My Favorite 5

Here at the Laughlin house, "What's mine is yours, what's yours is mine!"

Toy box. Voted #1 Best New Place to Play in the Laughlin House.

I love finding out about new things I could use with my kids. I thought it would be a great idea for us all to tell what the Top 5 Favorite Baby/Child products we use are...things you would never go without...things you use everyday...or simply, things you would tell a new mother they can not live without.

1. My digital camera. I keep it in my purse all the time. I can't tell you how many wonderful memories I have captured with it. I develop close to 400 pics every three months. And I love to look at all the albums we have.
2. An Angel Dear blankie. Both Mia and Jackson have one. Sharron Schwab gave us the original Quack as a Baby gift for Mia. Honestly, I had no idea what it was, so it stayed in a drawer for 4 months. When I finally got it out and felt how soft it was, I knew that every child needs one of those. Mia loved the tag on the side. From very early on, I watched her as she would turn the quack around and round until she felt the tag in her hand. She would like to rub it on her nose. We are on Quackie #4. I was devastated the first time I lost it. Now we have a back-up. Jackson has Ruffy Dog. He likes to have a little piece of it in his mouth when he sucks his thumb. It makes it smell horrible. So, we have two Ruffy's, also, so that he can have one when the other is in the laundry.
3. Pajama's form Children's Place. These are my favorite Pj's for my kids. They fit really snug. They remind me of old cartoons I used to watch when I was little, when kids would have the little flap thing over there fannies! They also zip as opposed to buttoning. Great for when you have a squirmy kid that won't hold still for more than a 1/2 a second.
4. A Hotsling. I ordered one of these off the WWW :) ((I know my blogs are so corny, but I make myself giggle out loud, so it is worth it.) ) when I was pregnant with Jack. I was so anxious to try it out that I put Mia in it. It was awesome. Mia loved it, too. I could not believe she fit but when I read the info on it it said you could use if for a kid up to 40 lbs., or something like that! It felt really secure. No straps or anything. Just a solid piece of material. I use it all the time with Jack, now. When he was a newborn, I had a hard time figuring it out, but now it is a well oiled machine. It fold ups really small so I keep it in my purse or DB all the time. Great also for around the house, when you have a baby that just wants to be close to his Momma! They come in all different patterns, colors, textures, and sizes! You should try one.
5. A bottle of Infant Ibuprofen. I have one on me almost all the time. You never know when your baby will get a tooth ache, ear ache, or fever. Or when they simply need something to chew on. Best teether in the whole world. (I know my husband says, too, that Ibuprofen and Tylenol are created equal, but I for some reason just don't agree. What do you guys use?)

P.S. I would make a great salesperson. Don't you think? I am very passionate about things I think are great products. Don't even get me started on why I think everyone should be using Professional Salon products and tools on their hair!

And, Don't forget to post your favorite 5, too, or leave me a comment. I would love to know.

Cook With Your Kids

I saw a clip on the Today Show about cooking healthy with your kids. They said if a child is involved in preparing a meal or a snack, they will be more likely to eat it. So, in attempt to get Mia to eat some veggies, we made veggie soup this morning. I chopped the veggies, she put them in the pot. I thought that there was no way I was going to get her to try it.
Our soup cooked for 90 minutes. She could not wait to eat it. She ate an entire bowl!
I hope this works for future meals. It was a lot of fun cooking with my daughter. I just hope she loves to cook when she grows up, too!

My Favorite Place in the Whole World

"We're going to the city, gonna see a lot of buildings!"

My birthday present from my wonderful husband was a weekend in Chicago.
It is such a wonderful place. I love the architecture, the food, the shopping, the night lights, pretty much everything about it. I always thought I would live there someday, but I am satisfied with visits now and then. We stayed at the Avenue, which was right off the Magnifecient Mile. It was really nice, and our room was upgraded to a corner suite when we arrived!

Aunt Janie and Uncle Joda (Kara and Kenzie, too) kept the kids for a couple days. So it was so great to just be a couple for the night. It was the first time I have left Jack all night with someone, but we were told that he was wonderful!

This was from the top floor of The Avenue. There was a pool with an open sky and a nice view of the Lake and City.

Too bad we forgot to pack our swimsuits!

We ate dinner at the Grand Luxe Cafe. Yummy, yummy in my tummy!
We just walked and walked. I felt like we needed to run from place to place so that we could see as many things as we could. Next time we have to stay longer.

From Navy Pier.

Back at the Crabtree's, Anna and Mia had a blast on the tramp.

A Brown Moment!

Mia told the girl's that she wanted to make her mommy a pink birthday cake, so that's what they worked on Saturday morning.

Saturday night we were all eating popcorn on the couch. Mia popped a piece in her mouth, laid her head on my knee, and was instantly lights out.


Thank you, Heath, for a wonderful gift. I loved every moment.

Thank you, Crabtree's, for loving our kids. Mia had an amazing time with you and made some memories she will not soon forget. (Jack hasn't complained, so I am sure he had a good time, too!) Now, it will be a countdown at our house until we get to come again at Thanksgiving! Love you all!

September Pics

A match made in Heaven!

This is from the Stewart's wedding. Both of the kids were really well behaved. It was the first time I sat through an entire wedding for 2 1/2 years!

Our boy loves him some cookies.

See this shirt. It is no more. After the picnic, we went out to Grandma and Pop-Pop's and while we thought Mia was sleeping peacefully in the front bedroom, she was actually playing with some Hot Pink Lip Stick. It was all over the place, including her shirt and Grandma's brand new carpet! Luckily it came out of the carpet, but the shirt has since been retired!

Wowzer!

It is almost 9 and Jack is still asleep. I can not believe it. Why is it that on days when my kids sleep in I can never seem to stay asleep that long, too?

What Should I Make for the Picnic?

Mia will not let me cut her bangs, although they are in desperate need.

Gotta love 'em!

Jack now officially has 4 teeth, going on 6 teeth.

Jack is pulling up to things now.

Holy Cow! I haven't made a post in a while. This was a crazy week. I am just so upset that September seems to be flying by.

So let's catch up. Umm, Can anyone say "HUNDRED DOLLA BILLS, Y'ALL?" Cause, my garage sale was killer! I sold a truck load, sent a truck load to Goodwill, and took a truckload to consignment. And, My garage is so clean. That is the wonderful thing about having a garage sale. The preparation just wipes me out. I still don't feel rested. But, at least I won't have to have another sale for a couple years though, because all of my stuff is gone!
Jack tried to take off in Jenny's walker. Yes, my kid was still in his PJ's in the late hours of the A.M.

And It was a blast, by the way, to have everyone over who helped out this weekend. The kids loved it, I think! We would love to have you all back again soon, and any one else who would want to come. (I think it would be great to have an apple and cheese tasting party!)
Then...We stayed in Litchfield over the weekend, hung out with the Fams. Crazy weather, huh? (Although, I know God answered my prayers, and yours, by the way, to keep the rain away for our sale!) I wish the water would have stayed in the ditches a little longer so Mia could play in it. I have such fun memories of that when I little.

Oh, and the new Fam, The Yenchlin's, or you might like to call them The Laughko's, went to the river and the orchard on Monday. It was a beautiful day to pick apples. I am apple crazy right now.
Katie loves her some apples, too!

We were the only ones there. I only wish that Mia was with us, she would have had a blast. But, she went with her Nana to the Zoo. Anyway, we ate at one of our favorite places on the river that has the most fantastic salad ever. We stopped in Alton on the way home for a little shopping. But Kate and I decided we needed to go to Fairview for a few more things, and let me just say that the boys were being just plain mean:) We talked them into it though;) Mister Bulky's was so worth it!

The boy's loved their treats!

Jeff bought some candy, too! Don't worry, it's candy! Flashback to the 80's.

OK, what else?
UMM.... Work.
And Work.
And I have piles of laundry to take care of.
I should not be blogging, my house is so neglected. Seriously!

Question: What is everyone taking to the big picnic this weekend? I hate taking something that someone else has already brought. That always happens to me somehow!

Come on Now!

Seriously. Have you looked outside today. Nasty. Pray for nice sunny weather at around 5. And & tomorrow.