4th of July in Kansas City

Hope everyone had a great 4^th of July!  We went to Kansas City for the weekend, as we have the past few years for the 4^th and hung out at the Country Club Plaza.  We had a pretty low key 4^th overall on the Plaza so rather than go into great detail, I’ll just hit on a few fun things we did and share some great pics I got of Annie. 

One of the highlights was doing a picnic in the park, there are a lot of great restaurants on the Plaza but we were kinda boring and ordered room service and ate at the hotel quite a bit of this trip but we did do a picnic, taking out food from Chuy’s, which was a really yummy Mexican restaurant.  The food was really good, fresh and not greasy at all.  Annie loved her cheese quesadilla and gobbled it down in-between pointing at all the dogs in the park.  She’s become quite the pointer when something catches her eye.  She also really enjoyed the big fountain in the park and in true toddler fashion, threw her sippy cup into the fountain for me to fish out.  I should have seen that coming…

Lunch in the park

Loved this fountain!

Blowing bubbles with Dad

Another highlight was just walking around the toy store Zoom on the Plaza.  What a fun toy store!  Tons of toys and has a great wide variety.  We wanted to hit the toy store upon arrival so that we could pick out a toy to keep Annie occupied at the hotel.  When it comes to toys, I’ve become particular because she doesn’t play with a lot of her toys she has now and we have limited room to be adding more to the pile at home and I prefer toys that are more developmental and will provide interest because she does seem to get bored with basic toys.  We spent literally an hour trying to see what she liked/didn’t like.  We finally decided on a toy called Stack N’ Sort because our little Annie is quite the sorter.  It was a toy that has a bunch of cups that could nest together, or turn upside down and stack over 2 feet high and it came with a bucket, perfect for her obsession with collecting items in buckets.  And it was perfect for the pool too.  It was a win/win and a hit at the hotel, probably the best decision we made during the entire trip!

Another highlight was the time spent at the pool.  We stayed on the InterContinental.  This hotel has an awesome pool scene.  Live music, a pool bar, it’s always packed and lively and the best part is it has 2 separate pools, one that is only a little over a foot deep, the perfect wading pool for Annie’s size.  And my word, she loved it!  Giggles and smiles galore, I got tons of great pictures of her at the pool.  I didn’t get any pictures at the 2^nd day at the pool but she had a blast both days. 

See what I mean?  Perfect Annie size pool!  This entire pool is this deep, never gets deeper. 

Ready for the pool Mom! 

We debated on whether we would watch fireworks or not.  We decided it wasn’t worth the fight of keeping Annie up and since there are no fireworks on the Plaza, we would have to load up and drive to go see them, we do have the perfect spot in KC to watch fireworks, it’s at the Liberty Memorial, there are no fireworks at this location but it’s a high point in the city and you can literally watch 10+ displays going on at the same time, we stumbled upon it a few years ago and it’s basically the only reason we go to KC specifically on the 4^th now.  I really missed that we couldn’t get to do that this year.  We ended up just watching the New York ones on TV and falling asleep at the hotel before KC fireworks would have even kicked off. 

Wish I wasn't waving at the camera, darn could have been a great picture! 

Pointing at something interesting I'm sure

Checking things out 

We did a little shopping but not a ton, I got my Potbelly’s milkshake on both days (mmmm!) and hung out at the hotel quite a bit; it was a low key trip overall, next year hopefully we can see some fireworks but I’m sure of one thing, Annie really enjoyed her little vacation! 

Annie is 15 Months Old

Annie is 15 months old and good gravy is she something; she is so full of spunk, joy and certainly keeps us on our toes.

She isn’t saying a lot of words yet but does know some baby sign language.  She can say ‘Mama’ clear as day.  We know she knows how to say ‘Dada’ but isn’t saying it quite as much right now.   When you ask her what a dog or Charley says, she replies with the cutest ‘Woof, Woof.’  And when she reads a book with a dog in it, she points and instantly goes ‘Woof, Woof.’  When you ask her a question, you can usually get a yes or no nod of the head, which has made my life a little easier when asking if she is ready to get out of the bath or is hungry.  When you ask her where her belly button is, she lifts her shirt up and points right to it, we find these little things pretty comical.  Aaron likes to trick her when she is wearing her swimsuit and ask where her belly button is and then she can't figure out why she can't find it in her one-piece.  I think that is borderline mean {as I laugh at her struggling to find it}. 

She’s not really into any toys right now.  In fact, she hardly plays with her toys, what she is into is books and Legos.  In particularly picture/word books and books with flaps to open.  I usually just sit a pile of books in front of her and she can entertain herself pretty easily but mostly really loves to be read to.  She definitely has a few favorite books which do get a little old by the 20^th time thru in a row.

She has teeth galore coming in, which has made for some challenging teething days.  She pretty much has half of her teeth now and I’m looking forward to just having them all in.  It’s funny, sometimes a new tooth doesn’t even phase her while others pretty much make for an entirely miserable day {and night}.   Some of her friends at daycare have given up the paci, we think it really helps with soothing thru this teething process so for now I think we will hang on to the paci until teething is over.

I wish I could report that Annie has become less clingy but it’s actually gotten worst.  She constantly wants to be held by me or needs me nearby.  If I leave the room she starts screaming, running after me.  I can barely catch a bathroom break!  Recently I was cooking in the kitchen, my hands were a mess and she was hysterical, with a total death grip around my leg, I had to literally drag my leg with her on it across the kitchen so I could clean my hands and pick her up.  It’s gotten that bad lately!  I love her wanting me and I do enjoy holding her but it’s becoming too constant that we really need to get to a happy-medium soon!   My chiropractor visits are becoming too frequent from carrying her around everywhere!

I’m always amazed at how well Annie excels at Daycare.  The other day I picked her up mid-day and was spying on her before she saw me.  She was eating lunch and I couldn’t believe it, using a fork to eat and she was doing it so gracefully and so focused.  I was like when did my child start using utencils?!  She learns way more at Daycare than she does from Aaron and I.  Daycare has been great parenting for us too.  They help prompt us when she is ready for a change.  She hasn’t been on bottles for months now and sleeps on a cot at daycare, no more cribs for day naps.  She is also very influenced by her little toddler friends, she sees them all doing it so she wants to do it too.  She is a way better eater at daycare then she is for us at home, again we think it’s because her toddler friends are more influential than we are when it comes to eating.  Dropping her off and going to work is easy when we know she is in good hands during the day.

Asleep in the cart, who knew that could be comfortable? 

Lately, we’ve noticed something Annie has been doing.  Sorting.  One day I was watching her take her 3 Leggo sets that are all in one tub and sort them between tubs.  I was kinda shocked that she knew how to sort them so well.  It was a proud and terrified moment for me because I think she has OCD like me!   I didn't mention it at first and then Daycare mentioned one day when I walked in during one of her sorting moments.  I watched her as she walked around sorting like items and they said she does it all the time and is very meticulous about putting like-items in tubs.  Since, we’ve noticed that she does it pretty often.  She watches me sort her toys but I’ve never sorted her Leggos before so that tells me OCD is definitely a hereditary thing!  It’s like I’m proud when I see it and think this girl is going to have amazing organizational skills but terrified because I know how life consuming OCD can be.  Oh Annie!

Annie has also started to learn how to give us kisses on the cheek when asked.  Her wet sloppy kisses are the best. She even makes the 'smacking' noise when she goes in for a kiss.  They usually are wide open mouthed kisses, which is quite comical when she comes at you with her mouth wide open, going “muah!”, she even pulls back kinda fast, which is funny because she is totally mimicking how we kiss her (minus the wide open mouth thing, not sure where she got that from!)   She loves to wave bye-bye, blow kisses and give hugs too.  The running hugs with huge smile on her face might be my favorite.  Aaron and I keep saying that this is one of our favorite ages so far! 

This video pretty much sums it up.  Life is oh so joy-filled with Miss Annie!

Omaha Zoo 2015

Our first trip of 2015 was a success and a lot of fun!  My parents had wanted to take my nephew Eli and Annie to the Omaha zoo and earlier this month we were able to do so.  It worked out really well because my sister, Heather and her boyfriend Andrew were able to meet us from Colorado so not only did we all go to the zoo but it was a perfect get-together as we haven’t done a family vacation with my parents and siblings in years!   On Friday night we drove over and met up with my parents, my brother Cody and his son Elijah.  Mom and I enjoyed sitting the hotel lobby that afternoon drinking wine while Eli and Annie ran around.  It’s cute how Annie kept a watchful eye on what Eli was up to and how Eli kept a watchful but almost like ‘big brother-like’ eye on his little cousin Annie.  It’s the cutest to see them play together or when Eli reaches over and gives Annie a gentle hug.  Annie is pretty clingy to me but with Eli, she lets him come near her and loves his hugs and jumps right in to play.

While hanging out in the lobby, Heather and Andrew showed up, their flight was right on time which was great because we still had the whole evening yet.  We all grabbed dinner at a nearby restaurant and then hurried down the pool to get some swim time in before Annie’s bedtime.  Which we ended up letting her stay up later than normal, not sure if that was a good idea or not but it didn’t completely backfire on us.  It was the first time Annie was in a big pool and she was more intrigued in watching Eli jumping off the side of the pool.  

The next day we got to the zoo early, it started off to be a rainy morning but cleared up pretty quickly and really didn’t end up ruining our day at all.  Annie really loved the petting zoo, I think she could have petted the baby goat kids all day long.   She also loved the artic penguins and the train ride around the park.  We had a little trouble getting her to finally nap in the stroller but when she finally did, she was out for 3 solid hours.  Which we knew it was super important that she caught her nap but a bummer that she missed out on 3 hours of zoo time.  By the end of the day, we had walked 6 miles and seen just about everything there was to see except the Jungle, which at that point we decided we didn’t have it in us to walk thru that exhibit so we hit the souvenir shop and headed back to the hotel.

Speaking of the souvenir shop, I was really surprised, the prices were really good and not a total rip off like I was expecting.  Mom ended up getting Annie 2 animal books and a Lego set, all for $20!  And she loves it and plays/reads with them all the time.  

Back at the hotel, we ended up all ordering dinner in and spending our last evening together with some more pool time.  All in all, Annie really loved this trip to the zoo and we will definitely be hitting up the local zoo here in Des Moines this summer.  First trip of the year was a success and it was nice to get out of Des Moines, spend time with family and do something different for a change.

Dry Shampoo Reviews: Why to Use and What to Use

Confession time!  My hair is ‘dirty’ 50% of the time.  I do not have time to wash and style my hair every single day.   I’ve been thanking my lucky stars for the invention of dry shampoo.  It’s a real life saver.  I decided to try it just a mere few years ago and have been a dry shampoo addict ever since.  It’s way healthier for your hair too, shampooing all the time can really dry it out.  I'm lucky in that I have fairly normal hair, not too oily, not too dry so I am an especially good candidate for dry shampoo.  Some days, after I wash my hair I will even purposely add dry shampoo into my freshly clean roots as dry shampoo is a great texturizer and will help give your roots a little oomph!  I’ve tried multiple brands and lately found one that I’m just head over heels in love with so thought this is the perfect opportunity to share and give a review on what I’ve tried, what I like and what I don’t, and these are my un-biased opinions only, unfortunately I'm not getting paid for these opinions so you get them for free.  You're welcome.     

Let’s just start with my FAVORITE!  LUSH No Drought Dry Shampoo.  Love, love, love this stuff!  

So who has been in a LUSH store?  I have to admit that I’d walk by these in big cities and thought looks like a just another cool soap store {as I continued to walk by}.  We recently got one in Des Moines and again, it’s always looked intriguing to me but not intriguing enough to get me thru the doors.  Until I started to Google dry shampoo reviews and read about LUSH’s.  As soon as I walked into LUSH, I realized right away what all the hype was about.  All their products are handmade, and the picture of the person who made your product is right on your product as well as the date it was made.  All of their products are made from the freshest and purest ingredients, no harsh chemicals here (and p.s.... to my surprise it's not just a soap store, lots of awesome cosmetics to be had).  Price points in the store are good too for what you get, No Drought runs about $14 for the large bottle and $7 for the small.  I must say, I bought the small bottle and glad I did, a little bit goes a long ways and since it is made with fresh ingredients with no preservatives, there is an 6 month expiration date on the product so I suggest to start small and decide if you need a larger bottle or not.  Plus it’s a great size for travel.  I really love its lemony-lime scent which smells fresh and clean.  The main ingredient is corn flour, which is naturally super absorbent. 

The product is not as easy to apply as the other dry shampoos I've tried, mainly because its a dry powder.  I don’t suggest shaking onto your hands and then applying but rather shake directly onto your roots and into a paddle/bristle hair brush and then literally scrub it into your scalp with the brush.  It will help invigorate your roots to give you volume and to make sure the product is all absorbed into your hair.  The product is clean feeling but may feel a tid grittier than some of the other products I’ll be reviewing next.  I actually like the little grit it gives; it just helps add clean texture to my roots.  Overall, I can’t say enough good things about this dry shampoo, it really makes my hair look just as clean {some days even better than freshly clean} than any other dry shampoo I’ve tried.  I can’t wait to try more of LUSH’s products!

My next favorite dry shampoo is Not Your Mother’s Clean Freak Refreshing Dry Shampoo.  

This shampoo gets high marks on Google reviews as well and it’s more common to find in retail stores.  I picked mine up at Target and for an affordable $5, you get a huge bottle!  This stuff works pretty good, I love the aerosol can for fast application and it absorbs easily.  It also does not leave any gritty feeling like most all dry shampoos do.  For $5, it’s a win.  A few drawbacks, it doesn’t have a really nice smell, in fact it doesn’t have much of a smell at all.  I prefer that clean smell in my hair.  And lastly, the ingredients on the back – I’m not a major organic freak but since having a child, I have paid more and more attention to what I’m buying and putting in and on my body and with this product I don’t even know what the active ingredient really is.  It’s reads like a foreign novel, as well as in big letters: FLAMMABLE on the back.  Well that’s because it’s an aerosol can but either way, not so comforting.

My very first ever dry shampoo was Suave Refresh and Revive, mainly because I just wanted to try something on the cheap.  And by on the cheap, I mean $3.  For $3, this stuff is amazing and has gotten high reviews on Google.  Who would have thought, right?!   

I remember using Suave as a kid and when I became an adult I swore it off like the plague.  Well folks, the tables have turned and Suave has made a great dry shampoo that I like to stash in my gym bag.  The best part is the smell, it has probably the best smell of all of them I’ve tried.  It works pretty much just as well as the Not Your Mother’s Clean Freak but more grittier feeling and takes a little more work to absorb in.  If you are looking for a dry shampoo to just start out with, this is the one I would suggest.  It’s cheap so if you don’t like it, then you can part ways with it. 

The last dry shampoo review is a total bust.  I love Redken products and have been using them for years.  I have a cabinet full of Redken and some of my favorite shampoos/conditioners are Redkens.

But I must say their Pillow Proof Dry Shampoo is a flop.  Same crappy foreign ingredients, the smell is not fresh at all.  It absorbs some oil but does the least for my hair.  Sadly, I cannot recommend this one, hence no hyperlink for this product.  And it's the most expensive one, $18 bucks for this can of crap.  And I'm the type that can't throw anything unused away.  So now I'm left with it. It's currently a fine flammable dust collector on my shelf. 

I cannot give Batiste a full review but it’s Google’s number 1 rated dry shampoo on many sites.  

I have tried it in-store (I’m totally guilty of this!  I try products in store before deciding if I want to buy them.  HELLO dry shampoo spraying in the aisles! Heck I even try the grapes in the produce department before I will buy them, I’ve bought my fair share of rotten products in my lifetime!) so when I tried it in-store I didn’t think it was anything special personally.  I think it gets most raves from brunnettes, they make one specific for brunettes because dry shampoo does have a tendency to spray in whitish in color and it needs to be brushed in good to eliminate any powdery look.  I never have this problem being a dark blonde and actually find that the dry shampoos usually hides the outgrowth of my highlights really well.  But if you have dark hair, Batiste might be right for you!  The one pictured above is not specific for brunettes, this is the one I tried in-store that I can attest was not that special in my opinion.  Wasn't bad but wasn't special enough to make it in my cart.  

** I want to put a disclaimer out there:  just because I don’t wash my hair every day, I usually do shower every day.  Key word being ‘usually’ as today in example I have yet to and may choose not to.  There is no excuse to be the stinky kid, I DO practice good hygiene while being a dry shampoo advocate!

 

8 Tips For A Successful Kid Photo Shoot

       

        Have a good photographer.  The reality is my tips I’m about to give only contribute a very small sliver of what it takes to have a successful photo shoot, it’s really the photographer that all the credit is given to.   We are extremely fortunate to have a very talented photographer who also happens to be one of my best friends!  Being she is such a good friend, we are super comfortable around her and it makes for an easy going photo shoot.  If you don’t have a photographer, my tip is to find one you are comfortable being yourself around, the shoot should flow comfortably and easily from there.

       Have a GAME PLAN!  I know Annie’s 1^st nap of the day is very dependable and I can rely on it.  I know her afternoon nap is a little shakier. Therefore I opt for the late/mid-morning photo session when she seems the happiest as well.  We timed this last one so that she would wake up 30 minutes beforehand and the other big tip is to have a well fed baby.  We gave her a few minutes to wake up, then we fed her, and I’m not talking just a snack, we fed her to the point where she would be plenty full.  A full, well rested baby is crucial for a successful shoot.

       2 outfit changes max!  I’ve done 3 outfits on Annie before, I would not recommend it, it’s too much work.  I do like having an outfit change in our session though to add a little diversity in your pictures.   Parents – 1 outfit for you, if you need to mix it up, throw layers on/off.   Make sure you have enough color coordination but not too ‘matchy-matchy’.  

      Bring ideas!  I always come with all my Pinterest favorites printed out for quick reference.   It will keep the shoot moving along quicker too, with a baby, you just never know how long their cooperation will last!  

       Have snacks.  This was a great idea my photographer suggested.  You can’t see the Puffs or Cheerios in their mouths while shooting and it keeps them a little more content.  When Annie started to finicky, snacks did the trick!

      Know how to make your baby smile.  I’ve really struggled with this one in the past!  What works for your baby several weeks ago, may not work the day of.  I reserved figuring out what will make Annie laugh a few days before the shoot.  I tried buying this contraption in the Target dollar aisle that had a long arm to it thinking I would be able to tickle her with it/amuse her.  I got home and tried it on her and right away she grabbed it and wanted it and played tug-a-war with it until I gave it to her.  #1stFail!  Then I went and bought a birthday noise maker, you know … the kind where you blow in them and the paper unrolls out.  Annie hated it, made her cry!  #2ndFail.  Then I just started doing funny things until I got a reaction out of her.  I found that if I puffed my cheeks out and then use my hands to ‘pop’ them or blow the air out, she would roll in laughter.  I was careful not to wear this trick out before the photo shoot by doing it too much beforehand.  On the day of, it worked like a charm!  Giggles and smiles galore each time I puffed my cheeks out and popped them.  This is why you have to be comfortable around your photographer because you will do some real idiotic, crazy things to make your child laugh!  Another thing that has somewhat worked for us is during a family picture, giving her a little belly tickle while holding her will bring on the smiles too.

      Have a pep talk with your husband.  Yes, we must address this ladies.  Before the photo shoot, I go over my Pinterest ideas and my game plan.  That way he knows what is expected and we are on the ‘same page’.  I also make sure to remind him of how important these pictures are to me and to work with me, not against me during the shoot.  I know for men, pictures can be painful.  But luckily, for his own good, he knows having a very mad wife is more painful.  And I just gently remind him of this about an hour beforehand.  

      Lastly, these are moments that are meant to be captured.  Thru all the stress, prep work, time involved… when you see those pictures for either the first time, or the 100^th time, you will constantly be reminded of how precious and priceless they really are.  It’s something that you really shouldn’t by pass!  This picture right here... melts my heart every.single.time.....