great start!

Casey came home a little early and we took the boys to Chick-fil-A for dinner. This was Ethan's choice again...he loves the playground. I didn't take my camera (why???), but we had a great time together. We kind of had the place all to ourselves for a while, which was nice.

I think Ethan felt special today, and Casey and I both (and Logan too) had a really fun time celebrating the day he was born (I remember it like it was yesterday). I know we both feel so lucky to be his parents. He is such an awesome kid. Now, onto his pirate party tomorrow morning!

New York: Day 2

2012-05-24T15:15:00.001-05:00

Day 2 of our trip started out with us sleeping in, which was awesome. We had plenty of things planned for the day, but none of them had to be done at a specific time, so we started off the day slowly. We found ourselves sitting down to breakfast at 10am at The Red Flame Diner, which was literally a few doors down from our hotel.

That photo below is not coffee, but one of the best cups of hot chocolate I've ever had. A splurge for first thing in the morning, but totally worth it. And the syrup in the background of the photo speaks to the rest of our breakfast...french toast for Casey and pancakes for me. Allow me to sing the praises of The Red Flame for just a minute. We ate there every single morning of our trip. I had other breakfast places scoped out, but they couldn't hold a candle to this place. We each ordered something different every morning, and it was all delicious. And so very affordable, especially for NYC.

Ok. Moving on...to the subway. This was our first subway ride of the trip, but we rode it quite a bit. We used my map app on my iphone to navigate our way around the city. If you don't already know, you can choose between driving, walking, or public transportation directions. So, when we selected public transportation, it told us where to get on the subway, what line to take, and where to get off. And then, when we surfaced on the street level, it picked up with walking directions to our final destination. I've never used anything other than driving directions (since we live in Dallas), so I was pleasantly surprised at how effective this was at getting us from point A to point B seamlessly. And we weren't having to pull out a big map of the city everywhere we went. It was awesome.

We took the subway all the way down to lower Manhattan to the Staten Island Ferry terminal. The Staten Island Ferry is still completely free to ride. Isn't that nuts? And it is such a cool way to see the city from the water as well as the Statue of Liberty. On our way to Staten Island, we got some amazing views of the Manhattan skyline:

It takes around 30 minutes or so for a one-way trip. When we arrived on Staten Island, we just went through the lines and hopped back on the ferry for the return ride. Only this time, we got on the other side of the boat so we could get a good peek at Lady Liberty on our way back.

When we got back to the city after the ferry ride, we took the subway to Brooklyn. I had never been to Brooklyn in any of my previous trips to NYC, but I'm telling you, there is some stuff to see and some food to eat in Brooklyn. I think it's worth a visit. When we got off the subway, we walked to Brooklyn Bridge Park to get some ice cream and see what NYC looks like from Brooklyn. I had heard of the Brooklyn Ice Cream Factory and wanted to see what all the fuss was about. Well, it's really, really good ice cream. It was the perfect early-afternoon treat. In fact, because we had eaten breakfast so late, we didn't have lunch. Just ice cream. You can totally do that on vacation.

The Brooklyn Ice Cream factory is located on the Fulton Ferry Landing pier, which almost right under the Brooklyn Bridge itself. See? That restaurant on the bottom right down there is the River Cafe, which I've heard is pretty good. I know one thing...that restaurant has a room with a view.

This is what Manhattan looks like from the Fulton Ferry Landing pier:

The real reason we wanted to go over to Brooklyn is because I wanted to walk back to Manhattan on the Brooklyn Bridge (it wasn't all about the ice cream). On our way down Old Fulton Street to the bridge walking entrance, we passed the original Grimaldi's Pizzeria. Check out that line. Apparently, from what I hear, there's almost always a line. But supposedly it moves fairly quickly. Way back when I was researching where to eat on our trip, I had planned for us to go to Grimaldi's. But, our plans changed and we just settled for checking it out from across the street.

Just as we entered the walking path for the Brooklyn Bridge, we came upon this woman who was carving mangoes on a stick to look like flowers. But not to look pretty...to be easier to eat. It was like slices that were still held together at the base so you could eat it on the run. Neat. I'd never seen that before.

Another iphone photo leaving much to be desired, but again...the only one of us together on the bridge.

I have posted here only 5 photos of our walk across the Brooklyn Bridge. But I took what seemed like millions. I just could not put my camera down. The reason I wanted to do this in the first place was to really see the bridge and it's architecture, and also to get yet another perspective of Manhattan. It did not disappoint. I really loved every minute. It was a little more than a mile long, and didn't take very long to walk. We chose to go from the Brooklyn side to the Manhattan side in order to see Manhattan as we were walking. Most of the people were going the other way, but I loved not having to turn around to get the view. This is another view that would be spectacular at sunset or at night.

When we got over to Manhattan, we got back on the subway to head up to our hotel. I love the subway. I know I sound like a total tourist when I say that, but it's just so efficient and inexpensive.

We got off the subway at Grand Central Terminal. We didn't actually expect to do that. Our iphone directions just routed us there since it was the best way to get back to our hotel, which was only a couple of blocks away. We'd planned to pop in to see Grand Central another day. But, this was a pleasant surprise.

Back at the hotel, we rested our feet and then changed for our dinner at Bobby Flay's Bar Americain that night. We were able to walk to the restaurant because of its proximity to our hotel.

The restaurant experience was perfect and the food was outstanding. First, we ordered the shrimp and grits appetizer (below). I could have had this for my main dish, it was so good! Actually, we had a hard time ordering just one appetizer because they all looked amazing.

Then for our entrees, I had the rabbit with fingerling potatoes and wild mushrooms and Casey had the lamb chops. We had buttermilk and chive mashed potatoes and creamed corn for sides. Obviously we do not count calories (or carbs) on vacation. For dessert...deep dish chocolate cream pie.

Our late evening plans fell through that night (more on that later), so we just went back to the hotel and watched a movie! And fell asleep. We are so exciting!

New York: Day 1

2012-05-20T19:35:00.001-05:00

Finally! The first installment of my "series" on our New York trip. I've actually had this post ready to go for a little while, but I had other things I wanted to post first. Also, be warned that there are going to be a lot of photos in these posts...and therefore, they are long. Here we go...

We got up bright and early (5:30am) to get ready for our flight to New York on Saturday morning. I had originally booked a flight an hour later so we wouldn't have to get up so early, but American Airlines changed the flight times. So much for careful planning.

I always love looking out the window on an airplane. The perspective is just so unique. Even though I have flown quite a few times in my life, it never gets old. For most of the flight, the clouds were just a white wall reflecting sunlight, but I got this one of the clouds as we were descending into New York.

It was weird because when we were above the clouds, it was blindingly sunny. As we got below the clouds, it was a grey and dreary day in New York. Here we are about to land at LaGuardia....you can see how foggy it was that day.

We took a cab to our hotel, which was Hotel Sofitel. Oh, how we loved this hotel. It's a French hotel so all the employees always greeted us with "bonjour!" And just look at the stone work on the building facade. It was so centrally located too...on 44th between 5th and 6th.

We weren't able to check into our room just yet, so we left our bags with the concierge and took off to Rockefeller Center, which was only a few blocks from our hotel.

We ate a late lunch at Lenny's in the lower concourse of the 30 Rock building. It was a great sandwich.

As we were walking around looking at the shops in the concourse after lunch, we went past Ben & Jerry's...and then made a quick u-turn. Ben & Jerry's never disappoints.

Then we went outside and walked around Rockefeller Center for a bit. We went into the Lego store, which was reminiscent of the one we went into on our last vacation to Florida.

We had tickets to the Top of the Rock that afternoon too. We decided to do this over the Empire State Building for a couple of reasons. First, they give you a time slot during which you can go up to the observation decks. You can stay as long as you want, but the natural flow of people allows for that and still keeps the elevator lines moving very quickly. We only waited for one or two elevators on the way up and down. At the Empire State Building, you can wait in line for a long time. I remember the lines there...that's how bad they can be (it's been over 10 years since I've been to NYC).

The second reason was that I had heard the views were great...and they were. Especially the Central Park (North) side. Except, as I mentioned before, the day was grey and foggy. I was kind of bummed about that, but the photos sort of have a dreamy quality with all the fog (to put a positive spin on the situation). I just wish we had more visibility that day. Going at sunset or at night would also be fantastic.

Here's the view to the North. Central Park and the Upper West Side (left) and Upper East Side (right).

There's two decks at the Top of the Rock. This photo shows the lower deck with the glass all around. The upper deck does not have the glass.

On the other side of the building you can see the view to the South (Lower Manhattan) and the Empire State Building is prominent.

Terrible iPhone photo, but the only one of the two of us together:

While we were walking to the elevators to go down, I looked out a window and saw the Empire State Building framed in the window and signage on the outside of the building.

By then, it was past time for us to check into our room at the hotel, so we headed back. Here is our room:

That bed was heavenly. It was topped with a feather bed, four down pillows, and a down comforter. And really, really soft sheets. Loved it.

The bathroom was quite large for a NY hotel. The rainfall shower head was perfect. And because it's a French hotel, the toiletry products were Hermes (soap, shampoo, lotion, etc.)

After we got settled, we took off our shoes and promptly fell asleep on the wonderful bed. After a little nap, we got up and freshened up for dinner and a Broadway show. We stayed really casual that night and did not regret it.

On our way to dinner, we passed through Times Square, which was also only a few blocks from our hotel.

We had planned to eat at John's Pizzeria that night before our show. It's supposed to be one of the best pizza places in NYC. Well, that's a well-known fact and the crowds proved it. Unfortunately for us, even though we showed up almost 2 hours before our show, their upstairs seating was closed and therefore, they were packed. We determined after a little while that we had no hope of getting to our show on time, so we bailed...hoping to return after the show. Thank goodness we'd had a late lunch.

We figured we could get a light snack to hold us until after the show. We spotted one of a million street vendors selling pretzels and decided to go for it. The grape soda was great, but the pretzel will now be known as the worst pretzel I've ever had. It tasted like cardboard with salt.

We went in a couple of stores on Times Square since we had some time to kill. The Disney Store was so fun. Times Square is so fascinating and almost mesmerizing to me. It's always changing because the ads are changing and there's just so much going on. Everywhere you look there's something different to see. The fact that it's all lit up is catchy too.

Finally, it was time for our show...The Lion King. I had seen this show years ago, but really enjoyed it a second time. It was Casey's first time to see it. We both thought it was fantastic. The puppetry, the costumes, the sets, and the hauntingly beautiful music make for a spectacular show.

And after the show (at about 10:30pm), John's was still open! We finally got our pizza. Did it live up to its reputation? Absolutely. It was delicious. I just love wood-baked pizza.

We sat in the upstairs seating area, which was open at that point. The photo below shows one of the four ovens (two downstairs, two upstairs) that cook the pizzas. I loved that they made them outside of the kitchens so that you can watch them toss and stretch the dough while you're waiting for your pizza.

A little walk through Times Square at night (about 11:30pm) on the way back to the hotel. It was still as bright and packed as it is during the day.

Our hotel at night...so welcoming.

At night in the lobby, they light about 20 candles on this table with the fresh flowers and branches. I think the photo does not fully show how beautiful that table looked. And then, we literally fell into bed after this long, but fun day.

All of the photos taken on the trip (with the exception of iPhone photos) were taken with a lens I rented from BorrowLenses.com. I rented the same lens as I did for our Florida trip in 2010...the Canon EF 16-35mm f/2.8 L II USM. It was just as much fun using it to photograph a city as it was on the beach. I love it.

Preschool Program: 2012

2012-05-18T12:46:00.000-05:00

Last Thursday we went to Ethan's year-end preschool program. This year, they did a Sesame Street theme and the stage was so clever and cute. The 3 year-olds were Cookie Monster.

Here is the whole group (2 classes of 3 year-olds):

And some close-ups of Ethan's performance. He is so expressive when he sings and he totally gets into it. The motions, the words. I don't think he missed a beat. Except the two times he stopped to wave at us. It's so fun to watch him perform since we don't often see him in that situation. He seems to love it.

Here's our Cookie Monster after the show. He was so proud of himself and had a great time.

Pop was able to come watch the performance. (Mimi was not feeling well so she couldn't make it.)

I'd like to do a tally sometime of the photos I have with Logan eating a snack. They are numerous. But I love this family shot.

Logan: 21 Months

2012-05-17T13:31:00.001-05:00

Logan turned 21 months old on May 9. It will only be three more months until we have a 2 year old. That's just nuts. It's hard to watch your baby grow up, even if I totally love this stage. Logan is so eager to grow up and do all the things he sees Ethan doing. He still copies everything we do and is a master imitator.

This child is very expressive and passionate. He has a wide range of emotions and is not afraid to express them! When he's sweet, he's sweeter than honey. When he's not happy, nobody is happy! Case in point...the next two photos were taken about 2 seconds apart.

At 21 months, Logan finally got some more teeth. He'd only had 6 since 14 months. Now he's got 1.5 more. He has also recently been saying so many new words. Just in the last three weeks or so. It's amazing how it explodes all at once and kids start trying to say everything. His most common words are daddy, cars, yes, eyes, nose, mouth, ears, ball. But he's said many, many more recently. I love hearing his sweet little voice.

Do you see that round thing Logan is holding in his hands (below)? I was giving him different things like sticks, leaves, acorns, etc. to show him and keep him busy (and maybe still) while I was taking photos. I handed him that last one on our way out and sat him back down in the stroller. Not 10 seconds later he was screaming. I looked down and there were huge ants crawling all over his hands, arms, and chest. I figured out pretty quickly that they were coming from the hollow nut shell he was holding. It seems that the ants were using it as a home and were not pleased to be disturbed. And I was not pleased that they were crawling all over my baby. So we quickly parted ways. At least they weren't fire ants or anything (they didn't bite him). And after all that, Logan was mad at me for kicking his "ball" away.

He was back to normal in 2 seconds after I gave him some pretzels. Kicked back and happy to be in the stroller. Life is good when there is a snack involved.

Height: 34 inches
Weight: 26.2 pounds

Chihuly at the Dallas Arboretum

2012-05-16T16:00:00.004-05:00

Logan and I spontaneously decided (well, I decided) to pop down to the Arboretum yesterday morning to take a few photos to commemorate his 21st month (to be posted soon) while Ethan was at preschool.

I expected to go in, take a few photos and get home in time to frost cupcakes for my mom's birthday party at our house last night before having to pick up Ethan. But, I didn't expect to be completely blown away by the Chihuly exhibit currently at the Arboretum. I knew it was there because I get all the newsletters, emails, etc. since we're members. But I just didn't think about it that much.

It was fascinating and totally beautiful. The sculptures are integrated into the Arboretum's landscapes. They're like colorful, sparkling jewelry for the gardens. You absolutely have to make your way down to the Arboretum before the exhibit leaves (which is a while...November 5). If you're a fan of art, or really, even if you're not...just go. It's amazing.

I found the sculptures completely enchanting, so naturally, I wanted to take photos. But I only had my 50mm lens with me because I was expecting to only photograph Logan. I was kicking myself for "packing lightly" this time because I would have loved a wider angle. Even so, I could not resist snapping a few quick shots with my 50mm, though they hardly do the art justice:

All the sculptures are beautiful, but I especially loved the ones in the water features. The reflections were gorgeous. I love how in some of them, the reflection is so clear that it's hard to tell where the glass ends and the water begins.

Those crazy sculptures in the photo on the right remind me of truffula trees.

Mother's Day 2012

2012-05-14T14:47:00.000-05:00

This was probably my favorite Mother's Day yet. I got fun and special surprises all weekend! Friday, I got flowers from my three boys. Saturday, Casey played with the boys at home all day while my mom and I went antiquing and tea-drinking in downtown McKinney. It was the Mother's Day present I never knew I wanted (because I didn't think of it...Casey did). It was wonderful and so fun! I love spending time with my mom, but the day was even more fun because we actually both found some awesome things (maybe I'll share what I got later). We even got to eat at Gloria's that evening with Casey, the boys, and my brother and his wife. Fun day!

Then, on Sunday, the boys gave me their cards, which were perfect and so very sweet. And we had lunch with my mom after church. Then, I got to take a long nap (because Logan woke us up at 5am) and Casey and I watched a movie after the boys went to bed to wrap up another great day!

I am thankful for all the mothers in my life. Both my mom and Casey's mom support our family and teach me what it means to love and serve. They are amazing. And the boys are super lucky to have a Mimi and a Nonnie like them. They love our boys so much and I am so grateful for that. And I am thankful to be raising my kids alongside some priceless friends who encourage me, support me, and make me laugh! I am blessed.

My one gift request for Mother's Day was to get a few snapshots of me with my boys. So, yesterday afternoon we headed out to our front yard. Casey took these for me and I absolutely love them. My boys definitely took care of me this weekend and made me feel very loved and appreciated.

And then I took these of the boys.

Looking at a plane flying by...

Funny faces...

Kristen (of Kristen Duke Photography) is sponsoring a link up (every Monday) called "Capture the Joy." The idea is for you to get in front of the camera with your kids (or other loved ones) so that you can be part of the memories too. As I've mentioned before, I think that is so important. Take a look at some of the entries and link to your photos too!

Computer Down, Desk Up

2012-05-11T14:19:00.001-05:00

As the title suggests, my computer has been "down" (actually unplugged and shoved off to the side) since we've been back from New York. So, I haven't had the chance to even look at the photos I took on the trip and it's killing me! But, the reason my computer has been unplugged is worth it! I have a new desk in my office! It has been installed over the last two days, displacing my computer, printer, and everything else I needed to get back into the swing of things after a trip.

But, here's an iPhone photo of my new desk, which obviously needs a few things to make it complete. Longer screws for the drawer hardware (which is why it's missing). Touch up paint needs to dry. And it needs to be loaded up with whatever I decide to store in those cabinets and drawers. Is it weird that I'm looking forward to organizing them? I really can't wait.

Back from NYC

2012-05-09T22:06:00.000-05:00

Casey and I just returned today from a 4.5 day trip to New York City. Thus the recent silence on the blog. It was just the two of us and the big city. We had the best time. If it had not been for the boys, we would not have wanted to leave. Even then...just kidding! We were so ready to see those two!

We're now facing the realities of life smack in the middle of the week. Casey has to go to work tomorrow. Ethan has to go to preschool and he has his end of the year program tomorrow night. Even though I'd kind of like a day (or two) to re-enter reality slowly, it's not going to happen. At least my mom washed all the boys clothes for me (she and my dad kept the boys for us). Casey's mom did the same thing the last time we went on vacation and they kept Ethan. Bless them both. Our moms know a thing or two.

It's just plain weird waking up in New York City and going to bed in your own home. I always think about that when coming/going on a trip.

Casey and I are so refreshed from our fun time together. In fact, it will be weird to be apart tomorrow since we've spent so much time together in the past few days. The boys and I will have to get back into a rhythm here at home since they've been at Mimi and Pop's house. And then there's the 900 or so photos from our trip to sort through. So, more of those and details of the trip as time (and life) allows.

New Hair Cut

2012-05-02T23:15:00.000-05:00

Logan got his hair cut short the other day, and today was Ethan's turn. I am so excited about the shorter hair cuts, especially for summer. They are so easy and (I think) cute. However, as I mentioned before with Logan, Ethan now looks about a year older, which is a lot when you're only almost four.

Here he is...not the most willing subject...before his hair cut.

And during the cut. The iPhone keeps him occupied the whole time because it's pretty much the only time I let him play with it. He's watching videos of himself (and Logan). This tactic works with Logan too. It keeps them both virtually still during their cuts.

We don't go to a kids hair cut salon because we are lucky enough that our stylist, who has been cutting Casey's and my hair for about 9 years, cuts both of the boys hair for a really great price and we can get it done at the same time as our cuts. She's got two kids of her own so she's great at cutting the boys' hair.

And here's the big boy (with his blanket) after his cut. His cowlick (on his right side) shows up more with this cut, but it's also more manageable. Such a handsome boy...I love him.

And I love this one too, who insisted that I take his photo after taking Ethan's. He plopped himself down right beside Ethan and "told" me to take his photo. Even though he didn't want to look at the camera, I just love his expression.

TGIF

2012-04-28T20:17:00.001-05:00

Fridays are always awesome. But last night was a really fun way to end the work week and head into the weekend...we went to the Rangers game with my parents and some friends (Lindsay and Jake).

My parents were gracious enough to share their tickets with us...they had purchased 6 as part of a fundraiser. So, we got to experience the Hall of Fame suite along with catering, which was fun. And we had stadium seats to watch the game.

The only thing that could have made the night better is if the Rangers had won. There was an exciting, almost-rally in the 8th inning, but it didn't amount to anything.

Something made the 9th inning pretty great, though...ice cream!

Thanks to Lindsay and my mom for all of the above photos (taken with their iPhones).

The best thing about a Friday night Rangers game is the fireworks show. We stepped just outside the ballpark to watch them since they would have been impossible to see from our seats. I love fireworks and I may have gone a little overboard taking photos with my phone. They were setting them off about 50 yards from where we were watching. It was loud!

Logan in the Grass

2012-04-27T14:24:00.001-05:00

This little one got a hair cut this week that I think makes him look way too old. He was just being way too good in the chair and she just kept cutting. Actually, I think it's cute. And I definitely like the low-maintenance aspect of it being shorter.

After his nap yesterday, we went out front for a little while. He was in a really good mood. Must have been a good nap.

He's been really into playing with "dars" (cars) lately. It seems like he's got one in each hand at all times while he's awake. No matter where we are.

And this child, who will not put any new food in his mouth, tried to eat a leaf. Go figure.

Sleeping

2012-04-22T21:30:00.000-05:00

An Early Birthday Celebration

2012-04-20T14:13:00.001-05:00

This week Ethan celebrated his birthday with his preschool class and teachers. It's more than a month before his actual birthday, which is May 25. But over half his class has summer birthdays so they had to spread the celebrations out so that each child could have his/her special day.

He got a blessing and song just for him during chapel while he was up on stage. He got to wear a birthday crown, and I brought cupcakes and treats up for him and his friends right after lunch.

When I walked in the room, Ethan ran up to me and gave me a big hug. He was really excited to share the cupcakes we had made together the day before with his classmates.

Mimi came with me, which was super fun for Ethan.

And, of course, Logan was there too. I didn't let him have a cupcake this time (mean mommy, I know) but I did bring some vanilla wafers for him to munch on so that he wouldn't feel left out.

Ethan loved passing out his birthday treat bags to all his friends in class. They actually went straight into their backpacks to take home because rest/quiet time was happening right after we left. Candy, stickers and 3 (almost 4) year olds is not a good recipe for a successful rest time.

In the photo on the right, Ethan is picking out his treasure for the day because he followed all the rules and listened to his teachers. This happens at the end of every day of preschool...not just his birthday. Recently, he has been picking out treasures and giving them to me, Casey, and Logan, which I think is so sweet and thoughtful of him. But on this day, he picked out some plastic dog tags just for himself!

Even though it's really early and Ethan is now constantly asking when we're having his "other" birthday party, it was really fun for him to have his special day at school. And it makes me realize that he really will be turning 4 in a little over a month. Better get going with the party plans, I guess. And coming to terms with the fact that my first born will be 4. Wow.

Playing on the Playground

2012-04-14T21:07:00.000-05:00

I love watching my boys play on the playground. It really brings back memories of my childhood. They play in some of the same ways I did as a little girl...they love the gravel. They walk up the slide. They swing on their stomachs on the swing. They twist the swing chains and then let go, spinning as they unwind. They make up pretend games and run around in a make-believe world. They get hot and tired from playing hard like all kids should.

We have a small neighborhood playground that's about a 15 minute walk from our house, which is just perfect in the kind of weather we've been having. The boys love playing somewhere other than our back yard sometimes.

The walk is an adventure in itself. This is usually the scene...Ethan runs ahead, Logan desperately tries to keep up, and I bring up the rear with the double stroller. Because heaven help me if I didn't have a stroller for the totally worn out children on the way back home.

We usually stop to look at things along the way. Weeds, for instance. They can be fun.

Or this Knock-Out Rose, which is actually from our yard.

When we turn the corner and see the playground up ahead, the boys take off running again to start climbing.

In the photo below, Ethan is meticulously putting the pebbles through the holes in the playground floor. He spent forever doing this before he would go down the slide.

Logan would take handfuls of the gravel and then slowly let them drop through his fingers. Seriously, he did that over, and over, and over. And you may notice in many of these photos that he is clutching his water. That child would not put his water down to play. He insisted on carrying it with him.

Logan goes down all slides on his tummy like this. He is not totally comfortable going down sitting up yet. He goes down our stairs like this too. That's fine with me. All too soon he'll be going down everything head first like Ethan does.

In these next two photos, Ethan is talking on a secret phone and then hanging it up. And that kid would not keep his shoes on. Mostly because it's so much easier to run up the slide with bare feet.

I love this last photo of my boys. They have such a fun time together (mostly). Ethan can make Logan laugh like no other. Logan wants to do everything that Ethan does. And Ethan wants Logan right there beside him. When they are sweet with each other, they are really sweet.

You can tell by the photos just how much of a mess the boys were...sweaty, dirty, disheveled hair. And the photos are just as much of a hot mess as the boys. The lighting conditions were not ideal and I just stood back and let them do their thing (I didn't guide them were to play so I could get the best shot). But I still love these snapshots of their play that day.

Gift Wrap Drawer Liner

2012-04-13T23:45:00.000-05:00

I'm getting a few things done for my office. One of my first purchases was this file cabinet from Home Decorators Collection. (It was part of my idea board for this room.) The boys and I put it together...Ethan actually screwed on the legs all by himself. Too bad I actually like it better without the legs. But he didn't mind. It turns out that it's just as fun to screw the legs off as it is to screw them on.

When I first put the drawers together I was thinking they were a little blah...unfinished wood. And I wasn't about to spend time painting them. So I thought I might like to line them with some sort of drawer liner. That's not a thought that I would usually have. I don't know what got into me. Probably Pinterest (I almost used maps...love that idea!).

Then one day, I came across this amazing silver chevron gift wrap at Fifth & Hazel and I knew I had my drawer liner. Obviously, it isn't actually drawer liner, but it's a thick, glossy gift wrap so it worked great.

To line the drawers, I just measured the inside bottom of each one separately, used a level to mark the lines on the back side of the paper, and then cut. I used a light mist of spray adhesive to adhere the paper to the bottom of the drawer. I know some people use Mod Podge, and that's probably pretty durable, but I wanted a clean finish on my paper. And honestly, I didn't want to take the time to mess with Mod Podge. The spray adhesive literally only took seconds.

And I only used one out of the 3 sheets of gift wrap, so I may use the rest to line the drawers of my desk. When I get a desk. Or I can use it for something crazy like wrapping gifts.

Easter 2012

2012-04-09T14:36:00.001-05:00

This year's Easter celebrations were great. Ethan is starting to understand about what we're really celebrating on this holiday and both boys loved the Easter egg hunt. Only one thing we'll do differently next year...have our hunt and other fun family stuff on Saturday. Just so we can take our time having fun. Then, on Sunday, church service can have it's own time and importance too.

The boys at the back door ready to be let loose to find eggs. See Ethan scanning the back yard for eggs? And Logan is about to bust loose. I only made them stand there for about 10 seconds to get this shot before they were out of the gate.

Ethan knew just what to do and had the best time finding the eggs in some fun spots around the yard.

We have two large purple eggs that I like to put fun surprises in each year (other than candy). My parents did that for my brother and I when we were kids, and it was always so much fun finding the big egg!

Of course, there's only two (one for each kid), so after Ethan found one of them (with Flick from A Bug's Life inside), we explained that he had to leave the other big egg for Logan to find (with Atta from A Bug's Life). We recently got that movie (free from Disney Rewards!) and the boys have loved it, so these characters were perfect for this year.

At first, Logan did not know what to do for the egg hunt, but he picked up on it pretty quickly. But, he wouldn't carry his basket! I think it may have been a little big for him. Plus, why carry it when you have a sweet daddy who will follow you around and carry it for you?!

After we made sure we found all the eggs, we all headed inside to see what was inside them. Ethan wasted no time cracking open his eggs.

I don't think Logan even knew there were things inside his eggs until we sat down and started opening them.

This year I did something that I will probably continue to do in future years....I didn't have a basket full of stuff for the boys. I only got them a few things (coloring books, the Bug's Life characters, and Dr. Seuss books), and I made them all part of the egg hunt. The Bug's Life characters were in those big eggs, which were so fun for them to find. Then, I wrote messages inside a couple of eggs that said they were supposed to trade that slip of paper for another surprise. Then I gave them their books. It was fun making it a surprise that they found in their eggs rather than just having it in the basket to begin with. Like I said, I think I'll do this going forward. And I'm glad we cut down on the amount of stuff we gave them this Easter...it was just right.

Dyeing Easter Eggs

2012-04-08T16:33:00.001-05:00

Somehow, this was our first year to die Easter eggs. It probably has something to do with my inability to handle messes. The thought of little cups filled with dye that stains mixed with little children sort of terrifies me. But, I'm getting over it. We did set up outside and wore shirts that could stand to be dyed. The boys ended up doing really well and hardly made a mess at all. I'm still glad we did it outside...the weather was perfect and I didn't have to clean up anything.

What do you think Logan did when I first handed him an egg? He pounded it on the table, of course. So, one poor egg was pretty badly beaten, but he was softer with the next one. And he was occupied for a little while with pulling off the shell from the damaged one.

Ethan got right to work drawing and picking out which dye color to use for each egg.

Lifting out Ethan's first egg...he thought it was so cool to see his writing and the color on the egg.

Logan got a turn with the crayon and actually scribbled quite a bit. His egg turned out so pretty!

We only had three colors so we had to have a quick lesson on what color combinations yield other colors. Ethan was so interested in that part. He especially loved making purple eggs for me, since he knows it's my favorite color.

Dyeing eggs was fun and we ended up with (almost) a dozen beautiful eggs...

A Visit to The Dallas Zoo

2012-04-07T22:29:00.002-05:00

This past Friday we went to The Dallas Zoo as a family and with Nonnie, who was able to meet us there. This was my first time to the Dallas Zoo in a long, long time. In fact, I really had no memory of it at all...that was how long it had been. We went to the Ft. Worth Zoo about a year and a half ago and it was great. The Dallas Zoo is always billed as a step down from the Ft. Worth Zoo, but I was happy to find out that I liked it just as much, if not more. It definitely has the better location for us, which is a big deal when you're carting around kids and would rather spend more of your time actually at the zoo rather than in the car. I could list the other things I liked about it, but I'll let the photos do the talking (along with a little commentary, of course!).

We made the carousel our first stop because it's right by the entrance. Ethan specifically chose that animal to ride, so Logan got the ostrich by default. They both just giggled and squealed the whole time. You can't see Logan's face, but he was thrilled.

We got to the zoo right when it opened so it wasn't very crowded (yet), and the weather was perfect.

One of the things I liked about the Dallas Zoo is that we got so many up-close (very close) encounters with the animals. Ethan is face to face with that penguin and he thought that was so awesome!

I thought all the statues of the animals around the zoo were pretty cool. But Logan wouldn't go near them! He did not know what to think of those things.

Here's another close encounter. That chimp came right up to the glass to collect a piece of food.

The rocks throughout the zoo are just begging to be climbed. Ethan definitely burned some energy when we first got there running from animal to animal and climbing on things. Then he burned out later on and got to ride in the stroller...good thing we brought the double.

I love, love, love this photo of Ethan and Casey. I'm framing it for sure.

This little one was so cute and so interested in the animals one minute, and then tired, teething, and fussy the next minute. But he really did great. I think he liked the zoo! This was pretty much his first time since he was only 3.5 months old the last time we went.

The monorail (despite the wait to get on) was really fun. It gave us a chance to sit down and still see some animals at the same time. Plus, anything that moves and resembles a train is a hit with my boys. They loved it.

This photo of me and Logan was taken on the large observation deck in the Giants of the Savanna part of the zoo, which I loved. The deck is huge, open, and you can see several animals right there. The elephants, ostriches, impala, giraffe, and others are here. Having been to Africa, I can say that this truly reminded me of one of the safari camps we visited. It's one of the newer parts of the zoo, and I think they've done a great job with it.

I thought this safari vehicle was so cool...one side is in front of the glass where kids can pretend to drive, and the other half is behind the glass where the cheetahs live. And they are not shy about jumping in the back of the truck, apparently! This was another close encounter...and it was really cool for the boys to see a big cat up close like that.

Then, around the corner, they got to see some other big cats up close...the lions. They were all napping in one area right by the glass.

We had to head home (because the boys were worn out!) before we got to spend any significant time at the Childrens' Zoo, which looked so fun. But next time we will definitely make time for that! We also ran into my friend, Mary, and her family while we were there. We made an erroneous loop back around the gorilla trail, but if we hadn't, we would not have run into them there!

Bluebonnets 2012

2012-03-31T22:55:00.000-05:00

We Texans sort of go nuts over bluebonnets. It's the state flower, yes. But also, they're really beautiful. When you come up on a huge, thick field of bluebonnets (or any flower, really), it's breathtaking. The fields that we visit (not on the side of the road, by the way) for our photos are really gorgeous. The bluebonnets are 12-14 inches high and spread far and wide. It's really something. This year, they cropped up really early since we basically had no winter.

Logan's face in this one cracks me up!

This is not the first time Logan has been photographed with a raisin box in his hands.

Enjoying their lollipops again...bribes for taking a few photos.

This year we took two trips to the bluebonnet fields. And Mimi came along on the second trip to help with the boys and take a few shots of me with them. (All the remaining shots are from the second trip...thus the different lighting. It was cloudy that day.)

This next one is an outtake...Ethan literally fell off my lap.

I promise I'm not trying to favor Logan by posting all these photos of him and none of Ethan. It's just that there was some unusually defiant behavior from the 3 year old (almost 4 year old) crowd on this particular outing.

In fact, while we were trying to get those photos of me and Logan, Ethan was running all over the place. Then, he started playing peek-a-boo by ducking down in the flowers and popping up. Logan loved it and the flowers really were high enough to completely hide him.

This little turkey has recently been pulling his shirt up to touch his belly button all the time. It is a strange fascination with him. A little weird, but mostly cute and funny.

Pretending to sleep in the bluebonnets...

PS - Did you know that it is not illegal to pick bluebonnets in Texas? That may sound weird to non-Texans, but those of us who grew up here have probably always heard that you weren't supposed to pick them. But that's not true! What else have I been falsely believing all these years?

Lake House March 2012

2012-03-31T00:14:00.002-05:00

Last weekend our family of four spent a couple of days at the lake house again. Because of certain circumstances (work, projects, etc.) it ended up not being the best weekend to be away from home, but despite all of that we had two really relaxing days out there...and the weather was absolutely perfect.

Of course, we fed the horses again. But this time, Logan actually did it too. Previously, he has been a little scared of the big horses, but this time he let Casey hold a carrot in his hand and lift it up to the horse. He did it a few times and then he was done.

Next came throwing rocks at bales of hay. I am not sure who started this, but I'm pretty sure it was Casey. Sometimes I am acutely aware that I am the only female in our family...this was one of those times. It would never occur to me to throw rocks at a bale of hay, but the boys loved it.

Ethan wanted to climb all over the hay inside the barn too. He was ready to stay in there a while, but Casey's allergies made us leave pretty quickly. Logan didn't want anything to do with the hay.

I only have iPhone photos of the boys throwing rocks into the lake. For some reason, I didn't bring my big camera and it was weird how naked I felt without it. Anyway...as always, the boys loved emptying their bucket of rocks into the lake. All three of them enjoyed it. What is it with boys and throwing rocks?

That shadow below is the only photo that was taken during the weekend in which I appear. And it's just my shadow. In one way, that is good since I was wearing glorified PJ's the whole weekend with no makeup. But in another way, that's bad since I should be included in more of our family photos. Next time I will remember to pack regular clothes, but I probably still won't put on makeup. However, I will hand over the camera to Casey anyway.

Ethan's Room: Tweaked

2012-03-26T13:32:00.001-05:00

In 2010, I turned Ethan's nursery into his big boy room. Until recently, the only thing that had changed in that room were the bed rails, which came off after a few weeks. But after a few changes, this is what the room looks like today:

Not an entirely new room by any means, but there are a few tweaks. The new bedspread is what started it all. I found it on sale at West Elm one day and knew it would be perfect.

I have changed out those photos over the bed twice since first hanging them. I just update them whenever I take new photos of Ethan that I think would look good up there. That's one of the wonderful things about frames...easy to change out the photos.

One of the main changes to the room is that I added things on the shelves and night stand. Previously, I left them empty because I didn't want 2-year-old Ethan to be distracted by toys or books when he should be sleeping. But now that he's older, I knew that wouldn't be a problem anymore and I was glad to fill in those empty spaces.

On the night stand, I added a new lamp shade (from Target) and added some navy ribbon trim. Don't look too closely...it's not a perfect job! The basket underneath was actually one of four that I used in his nursery (and Logan's too), but it used to be a teal blue color. So, I spray painted it navy and stuck it in there. It's from Pottery Barn Kids just like the night stand so it fits perfectly. The colorful books are all from Half Price Books.

Another thing I did was remove about half of the stuff I had on these wagon shelves. Yes, half. I don't know what I was thinking, but these things were packed and it was making me claustrophobic just looking at them. I like them much better now. (The wagon shelves were from Pottery Barn Kids on clearance a couple of years ago.)

The shelves have just a few new things...the red truck is from Hobby Lobby, the blue books are hardback copies of The Hardy Boys books that I got for $1.50 a piece from Half Price Books. The "E" is a painted paper letter from JoAnn's Fabrics. The vintage skate board was an ebay find that I got back when we first re-did this room and I just didn't know where to put it. It's actually a really cool wooden board. The red change bank was my brother's when he was young and the metal plane is from Hobby Lobby. The big blue aircraft book is another find from Half Price Books, and the glass jar from Target is filled with cheap red skate board wheels I found on Amazon.

I didn't change anything about this wall collage. I still love it and so does Ethan.

One last thing that I changed are the drapes. The navy panels are black-out panels and I had previously just kept them closed all the time, but that was bugging me. So, I had a red roman shade made by Windows by Melissa on Etsy, which is lined in blackout fabric. Now, I can lower the shade, but keep the panels back in place and I like the look of the window so much better.

Household Notebook Update

2012-03-22T17:37:00.002-05:00

Back when I made my first Household Notebook, I had one child, no iPhone, and there was no such thing as Pinterest. So, I thought it might be time for an update as to how I use my household notebook these days. Because I definitely use it differently than I did back then.

First of all, it has a new cover (I've had this new one for about a year now). The cover (without our last name on it) is available for download in the free printables section if you want to use it.

These days, my household notebook is not something that I refer to daily. (More on that below). But, it is still something I really value as an organizational tool and time-saver for me. My notebook really serves as a place to corral ideas/thoughts/lists and to be a portable filing system for my most-used household documents.

You can take a look at that first post for a list of the tabs in my original notebook. But these are the tabs that have been removed because I never used them:

The Blog: if I have a post idea, I just create a draft version (even if it's just the title) and it reminds me later what I had in mind.

Ethan/Logan: For the boys, I have a file for each of them in my file drawer that contains all sorts of stuff pertaining to their growth records, preschool registration, etc. It's more stuff than I wanted to keep in the binder and none of it do I refer to frequently. I no longer print out a schedule for the boys. It's second nature to me and even our parents (the most frequent babysitters) have their schedules down.

Cleaning and Household Tasks: I think most people find it really helpful to have this tab in their household notebook. But for me, it just took up space. Right after Ethan was born and I started staying home full time, I figured out what the best days were for me to tackle certain household tasks. I have pretty much stuck to that schedule (give or take a little tweaking) since then and again, it's second nature to me now. I know that I do clothing laundry on Wednesdays, sheets and bedding on Thursdays, etc. I still have a copy of this master schedule on my computer, but I really didn't need a printed copy in my binder or a whole tab taken up by this topic since I never looked at it.

Craft Ideas: Well, I hardly take the time to craft anymore. I have had to pare down my hobbies since having children, so I generally stick to photography and reading. I have little time for anything else and those are the most important ones to me. And also, Pinterest happened. Any little projects or crafts I see that I want to reference later are pinned to one of my boards.

Library Books: I just never got into a rhythm of using this tab at all. We do not go to the library as regularly as I would like, although with Logan getting older (and not napping 50 times a day), I might add this to our weekly schedule...especially this summer. But even so, I think I will use a different system for keeping track of our books and when they are due. When we have gotten books from the library, I just designated a place for them and made sure they were always returned to that spot after we read them. Then, I made a calendar entry on my iPhone for the day they were due with a little notation on how many books we checked out that time so I can make sure they all made it back.

Here are the tabs I use now:

1. Contacts: I still have a page at the front of this section that has all of our important contact numbers and information. The contacts on this page are: doctors, pharmacy, and poison control.

I've added two new things to this section. 1) A two-page list of household contacts that I've kept over the years. These include: painter, electrician, realtor, and various other contractors. 2) A business card organizer to keep contact info handy for contractors, repairmen, etc, that I might want to call in the future. Some of these are: tree trimming, carpet cleaner, custom embroidery for kids stuff, landscaping, paint and body shop, insurance agent, etc. You can get those 3-ring business card sheets at any office supply store (maybe even Target). I have three sheets and only two card slots left!

2. To-Do: I no longer use this section for daily to-dos. I just found that having my notebook constantly open so I could see my to-do list was not appealing to me. Instead, I keep a small notepad on my desk on which I keep a running list of things I need to accomplish. Usually I start a new list about once every week. I've been doing it this way for a while now and it really works for me. But, I still use this section to keep a list of long-term projects: paint front door, remove drapery in dining room, add shelves to office closet, design and print family photo albums, clean out files. This is not a massive list that has everything I want to do to the house or organizationally, etc. It is a list meant for projects that really are a priority for me in the coming months, and at the furthest, to the end of the year.

3. Menus / Meals: I use this section differently now too. And mostly because of Pinterest! If I see a recipe that I want to make, I usually encounter it online so I just pin it to my recipe board. I've even looked up recipes that I've seen in a magazine and pinned it from the website so I don't have to keep track of a paper copy. This works well because when I sit down to do my menus for the week (I still menu plan weekly), I can look at my board if I need ideas.

I also no longer print out a copy of my menus for the week or my grocery list for my notebook. I found that it just wasted paper. I print out one copy of our weekly menus that I keep in a drawer in the kitchen so that I can refer to it throughout the week. And I print one grocery list right before I go to the store.

One change to this section is that I now keep a list of favorite recipes so that if I need a winner, I can go look at what my family really loved or the recipe that was a big hit with friends. This is just a hand-written list that I add to when I try a new recipe that's a keeper! (Some of them aren't).

4. Gifts: I still use this section a lot, especially at Christmas time. I keep a wish list for each of us (me, Casey, Ethan and Logan) so that when I think of (or hear about) something that person would like or need as a gift, I can write it down. This is so handy and I can even give out ideas to family members when they ask for birthday or Christmas ideas. I also still make a yearly spreadsheet for Christmas gifts so I can stay on budget and keep track of what has been purchased and what gifts still need to be bought. There is also a sheet in this section to write down any ideas I have for other family members that might occur to me at random times.

5. Goals: I still have this section and I use it for mainly personal goals, but I think it would be a great place to put a family mission statement or yearly goal for your family. That's something we've discussed doing but haven't tackled yet.

(These two tabs are new to my notebook:)

6. Invitations Pocket: I keep my calendar exclusively on Google Calendars, which synchs with my iPhone. But, I do like a place to keep any invitations we receive for events we plan on attending. If we aren't attending, I RSVP and then discard the invite in the recycle bin. If we're going, I RSVP, enter it on my calendar, and then stash the invite in a pocket in my notebook so I can refer to it later. This is helpful because it ensures I don't loose the vital info on the invite. (My dividers in my notebook each have a pocket on the front.)

7. Movies / Books: These are two simple lists of movies we want to see and books I want to read (or want to get for the boys to read). I also have a list of books I've lent out (and to whom) that I want to make sure I get back. We don't rush out to the theater every time there is a movie coming out that we want to see, so sometimes I jot it down on my list to reference later when we're looking to rent/stream a movie. (I have to credit Mary, who commented on my last notebook post that a books tab would be a good idea. She had several other good ideas in that comment too!)

8. Coupons: This is where I keep any internet-related coupons that I might want to use. Coupons that are for in-store use are kept in a small plastic envelope in my purse so I always have them with me. But coupons that are for internet stores or that can only be used online are stored in the pocket of this tab's divider. My notebook stays on my desk mostly, which is right by the computer, so I have these handy if I want to use one.

9. Trips: This one only gets used if I'm planning a trip, but it sure is handy to have a place to stash all the related documents as I'm planning. It might be a packing list, itinerary, handwritten list of things we'd like to see or do, etc.

My notebook is actually a little smaller than it used to be. It is more streamlined and efficient. When I set up my notebook the first time, I had not used one before so I didn't know what would work for me or not. In using it for a little while, I realized what I wanted to keep, get rid of, and add. Organization only works if you have a system that will stick. If it doesn't work for you, then you won't stick to it. In that case, change is good!