New York, New York!

The past few weeks have been spent catching up from our week away, enjoying the beautiful weather and many trips to the park (there is a new park just a block away from us and we just love it!).  Last Tuesday I took a break from all that and on a whim flew to New York to attend the National Stationery Show. 

Ever since I learned about the show 5 years ago, I have wanted to go.  At that time I had just left my corporate job (as a systems analyst/programmer - that seems so crazy and foreign to me now!) to do something less stressful and more 'me.'  I was hired as manager of a cute paper and gift boutique in the North Shore.  The owner (and thousands of retailers from all over the world) attends the Stationery Show every year to find the next best thing, see new designs and to place orders with the vendors to stock her store for the upcoming months.  To me, the idea of all that paper, all those designs, all that creativity in one place is so exciting!

One of my business goals has been to attend that show as a vendor and have those retailers buy my designs.  Knowing myself, the chances of me getting there next year would not be very likely having never been there to see what the whole thing is about.  So this year, since I am officially and legally a business in the stationery industry I meet the requirements for someone who can attend!  By the time we returned from Florida the show was only 8 days away, and it didn't seem likely that I could make arrangements that quickly to go, BUT after mentioning my idea to Jon and discussing with him the logistics and finding a cheap flight we both decided this was something I HAD to do!  So he, being the #1 Toluka Paper supporter he is, took a day off work to stay home with the kiddies while I left the house at 4:15am to catch my 6am flight to NY and returned at 11:55pm that same night.  It was a looong, but VERY exciting day.  I learned so much from walking around, chatting with this year's vendors, from visiting the booths of suppliers and fullfillment companies...and I also learned a lot about myself!  That trip was a big deal for a little, midwestern girl like me -  to get on two flights in one day (I HATE flying), maneuver to and from each airport reaching my destinations on time, and approaching many companies with my compliments and questions while being totally intimidated.  After all that, I KNOW that ...if I can make it there - I can make it anywhere!  See ya next year New York!!

This is one of the booths right at the entrance of the show.  If you can picture row after row after row of booths like this one (some smaller, some larger) taking up almost an entire floor of the Jacob K. Javits convention center.  It took me FIVE hours to walk the whole thing and according to people I talked to, it has been getting smaller each year for the past 3-4 years and used to take up TWO floors!  Whoa!

(I  know the pictures aren't super exciting, but the vendors aren't too keen on having pictures taken of their products, as copying of ideas and designs happens all to often in this industry...can't say I blame them!)

Noah the Builder

Beginning last December Jon and Noah started a monthly 'tradition' of attending the Home Depot Kids Workshops and have attended each month since.  If you aren't familiar with the program, on the first Saturday of each month HD offers a FREE workshop at all of their locations where kids (with an accompanying adult) can work on that month's project.  The program is recommended for children ages 5 - 12, but Noah does just fine...he just needs a little more guidance (and I'm sure a little more patience is also needed, hehe). 

Noah with his projects.

The wagon is a favorite, but the racecar display (Noah calls it his garage) definitely gets the most use!

He also loves the apron. 

After each visit they receive a new pin to add to their apron. Each pin is a picture of that month's project.

Noah and Jon both look forward to going and spending boy time together and I always look forward to seeing what they create and hearing the stories about how it came together. I highly recommend making a trip to the 'ol Depot some Saturday to find out for yourself...I mean, it's free, what do you have to lose (except maybe a couple fingers!...just kidding)!

Curious George...Live!

Curious George has been a staple in our house since Noah was old enough to start watching a little television.  We always started our mornings with good ol' George.  (One exception was during a period of time when I thought George might be to blame for Noah being a little behind on his speech - how could George be a good example when he doesn't talk and at times is a little 'too curious.')  Anyway, once I got over that we started including him in our mornings again and now Millie enjoys watching that silly monkey too. 
About three months ago Jon noticed Curious George Live would be in town...well, in Merrillville, Indiana - 40 mins away - close enough.  We have never taken Noah (or Millie either for that matter) to a 'Live' character show so we thought he would enjoy it.  So Millie played at home with her Grandma K for the afternoon (she would have LOVED the first 10 mins, but then would have lost interest...we learned our lesson after going to the circus!) and Noah and Daddy and Mommy had a fun outing together.

Noah's first reaction when George came out on stage. 

He was very excited and kept calling to him...'Curious George!' 

We were seated in the third row with no one in front of us, so I'm not sure Noah even realized anyone else was there to see George but him.  He was so intent and followed the plot through until the end.

George and the Man with the Yellow Hat.

Noah and Jon after the show. 

Noah is holding the balloon he just HAD to have. 

He was excited to use the $$ Santa put in the wallet he gave him for Christmas.

Also...Noah recently won a 'prize' at school - a $25 Visa Gift Card.  Since that doesn't really mean a whole lot to a 3-year-old I thought it would be a good idea to teach a little money lesson and tell him he could wait and use it to get something at the show.  When the time came, he pulled the card out of his wallet, handed it to the lady and even signed the receipt.  He thought he was hot stuff!

And this is what he bought...

You push the button on the side and the red, blue and green things light up and whip around while George spins in the middle.  We tried to talk him into something else thinking this thing wouldn't make it home before breaking (or before I threw it out the car window), but his mind was made up.  We quickly learned the 'Whirley' (as we call it) and the balloon string do not mix...but after untangleing it, it is still going strong...lucky me.  This morning I found him beating Bear in the face with it...better than his sister!

Noah truly enjoyed the show...so did Jon and I actually. 

Great idea Daddy! 

Millie, we promise you will have your turn!!

My little pumpkins

For the past three years we have driven to County Line Orchard in Hobart, Indiana to choose our pumpkins and to pick apples. I love that we have continued this new family tradition so far. It is one of my favorite days of the year. We started going mainly for the pumpkins, but now I think we enjoy the apple picking just as much!

The first year we went Noah was 20 months old and it was exciting to see his reaction to the big pumpkins (they were all big compared to him!) and to watch him try to roll them. Last year was definitely not the best year, but memories were made nonetheless. It was Millie's first year to go, she was just 2 months old and I spent most of the time feeding her while Noah and Daddy stomped around the pumpkin patch. It was also very hot and buggie that year and we found ourselves losing patience with the mud and mosquitoes.

This year was different. Noah and Millie are now both at such an adventurous age it made this years trip the best yet!

The visit always starts the same...with pumpkin and apple spice doughnuts and hot apple cider. (I didn't say anything about it being a healthy day, but it is quite a treat for all of us!) This year we went through the petting zoo. The kids loved feeding the goats, piggies and cows. Once through the zoo we hitched a ride on the wagon to take the ride out to the pumpkin patch. After trudging through a little mud and picking our perfect pumpkins we headed back to the apple orchard to pick (...and sample) our apples. It always proves to be a long day, but the fun we have and the memories we make always make it well worth the trip. I can't wait to go back next year...

Noah being a good big brother and giving Millie a ride.

He did a great job and she surprisingly sat still and enjoyed the ride.

Noah searching for the 'perfect pumpkin.'

It had to be 'hu-uge' he said as he stretched his arms out to his sides.

Millie was determined as ever to pick one up.

She went from pumpkin to pumpkin trying to lift each one.

Family picture in the patch.

Millie liked taking bites out of each apple she picked.

"Mmmm, apples! My 'bays-rite'!"

Millie sharing her apple with me.

As you can tell we filled our wagon with lots and lots of autumn goodies!

Noah Visits the Dentist

First, a little background:
Noah's feelings about brushing his teeth seem to change on a whim. The first two and a half years of his life he LOVED his toothbrush. I first introduced it to him at 10months in an attempt to keep him from rolling over and wiggling around while putting his jammies on before bed. At that point, he would just chew on it, but it still got him used to the idea of having it in his mouth.

He was still interested in his bristle-y buddy when we moved it to the bathroom and added a little toothpaste. Even his doctor was surprised to hear Noah was always eager to clean his petite pearly whites. But about three months ago something changed his feelings - I wish I knew what it was, and brushing his teeth became a nightly battle neither of us looked forward to. He HATED it and threw a fit every night. Until...one day a few weeks ago, during one of our ritual Battle of the Brushes. On this night, he had a little icecream after dinner and soon after finishing we went downstairs to start our bedtime routine. When the time came to brush his teeth, Noah put his hands over his mouth and started shaking his head (like he had every night for the past three months) and I then told him firmly "Noah, you have to brush the ice cream off your teeth!" I have no idea what made this idea so appealing to him (nor do I really care), but ever since I just tell him it is time to brush the ice cream off his teeth and he usually gets right to work...regardless of whether he had ice cream or not.

So after making that much progress just a few weeks ago, I did NOT want to undo it with a nightmare of a trip to the dentist.

Usually I plan something like this out very well. I think of all possible scenarios and make sure I have a solution for each ready. Well, unfortunately I ran out of time so instead I told him we had to go to the dentist so they could 'tickle our teeth.' Not only did I not prepare him well, but, I had also scheduled my appointment at the same time and took Millie with me. WHAT WAS I THINKING??

As I sat in the waiting room...waiting - 20 mins after my scheduled appointment time (which was now just 15mins before our usual lunchtime and 45 mins before naptime) I sent Jon a quick email to tell him that I was totally regretting making our appointments together, why didn't I get a sitter for Millie, why did I schedule it for this time of day, why hadn't I prepared Noah better, why didn't I bring a snack for Millie!! I began to panic. How did I think this was going to work? Did I really think Noah would sit still like a perfect angel in a chair while I had my teeth cleaned? Did I think Millie would sit next to him in the stroller without any of her blood curdling shrieks (whether she was happy or not)? And then, how would I be able to keep Millie busy while I acted as a straight jacket for Noah when it was his turn? Beads of sweat were beginning to form on my brow and I was about 2 mins from throwing a huge, embarassing fit in the waiting room and storming out.

Then... all of a sudden through the door came the most wonderful sight...my amazing husband! Daddy to the rescue! He had received my email and aparently didn't want to receive a tear-filled phonecall from me with screaming kids in the background and possibly a message from the dentist's office saying we were no longer welcome back, so he took a break from his super busy day to bail me out. I wouldn't have made it through that appointment without him! He kept both monsters busy while I had my turn (which took about 45mins) and stayed for the beginning of Noah's appointment to make sure all went well. Thanks to him, all went well and Noah was all smiles when we left and LOVES brushing his teeth!!

Mr. Fix-it

If you know me, you know that I am a little crazy about my kids' sleep schedules. Consistency is key and one thing that has remained consistent in both Noah's, and now Millie's bedtime routine is Baby Tad. Baby Tad is a stuffed frog who plays 'nighty night' music and allows you to set how long it plays - up to six minutes. This thing has worked wonders on nights when the inevitable night waking occurs and although I don't like to get my kids 'hooked' on something I might need to break them of in the future, this guy has been the one exception. Well good 'ol Tad returned from Florida a changed froggie and not for the better. He no longer worked! Panick set in. Not only is it tough to find this particular model (I don't think they make it anymore), but our first night back, Millie woke up at 4:30am and I really could have used his help. So last night I took Tad to see 'Daddy, MD'. He performed a fairly quick, painless procedure to realign some wires that were out of place. Now Tad is happily singing his merry tunes again and everyone is sleeping through the night again.