Baby Birds

We have two hanging baskets on our porch.  The other day I heard a ton of little cheeps coming from one of them, and when I looked in, sure enough there was a nest of baby birds!

What's funny is that every time I would go water those flowers, a bird would fly out and scare the crap out of me.  EVERY TIME.  I was like man, that bird is crazy!  Why does she like that basket so much?  Now I know, her babies were in there!

I tried to get Ingrid up to see them, but she is totally blind when it comes to looking at things.  She could have a car right in front of her and you'd say look at the car and she'd look up in the sky and say "where?"  No, right in front of you.  She'd look behind her, "where?"  It's so frustrating!

So the past couple days we have been listening to them chirp and cheep and we know it's mama and daddy coming to bring them food.  We can't go anywhere near them while the big birds are there, but when the babies are alone I usually go peek in and see them.  They are so fluffy and, honestly, kind of ugly.  But it's nature!  On my front porch! 

Big Red Gets a High Chair

We have been using our Bumbo to feed Otis, but his ability to arch his back and almost get out of it is becoming too great.  So, a high chair was needed.  But oh, how ugly those things are.  Why, oh why, do they make such ugly things for baby?  And why, oh why, if they aren't ugly, do they cost so much?  I would have loved a Tripp Trapp or similar, and they do seem to be worth it since the child can use it for more than a few months.  But my husband would never forgive me for spending so much on our double stroller and then turning around and buying a $250 high chair.  So...that leaves us with a plastic monstrosity.  Oh well.

Actually, the one we got isn't so bad.  It's at least cuteish.  Not all animal print or plaid or something navy blue, which all the ones on craigslist were.  And it was cheap.  And it was at Target so I could run to get it instead of ordering online and having to wait. 

Otis enjoyed his first try.  He sat and banged his toys on the tray.  He looked so big. *sigh*  They grow up fast.

My Family--I'll Keep 'Em.

Look how cute those goobers are!  And they're all mine.

Today we had a lovely family day.  We played with Ingrid in the morning, then after Otis' nap we went to the children's museum.  We came home to eat lunch and nap.  I dressed Otis up in some vintage overalls that were hanging up.  As with other things I've had forever, they are almost too small and it's a good thing I got some pics of him looking so dapper in them.

The afternoon was spent outside, where it was actually cooler than inside our house.  There was a nice breeze, we did chalk and Ingrid played her jumpy version of hopscotch.

That would be ketchup all over her face.  She's my kid, she's messy.  All the time.

We had friends over for a cookout, and then it was bedtime.  It was just the best example of fine summer fun!

The Heat Wave, Part 2

Yesterday got up to 100!!  We are fragile folk here in Wisconsin, when it comes to the heat.  Give us the ice and snow and we're fine, but a hundred degrees??  Living by the lake doesn't even help that one.  So, after Ingrid's doctor's appointment in the morning, we camped out in the air conditioned bedroom.  Quite literally: I made Ingrid a tent out of the comforter and brought in her library books.

Otis and I just hung out staying cool, we had a bedroom picnic for lunch, I put a dvd on the laptop for Ingrid.  I took some pictures. 

That was our whole afternoon.  Every time we had to go to the bathroom or get a fresh diaper for Otis, we opened the door to a wall of heat.  It's been about 86 in our house for days.  Days!  Gross.  Have I mentioned I don't particularly like this heat?  I'd much rather have a summer full of sunny, 73 degrees, light breeze.  Anyone know where I can find that? 

Heat Wave

Ugh, it's been SO hot the past few days!  In the 90s with full on humidity, it's sticky and gross and makes me extremely crabby.  The doors won't shut, or won't open, because the wood swells, there are ants galore in our bathroom, Ingrid wants juice pops and then lets them drip all over, so there are sticky messes all over.  It's just disgusting. 

So, today we left the house to go to the air conditioning.  We took advantage of the free day at the museum and looked at dinosaurs, butterflies, and fake fish.  Then we walked to the downtown library.  We signed up for a cool program they have in the summer where you read for a certain amount of time and get coupons for area attractions.  Just for signing up we got a summer pass to the art museum.  Awesome!

When we got home, we all stripped down and ran in the sprinklers.  It felt so good, I did not care at all that Ingrid's slip'n'slide actually says on it that it's not for adults.  It's not for children under five either, so I guess we're just breaking all the rules!

Tonight before dinner we went to get our window A/C unit from Brendan's parent's house.  I put Otis to bed and will be joining him in the nice cool bedroom to read until my bedtime.  I felt bad that Ingrid is in the 88degree heat, but then she asked to put on socks because her feet were cold.  Huh??  Tomorrow after we drop her off at school, I have a feeling Otis and I will be hanging out in the A/C, cutting out felt circles for a garland order, reading, napping.  Whatever we can do while sitting by that sweet sweet box in the window!

Seven Months

Guess who turned seven months this weekend?

The Zoo! Again!

I love having a membership to the zoo.  Actually, memberships to anything are awesome because any time we are bored or thinking of something to do that day, I always have a couple free options.  Or should I say "free."  I thought yesterday would be "free" but we forgot our packed lunches in the fridge and then we just had to have ice cream at the park...

Regardless, we had fun.  We met our friends Katie and Poppy there.  Look at this muffin, she's so stinkin' cute!

First thing Ingrid wanted to do was ride the carousel.  We get two free rides with our zoo pass, so again, this could have been a free day.  Ingrid LOVES the carousel.  I do not.  I will seriously throw up if I go on one, especially after eating a Chicago dog.  Luckily Katie is a good sport and went with her. 

Ingrid's favorite thing to see is the fish.  Of all the amazing things at the zoo, all she cares about is the fish and the goats.  Totally not wild animals at all.

Speaking of goats, we had an extra quarter to buy goat pellets, so Ingrid fed the goats.  I had Otis in one hand, along with the goat pellets, and the camera in the other hand.  I would give Ingrid a few pellets and as I was doing so, greedy little goats would come up and try to steal all the food from my hand!  Otis thought they were pretty neat, he kept trying to grab them when they came near.

Have I mentioned before how much I love goats?  Seriously, look at them!  They are so cute!

After goats it was ice cream, and then home.  Of course I was exhausted and wanting a nap but the kids had other ideas.  They had a quick snooze in the car and then were ready for more action when we got home.  Where do they get all this energy? 

Last Minute Road Trip!

Monday morning was dreary and stormy.  I looked at our calendar and realized we had nothing going on the whole week.  My friend Jami and I have been discussing when I should come visit her in Michigan.  No time like the present, huh?  So I called her, packed a bag, and took off on a 6hr. road trip with the kids!  We had so much fun, even though it was about a hundred degrees and we didn't have air conditioning. 

We all piled on a futon mattress  in the play room.  I brought Otis' bed with us but of course he didn't want to be left out of the sleepover!  This is what I woke up to in the morning.

Ahhh!!  So sweet! 

Ingrid had fun playing with her best bud Ben, and Jami and I got to hang out like old times.  Man, I miss her.  I wish she and her husband would move to Milwaukee :)  We had other friends over yesterday and got the three wee ones together.  Jami and I and our friend Heather were all pregnant at the same time.  And now we all have little chubs!

After tons of playing, lots of juice boxes, and not so much sleep, we drove back home yesterday afternoon.  It was so much fun and I'm so glad we went.  Six hour drives are not fun, though, so it will be awhile before I'll do that drive again!  Stupid Chicago, if it weren't for dealing with that traffic, the drive probably wouldn't be that bad...

Pool Time

Oh man, we had fun yesterday!  We put on our bathing suits, slathered on the sunscreen, and headed off to the new pool in town.  They just redid the whole thing and it's amazing!  And it's only a couple blocks away from my friend's parent's house, so we met for a picnic at their house first, and then walked over.

The pool is zero depth entry, there are fountains and sprayers, but the best thing is the play area.  It looks like a playground, only the slides are little kiddie water slides, and instead of, say, a steering wheel, there's a fire hose that squirts water on the poor moms trying to stay dry-ish.  Ha!

Ingrid ran right up the stairs to go down the water slides about a million times.  She was thoroughly enjoying herself!

Otis was also enjoying himself.  He just sat there and splashed a little when he wasn't chewing on his hand.  (When are those teeth going to make their appearance???)

It was really nice because our friend's mom came with us and watched Otis while I played with Ingrid, then took Ingrid to the sandbox while I fed Otis, then got Ingrid a huge ice cream cone!  Thanks, Mimi Carol!  Ingrid was in heaven.

On the short walk home, all the kids fell asleep, and honestly, I could've done the same.  It was so fun, and I'm sure we'll be back again sometime this summer. 

Smiley Guy in Rompers.

 So I've realized that for a baby boy, vintage is hard to come by unless it's a romper.  Which is fine, they're super cute.  But I think of all the adorable dresses I had for Ingrid and I can't believe how boring vintage boy can be!  I do have some cute Health Tex overalls and tshirts for when he's a toddler, but for now, it's rompers.  Yesterday we put on the bear fishing romper.  We also have a baseball romper, a plaid romper, and I'm sure I'm forgetting at least one other one. 

But look how smiley this little dude is!  He is seriously in a good mood about 90% of the time.  He is officially sitting with only minimal help.  He eats three bowls of food a day, and still nurses all the time.  He has exploded in size, for real.  We went to get Ingrid's hair cut yesterday by a friend and she was amazed at how big he looked.  Just a month ago he still looked like a wee baby, and now he's this chattering ball of drool.  His favorite things are his sister, his Exersaucer, and his feet.  So easily pleased. 

Feeding Olga

Ingrid fed her doll Olga today.  After swimming, she took off her bathing suit, only put on shorts, and found her nipples.  She was very concerned she only had one!  "Where's the other one??  I have to feed my baby!"  Some things she said I know she gets from me, such as "Oh!  I got milk all over!  Do you want the other side?  Here, let's give you a burp."  But others came purely from a 3 year old's imagination--"She wants baby pears from my nipples!" 

Our Busy 4th Weekend

Brendan doesn't have a lot of extended family, and those he does have live far away.  But each year they get together at the cottage for the 4th of July.  For some reason we haven't gone in a long time, but this year we made sure we did.  I'm so glad we did!  We had a blast.

Ingrid was in love with the kids.  Brendan's cousin has four kids and their youngest is six.  Calvin and Ingrid had fun chasing each other around the house.  Over and over and over.  Never lost its charm.

Otis was awesome and slept wherever.  He took a nap in a bed one day, he fell asleep outside another day.  All that fresh air and activity wore both kids out and they slept like logs. 

We did lots of swimming.  We did lots of hanging out in the backyard.

Otis practiced sitting.

The weather was perfect.

And when we came home we took baths and put on new summer pjs and lit sparklers. 

I'm exhausted and I still have four loads of laundry to do.  Back to reality.

Our Days

New things in our lives:

Exersaucer.  These things are monstrous pieces of ugly plastic and I hate them.  But kids love them and they give me time to take a shower, so I'm not complaining.  Too much.  My friend gave us hers to use for Otis so we didn't have to spend any money on one. 

Drawing.  Not really new but Ingrid is definitely getting better at it.  She draws these little guys all over the place.  She said this picture was a family and they were dancing.

Wading Pool.  Our local park, which we go to at least three times a week, has a wading pool.  It's not chlorinated, they refill it every day, so it's easy on the skin and nose.  It's free, and it's open 10-2, which is great.  I hate pools that don't open until noon.  That's naptime, dummies!  Yesterday after we picked up Ingrid from school we went over there.  She loved it!  So today we packed a picnic and a blanket and spent the morning there.  This little squirrel kept sneaking up on us, causing Ingrid to shriek in half delight, half terror. 

Both kids fell asleep on the way home.  I felt like a freakin' pack mule--I had Ingrid in the stroller along with towels, a bucket, our lunch, the diaper bag and a bag of misc. pool stuff.  Then I had Otis on me in the Moby.  It is time for a double stroller, my friends.  I cannot take lugging around an extra 15 lbs. this summer.  It was fun while he was a baby, but he's getting to big and squirmy for it to be his only form of transportation.  I swore I would never get a double stroller but that's why you never say never.  I'm hoping to find one that isn't too unbearable. 

And now we're off for a three day weekend, hooray!  Cookouts and family and Summerfest and fireworks and sun!  Happy 4th everyone!