we're park people.

Yes, another park post. Because apparently that's just who we are now...Park people. I'm feeling pretty good about it.

+ When we got to the park, there were a bunch of kids (AKA people who are my age, I just feel old) sitting out on a blanket and Tatum started heading their direction on the way to the play equipment. So I was leading her away and they were all like, "Aw, she's so cute!" All that good ego-boosting stuff. And Tatum just turned around and nodded her head. Apparently, she doesn't need the boost. But thanks, guys!

+ She thinks other people running is really funny. So, if you're at all insecure, basically what I'm saying is: Stay away from my baby.

+ The changes that happen in just a year are so crazy to me. This time last year, Tatum could simply drag herself along the floor a bit. Now, she is running, jumping, hopping, climbing playground equipment and going down slides. I know you're probably like, "Well, duh." But it's still totally unreal to me.

+ PSA: Watch out for those big metal slides. Those suckers are slick and fast...Just ask Tatum.

everybody do your share.

Daily, I am amazed at Tatum's ability to destroy the living room in a matter of 10 seconds flat. If that, even. Seriously, such talent in that girl...
And it's not even that she's making a mess (initially) because she's playing with things. It's as if she can't start to play, until every toy, every book, every single thing is out of place and strewn around the room. Maybe there's a method to her madness, I don't know.

What I do know is that as fun as it is stepping on toys and books all day long, I do need a break from all of the excitement (ahem) come Tatum's bedtime. So, Josh and I have this new thing we've decided to start doing each night, as part of her bedtime routine...We have her clean up all of her toys and books. And she does it! And oh, girlfriend is good. I mean, see all those tidied toys pictured up top? She did that (basically) on her own.

Here's how it goes...

Me: (sitting on the floor, start to pick up a couple of books) Clean up, clean up, everybody, everywhere! Clean up, clean up, everybody do your share!
Tatum: (runs from whatever she is doing to start collecting all of her books)
Me: (continue singing, arrange books as she puts them in basket)
*Repeat cycle for toy basket + stuffed toy chair*

A friend said on Instagram that it's really good to start them doing this young, and that she did with her son who is now 3, and he is awesome about always remembering to pick up his toys and things. Crossing my fingers that the same will hold true for T!

Does your toddler have "chores"?

afternoon at the zoo.

We decided this past weekend was the perfect time for the first zoo trip of the year. The weather was so great...We couldn't pass up the opportunity.

Just like the park the other day, this was Tatum's first time being "aware" of what was going on around her. These moments are one of my favorite parts of being a parent. Like, I just wonder what is going through her head, you know?

So, Josh had the greeeeat idea (to be fair, I didn't object!) of taking Tatum out of her stroller 3 minutes after we got there. This meant she spent the rest of the time out of the stroller, of course. She was actually pretty well behaved for a 16 month old, walking freely. We're pretty sure there's a kid leash in our future, though. She prefers walking and I prefer to know that she is totally safe / not worry about her bolting. Honestly, I don't really get why people think they are "cruel." Or whatever. Is it just me or are most of those people non parents? What do you think?

Anyway, back to the zoo!

So, Tatum is like, obsessed with ducks/geese/swans (they are all ducks to her!). Loves 'em. She is really good at quacking, too. She would probably win in a duck imitation contest, just saying. (Weirdest mom brag of all time.) All of these birds just roam freely throughout the zoo, so you can actually get pretty up close and personal...Tatum made it her mission to do just this. She got so close to that guy up top. She was probably way excited. (Don't worry! She didn't antagonize him or anything.)

She also loved the flamingos. Like, arm flapping and screeching loved them.
And I think she thought the tamarins (my favorite!) were really cute.
She roared at the lions.
And called most things "cat." (We're still working on animal identification, clearly.)

Seriously already ready for the next zoo trip.

perfect park day.

Last Thursday we took a little trip (first of the year!) to the park.

Josh suggested it and at first I said no, because: 1. A certain someone really needed to wash their hair. Just some girl. Really, we don't need to name names..... 2. I couldn't find my belly band (that thing for your pre-pregnancy jeans) anywhere!
But then, I was like, "Hey, that's what dry shampoo and extra long maternity t-shirts and tanks are for!" (Okay, maybe not so much on the latter. Trust me. Do not try to use a tank top in place of a belly band. You will just be left feeling awkward.)

So, I got over myself and we spent some fun family time at the park.
It was Tatum's first time going and actually being able to do things, so it was kind of exciting. She loves the swings (as if you couldn't tell!), running aimlessly, and going down slides.
Seriously, she's a wild woman! She was even going head first (voluntarily) on the tunnel slides.

And of course I ended our adventure with a giant iced coffee. It just had to be done. Watching your husband chase  Chasing around a toddler is tiring, guys.

family brunch date at Gailey's.

I decided that our weekly family brunch date doesn't necessarily have to be homemade. Because of, well, lazy reasons. Let's be real.
But also, Springfield just has some really great local breakfast options. And we wouldn't want to let those go to waste, right? Right.

This week we decided to do Gailey's. As always, it was a hit.

We came here a few weeks ago on Valentine's Day, too...Luckily this time was much less chaotic. Minimal fussing over not having food yet. Good job, Josh! (Kidding.)
And no spilled milk. Good job, Josh! (No, seriously.)

I only got a picture of (part of) my meal, but because I know you're just dying to know: Josh had sausage, bacon, and cheese on toast. Tatum had fresh fruit, eggs, and sausage. I had the toughest time deciding for myself (so many great choices), but ended up with the banana walnut pancakes, bacon, and eggs.

If you live in the area and somehow haven't tried Gailey's...Um, please do. And if you're ever in the area, I'd say it's a must!

obligatory 2013 post.

{I thought this print was super fitting for this new year, especially for myself.}

I am currently reading (and enjoying!) "The Happiness Project" by Gretchen Rubin. I've decided to take the approach that she does in her book, and give each month of 2013 a theme with which I can work and grow. So, yeah, resolutions still, I guess...but with a little bit of a twist? Honestly, I think it will be a big help to me when it comes to actually doing and sticking to things.

Why I felt the above art was so perfect for me, in this time, is because I honestly have struggled lately with feeling happy, feeling good. But I realized (and this is why I started reading THP!) that I wasn't doing anything about it. I was just remaining in this state of "blah" without trying to work to change my circumstances. Well...no more of that.

So, my mantra for 2013: "Good things happen to those who hustle."

her first birthday.

On November 16, this girl turned one year old.
First, she woke up from her nap to discover her presents set out in the middle of the living room, waiting for her.
(I decided to do the "Four Gift Rule" for her birthday. One thing they want, one thing they need, one thing to wear, and one thing to read.)
She got: her first doll (an adorable handmade one from HelloMango on Etsy), a new pair of shoes, her own little armchair, and a couple of books. (Clearly I cheated on the need..."She 'needs' her own place to sit!" Ha.)

If it isn't obvious from the pictures, the shoes were the biggest hit that day.

Later, after her second nap, we went to eat lunch together. Oddly enough, while we were eating was when she decided to throw her first real tantrum, and in public! Awesome. It was almost like she was saying, "I'm a toddler now! Get ready, guys!"
Luckily, it lasted for about two minutes and that was that. Phew.

We got birthday cupcakes from our favorite place for later that night, but when it came time to have them, Tatum wasn't interested at all. Oh, well! She did, however, have lots of fun playing with the balloons we'd blown up for our little celebration.

This year has been really incredible. I can't believe how much has changed, how much she has changed...how Josh and I have changed.
It's such an awesome thing to get to watch someone grow and learn every single thing...to watch someone become who they are. I am so grateful to have her in my life. I could never, will never take this position lightly or for granted.

T, you're the smartest girl I know. You're funny, clever, beautiful. You are every good thing, wrapped up in one tiny little package. You impress me daily and I couldn't imagine a life without you in it.

a new home.

We moved into our new place last week; a beautiful loft in downtown Springfield. I feel so blessed that we found such a great place to call home for (at least) the next year.

Beautiful hardwood floors throughout...
Exposed brick in the living area + both bedrooms...
A baby grand piano (the landlord requested to keep it here. yes, please!)...
Sliding barn doors to cover the big windows in the living area...
Great lighting...
Space, lots + lots of space...

So far, the only "negative" I've been able to find is the creaking + cracking this old building does, but that is, of course, to be expected. I'd be lying if I said it didn't make me jump occasionally, though!

I'd say we're all pretty happy here, including Tatum. She loves it. In our previous house, she had very little room to run around. Here, she is all over the place. There is really nowhere she can't go. We keep all doors shut and the kitchen baby proofed...the rest is hers. It seems like she's been having more fun since the move. And that's great, because a happy baby = happy parents.

Feeling so grateful for this fresh start!

keeping busy.

Recently I picked up quite a few more books and some flash cards to keep Tatum and I a bit more busy throughout the day. It's made for a nice little change. She couldn't care less about the French flash cards (unless she's chewing on them), but that's okay. FOR NOW. <-------Kidding.

She loves reading her books together, as do I.
And she really loves her flash card flip book. It was free with our order, so I figured, why not? It's pretty neat, and a major plus to it is that it has laminated pages. So, T can bite, chew, drool on them all the live long day. She's happy, I'm happy.

I really love all of the books we purchased except for "I Kissed the Baby."
It's just...not my scene. My friend Bridgette told me she felt the same way, but did point out that the pictures are at least good for babies (b + w, with pops of color). Silver lining!
My favorite of the books is probably "Happy Hippo, Angry Duck." I do some really cool voices with it, so it's fairly entertaining if I do say so myself.

I think I'm going to pick up some child style musical instruments soon, too. Just for fun!

Parents, what sorts of activities do you like to do with your babies?
Any book recommendations?

on giving in for sanity's sake.

Lately there have been quite a few times where I've given in to Tatum's wishes for the sake of my sanity. I'm of the camp that thinks this is perfectly okay and actually quite important for one's mental health.

But (and this is KEY, people!) always make it seem like it was your idea.
Great parenting tip, right?

So, when Tatum wanted to get our friend Boyd's socks out of his clean laundry pile and play with them? I got them out for her and undid the rubber bands that kept them together. Then, I threw them all in the air and yelled, "SOCK PARTYYYY."

When Tatum was non-stop fussing, nothing was helping, and I just wanted to drink a dang cup of coffee? I said, "I have an idea! Let's watch an episode of Dora!" Gets her every time.

See, I'm still the boss, just more of a Michael Scott type at times. And what's so wrong with that?

she's phony, she's fake.

When I saw this picture after I took it, the first thing that came to mind was, "Little faker." Why? Because this is not, at all, an accurate depiction of my child. You might see this and think, "She's so calm + quiet, so cuddly!" You might think that...but you would be wrong.

That's not to say that she isn't still the cutest of all time.
Because she is.
She's just such a faker lately! I'll be honest, though, and say that I kind of love it / find it highly amusing.

In the past few weeks she's started fake crying + laughing. It's really obvious, too. Sure, the fake crying gets obnoxious after awhile, but at first it's kind of funny. How the heck do kids learn these little things? I mean, I get it, but still...
Gosh, I can only imagine what this kid is going to be like as a toddler. I feel like we might have our hands full with this little lady!

happy baby, happy flight.

Our flight to San Francisco was our third time flying with Tatum. The first two times, she was only 3 months old, so she basically just slept the entire flight. This time around she is 8 months old, so I was um, pretty much terrified about flying with her. I would love to be the person who just lets peoples' glares, stares, or snarky comments just roll off their back...but that's not me. I was so nervous that she would cry the entire time and everyone would be giving us those "If looks could kill" eyes.

So, I did everything I could think of to avoid this happening.

+ We thought it would be best to fly at a time when she would be most likely to sleep through the flight. Our first flight and layover, she was awake (fighting sleep towards the end), but really well-behaved (thankfully). Our second flight, she slept all but 45 minutes at the end, when she woke and decided it was time to entertain the plane. So thoughtful.

+ Fly Southwest Airlines. Seriously. Just do it! We almost didn't, but I happened to mention it to Josh right before we purchased tickets. He looked into it and they are so great, especially for families. You can check two bags (per person), a stroller, and a carseat...for free! Yay. Also, they don't have assigned seating, which we really loved. Families with kids under five get to board in the second group, so that makes getting to choose your seats pretty easy. We even had a free seat beside us on both flights. One guy almost sat by us, but when he saw we had a baby he bolted. Thanks, dude!

Most of these items probably seem pretty obvious, but I thought it would be nice to add anything and everything we packed. Sometimes even the best of us have that one little thing we can't seem to remember. 

Obviously if you're a breastfeeding mom, the bottles, brush, and formula won't apply to you. (Less packing, yay!) The first time we flew we just brought a regular container of formula. Boo to that. We never even use that in our day to day anymore. The to go packs are so much easier and way less messy, so they are the perfect choice for a flight.

We downloaded an episode of "Dora the Explorer" on Josh's phone before we left, just in case. Tatum doesn't really watch much tv. She just doesn't care. However, she does occasionally enjoy watching Dora for about two minutes. We figured it wouldn't hurt to download an episode to distract her if she got upset or bored.

We actually didn't bring T's birth certificate or immunization records either time, but when we were checking in we were told we might want to have her immunization records faxed to us. Obviously Tatum is a baby and doesn't look two years old, but she told us that if you get the wrong person you just might run into some trouble, so it's just best to have it on hand. 

You will probably need to tweak this list to suit your child, but I hope it can help even a little bit!

on growing up + independence.

I took these the morning we left for San Francisco (Saturday). Tatum was helping me pack by entertaining herself with eating her Plum Organics puffs and reading her new book, "Noodle Loves to Eat."

She loves those dang puffs.

Also: teeth. TEETH, you guys. She's had those two for a few weeks, but they are just now starting to look like full on, tiny human teeth. They kill me. Honestly, she barely looks (or acts) like a baby to me anymore, and I'm not always sure how to feel about that.

On one hand, I love the freedom that she has now; she can get her toys, feed herself (bottles and food), keep herself entertained. All of that is really neat for her + really helpful for me, of course. But at times I do feel a sadness that she doesn't necessarily need me to feed her, hold her, help her out. 

Although, it does make the times when she wants me to do those things, even better.

So that is how I try to look at it. 

When she was small(er), she had to have me around for everything. She didn't have a choice. Now she can choose, and when she chooses ME, that just might be the best feeling ever.

birthday hangs.

Last Saturday my youngest little sister, Chloe, turned seven years old. Seven! (This really does make me feel kind of old.)

So, yesterday I decided I would take her out for a birthday lunch. I told her we could go anywhere. And guess what? All the kid wanted was a cheeseburger and some french fries.


My kinda gal.


We ate.
We talked.
She played in the play-plex.
She made a new friend. (How the heck do kids do that?)
We sang Ingrid Michaelson together on the car ride home.


I had the best time with her, and I'm pretty sure we need to have another lunch date real soon.

Chloe is honestly the coolest little kid I know. I'm so excited that Tatum gets to have her as not only an aunt, but a friend. I know T will learn so much neat stuff, and have so much fun, with her Aunt Chlo. I can't wait to witness all of the adventures they will share. <3

Happy Birthday, Chloe Beth! And thanks for being so wonderful. I love you!

RECIPE: let's make funnel cake.

Last night Josh decided he wanted to make funnel cakes, because he'd been wanting them for days. So we did just that.
When making them, we found that Josh likes his to be really thin and crispy, while I like mine to be thick and fluffier.
They are so easy + quick to make! And you really can't mess them up.

----------

2 cups of oil
2 eggs
1 + 1/3 cups of milk
4 tbsp. of sugar
2 + 1/2 cups of flour
1/2 tsp. of salt
2 tsp. of baking powder
powdered sugar (as much as desired!)

1. Heat your oil in a deep skillet.

2. Beat together the eggs + milk. In a separate bowl, mix together your dry ingredients. Slowly add the dry mixture to the eggs + milk, beating as you go. Continue until smooth.

3. Pour the mix into a big ziploc bag and seal. Cut a small hole in one of the bottom corners and squeeze batter into the oil, working from the center of the skillet outwards. Make a fun swirly little pattern with your batter. (Remember that the amount of batter used and how you use it will determine the taste and such of your funnel cake!)

4. Cook for about 3 minutes or until golden brown.

5. Add powdered sugar and enjoy.

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teething.

Teething is in full swing over in these parts.
For the past few days Tatum has had a runny/stuffy nose and Robin (Josh's mom) told us that that can be a sign of teeth coming in.
It could be coincidence, but I'm pretty sure she was right, and it is related.
Tonight we found that her two little bottom teeth are popping through.
I can't wait to see that toothy little smile.

In addition to the nose stuffiness, she was also in a terrible, sad, whiney mood today.
Obviously I get it.
I'd be pissed if I had teeth cutting my gums, too. Sorry, sister.

Baby bad mood = I need a brownie.
It's no homemade, straight from the oven goodness, but it'll do.
Love you, Debbie.
<3

the springfield meetup.

I think I speak for all of us attendees when I say that the Springfield meetup was everything we hoped it would be. While I already knew Lesley + Naomi, I was meeting the other girls (Casey, Anna, + Kristin) for the first time, but that really didn't seem to matter. It kind of felt like we were all just old friends, catching up, having a family/friend date at the park.

While we talked and the babies played, we enjoyed pink lemonades (complete with cute, striped straws!), lemon bars (my apologies if you ate these...yikes.), cupcakes, and watermelon slices. 

And of course each others' company. : )

It's so fun to watch the babies interact and see all of the adorable things they do.

Paschelle went on an adventure with our stroller.

Izzy was crazy for cupcakes.

Ellie wanted to steal said cupcakes. ; )

And Tatum. Well. The only thing she wanted to eat was grass + sticks.

Little cuties.

Not many people came, but honestly, that was fine by me. Don't get me wrong! I would have loved to have seen more faces, but I was still happy with the turnout. I enjoyed the low key, typical day at the park feel.

I have loved getting to meet these wonderful women and their families. It's so nice to have made some new friends!

zoo day.

For Tatum's 6 month birthday we went to the zoo.
It was her very first time there, and to say that she didn't care is basically the biggest understatement of all time.
That's okay, though! Josh and I still had lots of fun.

My absolute favorite part was seeing the tamarins! I've seen them at zoos before, but never really noticed how adorable they are. In fact, when we were looking at them, I actually said, "You are the cutest things of all time!" And then, I looked down at Tatum and said, "Besides you, obviously."
But seriously...tamarins.

Oh, wait. Change of heart! I really loved the tamarins, but right after I typed that out, I remembered the giraffes. That was actually the best. For real the best. We bought some crackers to feed them, and that was super neat because Tatum got to feed one! Doesn't she look cute doing it? (Minus that whole tongue deal we've got going on these days. Maybe she was trying to be like her little {ha} giraffe friend.)

The worst parts of the zoo were the alligators and giant nasty koi fish (at least, I think they were koi?). You can see pictures of both of my traumatic experiences above. For starters, the alligators: They wouldn't have been so bad, except they were fighting over a dead white rabbit. Enough said. Secondly: Giant. Nasty. Fish. They have disgusting mouths. One had a wonky eye. Shudder.

Before we left we stopped by the gift shop to get something for Tatum as a keepsake. Turns out, the kid loves zoo memorabilia. Everything we showed her was hilarious. It was non-stop laughter the whole ten minutes we were in there. We decided on a monkey hand puppet. She still thinks he's funny, so that's good.

I miss the tamarins and their weird little faces.
Good thing we're going back in a few weeks when family visits!

P.S. That picture of T and Josh is my new favorite ever.