Tag: August

Another Day Out with Thomas

We first met up with Thomas, the cheeky blue engine, two years ago. We missed it last year because we spent the summer up in Wisconsin while we waited to move into our new house, but we went again this weekend. I don’t know if you know this, but carrying a big rock to meet Sir Topham Hatt? It’s a thing.

Thomas travels around North America through the spring and summer, and the event is held near Chicago each year at the Illinois Railway Museum in Union, IL. It’s a cool place, with an impressive collection of “rolling stock” (locomotives and cars). Eleanor and August are still afraid of the biggest engines, but the smaller, friendlier ones are much less imposing.

The kids got temporary tattoos, played with train tables, and climbed on a giant sand mound. Not sure how that last one was train-related, but they enjoyed it.

And of course, there was the obligatory Thomas train ride.

The kids waved at him and thanked him for the ride every time we saw him puff by. My goofy little cuties.

August 18, 2014
August’s Third Birthday Party

August requested a Star Wars birthday party this year, switching after initially wanting it to feature dinosaurs. (I think Brandon was just as excited about the theme as the guest of honor was.) Our party decorations consisted of balloons, and many, many Star Wars toys. Everywhere. A lot of them were Brandon’s, from when he was a kid.

His backpack’s got jets. He’s Boba the Fett.

And Eleanor is a young Jedi with the eye of the tiger.

I tried to get the cat, Kili, in on the action too. Those Yoda ears didn’t stay put for long.

We had soup and sandwiches, followed by cake of course. Han Solo frozen in carbonite = best birthday cake ever. (Reuter’s always does a great job.)

Our little guy is three!

February 13, 2014
Three Years Old (August’s Yearly Photo)

August is trying, with his hand, to show us that he’s three! (Three is the trickiest number to show with your fingers, you know.)

I took monthly photos of Eleanor until she turned two, and then switched to yearly pictures. Now I’m doing the same for August. New house, new setting, new messy-hair haircut (I tried to comb it), same awesome kid, same chair. August finished up his monthly photos on his birthday last year, so now we’re on to yearly shots!

I love having these to look back on.

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February 10, 2014
Running Circles

Before and after getting dressed for the day.

June 10, 2013
Diaper Storage in the Nursery

This post is sponsored by Honest.

We’re starting to talk up the whole “big boy” thing with August, about how he’s going to start sleeping in a bed, and that soon he won’t need diapers. He was pretty adamant for a long time about his morning bottle of milk too until we somehow lost his favorite bottle, and that was the end of that. He’s in that transitional stage between toddler and little kid, but for a while longer, he’s still sleeping in a crib and wearing diapers.

I showed his room not too long ago, when I took the doors off of one of the storage units in the space to convert it to a bookshelf. Here it is again, with even more books on the shelves. (Like toys, they seem to multiply.)

We don’t need as much storage for baby gear now that August is older, but the remaining side with doors still holds essentials, like face and body lotion and healing balm. All of the diapers and wipes are in there too, along with refills for our diaper pail, tissues, and stacks of no-longer-needed burp cloths.

I like to use Honest diapers because they’re plant-based and free of chemicals, but they still perform just as well as any other diaper out there. Plus they come in a skull and crossbones pattern! (OK, and cute little strawberries, anchors, and what-have-you. But the skulls are my favorite.) Their wipes are great too — nice and thick, and effective but still gentle. As with other Honest products, you can order diapers and wipes individually, or bundle them and save.

I’ll be a little sad when it’s time to change the nursery. It has been a good setup that has seen us through four years of active duty (starting with Eleanor, when it was hers), but eventually the changing pad will go, and the diapers and lotions will probably be replaced with toys. And that will be good too.

If you’re curious about Honest, check out their free trial. Also, Making it Lovely readers can enjoy $10 off a minimum purchase of $40 using the code Lovely$10off$40. Limited to first-time buyers (one per customer) and expires May 22, 2013.

May 8, 2013
A Snowy Day

These photos are from last week; it’s all mud and slush now.

And I know better now than to buy pink for things that will be seldom worn and then passed down.

March 11, 2013