Mr. Mac

A month or so ago I started taking Graham to the library for their weekly story time.  For the most part he enjoyed it.  He loved the songs and the bubbles at the end, but the actual story time was spent chasing him around the room or getting him away from the other kids who were sitting there quietly listening to the story.

I noticed this "Mr. Mac" weekly activity that was offered on a different day of the week so G and I decided to give it a shot.

Here we are at first.  Standing in the back of the room...just taking it all in. 

More kids start to show up, but we are still sticking close and not quite sure about it.

Starting to warm up.

After a few more songs....he was ready to go.  Not sure if you can tell, but he is standing directly in front of Mr. Mac.

No fear.  He even started to beat on the banjo case like it was a drum.

I think we may swap story time for Mr. Mac from now on.  I am so thankful that our library offers such fun activities for kids!  We will certainly be back!

Most Important Meal of the Day

Breakfast.  Some people prefer a full spread, others grab a granola bar on their way out the door and some skip it all together.   I would say that we fall somewhere in the middle...weekdays are pretty much cereal, Eggos or a granola bar, but we usually try and do something a little more special on the weekends and make a point to all sit down together.

When I was growing up breakfast wasn't a priority, but on special occasions breakfast provided some of my fondest childhood memories.  Once in a while my mom would make homemade donuts out of canned biscuits.  We (meaning me, my brother and my sister) would get to roll out the biscuits and make the hole in the middle which was big time fun!  Another breakfast memory was with my Uncle and Grandfather.  My family would make many trips to Auburn (where my Grandparents and Aunt and Uncle lived) for football game weekends.  The kids would always wake up early and my uncle and my Granddad  would take the kids to get breakfast then go to the eagles cage.  It was awesome! 

My dad and I are the two early birds in our family which worked out really well for some quality father/daughter time.  Anytime we were on vacation Dad and I would venture out together and have a fabulous breakfast and enjoy conversation together.  Even to this day when I am home we are usually up before everyone else, and we get to share that time together.

With all of that said I was determined to come up with a fun family tradition that involved breakfast.  After tossing around some ideas we decided that we would attempt to go out for breakfast as a family every month or so.  Something to look forward to and a great way to try out all of the breakfast places around town.

Our inaugural outing was as few weeks ago, and we went to Hamburger Heaven.  The food was so-so (they are much better at burgers and onion rings), but the company was outstanding!  Looking forward to making many more breakfast memories!

Like, Love and Don't Like

This week, I like Julie’s long hair. Thanks to a trim last week, Julie’s flowing locks aren't quite as long but they're still longer than at any point in Julie’s life. It is such a good look for my beautiful wife. Even though the maintenance is more tedious, the results are well worth it, if you ask me. I've never seen Julie sport a ponytail until recently but it really fits her on-the-go, multitasking lifestyle. The hotter weather is coming and I hope that Julie’s tolerance for the discomfort caused by her longer hair holds out as long as possible!

Look at that ponytail!!!

This week, I love lake livin'. Julie, Graham and I took a quick vacation to Logan-Martin Lake in Pell City last month. We just finished enjoying a wonderful visit over Memorial Day weekend at our friends’ family lake house near Cullman on Smith Lake. I’m hooked on lake livin'. It’s the perfect combination of serene wilderness and fun on the water. The drive time to these two lakes (or Lake Martin or Lake Mitchell, for that matter) is a heck of a lot shorter than to the Gulf Coast. If you have a pool at your lake house, I can be your best friend. I can bring food. Just call me!

You don't want to know what happened next.

This week, I don’t like my signs of aging. I wish I could share a photo of me from my high school basketball days. Those days of gorging myself with no hesitation are long gone. It seems that 2013 has been the year of sinus infections for me, which has never really happened. Needless to say, this disco is very strange to my ears. I'm clearly seeing the signs of aging and they're coming more rapidly each day. Every December, I marvel at how quickly the year has passed. I fully expect 2014 to eclipse 2013's pace. This makes me wonder how time is perceived by people in their 80's. I mean...does it feel like an out-of-control bus with no brakes? Let's hope I make it that long to find out!

I just don't want to go bald.

Baby Item List - Part 2

I blogged about some of our favorite baby items about a year ago here.  This is far and away our most popular post based on the numbers that blogger provides.  Well the picture post we published right after Graham was born got a lot of hits too, but I am pretty sure 90% of those were my mom and mother-in-law.

Anyway...now that we have transitioned from the infant phase to the toddler phase I now have a new list of items that I would like to put my seal of approval on.  Most of these have been used since Graham was about 9 months old, and he still loves all of them.

Fisher Price Activity Table - For a long time I was admittedly opposed to large, colorful, plastic, sound generating toys, BUT I have come around. The Fisher Price Activity Table has proved to be a favorite in our house.  There are several different "themes" but in general are all the same concept.  This one is great because you can take all of the legs off so that they can play with it when they are just sitting up.  We also would leave two legs on and have it at an angle.  Then once they can stand it is the perfect height.  Graham plays with it every day.  I found ours on Craigslist for $10.

Stacking Rings - These probably go without saying, but they really are one of our most played with toys.  Even though he is just now getting to the point where he can put them on in the correct order he has played with them for months.

Rain for Roots-  This CD came out when I was pregnant, and one of the artists actually led worship at our church just before the release.  I purchased the CD and it pretty much stays on repeat in our car at all times.  The songs are so sweet and are even enjoyable for parents to listen to.  We enjoy it so much that I have given about 10 of them as gifts.

Knee and Elbow Pads - This one is really more for parents...My sister gave these to Nick for Christmas, and I am not sure how we made it a year without them.  Your knees and elbows will thank you...I promise.

Playtex Sippy Cup - The world of sippy cups is endless.  There are tall ones. Short one. Ones with spouts. Ones with straws. Handles. No handles. Insulated. You get the idea.  We have been through a variety, and I am sure everyone has their own opinion.  After trying most all brands I have found Playtex to be the best.  I do like their taller ones with straws as well, but they do leak at times.  Over all this specific cup is my favorite.  It is easy to use, doesn't leak, fits in the diaper bag, and cleans up easily.

Munchkin Snack Cups - We love these and use them everyday.

Push Buggy -  We have mentioned this before, but two of Nick's co-workers gave Graham his "car" for Christmas/birthday.  To say he loves it would be an understatement.  No telling how many laps around the neighborhood we have made in this thing.  

Sperry Top-Siders -  I hesitate to put clothes or shoes on the list because I have a lot of favorites, but these are just too good not to mention.  They are easy to get on and off and don't require socks which makes getting out the door much faster.  Graham gets compliments every time he wears them.

There are certainly other items, but these top the list.  It will be interesting to see if this post gets as much traffic as the first list!