Playground Adventures

We have passed by this playground hundreds of times with the notion of 'some day we'll stop there.' Last weekend we finally did on our leisurely way back from a race and a bakery (another 'some day we'll stop there' place). And it was everything we hoped it would be.








Daddy can I have a turn?




Yay! I got my turn!












They decided riding together was most fun!

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For the love of books

I’m an avid reader. I currently read more children’s books with my little girl than I do books for myself (this could be since our book club took a summer hiatus), but I’ve always loved children’s books so I don’t mind that. Some of my favorite nights are spent with the three of us (my husband, little girl and I) lying in her bed, all taking turns reading books. Or all of us reading a book of our own choosing, together.
My little girl has an incredible imagination and I love to hear her interpretation of the stories as she can only read a handful of words right now. There is substantial research that proves how important reading with children is (as if we needed another reason).

I also enjoy seeing my little girl cuddle with the other special people in her life to read as well.

We are strong supporters of our local library and make our weekly visits for books. I literally have to limit the number of books my little girl checks out because she would (and has) easily fill her library bag and arms and then we don’t get a chance to read them all in between the favorite books she already owns.

She likes to read just about anywhere!

My little girl also insists on sleeping with her books, which cannot be comfortable, but she insists. Every night.




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Sunday morning at the farm

We spent this morning before church visiting a local farm, a friend of my husband's.

Our little girl brought her tractor with and was excited to see a tractor immediately upon arrival.









We started the day out with an amazing farm breakfast: fresh apple juice, fresh from the cow milk, Swedish pancakes with homemade strawberry jam, sausage and cheese.





Then we visited the animals:






























We enjoyed looking at their gorgeous landscaping and learned about how corn on the cob grows.















Our little girl even was able to take a peacock feather home with her, which excited her beyond belief as she wire her favorite peacock barrette to the farm and saw a real peacock!


A fun experience that we are grateful to have shared this morning!

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The cradle

This cradle has been in my family for four generations. It’s old, roughly 90 years old. And it likely has monetary value as an antique, but the value to me is more sentimental.
I remember when my grandma first suggested it to me when I was pregnant with our first baby. The conversation went something like this:
Grams: “Do you want to use the family cradle for your baby? It’s really old and came from the dump. I slept in it when I was little.”
Me: (leerily envisioning a very unstable piece of furniture after eyeing up all the shiny new baby furniture in the store. Not because I am opposed to reusing/repurposing!): “Is it safe? If it’s that old I bet it has lead paint…”
Grams: “It’s been stripped of old paint, repainted, repaired and is surprisingly sturdy, given all the usage the cradle has had over the years.”
I checked it out…and I was in love. The idea that this cradle has been in my family for decades (and who knows how much it was used in its prior life before my great- grandpa found it at the dump) and has been used and loved and passed back and forth warms my heart. And it really is beautiful. It’s sturdy and rocks back and forth and if I am being honest, it is made better than the modern day baby furniture I ordered once the cradle has been outgrown.
With the large family I have, I cannot fathom how many babies have slept in it. My grandma and her siblings were among the first when the cradle was brought into my family then their children, and their children’s children and so on. Our little girl slept in it when she was brought home from the hospital and still sleeping in our room in those first few weeks.




Now our next baby will also take it’s turn, sleeping (hopefully through the night very quickly!) in this family heirloom.




~Angela

A week without kids

We spent last week at home, just my husband and I, as our little girl has been on “vacation” with my mom. Vacation consisted of staying at my mom’s house and getting lots of love and attention from her favorite uncle and my extended family. It’s strange without her at home in a rare quiet way. Her laughter, energy and presence fills our home and without her here, I could feel something missing. And although it’s comforting to know that she was having so much fun she doesn’t want to talk to me on the phone, I missed hearing her sweet little voice, her giggles, her squeals and the look on her face when I pick her up after work each day.

We had big plans for the week, filled with date nights and getting extra sleep. But life often has other plans. There was the night I was SURE there was an armed and dangerous man in the woods behind our house and calked the police who came over to check it out. He was not there, but I still spent most of the night wide awake, too scared to sleep. Then there was the flat tire my husband and his friend had that stranded them in a hail storm so I ventured out to pick them up. The errands that I had been putting off for weeks, knowing I’d have more time for them this week could be put off no longer. Little stresses in the grand scheme of life and comical to me, even now. And although not necessarily high on the fun scale for most people, we have been getting a lot of things done around the house and yard. The crib is assembled and ready for baby, the dresser in the nursery stocked, the diapers organized in the baby’s bathroom, baby book is full of information up to this point. Laundry is done. Our house is clean. Christmas shopping is under way. The to-do list is shrinking. It’s a combination of nesting and the extra time on my hands. Time that is usually spent being a parent. And although I feel “caught up” with a lot of things, I miss the chaos that can be the bedtime and morning routines, the exhaustion of playing outside late at night after being tired from work. I miss my little girl.

In between errands and both my husband and I working this week, we had a fun day out with friends that we are still talking about, we’ve squeezed in a few dates (eating dinner at 9:00pm like we did when we dated- late night dinners are something we still enjoy, but are just so much less practical with children). We’ve slept in (taking full advantage, knowing this will not happen for some time, especially with a new baby on the way). And we’ve had uninterrupted time to talk, just the two of us. To plan, to dream, just to be together. And it’s been nice. It’s been rejuvenating.

But I am was so ready to get my little girl back in my arms, to have my family together again. And yesterday was a low key, wonderful day at home, filled with hugs and cuddles and little moments that we missed.

~Angela
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