The end of the day is a good time of day. Usually while I get dinner prepped, Geoff will lace up V's sneakers, take her outside, and the two of them will soak up the last of the days light together until dinners ready. (Skateboarding/frisbee-tossing/bike riding/watering plants/playing soccer/chasing each other/exploring/you name it!) Ivy loves it and usually doesn't want to come back inside until she's gotten her last fill of Vitamin D, has worked up an apetite, is desperately needing a bath, and is rocking a very, very soggy diaper. Last week Geoff pulled out the camera and filmed a few short clips while doing their thing. While this may just look like a two minute video of a toddler running rampant in the street to you, it makes me really happy because I know what a genuinely good, fun Dad is behind that camera, running right along. Just two adventurous peas in a pod, those two.
4/30/12
4/26/12
4/23/12
Double Strollers! Diaper Bags! Dilemmas!
This past weekend Geoff and I set out to the nearest baby 'super-store' simply to explore all of our double stroller options. I quickly remembered why I haven't stepped foot inside one of those places since I was last pregnant; the size, the prices, the millions of brands, the millions of options within each brand, the abundance of cheesy butterflies and giraffes! THE FLUORESCENT LIGHTS!!! Okay, I'll stop there before I break into hives.
I am fully aware that there are much more pressing matters in life than what your kids (unwillingly) sit in from time to time, but once we started looking and comparing strollers, the room felt as if it was going to start spinning at any minute. (That may have had a little something to do with Ivy wanting to be pushed around in a circle by way of display stroller though...) Anyway, I decided that picking out a double stroller just wasn't in the cards that day, and left even more lost then when we had started out on our quest. Which leaves me here, asking for any advice on the best, cheapest, and most compact double stroller in your opinion. (Or if double strollers are even necessary for that matter..?)
Anyway, before leaving the store empty handed, I realized I should at least try to cross something off my shopping list. That's when I trekked over to the diaper bag aisle, where I was again- sorely disappointed. When I was pregnant with Ivy everything I looked at in regards to diaper bags just wasn't me. (Think more like Mary Poppins meets Arrested Developments, "Rita", aka Mr. F) So many flowers, so much velvet! Add that to the fact that they all seemed to be super pricey, and I decided an oversized purse would work just fine. (And it totally did/does, I just want something more durable that's designed for my specific needs now I guess. Boy did I get high maintenance or what?!) So again, if any of you have any recommendations on diaper bags that you love, feel free to help a girl out. As you can probably guess by looking at some of my favorites I've compiled below, the less it looks like a diaper bag- the better. Some of these are a pretty penny, especially when you consider all the disgusting stuff you will most likely be shoving inside of them on most days, but I'm willing to splurge if that's what it takes! (By the way, splurge is not only a gross word, but a relative one. I'm kind of a cheapskate, so nothing too crazy.) Here is a premature thank you for any helpful advice or links you veteran mama's may give out.
THANK YOU!
1. Ty Lucas // 2. Perry Mackin // 3. Petunia Scout // 4. Marc Jacobs // 5. Kate Spade
// 6. Oilily // 7. Timi & Leslie // 8. Storksak // 9. Marc Jacobs Stripe
4/20/12
23 months.
Ivy is exactly 23 months today, so in honor of her 23rd month of life, a few things about her. Ivy would probably be best described in one word right now, and that word would be "No." It is currently her favorite and most used word to say, her favorite thing to eat, her favorite place to go, and her favorite time to go to bed. I thought we had somehow avoided this stage, but am reminded very quickly that we have not every time I ask her a yes or no question. That girl has no idea how many cookies and ice-cream dates she has missed out on because of her need to refuse everything! She really sticks to her guns, that lady. Right now Ivy is obsessed with playing in the "SUUUN!" (sand), and conveniently, just as obsessed with playing in the bath afterward. She still loves wearing princess dresses and swimsuits more than anything, so her Grandma Joni killed two birds with one stone and got her a swimsuit that kind of looks like a princess dress. Needless to say, it took Ivys breath away. She wore it proudly most of yesterday and received many compliments at the grocery store and park from strangers, I think it's safe to assume that that's her idea of a day well spent. Ivy has two volume levels; borderline yelling, and a whisper so soft even a beagle couldn't hear it. We should probably work on a happy medium. She loves to play with my hair and is still very, very attached to all her blankets and "Mr. T" the teddy bear. She requires a fresh coat of nail polish every 3-4 days and is just now starting to really appreciate her toys. She loves to do puzzles and build blocks and legos, and wants to color every second of every day (on every surface). She already thinks the word "poop" is funny (thank you Geoff and Despicable Me!) and her favorite new prank to pull is to come up and try to lick the side of your face when you're least expecting it. I swear I have no idea where she learned it, but it's like a wet-willy on steroids. I can't imagine it's great on her end either. Regardless, she thinks it's the funniest thing that has ever happened. Anyway, aside from all her typical two year old drama; she still manages to melt my heart, force a laugh, and make me feel like the luckiest Mom in the world on a daily basis. Thanks for being you, Ivy girl.
And some random phone pics from the last few weeks:
4/17/12
Monterey, day three.
On our last full day in Monterey, we spent the morning tracking down the best donuts in town, playing at the biggest and best playground I've ever been to (seriously, our neighborhood park looks like a real dump now), and got to partake in some quick shopping in Carmel. After grabbing lunch, we set out to Big Sur and Ivy crashed for basically the entire drive and trip to Pfeiffer Beach. Her falling asleep anywhere besides her crib is a pretty big deal, so it was hard not to snap a million pictures of the little sleeping beauty. A part of me was sad she was missing out on all the great views and beach time, but I was more than happy to get all those cuddles that are so rare. Geoff and Brad explored the beach while Shan and I got to catch up and stare at sleeping Ivy, my idea of a good time. The night ended with one last trip to the park topped off with pizza, cookies, and Netflix. Traveling with a toddler is certainly not as easy, but it was still such a blast and I'm glad we got to make one last trip up there. Thanks for letting us crash and for being so hospitable, patient, and fun Keslers!
4/15/12
Monterey Weekender.
A few weeks ago we decided we had to squeeze in one last trip to Monterey to visit Shanna and Brad before baby #2. We excitedly flew out last Thursday and got back earlier today. (Turns out, blogging about a vacation > doing laundry from said vacation. Procrastination at its finest!). It was such a great trip and as always, the Keslers proved to be A+ hosts. Shanna wowed us with some delicous meals and stocked her pantry with Ivy-friendly treats, Brad chauffeured us around everywhere, and the both of them pretended that they didn't hear Ivy awake for hours our first night spent there. (Sorry again guys, we're a rowdy bunch to share walls with.)
The first full day there we kicked off the morning at the Monterey Bay Aquarium, which Geoff was super pumped about. That guy really, really likes fish. Ivy wasn't as impressed as we expected, but I'm going to blame that on a sleepless night and 4 teeth making their debut. (Teeth, man. Who needs 'em?) The aquarium really was breath-taking though, even with a whiny kid. After a much needed nap break, we headed to Point Lobos for a chilly little nature walk with some very friendly deer. It's telling how much there is to do in that area, it felt like a completely different trip from my weekend spent there a couple months ago, and I still haven't seen it all. That being said, I think the trip deserves a whole other post entirely, we packed a lot of fun in in a short amount of time and as predicted, we took way too many pictures.
The first full day there we kicked off the morning at the Monterey Bay Aquarium, which Geoff was super pumped about. That guy really, really likes fish. Ivy wasn't as impressed as we expected, but I'm going to blame that on a sleepless night and 4 teeth making their debut. (Teeth, man. Who needs 'em?) The aquarium really was breath-taking though, even with a whiny kid. After a much needed nap break, we headed to Point Lobos for a chilly little nature walk with some very friendly deer. It's telling how much there is to do in that area, it felt like a completely different trip from my weekend spent there a couple months ago, and I still haven't seen it all. That being said, I think the trip deserves a whole other post entirely, we packed a lot of fun in in a short amount of time and as predicted, we took way too many pictures.
4/13/12
well hello, 3rd trimester.
Also, a huge thank you goes out to my cute new friend Debbie who I met at a Christmas party last year. Her generosity can only be explained by my theory that she actually started to hear my regular Sunday morning meltdowns all the way from her house as I desperately look for something to wear to church each week. She gifted me an adorable blouse from her shop as well as this perfect pregnancy-friendly-elastic-waist skirt that I love (she has more in other great colors, too!). Anyway, make sure to check out all her great finds on her online Etsy shop, and if you live in the Gilbert/Mesa area feel free to contact her and personally check out all the vintage goodies yourself!
4/9/12
Easter with the Veester 2012
As much as we tried, Ivy still wasn't very competitive on her egg hunt last night. However what she lacked in motivation to find as many eggs as possible, she made up for in great sportsmanship and a deep appreciation of what was inside her 3 gathered eggs; starbursts, a squinkie, and a dollar bill. Turns out that between those 3 eggs, playtime with her cousins, and a bottle of bubbles, she's good. Thanks for the delicious Feast-er, the organized egg hunt, and the Easter basket of goodies Mom & Dad!
(Ivy made sure to dress herself in as many ruffles and pastels as she possibly could for Easter Sunday, she succeeded!)
4/8/12
Its funny to see how much change has happened since last Easter. Ivy wasn't really walking or talking back then, so it really put a damper on her egg-hunting-and-gathering skills. Not to worry though, this past year we've been working strictly with her on her speed, agility, and power to spot a candy-filled egg from a money-filled egg in preparation for today. Just kidding. But really, I hope she appreciates the Easter festivities planned for today because Easter is one of the best Holidays. Hope everyone enjoys today, even if you're not a natural egg-hunting athlete.
PS- We took the obligatory Easter Sunday picture before (8:00 AM!) church this morning and STILL made it on time. Being that Ivy usually wakes up around 9:00 AM, and that Geoffs wake up call every morning throughout the week is 4:30 AM (so you can imagine how sleepy he is by the time the weekend rolls around), this is pretty huge for us. The fact that we had even an extra spare second to snap a picture on the way out the door was an Easter miracle! I was about to order us a family trophy and have custom tees made, but decided the sheer possibility of sitting on a comfy bench in the front was recognition enough. Turned out we didn't get the comfy seats anyway, can't win 'em all.
4/2/12
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