I love you, Room & Board outlet

You will see this new baby make its debut tonight in our living room! So excited!

Isnt this what everybody does in LA?

Had dinner tonight in downtown LA at bottega louie. What a scene! Paparazzi and limos, and of course we couldn't leave without getting some macaroons! My first one trying these amazing things...so good! I think I found my new treat! A must have!

Way to go, Uncle Kevin!

We had so much fun in Omaha this week! We certainly took advantage of the great (hot) weather as much as possible!

Leah cheered everyone on and even learned to say GO!! It was awesome!

Omaha bound!

Omaha, here we come! On our way to swimming Olympic trials to cheer on uncle Kevin!!

He swims first thing tomorrow morning and we'll be there cheering him on!

But, we still have a car trip to conquer with our wonderful toddler...

Twinkies!

Father-Daughter days...oh, how much I love it when Dad dresses Leah and then Dad dresses himself.  At least they have pretty good taste!

My little cutie!

What a weekend!

Thanks to the family and friends for making it such an amazing weekend! Great job to the tough mudder guys! No major injuries and everyone made it to the finish line. That equals a win in my book.

The kiddos played at home all day and enjoyed a little party time in the afternoon.

Not to mention, Leah is starting to drink from a big girl cup, but hasn't quite mastered it yet...only a matter of time!

We just have too much fun!

She's learning so quickly these days and getting so fun! Here's some of the things we've been up to:

Play date!

What a day! Everybody is off in different directions, but lucky for us, we're having a great time!

The kiddos found the animals!

What is she wearing?!

No words for this...except that this is what happens when I leave Art and Leah to their own devices...

Notice she is dressed in layers, yet it's shorts, a tank top, and leg warmers.  When they went outside, she added a Twins jersey and jacket...like I said...no words.

If this girl is anything like her Mom, this is only the beginning!

Our Summer Water Safety Plans

Our friend asked me about my water safety plans for the summer and thought it was a good topic to share with you.  How do you effectively navigate playing with the kiddos near the edge of the lake and in the yard without having to strap them into a leash-type device that was most definately not designed by a parent?

Even though we've been taking swim lessons with Leah, you can never be too careful in and around the water.  And these lessons are only working on getting her more comfortable with the water - we're not quite to the point where she can swim on her own...

Here are my choices for this summer's gear, I'll try not to be too bias (12-24mos):

Speedo mary jane water shoes from Target, size S (4-5)



Speedo Fabric Baby Float from Target

Remember this cutie from last year?

 

Speedo Swim Diaper

Common misconception - you don't need a disposable diaper under one of these, as long as it's an actual swim diaper, meant for swimming!  It should have a plastic lining, somtimes between two pieces of fabric, that has tight elastic on their waist and legs to hold in any mess that could happen. 

We've swam in these for the last several lessons and hadn't had any messes until the last time...don't worry though - very easy clean up.  A couple swishes in the toilet and we're good!

*word to the wise though, don't put the diaper on until you get to the pool...

Speedo Swim Vest (33+ lbs)

We'll use one of these vests once Leah gets to this size, until then, we have an infant life vest that we bought at (*it kills me to say this...) Walmart last year while in Florida. 

She hated it...but it was mandatory for the boat.  Notice the cutie swim diaper! 
This was over a disposable, just in case...

Last, but not least, the Foam Board!

Leah LOVED this 'magic carpet' as they call it at Foss, and we definately need to get one of these for the lake.  Not sure yet where to find it, but I will find it.

So those are our go-to items for this summer at the lake.  Of course, there's the sunscreen, bug spray, sun hats and cute swim suits (a girl can never have too many...). 

Anything I'm missing??