Idaho State Parks Passport

We decided to purchase an Idaho State Parks Passport this year and I am so excited to put it to good use! We live super close to Eagle Island State Park, and with a $5 entrance fee, our $10 State Parks Pass will have paid for itself after just two visits to the park. I'm also looking forward to visiting Bruneau Dunes, Lucky Peak, Thousand Springs, and more.

A couple weeks ago, we went as a family to Eagle Island State Park. Kylee had fun not only playing on the playground equipment, but also playing on the shore of the water (it was still a little chilly to swim). Matt took some action shots of Kylee throwing sand :-)

Here's to a fun summer, enjoying the beauty that Idaho has to offer!

Memorial Day 2014

We had a lovely Memorial Day weekend! We spent lots of time as a family and with family and friends, so that made it extra special. Here's a recap:

• We love our new flag and were excited to get the mount installed just in time for the weekend.

• We finished planting our garden. 

• We had a lovely dinner with my family (it was fun to have Beki in town!) and then visited my great-grandparents' graves. Funny story #1 - As we pulled up to my parents' house, BJ's Blazer (our old Blazer) was parked out front. Kylee got all excited and said, "There's BJ's limo! I love that limo!" Matt and I got a good chuckle. Limo/Blazer, same difference. Funny story #2 - As we drove into the cemetery, Kylee saw all the small flags scattered all throughout the cemetery. We explained to Kylee that those flags were there for the people who had served in the military. She asked, "Do they just poke the flags in their bodies?" Haha.

• We capped off the weekend with a hotdog roast Monday evening with some of our friends. We also roasted marshmallows for s'mores, set off fireworks, and tried out the new cornhole game Matt made me for Mother's Day (thanks Matt!). It was so much fun! I can't wait to pull the cornhole game out and play again. I know we'll get lots of use out of it all summer long.

Adventures in Hair - May 2014

I tried this super cute new hair-do a couple weeks ago. I followed this tutorial - it's called a waterfall braid. Unfortunately it didn't last long - you'll see in my pictures from Kylee's preschool graduation that she wore a graduation cap at the very beginning and her hair looked like a mess from there on out :-) But it sure was cute while it lasted!

New Toy

Matt has wanted a truck for as long as I've known him. Well longer than that actually, but we have talked many  times over the last 3 years about getting a truck "one day." I knew that our 2-door Blazer wasn't practical for our family... It wasn't easy getting Kylee in and out of the back with her car seat, and I knew it would be even harder with a baby (we never even attempted to put Tyler in the Blazer). But it also never seemed like a good time to get a truck. We always had something else that seemed more important... paying off the house, paying off student loans, paying off the motorcycle and the car, saving for a down payment for our new house, and then paying off the second mortgage of our new house, paying medical bills and legal fees, etc.

With our tax return this year, and the fact that we decided to sell our motorcycles (sad day!), we decided we had enough of a down payment that we could handle the monthly payments on a truck. But the thing that tipped the scales & got me to agree that we could finally get a truck was our family trip to Rexburg and that I wanted to be a to sit by Tyler to help keep him happy on the drive.

We are loving the truck... especially Matt and Kylee, who never want to take the car anywhere anymore :-)

The Snack Basket

I love when someone's tips or ideas work so well for my family. Shortly after Matt and I got married, I blogged about an idea I copied from my friend Sunny about bed time, where Kylee got some "lamp time" followed by "hall light time" to help make bed time easier. 

I decided to copy another idea from Sunny. I thought it was so interesting when I would visit her how her kids had "free reign" of the snacks. Sunny had a section in her storage room with snacks that the kids could access at any time. It worked for her family. I remember thinking how if it were me I would probably just eat tons of snacks all day, but Sunny just said she made sure the snacks were fairly healthy and her kids only got snacks when they really needed a snack.

So, with a daughter who always needs at least two snacks a day (mid-morning and mid-afternoon), I decided to institute the "snack basket".

Our snack basket sits on a low shelf in our pantry and Kylee can get herself a snack when she is hungry. I try to keep it stocked with a variety of snacks. Right now we have applesauce, fruit cups, fruit snacks, different kinds of granola bars, and small ziplock bags of almonds, cheese crackers, and trail mix. Thanks for another great idea Sunny!

My Preschool Graduate

This little smarty pants graduated from preschool yesterday. Matt and I were able to attend "graduation" where all the kids showed off what they have learned this year. Kylee, of course, did awesome.

Kylee knows and can write all her letters (lower and upper case) and can put them in alphabetical order. She knows the sounds that each letter makes and we are working with her on spelling and reading simple words. I've recently started working with Kylee on her penmanship - take a look at the samples below to see how much better she is writing her name!

Kylee is already looking forward to kindergarten, but she will miss her preschool teachers - Miss Erika and Conndra!

Favorite Things Baby - Newborn to Six Months

I did a lot of research on different baby items before I had Tyler and ended up purchasing some great items and receiving others as gifts. I decided to write about some of my favorite things and why I would recommend them. This post is particularly for my friend Jen - I'm so excited for her to join the ranks of "mommy" later this year!

1. The BOB

I love my BOB stroller. I previously blogged my story about how I bought my BOB, and I can safely say it was worth the effort... and the money! I love the stroller attachment and how I can just plop the entire carseat right in the stroller... this has been perfect when Tyler has still been too little to sit. I also feel like i have four-wheel drive with this stroller and it handles so well. It has met our needs and more, and I'm excited to use it to start jogging. Maybe I'll try that tomorrow :-)

2.  Mesh Baby Bath Sling

My friend Sally gave me this baby bath sling as a gift (I had registered for it based on a recommendation from my sister Mandi). I love it! I think it is so much better than one of those bulky hard plastic baby baths. This is mesh so it breathes well, it is small and lightweight, it dries quickly, and it folds for easy storage. It has been the perfect bath accessory for us.

3. Bouncer Seat

My mom gave us a bouncer seat for Christmas... and Tyler literally spends hours in it a week. This seat has been my savior, keeping Tyler entertained each time I need to pump. When Tyler was younger, he could just lay on the floor, but now I'm not sure what I would do without it.

4. Baby Swing

My mom gave us this Fisher Price Cradle 'N Swing at my baby shower. This sits in the corner of our dining room and is what allows me to make dinner, work on the computer, clean the kitchen, etc. Tyler usually really likes his swing and will happily swing for 10-30 minutes at a time (or longer if I'm lucky!) before he gets bored. It can swing side to side or back and forth, plays music, has a mirror for the baby to look into, and has a rotating mobile. This swing is what gives me little pockets of productivity during the day.

5.  Activity Mat

I purchased this mat for Tyler for Easter and my only regret is not having purchased it sooner. Are you sensing a theme in my list of favorite items? :-) One more thing to entertain Tyler so I can get some stuff done around the house. He loves the mirror and each of the toys. And the fabric on this is great - not only do I love the colors and patterns, but it is super easy to clean if he spits up. 

A few other items to note... 

• I initially researched and purchased "fancy" (aka expensive Tommy Tippee) bottles. And you know what? I didn't love them. They were fat (harder to hold) and seemed to be leaky. It was probably just operator error, but Tyler didn't seem to care if I used the cheap/free ones I brought home from the hospital or the Tommy Tippees. So I returned my unopened box of Tommy Tippee bottles and bought some cheapo boring bottles instead. They work great.
• I wish I had more burp cloths. I decided you can't have enough. And we don't like the cute knit burp cloths (like these) because they aren't very absorbent. 
• Short sleeves don't make sense for winter babies. We got lots of cute newborn and 0-3 month clothes, but I only dressed Tyler in a short-sleeved onesie if I had a jacket or long-sleeved shirt to put over the top of it. I don't know if this was just because he was so small when he was born and we had to be extra careful to maintain his body temperature (including keeping a hat on him for the first couple months), but even now I still find that his arms will get chilly in short-sleeves. Long sleeves were definitely the way to go for his first several months!

Mmmmm, Rice Cereal!

Tyler tried rice cereal for the first time yesterday, and he did better than I thought he would! Here's a little clip of him from today. He seems to like it!

And just for fun, here's a quick look back at the last six months!

Dear Tyler - [6 Months]

Dear Tyler,

What a month this has been for you! You went on your first trip, got your first haircut, started sleeping in your crib, and started rolling from your back to your stomach! You get so proud of yourself when you roll over. I sure love your giant smiles. You are also starting to sit on your own for a few seconds at a time and you are becoming a pretty good scooter. When I go to get you out of the crib in the morning, I often find you completely turned around from the way I laid you down... with your head where I put your feet! I have to start watching what's around when I lay you down to play.

We had a great doctor's appointment yesterday (besides the immunizations you had to get). You are now on the charts for your weight! You weighed in at 13 pounds 8 ounces. That only puts you in the first percentile, but we'll take it! Nice work buddy - you have gained over 10 pounds since you were born! You are in the 22nd percentile for your height and the 39th percentile for head circumference. Such a tall skinny boy! You're completely wearing 3-6 month clothes now and fit into a size 2 diaper. I was really excited that the doctor said we no longer needed to supplement your milk with NeoSure and that we can start you on solids! This should be an adventure :-) Are you up for some rice cereal? I guess we'll find out soon.

You are still a pretty happy boy most of the time, but you are starting to get a little needier and you have found some more lung capacity to let me know when you aren't happy. I still wonder if some of your grumpiness has to do with your teeth coming in (you always have your hands in your mouth and love to drool), but we haven't had any teeth pop through yet. Or maybe it has to do with the fact that you usually only take 30-40 minute naps. Let's work on that okay!? When you aren't happy, the meatball song is still a sure fix, but you also love being outside and that seems to calm you down pretty well too.

I sure love you.

Love,
Mom

You Rock Mom

I seriously love the extra time I get to spend with Kylee now that I'm only working part time. I try to make the most of our days together. Today we did a fun Mother's Day craft... Kylee made a rock for her mom and her grandmas, and she wanted to make one for me too :-) Each rock comes with a handwritten note by Kylee that says "You Rock" (we found the idea here).

It was pretty sweet - a few hours after we finished the rocks she came up to me, with her hands behind her back. She smiled big as she proudly handed me my rock and told me "you rock". She acted like I hadn't just helped her make it earlier in the day. Kylee helped me figure out a good place to put my rock - in the office next to my computer. I will gladly keep it there to brighten my days!

Tyler's First Haircut

A couple months ago, Kylee saw a little boy in church who is a month older than Tyler. She exclaimed, "Mom, that baby doesn't have any hair! Did his mom and dad shave his head?" Haha. She was comparing him to Tyler who was born with a good head of hair... and Tyler's hair just keeps growing!

I think someone told me that Tyler needed a haircut the week we brought him home from the NICU, and several other people have mentioned it since. I didn't want to cut his hair! He just seems so little for a haircut, and besides, I kinda loved his long hair. Finally I agreed that it was starting to look shaggy and decided to bite the bullet. I set up an appointment with Matt's mom to cut Tyler's hair the next day, and then spent the evening looking up videos on YouTube of babies getting their hair cut. You know what I found? Everyone gave tips on how to distract your "baby" from the hair cut - sit your baby down in a chair with his favorite snack, turn on his favorite show, etc. That's great... the only problem is my baby is only five months and can't sit on his own, strictly eats breast milk, and the only tv he has "watched" is on the Food Network and HGTV while I feed him!

We decided to cut Tyler's hair during nap time - Cindy cut Tyler's hair as he slept in my lap. 

I know I'm his mom, but I think Tyler looks quite handsome with his new short hair. He looks so grown up, but then again, I think he's always looked older than he really is.

Easter Toys

Easter was a little different this year... Matt worked both Saturday and Sunday nights, and Kylee was with her mom on Easter, so Tyler and I went to church on our own. Church was really nice - beautiful messages through both word and music. It was a bit weird not to have any Easter morning festivities at our house though! We did get to spend some nice time with my family earlier in the week and with Matt's family Sunday evening.

Tyler got a fun new activity mat for Easter. He loves the mirror and enjoys pulling on the different animals hanging from the bars.

We "celebrated" both Easter (and Matt's birthday) on Monday morning. Kylee had a scavenger hunt leading her to a brand new bike. She LOVES it and wants to go on rides pretty much every day. I think she's ready to take the training wheels off... thinking we'll try that here in the next few weeks!