Another Road Trip!

LB is becoming the master of road trips!  Well, okay not really.  It seems like there have been several trips but I can only count a few.  Hmmm....there was Flagstaff at 6 months old, Payson at 15 months and then this trip at 16 months.  Can we count trips to Phoenix and The Property?   If so, then that will bump up the count to eight car trips.  Okay...that still doesn't sound like a lot.  Alright, on with the blog.

This last trip takes LB to Las Vegas.  He was even kind enough to allow Grammy, Granddad, and myself to tag along on this latest adventure.  We were there to see my cousins, David & Donald, graduate from high school in Indian Springs which is about 45 minutes outside of Vegas. 

Truthfully, I was very nervous about this trip.  I was worried that LB would be a terror during the long ride, which of course, I couldn't really blame him too much if he was.  All I was picturing was 7+ hours of being trapped in the car with a screaming child.  I am the type of person who, if I hear or see a screaming or unruly child in a store, I start to judge and wonder what type of parent you are. I know it's horrible because even all good kids have bad days but it's what I do and I am trying to change it for fear of KARMA!  I tell you this because I was so worried about how LB would behave and how my parents might judge me.  It's nothing personal against my parents but all of us in some way shape or form judge and our children are an extension of us, right? 

Well, I am pleased to announce that LB did FANTASTIC on the ride--only if I wasn't sitting in the back with him!  I notoriously bring out the whine in him.  The resolve for that was Granddad and I took turns driving and as long as Grammy or Granddad sat in the back with him he was an ANGEL! 

I started in the back with him and as soon as we hit I-10 the crying started.  I tried entertaining him with my camera so here are his first photos! 

So after a pit stop/coffee break in Wikenburg and Kingman we finally made to it to our hotel in 7.5 hours! 

Wanna know the best part about the trip??? 

My room....

And across the hall....Grammy, Granddad and LB

Okay, okay...that is only half the truth.  LB slept in my room at night but as soon as we were up and at it he was across the hall with the folks!

The hotel turned out to be a lot of fun for LB.  There were so many new experiences for him.

Like....discovering the ice bucket doubles as a hat.

Like....pushing the elevator buttons

And like...the pit you get in your stomach when the elevator stops.

LB even picked up a souvenir from the grocery store...

Like I said above-the purpose of this trip was to see the boys graduate from high school.  David and Donald or as we call them, "The Boys" have been in my life since they were a few weeks old.  I have always considered them to be my brothers.  Of the four "followers" I have three of you may not know this but "yes" they are twins.

David and his girlfriend, Lilly, at the BBQ before the graduation

Andrew and his girlfriend, Jonna, talking with Grandma Barbara

 Andrew, Donald and Granddad

LB chilin' at the party!

After the graduation...

Congratulations to both the boys.  We are so proud of you!

I have so many more pictures to share with you like LB's first shaving and his time playing on a real train but this blog is already pretty long so I'll save the rest for later!

Lots of Love

~SL

Gone GREEN and a few other things!

I recently became addicted to this blog.  I found it while clicking on the "next blog" button up at the top of the page.  (I warn you though if you try it....it gets addicting...very, very addicting.)  I think I am in love with that women.  I feel we are very similar in many aspects.  Well, minus our sewing skills.  She is several notches above what I hope to be one day.  Anyways, I highly recommend that you check out the blog. 

As you see the title of this blog is "Gone GREEN and a few other things!"  I was sparked to write this blog because of "crunchy girl".  I have actually wanted to write this posting and several others similar to this because I feel it so much of who we are and how we are raising LB but I have always decided against it because it wasn't something that was 100% about LB and this is what this blog is about.  After finding and really enjoying reading about someone with similar thoughts, views and plans I figured that maybe one of you might enjoy hearing more about the life we are creating.  To quote the great philosopher, Daddy, "I can't change the world but I can change mine" and that is exactly what we are doing. 

We actually started to make a change to the green side while I was pregnant.  I was mopping the floors one day with Mr. Clean and I thought to myself "wow, one day my baby is going to be crawling all over this floor, put his hands in his mouth and then ingest some of this product".  Essentially, my baby would be licking the floors and would I do the same?  NO!  So that started the search on the Internet for green ways to clean.  To this day I always mop the floors with a mixture of 2 gallons of hot water to 2 cups of vinegar and a long squirt of dish soap and it works like a charm every time. There are several sites on the Internet that are devoted to cleaning with vinegar, like, like and like.  My use for vinegar to mop the floors has spread.  I now keep several spray bottles around the house that hold just vinegar for windows and mirrors and another bottle that is a mixture of water, vinegar and dish soap for everything else.  The one complaint I always hear from most people is the SMELL of vinegar!  Well my friends, you could add the lovely scent of lavender or some other essential oil to your mop water or spray bottles and that will take care of the smell or you could give it 10 minutes and the smell will dissipate naturally. 

In the past I would buy 409, Windex, Scrubbing Bubbles, Clorox and so on all to clean the house with at probably $20 per month.  Now, I buy one big bottle of vinegar at Costco for $3.24 that lasts me a month if not longer.  The savings alone is worth the change.  I actually could go on for days on all the benefits of my green cleaning ways but that will have to wait for another entry.

So not only are we clean greener's or green cleaners--you decide--but we also love to garden or garden lovers--again you decide!  Here are some photos from our ever growing and ever expanding garden!

 Strawberries hanging from a converted hot water tank.  Below is our blueberry bushes, blackberry bush and the temporary grape vine home.

Our new standing planters with watermelon, acorn squash, zucchini, and pumpkin

Our Tomatoes

The Corn

Spinach, celery, carrots, onions, garlic and the list goes on...

We can't have a garden on this scale and not have a compost pile.  It ain't pretty yet but it will be soon!

And last but not least....LB enjoying the labor of our garden!

Of course the garden and back yard wouldn't be possible without all of the back breaking, intense, sweaty labor that Daddy has poured into our little world over the last two plus years and continues to pour into our sanctuary.  We are truly thankful to be blessed with this little compound for LB to grow and nurture in and I hope one day he realizes just how lucky he is!  Okay, that sort of felt a little brag-ish but we truly believe in being as green as possible for the sake of our little man and for his future siblings. 

I know this update was a little choppy going from vinegar to gardening but there is just so much I want to share and my mind is racing trying decide what I want to talk about this time.  Well, and because I don't have any pictures of LB cleaning even though lately that is something he has come to enjoy.  

Can't wait to tell you more!  

~SL 

We are expecting!

Since Daddy and I started our little family last year we've made it very known that we would love to continue to expand.  This past weekend we were shocked to see just how quickly we would be blessed with more to love and it had cost us very little to have it happen a second time. 

Here's the big brother all loaded up ready to go to the store.

Of course it wouldn't be a trip without LB's pimp ride.

Watch out ladies!

Here's Daddy trying to piggy-back off of LB's coolness

And now....What you all have been waiting for.   The proof our family is expanding!

We are the proud parents of one green seedless grape vine, two red seedless grape vines, one blueberry bush and two more strawberry plants. 

Of course LB is just as proud to be the big brother who gets to eat his siblings :-)  

But right now he would prefer to sleep.

Peace out~SL

I'll take a play date with a side of socializing

Want to know a little well kept secret about me?  I am a wall flower.  Unfortunately, the older I get the worse it gets.  I don't want my issues to rub off on LB so I figured the time has come for me to crawl out of my shell and work on making new friendships for the both of us.  In steps Amanda, Trinity and Faith. 

These are not new friends but friends we now have more in common with.....BABIES!  Their first, Trinity, was born the same day LB was conceived, May 15th, and their second, Faith was born last Fall.  That puts LB somewhere in the middle of two adorable girls.  Not a bad place to find yourself, huh! 

I am horribly late in posting these photos given this all took place in MARCH!   But better late then never. 

Our 2nd official play date took place at the Reid Park Zoo on St. Patty's day.  The weather was gorgeous.  Amanda and I quickly learned though that apparently Wednesday's are play dates at the zoo because the place was mobbed with moms like us. 

Here is Trin checking out the peacocks. 

LB is checking something else out.... 

The look on their faces is saying....

"Seriously! How many pictures are you going to take of us looking at the peacocks?"

Now LB is checking out the wild toes on Trin's foot...

Miss Faith along for the ride....

And of course....the LONG, LONG nap that becomes the best part of the day!

For the third play date, Amanda invited us to an event that was put on by SANDS (Southern Az Network for Down Syndrome) at Old Pueblo Gymnastics.  Old Pueblo Gymnastics opened up their facility for the SANDS family one evening to let the kids run around and have fun.  I thought it would be a great time for LB to tumble around and just play, play, play! 

However, much to my dismay these were the three things he played with most....

With some help from Trin, LB slowly warmed up. 

I love this picture of Trin.  She just looks so proud of herself!

This posting is not much but at least you get to see some more photos of LB along with his friends. 

Lots of Love-SL

Painting 101

Well, I think it's official.....I can no longer count on two hands (and two feet) how many times I hear a day Daddy saying "You're going to do what with LB?" OR "Are you sure that's a good idea?"

Let me explain why.....

Being that I am a first time parent I am often scratching my head trying to come up with enrichment ideas for LB. How does one play, and I mean really play, with a 14 month old child for longer then 10 minutes? So last week this brilliant idea came to my mind. Aunt Kissy was kind enough to hand down a Little Tikes picnic table and I have oodles of non-toxic, kid friendly, washable paint and more 12x12 white scrapbooking paper then I know what to do with. Do you see where I am going with this and now do you see where Daddy's questioning comes into play?

My first attempt at letting LB paint didn't go so bad. I had a little foresight and stripped him down naked because I expected him to paint every surface that he could touch.

Here he is slowly warming up....

Well....and as you can see he was able to figure things outI quickly learned though that I had made one big mistake. What do you do with a child that is naked and covered in paint? Good question!

After I quickly realized that I have Monet 2.0 on my hands we were back out painting the following day. However, day 2 didn't go as well....

Now...to answer the question above. You have the bath tub filled and waiting before you ever hand him the paint.

I suppose like Daddy you are thinking she MUST be CRAZY for letting her 14 month old child paint, however, I feel like I am an awesome mom who lets her child explore, have fun and get dirty because after all...it will ALL wash off.

Now for tomorrow's enrichment...homemade play dough!

Lots of Love~SL

Mommy's Little Easter Bunny

My little bunny celebrated his 2nd Easter! We didn't have anything special planned so we ended up taking a spur-of-the-moment trip down to the property with my folks. Mainly, we were going to check out the flooding of the stock tank.

Before I get into that here are some pictures I took last year of LB and then the pictures I took this year.

And here is my Easter bunny today....

As you can tell this year my little guy wanted no part of being my little bunny again.

Here is what the Easter bunny brought LB this year.

This year the Easter bunny was all about practicality. He recycled last year's Easter basket. He gave LB two pairs of shoes because he had already out grown his size 4 shoes in two months. He was given two books and some sidewalk chalk.

Okay....onto the stock tank. My folks have this beautiful place "down south" as we call it. Through the years we have watched the tank go through its "highs" and "lows". However this year is the grand-daddy of all years for its "high".

You see there was a great big ol' fire down there a while back that cleared a lot of the land and with spring here the snow is melting and running down the mountain. Without all the shrub and grass the water has a free course to run and.... RUN IT DID!

Lots of love--SL