Wednesday, October 31, 2012

Still in the Dark

Heard from our building manager power will be out for another 5-7 days. We've been able to charge our phones in the car and tomorrow we are going to attempt going to a grocery store in an area where there is power. We can see the lights came back on at the freedom tower tonight so hopefully it's a start for return to normalcy!

Happy Birthday Grandma P!

Would like to wish a special Happy Birthday to Grandma Pam today!

When I was working in Louisiana, Grandma Pam moved in with us for 1-2 weeks at a time to help care for little man.  This gave me a huge peace of mind, knowing that he was being cared for by family.  Grandma P is always reading books and singing to our little guy.  I really appreciate the singing -- every now and then he needs to hear someone who is on key! We love you Grandma!!

Feb 2012 (6 months old)



Tuesday, October 30, 2012

Blogging By Candle Light

This afternoon there were five electric company trucks on our street and near our apartment (3 of them had cranes and people working on the tops of the telephone poles). They had been out there for about three hours and I was certain our power was coming on ANY minute... but then one of the trucks drove away, and then another and then the others. We haven't seen them since which I'm pretty sure is a bad sign.

I cleaned out the fridge as the food was no longer cold. I didn't want it to begin to rot. It was so sad to throw away so many fresh groceries. We couldn't help but think of so many families who struggled to buy their milk and eggs just to have to throw them out. Tomorrow I will have to tackle the freezer, which is stocked full of frozen meat. Fortunately, these are our only concerns at the moment, and we still have plenty of panty items and out gas stove works fine.

Crossing our fingers that the electricity comes back on soon!

Monday, October 29, 2012

Hurricane update

Though the wind is really howling, don't worry friends and family, we have plenty of batteries, water and candles! We are doing just fine and thankful we are on the third floor of a new building. The power went out last night around 830 pm. We are hearing that it may take up to a week to turn back on, but hopefully it will happen sooner. There are a lot of outages and the winds have to die down before they can begin repairs. We have not had flooding in our building/street, just very high winds. We will keep you posted!!

Halloween Card 2012

Here is the Halloween card we sent to immediate family. I made the cards on Shutterfly which was really quick and easy to do.  Happy Halloween!


Friday, October 26, 2012

Rockin'

For little man's first birthday, we got him an Amish made rocking chair. We had to leave it in OH for a while because we didn't have room to drive it out. Since our family drove out this past weekend, they were able to bring a few odds and ends that we'd left behind, specifically this rocking chair!

We taught little man how to climb up and sit down. This morning he grabbed the remote control, rushed over to his chair and plopped down. He was quite proud of himself! Funny thing was, the tv wasn't even turned on :)

 

Thursday, October 25, 2012

Straws in a Bottle - Halved!

Straws in a Bottle was so successful ... and he loves carrying around the little Tylenol bottle... I combined the two!

I washed, cleaned and removed the label to a small bottle, cut straws in half and Voila!  New Toy!

This toy is his latest favorite.  The little bottle is perfect for his small hands and he loves playing with the cap.
PS- Does little man ever wear a shirt AND pants?!

Wednesday, October 24, 2012

Date Night!!

While we had my husband's parents here, the hubs and I decided to take a quick trip into the city for dinner and a show!! I found tickets online for Phantom of the Opera on Broadway for $40 ea and I just had to buy them! We had the most delicious Italian dinner beforehand and then walked through Times Square on our way to the Majestic Theater.

I was surprised at how scary the musical was. The phantom was quite spooky and several of the special effects involved fire. At one point, the chandelier (of OUR theater, ie: right above us) falls down over the audience and onto the stage.

The music was unbelievable. The voices were absolutely beautiful. My favorite songs were "Think of me fondly" and "masquerade" but it's hard to pick a fav because they were all so good!!

We felt like seeing Phantom on Broadway was a once in a lifetime experience and we're so glad we went!

Getting ready to go out

Times Square


The Majestic Theater





Tuesday, October 23, 2012

Supercalifragilisticexpialidocious!

On Sunday, my mother-in-law, sister-in-law and I went into NYC to see Mary Poppins on BROADWAY!  It was so fun.  We took the train into Penn Station, had lunch at a nice little cafe and then saw an afternoon show.  Disney really knows what they're doing when it comes to Broadway, and this show was no exception. It was over the top with glitz and glam.  Spoiler Alert!  At the end of the show, Mary flies out OVER THE AUDIENCE.  Literally, flies.  She's attached by wires and flies out over the entire lower level and up above the balcony.  But that's not all!  A man also tap dances on the ceiling (also courtesy of cables). I highly recommend seeing it if you get the chance!

Ready for a Girls Day!
Pam & Jenna on the train
Jenna and I in Times Square

Visitors!

We have had family visiting the past few days! My in-laws drove over from Ohio and it was great to see them. Though we didn't snap many pictures, we had a great time. We did lots of playing, book reading and song singing. My Mr. and I were even able to have a romantic date in NYC (free babysitters!).  I will tell you all about it tomorrow! :)
Little man reading with his aunt

Birthday Party Thank Yous

I have FINALLY gotten around to sending out thank you notes from little man's 1st birthday (which was in AUGUST). I realize they are embarrassingly late, BUT, at least I can include my new address on the return labels!  I used Wal-Mart photo - because at this point, i needed them done fast - and I'm really happy with how they turned out :)


Monday, October 22, 2012

Straws in a Bottle

One of little man's favorite games is to put things in, take things out. Here's our latest creation.

Take one empty/clean puffs container and package of straws.





Remove the label and cut holes in the lid [Note: Little man had a really tough time getting the straws through the holes, even when I made them larger. I think they will be better for when he is just a little bit older than 14 months]

He really liked taking the lid on and off. Stuffing the straws in the bottle...

... and then dumping them on the floor.

Lots of fun!! He played with this for over 30 minutes a few different times.  (That means it was a giant success!!)
Here is a video of little man playing the "straw game."  Enjoy!

Sunday, October 21, 2012

Wrapped Boxes

I have seen where people cover diaper boxes with hand sewn basket liners. They look great, especially to keep toys in. I wanted a faster turn around - so I picked up some wrapping paper from the dollar bins at Target.

I cut off the top flaps and wrapped the box like a present. I saved the long flaps, taped them together, wrapped and used as an insert in the bottom for added stability. This was probably unnecessary but a nice touch. The box turned out great and I'm using it under my kitchen sink to contain cleaning supplies.



I had wrapping paper leftover so I wrapped a box for above my washer/dryer to hold our beach towels and sunscreen.


I also wrapped an empty 12-pack of pop. I'm using it to hold plastic bags. The "fridge-pack" design was great for dispensing bags. Loving it!!


And just to leave you with something cute:  check out this little guy without a shirt!


Saturday, October 20, 2012

Juney-Bug

Where is our dog?  You may have noticed that June hasn't been in any of the photos lately.  Well, that's because we left her in Ohio.  We knew that it would be tough to live in a hotel for a month with a one year old and that it would be impossible to live in a hotel with a one year AND a high-energy dog.  My in-laws offered to keep her until we got settled.  She has loved staying with them. She goes on trips to the bank, visits the neighbors, daily walks and has people to play ball, brush and adore her.

Here is a video of Jenna playing with June: 


Although this was supposed to be a temporary stay for June, my in-laws have graciously offered to keep her until we leave New Jersey (which we think will be less than a year -- but don't worry, you guys will be the first to know when & where we're moving).  June is the kind of dog that needs walked everyday.

June connecting with nature
She needs room to run and play and considering that we are (...in no particular order)
1) in a concrete jungle (ie: hardly any grass for her to potty in - I feel so bad for the dogs that have to potty on the sidewalk.  Dogs like grass.)
2) on the 3rd floor
3) have a toddler
4) live in an 860 sq feet apartment
5) share walls with neighbors
...we decided it probably was best to let them keep her.
Pretty girl


 One thing about June is that she is actually quite smart. She will use her nose to open doors/gates and does all sorts of other amazing tricks.  But what drives her crazy, is light on the ceiling.  If there is a reflection from your watch, ring or (gasp) a laser pointer -- watch out because she will try to climb up the wall in order to attack the light.  Here is a video of her at the in-laws, when she first discovered the skylights:



Looking for a chipmunk

We can't wait to see you at Thanksgiving, June!  Be a good girl.

** All photos/videos on this post were taken by my father-in-law, thanks Grandpa Mike!

Friday, October 19, 2012

Sensory Bins

These bins are filled with blue and red toys and kitchen gadgets. A variety of whatever I could find. One of little man's favorite things was the Vicks vapor rub. He must take after his great-grandma Connie!! He also really liked the red pastry brush. When I explained it is a brush used for cooking, he began brushing his hair with it! Too cute :)




Thursday, October 18, 2012

Perfect Combo

I think hot pink and leopard may be the perfect combo, like peanut butter and jelly, they just go together!!

Happy Thursday!!

Waffles

Little man's favorite breakfast food is Eggo waffles. He likes to dip the waffle in syrup. He's getting so good at using a fork. Yum!

Wednesday, October 17, 2012

Glow Bath

I picked up glow sticks in the Halloween section of Wal-Mart ($3 for 10 sticks) and talk about money well spent!! We put five of them in little man's bath and he LOVED it!! I mean really loved it. We turned out the bathroom light and he was even more excited. He liked to put the glow sticks in a clear plastic cup.

We will definitely be doing this again. Next time I may only give him one or two. He mainly wanted to hold just one,  stare at it, and wave it around.

After the bath, we brought the glow sticks out in order to keep playing! Entertainment for the whole night! [I watched him carefully to be sure he didn't try to chew on them but it wasn't an issue, he was so distracted by the light].

Teething Update

Just when we think we're done with teething, another tooth starts to pop through.
source
Little Man's progress
Lots and lots of brushing to do now!!

Tuesday, October 16, 2012

Loving it Lately

Lately, I have been loving Children's Tylenol. Little man has been teething a lot and I can see a HUGE difference when I gave him Tylenol. He hates drinking it but about 15 minutes after he is bouncing off the walls, back to his happy self.

Waiting for the Tylenol to kick in

I used to have a bottle of generic Tylenol -- no good!! We had gotten it free from our pediatrician. Little man hated it. So my Mr. taste-tested it and reported back it was menthol and burned his throat! So we got the name-brand stuff and he said it was delicious, pure sugar. So be sure you stick with the real deal!

He likes to carry the bottle around
Back to playing!
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