To Splash or Not to Splash?

That is the question!

We met up with Mimi and Papaw at the Easton Splash Park today.  I wasn't entirely sure if Kate would like the water or not.  Her teachers tell me that sometimes she skirts along the school wall outside to avoid the sprinklers on Water Day... But she LOVES playing with the hose and filling our pool at home so I figured it'd be worth a shot!  At the very minimum, we'd have a good opportunity to people watch and get out on this beautiful summer day!

Kate and Mimi scope out the splashing.

Contemplating Kate observes the chaos!

She decided that this year it was be best NOT to splash!

But it was fun to take her shoes off!

And she adored giving some of her crackers to the birds!

Sucker for Summer

It's August 18th.  Normally by this time of year I am so looking forward to the fall.  The cool, crisp air, the rustling leaves, the pumpkins!  But not this year.  This year I have been such a sucker for summer.  And I want more.

This summer has been incredible weather wise.  It has been so much cooler than your typical central Ohio summer.  I can't tell you how many days we've had our windows open all day and all night because it was that beautiful.  The fresh air has been a warm welcome into our house.  And the summer breeze has been to die for!  The days that have been hot have been perfect pool days.  And they really haven't been too bad if you're in the shade.  I still feel like I'm waiting for summer to begin, but it's mid-August and summer's nearly ending.

We play outside every chance we get.  We've eaten dinners outside, we've hung in the pool outside, we've taken walks, we've gone to the park, but now are days are getting shorter, and it's nearly September. And that makes me really sad.  I'm not ready to bundle up.  I'm not ready to close our windows.  I'm not ready to lose our daylight.  I want more.  [Cue Ariel singing from The Little Mermaid.]  More summer.

But, alas, I digress.  Fall is upon us.  I have no choice but to hope for an Indian summer that lasts well into October or even November!  (That would be amazing!)  When it's cool and cold and I long for warmth, these are some of the things that I want to remember about this summer:

Summer 2014 Favorites
-Covering Kate's blinds with blankets and towels to make it appear darker in her room.
-Staying out at the park past Kate's bedtime because the night is so gorgeous.
-The summer sounds - they have been extra special this year because so many nights we've slept with our windows open.
-Kate saying, "Outside?!" every chance she gets!  Certainly it's the first thing she says when I pick her up from daycare!
-Taking walks - with Kate in her stroller, walking together side by side, and/or carrying her.  No matter the mode of transportation, it's always a good night when we get to walk together.
-The little things Kate notices on our walks together - the bear paws on the driveways, the port-a-potties (potties) at the houses being renovated, the airplanes, the squirrels, the house numbers on the curbs, the boat in the driveway.
-Kate's safety - When we are walking together and a car is coming, Kate moves over to the curb with me and waits for the car to pass before we start walking again.  (We don't have sidewalks on the street we take to the park.)
-How Kate knows the exact way to the park and semi-throws a fit when we go any way other than that way!
-The day we went to the park twice in one day because it was so nice.
-Wearing long sleeves and/or pants outdoors and feeling comfortable.
-Our garden - Kate LOVES to pick cherry tomatoes straight from our garden and eat them on the spot.  It is the cutest thing ever.
-The fireflies in our yard.
-Playing hide and go seek with our dog, Jack.
-Playing airplane and horsey.
-Kate's recently new found love of bubble baths!

I know there are many, many more favorites from this summer, but these are the ones that are on the forefront of my mind right now.  They are the little things that I have enjoyed so much this summer.  Seeing summer through Kate's eyes.  Learning about the world around us. Raising a child is like having a second childhood, only you are older and wiser.  It's is the most incredible and rewarding journey I've ever been on.

Taking a walk.  Kate sometimes even has me
push her cart next to her while she pushes
her stroller.  We each have a baby.

Intrigued by the construction being done on the
house on the corner.

The Playground Princess surveying her kingdom!

Standing on her tippy toes to see the very outskirts!

Climbing up or sliding down?  You be the judge.

SLLIIDDEEE!

Slide hair!

Oh, won't you stay, Summer?  Just a little bit longer?  Please, please, please, please, please, tell me that you're gonna.

Kate Convos

In addition to our Tips & Tricks series and our #hashtag series, we're also starting a third series called Kate Convos!  Now that Kate is talking a lot more and putting words together, we know there are going to be conversations that we don't want to forget.  Our Kate Convos is where we will be able to record them!

Here is just a sampling of what we've heard so far!

Convo #1
[Mommy walking down the steps after putting on a magenta zip up.]
Kate: (squealed) PURPLE!

Convo #2
[Mommy turning the lights on in Kate's room in the morning to get her ready for school.]
Kate: (in her sleepy voice) Glasses?
(Apparently it was too bright.)

Convo #3
When I disappear from Kate's line of sight, she stops what she is doing, goes to a central part of the house, like the bottom of our steps and yells.
Kate: MAMA?!
(And calls my name repeatedly until I answer!)

Convo #s 4, 5, & 6
I have starting asking Kate what she wants to be for Halloween.  She's a bit young to grasp this concept, but I figured I'd try.

Mommy: Kate, what would you like to be for Halloween?
Kate: Octopus!
(I put on my thinking cap and got excited about this new project!)

Mommy: Kate, what would you like to be for Halloween?
Kate: Doctor!
(We had stopped by the pediatrician's office that morning!)

Mommy: Kate, what would you like to be for Halloween?
Kate: Papaw!
(Papaw is Brian's Stepdad/Kate's Grandpa.  I have no freakin' clue how I'm going to pull that one off!)

Convo #7
[Mommy and Kate sitting at the table after dinner.]
Kate:  NEEIIIGGGHHH!
(Apparently Kate wanted to play...and she wanted me to be the horsey!)

Convo #8
[I had just sung the first verse of Where Is Thumpkin? while driving home.]
Mommy: Did you like that song?
Kate: [Very matter of factly.] No.
(But then she asked me to sing it for the rest of the ride home - to which I obliged!)

We hope you enjoy this series as much as we do already!

Cutie Patootie

The pink polka dots!  The stripes!  The hair!  The cuteness!  I just couldn't resist posting the photos from this weekend and this little video!

21 month old Kate is a trip!  Such a big personality in such a little package!  Kate, we adore you!

My heart melts a little every time I see this photo!

Enjoying some grits!  (Kate LOVES grits!)
Meanwhile Jack waits patiently for any bits
that Kate decides to share...

She ditches the spork for some good ole'
mess makin'!

She also LOVES her glasses!

I heart this!

Kate was being super silly at lunch!  She would scream and I would jump pretending like she scared me with her scream!  She was laughing so hard which made me laugh so hard!  This Mama will do nearly anything to hear her little girl giggle!

Adorable! These are the moments I don't want to forget!

Stubborn Love

Yesterday Brian and I celebrated our fourth year of marriage.  In many ways it feels like we have been together much longer than that, in a good way.  We've done a lot in our four years of marriage...A LOT.

We met in 2008 right after Brian moved back to the US after living in Scotland for just over a year.  I moved to Ohio in 2009 and we got engaged shortly thereafter.  In 2010 we got a dog, we got married, and we bought a house.  In 2011 we took a trip overseas to Europe.  In 2012 we had a baby.  Apparently we took a breather in 2013 and here we are in 2014.  Sprinkle in the added ingredients of daily life throughout all those years and it feels like we've been together much longer.  We've had a whirlwind relationship, but I suppose when you know, you just know.

Four years!

While there have been many, many good times in our four year marriage, there have also been trying times. Brian and I are both eldest children.  I'm the eldest of four; Brian is the eldest of two.  We are both stubborn as the day is long.  We know what we want and we want it our way, and a lot of those times our ways are different.  Before Brian and I got married, we were asked to take a pre-marital class.  In this class we took personality tests and learned we are exact opposites on the spectrum.  I am much more of an introvert and he is much more of an extrovert, among other things.  In addition, we both come from divorced families, adding just another bit of stress to already tricky circumstances.

Nonetheless, we continue to navigate through our marriage together.  Learning from one another, teaching one another, working on ourselves individually, and working together to be the best team that we can be for our marriage and for our family. The grass may be greener on the other side, but it's greenest where you water it.  And we are both fully committed and excited to continue watering our grass.

We kept this year pretty low key.  Mimi and Papaw came over to watch Kate while Brian and I headed to dinner at the Pint House, stopped by the dealership to check out Brian's new whip, took a walk around Antrim Park, and stopped for ice cream (or in my case, gummies) on the way back home.

My favorite part of the entire night was our walk.  It was chilly enough to have worn a jacket and such a beautiful night.  Weather like this is unheard of in early August around here.

Our walk around Antrim Park. ♥

Throughout our four years, we've had our ups...

...and our downs.

We've had our days where I drive you crazy...

And our days where you make me want to scream!

But at the end of each of those days, I'm happy we're by each
other's sides.

Happy 4th anniversary, Bri!

I'm so glad we're in this together!

Breakfast Buddy

This morning I had the opportunity to enjoy a leisurely morning with our darling Kate.  We took her to the pediatrician for a quick check up.  She's had a little cold and two ear infections in the last three months, so I wanted to be sure she didn't have another ear infection.  Fortunately she was good to go and it looks like she's on the tail end of this little summer cold.

Recently Kate has decided that she no longer wants to sit in her chair top high chair that we have pulled up at the table.  She wants to sit on our bench seat.  This morning was no different.  I got Kate a little bowl of cereal and a banana for breakfast and I turned around and saw her sitting at the table.

Be still my heart.

Love that smile!

Yum!  Cheerios!

I will never tire of looking at that sweet face!

How did she get so big?

Since we had a little time to spare this morning, we were able to have a bit of morning fun!  (Side note: having mornings like this one makes me long for mornings home with Kate always.)

This is a longer viddie but just so darling that I couldn't resist sharing!

And before you watch this one I would just like to defend my parenting. Sometimes you have to have fun too, ok?  And if that means allowing your kid to throw some food to the dog every now and then because she's so darn cute and she thinks it's hysterical and it's making you laugh hysterically then so be it. Sometimes you've just gotta say yes!

And who am I to resist such a cute giggle?!

Tips & Tricks: Removing Crayon

Notice any sort of common theme with our tips and tricks series?! This is the main reason why we started this series: we have a budding artist in the family!  And we noticed that we were having to look up how to remove marker, pen, crayon, etc. from items that weren't supposed to have marker, pen, crayon, etc. on them...

I swear we keep an eye on Kate, but for those of you that have children, you know that these things happen in an instant.  One blink of an eye and BOOM!  Crayon on the wall.  We hope that you find our tips and tricks as helpful as we have!

Today we are offering advice on how to remove crayon marks from wooden tables and car seats!

How to Remove Crayon from Wooden Tables
We don't have before and after photos but this was the simplest and easiest thing ever!

You'll need:
-baking soda
-a cloth/paper towels
-warm water

Simply wrap your cloth around one of your fingers, dip your wrapped cloth finger into the warm water, and then into the baking soda.  Then, in circular motions (wax on, wax off), gently rub the crayon marks. They will disappear right before your eyes!  (You'll make Mr. Miyagi proud too!)  It is that simple!

Simple and all safe, natural ingredients!  That's what we like around these parts!

How to Remove Crayon from Fabric
This one is a little bit more complex.  I had the bright idea to give Kate the box of new crayons that I had purchased for her on the ride home from daycare.  This is a 5-7 minute ride, mind you.  I figured she would either a.) pull them out of the box and put them in the box repeatedly (my preference), or b.) dump them all out on the seat next to her and then throw the box there too.  When we pulled in and I opened the back door to pull her out of her seat, I saw this:

Apparently gray is too boring for Miss Kate's
tastes.

I immediately cursed myself for giving her the box of crayons and then questioned why I even did that in the first place.  It wasn't like she was fussing or anything...

...Anyway, then I searched how to remove crayons from car seats/fabric and got some really ingenious ideas.

For this, you will need:
-a nail file/emory board/sand paper
-possible carpet cleaner
-a cloth/paper towels
-warm water

The first suggestion I found was to use a nail file, emory board, or very fine sand paper.  We had a disposable nail file that I thought would be perfect for the job, so I started with that.  I gently rubbed/filed the crayon marks off with the nail file.  And I was so AMAZED at how much of the crayon marks disappeared!

Crayon?  What crayon??

Kate sat contentedly in her stroller while
I partook in this little experiment.  She may
look innocent but those crayon marks are
most definitely from her!

We were left with one crayon mark on the seat part of Kate's car seat that hadn't come out fully, and I noticed after doing quite a bit of rubbing with the nail file on the fabric seat that it was starting to fray a little, so I decided it was time to try trick #2.

That is, spray the crayon with carpet cleaner.  We used a very tiny amount of carpet cleaner.  I let it sit on the crayon spot for about 10 minutes and then I came back and soaked as much of the carpet cleaner up that I could and then soaked that spot repeatedly in warm water to try to get as much carpet cleaner off the seat as possible. And when I say "soaked" what I mean is I put warm water on the spot, and blotted it with paper towels to absorb as much water as possible and then I did it again, and again, and again.

After a day of drying, the crayon marks were gone!

Like new!

I think I could pick out the red crayon spot on the seat if I really started looking but it's gone enough to where I don't see it so that is fine by me!

SO, what magic did we learn today?  How to remove crayon from wooden tables, how to remove crayon from car seats, and not to give your kid crayons unless you are physically able to take them away when they aren't being used properly!

Good luck out there!

The Fair

Today we decided it was time to introduce Kate to The Ohio State Fair! Plus, we hadn't been since August of 2011 so it was a nice chance to attend again!

Fair-goers!

Fair-ris wheel!

Fair food!

Honestly, when I heard the fair was going on all I could think of was how much Kate would love going down that huge slide!  So the main reason we went to the fair was to introduce Kate to the Giant Slide! Everything else was extra!

THE Giant Slide!  No slide will top THIS slide!

We knew from the Summer Celebration that Kate would be over the moon riding down the Giant Slide and over the moon she was!  You aren't able to tell from the video but she giggled in our laps the entire way down on BOTH trips down the slide!  Yep, that's right!  Two trips down for our almost two year old!  First with Daddy and then with Mama!  We all had a blast!  (Brian and Kate are the last to take off and check out that grin when our little girlie gets out of Daddy's lap!  Ear to ear!  Little does she know we are about to do it again!)

Of course while we were at the fair we had to get in on a little fair food! We had options to get anything that we could think of fried, but we decided to stick with the lighter fare - our tried and true grape snow cone!  It was delicious AND refreshing on our hot Sunday fair day!

One taste and she's hooked!

We saved some of the best part for Kate!

We didn't stay very long and really didn't do much other than walk around, peruse the fair, share a grape snow cone and ride the Giant Slide (twice!), but it was still totally worth the trip!  Thinking of those little giggles on that slide just make me smile!

Two fair ladies!

Daddy, Kate and a way too cute fair-do!

There's something about Mary Kate!
Kate had taken her fair-do out right as we were leaving!
Between the sunscreen and the hair tie her hair stuck!

Thank you, Mary & Tom, for the tickets!  I'm sure we'll be headed to the State Fair again in years to come!  Or perhaps we will install a Giant Slide in the backyard...hmmm...

#hashtagtwo

Installment number two of our #hashtag series.  To see number one, click here!

#yesthatisthebathroom  #itwasanearlymorning
#ihadtoshower  #shedidntwanttosleepinherbed
#sacrifice  #compromise

#timeforabiggirlbed  #howcanshesleeplikethat
#ikindofwanttomoveher  #butimscaredshellwakeup
#shemovedherself

#wewenttothepark  #shewantedtobringtwothings
#herphoneandherbracelet  #allgirl

#whatthehellisgoingonhere  #jackwasscared
#sohejumpeduponourchair
#katethoughtitwashilarious

#igotmybink  #andmyblanket  #andmickey  #myflopsareon
#andimlayingontheottoman
#thisiswhereimsleeping  #not

#teachingcolorstomimi  #mimilove