Favorite Things (6-12 months)

Here is a list of some of the things we have really enjoyed having these past few months.

1. Fisher Price Portable High Chair: We keep this in our car for traveling, going to friends, dinner at church, etc. It is simple, easy to clean and light to carry. The tray is dishwasher safe and the review says it will hold up to 45 pounds so it will last us a while! 

2. Stacking Rings: These are such a classic baby toy. I love the simplicity of it. Not alot of parts or things to break. Chandler  has loved the rings since about 6 months but he can now put them on with a little help I also like that it is a toy that he can use for a while longer. He will be able to work on his fine motor skills and learn how to put them on in order by himself. 

3. Fisher-Price Bright Beginnings Activity Walker: Chandler started really liking this around 11 months. He figured out how to walk on it and took off around the house. He still gets stuck sometimes but he loves walking with it and playing with the activities on the front. 

4. Nesting Barrels: Our nesting barrels are actually passed down from my grandparents. I loved playing with them when I was little. The set we have is actually called "Kittie in the Keg". There is a tiny kitten in the smallest one. This is Chandler's favorite. We call it "cat in the basket". He loves finding the cat and stacking the top of the barrel on the bottom (or eating them). 

5. Waffle Blocks: Chandler will be able to use these for years to come. He can't actually connect them yet but he likes the different colors and moving them around. 

6. Jumparoo: We borrowed this from my brother and Ashley and Chandler loved it. I would probably buy something like this if we actually got one just for space and convenience. It helped keep Chandler busy while I was getting ready or doing something around the house. He probably used it most from around 6-10 months. The Jungle Jumparoo is cute but big and you really have to have a space to put/store it.

7. Sophie the Giraffe: Such a cute teether, it does squeak though so it isn't such a quiet toy. Chandler seemed to use this more when he was getting the front 8 teeth, not so much now.

Slow and Steady: Week 52

How are we already at Week 52 of Slow and Steady Get Me Ready?

I have really enjoyed this book. It has 260 weekly (birth to age 5) simple age-appropriate activities to do with your kids. If you are like me, sometimes you need a little help when trying to think of things to do day after day. Most of the materials are things that you already have laying around the house. Some weeks are too hard and some are too easy but overall we have loved using this book.  

You can read here for a more detailed review. 

You can also download and older .pdf version here. If you are interested in the actual book check Half Priced Books, I've seen several copies there before. 

Wordless Wednesday

The Pop-tart Baby Bird

I have a baby bird that loves to help his daddy eat his Pop-tart breakfast.

It's become quite the routine these days. Chandler nurses and eats breakfast before Cody gets home in the morning but can still manage to squeeze in some Pop-tart. When Cody comes home and starts buttering up his Pop-tarts, Chandler is right there standing at his legs.

When its ready he crawls over to "the chair" to see what he can get.

And of course a little water to wash it down.

See I told you I had a baby bird.

And this is what happens when the Pop-tart is gone...

Bonfire Memorial

About a month ago, we decided to go on a family outing to the Bonfire Memorial. It was really beautiful. A&M has a brochure when you walk up with lots of information on the significance of the design.

There is a long walk way to get to the actual "Ring" part of the memorial called the History Walk which has 89 granite blocks, one for every year bonfire burned between 1909 and 1998. There are blocks at certain points throughout representing years in which students were killed in a bonfire related accident. Also, there is a black slab at 1963 which was the year bonfire was disassembled log by log after JFK was assassinated.

It was neat to read the stories or memories left behind from each person. Some were quotes from papers they actually wrote about themselves and others were quotes from family and friends. 

In the center of the "Ring" with the date and time bonfire fell is a stone, which is 18 inches, the same as the bonfire's Centerpole.


It was a neat experience and something we have always wanted to go see. We thought it was neat how much thought and detail went into it. It felt very special and unique. 

Giving of Hope Voting

Our sweet friends, the Hendricks work at Heartline Ministries in Haiti. Remember here? (yes, I hope they like that picture because I used it again!) If you have read our blog much you know that this family has impacted our lives in so many ways. Here is a simple way we can help them. 

An organization called "Giving of Hope" is giving away 3 large grants to 3 non-profit organizations.  Heartline Ministries is one of the ministries that could receive one of these grants.  People can go to the site and vote for the organization that they want to support.  The organization with the most votes gets $50K!

Heartline would love to use this money to open a new center to be able to deliver the babies for all of the women in their program and to NEVER have to transport a woman to a hospital.  Currently, Heartline is only able to deliver babies when everything progresses normally and smoothly.  Emergency situations require a trip to one of the local hospitals ... which may or may not have rooms, doctors, or supplies on hand.  These trips are long, dangerous, and costly.  

It takes 2 seconds, please click here and vote for Heartline.  

Wordless Wednesday {Black and White}

[pretend I posted these tomorrow, I obviously have lost track of my days]

Like Father, Like Son

This boy loves cars just like his daddy.

He loves to zoom them around and watch them roll,

Fly down steps,

Crash into things,

One for each hand is even better,

and of course loves to eat them.

But my personal favorite is him making the "vroom" noise. 

How can you resist that cute boy and his cars?