more baby things to mention

Here are a few other things I think are worth mentioning....

The Baby Bjorn bib. This bib is great in that it is easily wipable, has a pocket that stays open, and it is a relatively firm plastic, so it doesn't flop around. The only downside is that unlike the Kiddopotamus bib (see this post about the Kiddopotamus bib and other favs), the latch not secure enough to keep it from been ripped off by a child who is done with the bib. The Kiddopotamus bib latches in such a way that prevents that. However, it is in the top 2 of my bib rotation.

Have I mentioned the Graco SnugRider Infant Car Seat Stroller frame? If you have a Graco infant car seat, I just don't see any reason to buy any other this. It's inexpensive, lightweight, easy to open and to maneuver, and has good storage. You can easily move baby to stroller without disturbing them as well.

This next item is for both form and function. The See Kai Run Smaller shoes. Aren't these shoes so cute? This is the Hadley style (which I think is not available now, but they have tons of other cute styles). I like these toddler shoes because they are very cute (even have cute style names), flexible, and they have rubber grippy things on the bottom so your child won't slid around. And while I do like Pedipeds as well, they don't have the grippys on the bottom, and that was a big selling point for me.

(And by the way, no one has asked me to do these reviews, just my two cents from one mom to another.)

Orange Leaf Frozen Yogurt

I found a new place to go for a tasty treat! Orange Leaf Frozen Yogurt in Chapel Hill. I went after seeing a post on the blog, "Notes From a Mom in Chapel Hill". And by the way, if you live in the Triangle area, this blog is great for parents. All different places to take your kids are described and reviewed on this site. Check it out. Click here for her post on Orange Leaf.

They have several different flavors to choose from... I got a little of Original Tart (which I loved!), Peanut Butter, and chocolate. They were all good. Emmett got Strawberry which I tasted and was surprised at just how strawberry-ish it was! The toppings bar had a lot to choose from, however, I didn't get any this time. Emmett got strawberries and chocolate chips. You could even get chocolate sauce, caramel, or whipped cream. But be careful! Price is determined by weight so if you fill up your bowl too high, you may end up paying a good bit. It was $7.20 for both of ours.

You can see all their flavors and toppings at their website.

blog block

Yes, I know, it's been a while. But, it has not been for lack of trying. I have opened up the blog a few times to just end up sitting there with a blank screen. I just haven't been inspired. And it is also not for a lack of things going on. However, I wondered if everyone would be that interested in me reporting on the latest events? But, I guess we should catch up.

Since you last heard from me, we have celebrated Emmett's 4th birthday and Molly's 1st.

We also celebrated Seth's sister's graduation from high school by going to their house outside of Charlotte for graduation and a party (with a nice stop at Ikea on the way back). (I really like my Tjusig shoe bench by the way).

And I got a new job! Exciting and scary that I will be leaving my current job which I have been doing for 5 years, but I think this a good opportunity that will allow me to be more involved in working on women's and children's health research.

Then, just recently, Molly has 3 or 4 teeth coming in, and 3 of us have had a sinus cold.

Phew! Alot going on! Maybe that's why I haven't had time to ponder deeper thoughts to share with you.

Small Pleasures

In our house, we only have 2 bathrooms. Which means the kids bathroom is also the guest bathroom. As you can imagine, this can pose some challenges in accommodating both adult and child. Our 4 year old still uses his kid size toilet seat. And out of all them, I like this one by Baby Bjorn. It is well designed and easy to use.

But it can be messy, and is not very inviting for the adult guest to remove. Or for our son to replace when he is in a hurry. Hence, my new purchase: the Kohler Transitions toilet seat.

It has a lid, kid size seat, and adult seat. Perfect! Easier to clean!

No moving around another seat.

Sometimes it is the small things.

Celebration time

Within about a two week span, we have my birthday, our anniversary, Memorial Day, Molly's birthday, and Emmett's birthday! Lot's of reasons to celebrate.

I am very lucky to have the family I do, and all these celebrations remind me of that. We are happy, healthy, have food to eat and a nice house. We have no debt besides our house. We both have good jobs.

Life is good.

At last... the garden pictures

Here is the row of beans, and in the back are lettuces to the left,

and radishes and herbs to the right.

The first row in this picture are various hot peppers, and the

second row is cucumbers.

Here are the tomato plants

Here is the whole garden. We also have chive, bell peppers, and carrots (maybe).

Date Day!

Tomorrow I have the day off, and so does hubby! Yea for date day! I have no idea what we will do, but I do know this: We will get to eat a meal at the same time without having to wipe someone's face or say "sit down." We will get to go to the bathroom without an audience. We can choose to lunch somewhere without wondering if it is kid-friendly. We will even probably get to have a coherent conversation. But it will probably be about the kids.