New toy

I let Henry "open" his birthday gift from Baba and it is a hit! He loves pulling himself up to standing all the time now so this is a perfect toy to occupy his attention.

just look at that little butt!

Kleynimals

My mom's cousin sent Henry this toy a few months ago that her daughter created, called kleynimals.

She even had his name engraved on it! They are so cute and a good alternative to a plastic toy. I pulled it out this weekend and it's quickly become a favorite. He loves chewing on it and shaking them in the air.

A lovely shower

A couple of weeks ago we had a wonderful time at our shower hosted by my sister and mom. It was a co-ed affair which was great. It felt more like we were hanging out with our friends and family for the afternoon and not a formal event. Here are some photos from the party. Everything was so perfect, from all of the children's books everywhere to the food, drink and decor. We are so lucky to have such amazing family and friends who are supporting us during this milestone.
Matt's mom is hosting another shower for us this weekend with her friend Lorrie. I'm looking forward to continuing the celebration, not just for us, but also for Matt's parents who will be first-time grandparents!

My creative niece

A couple of weeks ago, the Widholms came over to our house for a visit and Maya saw a shower gift we got from one of our friends which included an adorable lion rattle. A little later we were all downstairs and she wanted to draw to I gave her some paper and colored pencils and she proceeded to recreate the rattle she had briefly seen:

How adorable is that? I am so impressed with her skills, especially for a first grader! I'm sorry my phone cut off her flourishes by her signature:)

West Point gear

Julie and her family went on a road trip to upstate New York over Labor Day weekend so they made a quick trip to West Point and picked this up for our baby! My Dad will be so happy:) Our baby will be able to represent during the Army/Navy game this year when he'll be all of 2 weeks old (if he's on time).
Thanks Julie, Tim, Maya and Miles!

Hailstones and Halibut Bones

 Baba recently reminded me about the wonderful children's book by Mary O'Neill, Hailstones and Halibut Bones, Adventures in Color. I found a copy from 1961 on ebay and it just came in the mail. The illustrations are really fun and I love the way she describes color in such a fanciful way. I took a photo of the first page for white and black as an example. I'd love to incorporate this into a class at Marwen someday...
Thanks Baba!!

The Little Prince

Last weekend, we went with Matt's parents and brother to see the Lipizzaner Horses perform which was really fun. They are such beautiful creatures. During our visit, Beth gave this book to Matt and I. She knows how much we love books (and children's books especially, for me). This is a 1943 (!) edition of the book that she's had since 1968. The best part is she wrote a really sweet inscription to us and had underlined some of her favorite parts when she first got the book. I'm excited to re-read this classic that I haven't looked at in ages.

Thank you Beth!

Pregnancy life-savers

A few months ago I got a real treat in the mail- a package from Katie with some pregnancy treats! So sweet. I've been using all of these non-stop since I got them.

Non-toxic nail polish

Super moisturizing and smells awesome

Glass water bottle with silicone sleeve- I use this every day!

Thanks Katie!