Life's Documentarian

A while back a friend was looking at our baby books for the kids and commented on how impressed they were at how kept up they were. I was somewhat shocked that people didn't keep baby books up to date but soon found out that I was actually the one in the minority. I get it though. We are all crazy busy and time flies to fast. Shoot, it's hard to even find time to shower on certain days, right?! So remembering to write down when that first tooth came in, or what the first foods their babies ate were seems to fall on the totem pole of priorities.

But not for me.

Documenting life, taking pictures, blogging. That's who I am. It's literally in my DNA. That's probably why I adore Instagram and why I think TimeHop is one of the greatest apps ever. But ultimately, I do it for future generations. It's the coolest thing to know my mom wrote down everything in my baby book and I can compare to my children. I love that my mom and dad have thousands of pictures printed and organized in annual boxes for my brother and I to have someday. Our lives were documented on paper, in books and through pictures and for that I'm thankful.

So here are some ways that I like to document our lives that perhaps you could do as well!

Photography - Take pictures people. Plain and simple. I know it's hard to find time to get the 'nice' camera out and snap some shots, but do it. And if you absolutely can't get the camera out, just take them with your phone. And take pictures of everyday activities, and not just the special moments. You'll want to remember someday how your son brushed his teeth or how your daughter had to sit when putting on her shoes.

Annual Album - All of those pictures you took with the camera and/or phone HAVE to go somewhere. One thing I do each year is an annual album through shutterfly. Remember the days of printing pictures and sliding the copies into an album slot? Those days are over and life is so much easier now! There are tons of sites to use, but I have been with shutterfly forever and feel the most comfortable with it. I just keep it updated and saved on their server throughout the year.

External Hard Drive - On top of the album, I store our pictures on an external hard drive that I update once every 4-6 months and keep in our fire/water proof safe.

Videos - Just like pictures, take them. Take them with a video camera or your DSLR or your phone. It doesn't matter, but just take videos. someday you'll want to look back on these memories.

Annual Disc - Just like with photography, you need to actually DO something with the video files rather than keeping them on your phone/computer. Kinda like with  my pictures, I put all videos from the year on an annual disc. I ordered nice disc folders with our name and 'family album' and the years from etsy a few years back and burn these each January. Again, these are stored in our safe.

Baby Books - Update them!!! Mine were updated. Derek's were not. (Sorry Lesa!!) Neither mom can remember how many teeth we had by 9 months if you ask them, but at least I can easily find out by looking in my book. Someday you'll forget these little quirks and your children will thank you for writing them all down.

Letters - This is something else Derek and I started with Drew and have continued with Ady. We wrote a letter to them when they were born and then write one every year on their birthday. It's includes tidbits about the year, how we feel as parents, our dreams for our kids and any other general notes. We plan to continue this until they are 18 and then hand them all over.

Blog - I'm assuming the majority of you who read this are bloggers, but if you're not, maybe you should join us in the fun! I assume that this hosting site will never go away but even if it does, the url pages should still exist. I started this baby in 2008 and have never stopped. Although it might take them months, someday my kids will read this and they'll know exactly what life was like! I do have friends that print all their posts and put them in an album, but since I document so many other ways I've never felt a need to do that. Doesn't mean it's not a great idea though!

I'm sure there are other small things that we do here and there to document life, but those are the main ones for us!

What do you do that makes you a life documentarian?!

Ady // 6 Month Update

I fondly remember the 6-9 month age with Drew. Although there are a ton of fun ages, this is my favorite and now that we're entering it with Ady, it's almost sad. I know it will go way too fast and she'll be a feisty little toddler before I know it! But be still my heart. The giggles and smiles and chunk. It's the best.

Stats: (we are at the doc this morning so I'll update with real stats shortly....)
Weight: 19lbs (85%)
Height: 26in (50%)

Sleep:  We've been putting you down drowsy and so far it's been great. Most nights you might let us know you need your pacifier put back in once or twice, but then your out.  Generally you sleep 8-7a, but some nights you still wake up for a quick nurse. It's funny how I just don't mind them this time. Knowing you're probably our last I love seeing your face in the middle of the night for a brief visit. Naps are still super sporadic at school but on the weekends you generally take a small snooze around 10a or 11a and then a good afternoon nap for an hour or two. 

Eat: Other than a few formula bottles while we were at Disney world, you had only breastmilk again this month. You also tried ride cereal (hated it) and avocados (didn't really love that either).

Diapers: You have moved up to the FuzziBunz size medium. You were, however, in disposables this last week due to the amoxicillin reeking havoc on your stomach. (Thanks ear infection)

Clothes: You are mostly in 9-12 month clothes except for a few 6month hoodies and shirts that still fit. 

Talk: You love flexing those vocal chords and even screamed a few nights ago which scared the poop out of yourself. We all couldn't stop laughing at your reaction! I'm trying to get you to say momma and your father is trying to get you to say dadda. We'll see who wins that one.

Other: Like I mentioned above, you had your first bout of sickness. I knew the minute I saw you batting and scratching your left ear that it was an ear infection. Luckily I think the meds kicked it and we're back to normal. You were a champ though... barely getting fussy and still sleeping awesome. You also got your first tooth just after turning 5 months old. I think another one will be popping soon. You're also sitting for a few seconds at a time and I'm assuming you'll be fully sitting within a month or so. Oh and you've really gotten the hang of jumping in your exersaucer. It's adorable watching you bounce up and down!

And just for fun, here are both my kiddos at 6 months. Definitely the same shape head, same nose and mouth but the eyes up are quite different. Drew also had much bigger feet!

Happy Half Birthday my little worm!

My Lefty

He's been a handful lately, but working on writing with him is a welcome break from the norm. I love sitting with him and watching his brain work and it's a refreshing moment of quiet among the normal chaos.

And yes, his PJ's are unbuttoned down the front. He does this every morning and it cracks us up.

Bowling with Buddies

Want to know a secret about 4 year old boys and how to be the coolest mom ever? All you need is two things:

Party blowers and whoopee cushions.

I learned this on Sunday after throwing together a casual, last-minute birthday party for Drew. No pinterest decorations or elaborate themes with a huge cake. I mean the kid was just as Disney World but we still wanted to have something in Ohio to celebrate him turning 4. And who doesn't love bowling?

I literally threw together Drew's "party" on the way home from the airport after our vacation and invited just a few of his friends to celebrate. Just rented a lane, had some water and cookies and fun favors.

And this was the face that resulted. Sheer joy.

Drew's little girlfriend who couldn't make the party even brought him a cupcake over later and sang to him. I'd say he had a great day.

Friends and whoopee cushions. That's all he needed. And with all the tantrums and fits we've had lately, this momma desperately needed to see that smile. #winwin

Rice Cereal for Ady

I feel like there was this lull of nothing to blog about before the Holidays and now I'm way behind as there's been so much going on!

Last week we tried rice cereal with Ady. I'm waiting on 'real foods' since she's still nursing and I don't want her to lose interest in the boob just yet, but rice cereal is a good precursor. Just like with Drew, she wasn't the biggest fan, but the best part was Drew wanting to taste it. You know, cause if Ady gets something, he should have some right? I wish I had gotten it on camera but he pretty much gagged and thought it was the most disgusting thing in the world. It was hilarious!

Drew did feed her the first few bites though which I loved. And he loved. And Ady loved. It was super sweet.

Can't WAIT for real foods here in a couple of weeks!

First Toofer & Frozen on Ice

Seeing as how Drew cut his first before he was 4 months old, we figured Ady would be an early teether as well. At least she made it closer to 5.5 months before her first one sprouted. It looked like it was going to poke through on Saturday but actually popped through on Sunday. No bites on the milk makers yet thank goodness!

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Also this past Sunday we took Drew to Frozen on Ice! Derek and I are big fans of going places and seeing things for Christmas/Birthdays instead of more pointless toys and we knew he'd love this. We splurged on great seats and I've been so excited to see his reaction. I'm pretty sure he didn't blink for 2 hours and he also enjoyed his first cotton candy! I'd highly recommend this to anyone in any city they are coming to!

Disney World Tips

I've had a few people ask for tips when traveling with little ones and my thoughts on taking a baby to Disney World, so here they are!

Tips:

- Do NOT bring a stroller. Rent one like we did from Kingdom Strollers! They have it delivered to your hotel and pick it up at the end of your trip, you'll have less to travel in the airports with and they have much nicer options than the hard strollers the parks have to rent. Also rent a double Bob for multiple children.... they are the best and it will be a fun break from your normal stroller!

- Bring bribing tools! Even if you don't give your kids much sugar like we do, Disney World is the place to let go a bit. When there's a meltdown coming after a day at the park, buy or get out a treat and sit back to enjoy the 10 minutes of silence while resting your feet. Also, suckers take a long time to eat and were great to get Drew into the stroller so we could quickly get to the next ride.

- Get your fast passes early for the big rides. Derek and I didn't get to do Space Mountain as they were out of passes around midday when we checked, but we knew with kids we couldn't wait in line for 60 minutes. {insert sad face}

- To cut down on the time spent in food lines, eat at different times. Maybe have a small breakfast at 7 when you wake the kids up, but then eat lunch at 10:30 or 11 and dinner more around 4. You'll be getting your meals before most people at the park and your wait time should be less!

- Go with extended family!!! Without having family to give Derek and I breaks, it wouldn't have been quite as enjoyable. We are so thankful to have had a few trips to the hot tub or pool sans the kiddos, a night out and general help at the parks. 

- Take snacks/bottled water into the park! Did you know they allow small, soft coolers? We each had a bottled water that we filled up constantly at drinking fountains and some snacks for throughout the day. This saved money on expensive in-park waters and we all nibbled on the snacks from time to time. 

- Watch Disney movies the weeks leading up to the trip. We still limit TV and electronics and I wish I would have watched a few more Disney movies before the trip so Drew knew more of the characters.

- If you're on a 'rest' day, try to wear your baby around! The stroller is nice, but folding that thing to get on buses and monorails takes time and if you have a comfy carrier like our Beco Gemini, it makes life easier for all!

- Prioritize! Discuss a plan of attack the night before a park, but still allow for flexibility! Also, I was once told that most people go to the right when entering parks, so try and go to the left to cut back on the amount of people in lines!

- BRING PONCHO'S! It's Florida people. It often sprinkles for a bit and the poncho's in the parks are around $10 each. We got ours at a drug store and spent $3 on 4 of them. You can also wear them on water rides to try and stay dry and they fold up tiny.

- Wear running shoes. I saw so many people limping by the end of the day because they wore sandals that rubbed wrong or shoes that weren't comfortable. Sure we all look more cute in Sperry's over running shoes but you'll thank me after 8-10 hours of walking!

- Lastly, get to the parks early. Everyone 'tries' to be there right at the opening, but even we didn't make it a couple of parks. A TON of people start rolling in around 10a-11a so if you are there at 8 you've beat them all by a couple of hours. 

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And now for my thoughts on bringing a baby! I really didn't mind having a baby, but if it was just Derek and I it wouldn't have been as easy. Remember, Derek's parents took the entire family so this trip wasn't something we planned on our own. We do try to get back every couple of years, but this trip would have been hard if it was just the 4 of us. Between nursing every couple of hours and bathroom breaks for Drew and us, we probably would have done a lot less. That being said, Ady was the easy part! We just stuck her in the stroller for the day and she enjoyed Disney World from there. Children under 3 are free in the parks so although she got 'nothing out of the trip', it's not like anyone had to pay for her. I wouldn't stress over having a baby in the parks, especially if they are easy babies like Ady is. We didn't have to use the baby swap lines because of having family, but I've heard those are easy to manage too. Lastly, you'd be surprised at how many rides/shows that babies are allowed on! She loved the safari, It's a Small World, Monster's Inc show, Bugs Life show, river cruise and more. As far as the 'perfect' age, I would think when Drew is 7/8 and Ady is 4ish it will be awesome. We went a couple years ago when Drew was 2.5 and although we did a ton, I know he got much more out of it being almost 4.

Lastly, TAKE PICTURES! If your kids are too young to remember much, make sure you're snapping their reactions to rides, shows, characters, etc. And don't just use your phone... bring your best camera. It's such a magical place and you'll want something to look back on in 10 years! Oh, and there are tons of lockers to rent if you need to store it while on a water ride. But in all honesty, if it's in a ziploc bag inside another bag inside your backpack, it probably won't get wet anyway. :)

Disney World // Part 2

The second half of the trip was spent on Disney property at The Swan and the second park we visited was Animal Kingdom! Similar to a huge zoo except with rides, we saw tons of animals, took a safari cruise and ate some yummy food.

The next day was filled with relaxation and started with a character breakfast where we got to meet Pluto and Goofy and the kids sported their matching Disney shirts! 

We then rode around on the monorail (Drew's request of course!) and visited a gynorm gingerbread house.

Then it was off to the pool and sand area for some relaxation, slides and fruity drinks. 

We then finished off the night with a family bike ride, a lovely dinner and a sink bath for Ady. 

The last full day in Orlando was spent at my most favorite place, Magic Kingdom! I have tons of pictures and it was hard to just place a few up here, but it was the best day full of rides, shows and perfect weather!

Drew got to meet Mickey backstage and we pretty much had to pry him away. He LOVED giving him hugs and high fives!

The below is probably one of my most favorite pictures from the trip. The open mouths and twinkles in their eyes sum up the vacation perfectly. The kids soaked up everything and although Ady was only 5 months old, I know she enjoyed all the sites and sounds.

And this, my friends, is how the trip ended. After a week-long vacation to Disney World parks, late nights to watch fireworks, sugar highs from sweets and tons of walking, we had one pooped pup.

I have some tips for those traveling to Disney World as well as my thoughts on taking a baby coming soon!