Reading, Watching, Listening, Cooking, and Doing

Reading: 

 

I think I talked about this book before - but if you haven't read it - put it on your list immediately!  One of my book clubs read it, and everyone really, really enjoyed it. If there was any complaint, it was that it was a tiny bit slow (and sometimes predictable) at parts, but overall, I couldn't put it down and enjoyed it from start to end. 

For the same book club - our book for next month is The Woman in the Window. It is not my typical type of book, and I'm actually a little scared to start it, so if you've read it, please tell me if its worth reading! 

I'm also doing my first Audible book for The Woman Who Smashed Codes. A neighborhood book club is doing this book for the month of October, and while also not my typical genre, it has been really interesting - especially since its based in Illinois.

 

Watching:  

Such a fun, bright, extravagant rom-com. I saw it 1.5x because the first time I went, the power in the theater went out, so I went back this past week with my mom to watch it again.

 

 

 

Listening: 

Age three is going to rock us around here. 

Leo has been seriously pushing boundaries, sassy, talk-backy, and FIERCELY independent. There are so many times during the day that I want to just rip my hair out of my head because it becomes so frustrating when you find yourself fighting with your toddler.

I've been listening to this podcast lately, and I really enjoy her perspective on things. The podcasts are short, smart, and make me feel quite a bit better about things.

Cooking: 

I've been bringing back a lot of my fall staples, but this is the only new dish that I've cooked in the last few weeks - and it's super simple and healthy. 

I used this recipe from Damn Delicious for her Sesame Ginger Salmon, and it was SO good. Served over brown rice and asparagus that I broiled on high with olive oil, balsamic glaze, and grated Parmesan.

Doing:  

I've really enjoyed our fall schedule. MWF - Leo is at school in the mornings for 2.5 hours. 

After school on Monday, the kids have a music class at the library with a bunch of our friends, so we scoot over there to fill our Monday.

On Tuesday afternoons, I have a sitter come from 3-6. 

Normally I run errands or schedule appointments, but last week, I treated myself to a beer and movie all on my own and it was heaven!

 

It was a jam packed week actually, because then on Thursday, I met Joel downtown for a Cubs game. The Cubs held on for as long as they could, and we were excited to be there for a win, but their season is officially over. 

 

I'm also doing a little fall shopping. I went yesterday to Nordstrom Rack and Old Navy and tomorrow I'm going to head to Gap and Janie and Jack. Those are pretty much the only stores I shop at for the kids with the occasional find at Tj.Maxx.

 

And that's the latest and the greatest around here! Please tell me when you've been RWLCDing too :)

Fall Festing!

We had the best weekend kicking off the start of fall! The weather was ideal - 50/60's, breezy, but comfortable, and then capped it off with a rainy Sunday. It was my version of perfection all weekend long! 

Leo's preschool had a fall field trip at a pumpkin patch about a half hour away - so we loaded up early Friday morning, packed a lunch, and spent the entire morning there.

We started the day with apple cider donuts, a quick lesson about fruits and vegetables, and then loaded a tractor to pick out pumpkins.

 

It was pretty cool - because you had to rip the pumpkins off the vine. 

After everyone was done picking pumpkins, we went to explore their petting zoo, corn pit, and festival rides. 

My kids were having so much fun - I wasn't sure if they were going to make it all morning long, especially Drew, but they did, so we had our picnic lunch, came home, got in warm baths, and both kids slept soundly for two hours! 

Saturday our town had their annual Johnny Appleseed Fest so after a morning of workouts and errands, we met up with Joel's parents at The Cottage downtown and had lunch and beers before we hit up the fest.

After lunch, we met up with friends, let the kids play around a bit, and then lined up for the "big" ball drop down Brink Street. 

 

Afterwards, more friends met up at the Crystal Lake Brewery to let the kids play and have a few drinks before we loaded up and came home for chili.

Sunday, my mom arrived home after a 10 day trip in Europe, so we spent the entire day at Cocopops, had champagne, watched the cubs in front of a fire on the screened porch, and had a great Sunday night dinner with the fam. 

 

It really got me excited for the fun in store for October!  

 

Leo - THREE years old

 

::: 1 month recap ::: 2 month recap ::: 3 month recap ::: 4 month recap ::: 5 month recap :::

 ::: 6 month recap ::: 7 month recap ::: 8 month recap ::: 9 month recap ::: 10 month recap

::: 11 month recap ::: 12 month recap  ::: 13 month recap ::: 14 month recap

::: 15 month recap :::16 months :::17 months

   18 months   ::: 19 months  ::: 20 months

  ::: 21  months ::: 22 months  :::23 months ::

::: 2 years old ::: 2.5 years old :::

Weight: 29lbs (20%) and 36” (17th%). 

Nicknames: LeeLee and Leo John

Clothes: 2T in jeans, 3T in shirts, 7 shoe, 5 diapers

Sleep:  You're a great sleeper and you're still taking naps. School has really helped in wiping you out, so we normally get 3-4 naps out of you in a week. You are still in your crib and I'm not moving you for a while. You've climbed out a handful of times in your life, but for the most part, love your crib so I don't see an enormous need to change it up yet. 

The only new thing we saw in sleep this summer was some night terrors/bad dreams. The onset came when we started/tried to potty train you. You would wake up in the middle of the night screaming bloody murder. It was heartbreaking, but you were normally easy to console back to sleep. Once we stopped potty training, they went away, and then came back out right before school started again - but haven't been a common problem. We now sleep with a night light and socks and both seem to help. 

Schedule: This is our school schedule

6:45am- Dad wakes you up and gets your clothes on

7:00am Breakfast

8-10:30am- School

10:30-12pmish- Errands, Park, Walks, Baths

12:15pm - Lunch

1:00-3pm nap

3:30pm up/play/snack

6:00pm dinner with a cup of milk

7:00pm Bed

Health: You are a healthy boy and we are beyond thankful for that.

Feeding:  You are a bit picky but overall a good eater. You still don't love meat, but I sneak it in here and there and you get lots of protein from other places so I'm not too worried. You love breakfast bars, cheese sticks, pirates booty, oatmeal, raisins, quesadillas and guacamole, bagels, french fries and ice cream.

Likes: You love school, magnatiles, arts and crafts, running, playdates, parks, being outside, and going to Barnes and Noble and the Crystal Lake Brewery.

Right now, you love Anna and Elsa from Frozen, love listening to the Disney channel on Pandora, you love playing with your "maui guys" which are little Moana figures, you love playing in the bath, having swimming lessons, and having snacks. 

You are so excitable, love life, and generally just see the beauty of the smallest things.

Not Liking: You are cautious with new experiences and sometimes show me a little anticipation anxiety. You don't like anyone doing things for you and are REALLY starting to show your 3-year old independent side.

Milestones: Well, you're like the smartest kid I know ;)  Your verbal skills are incredible and your memory legitimately freaks me out at how good it is.

You know all of your colors, can count to about 10 with a few mistakes, can spell your name, are learning to write your name, and pretty much know all of your shapes. What else is a milestone at 3? You sing tons of songs, play by yourself, have an incredible imagination, enjoy putting things together, lining things up, and creating different things.

This summer you learned how to swim with Miss BJ and we saw massive improvments from the beginning of the summer to the end. 

One milestone we did not master was potty training. We tried. And we tried hard. But it just didn't work. It was very, very emotional for you (and then, me), and it was WAY harder than it should have been, so we took it as a sign that you just weren't emotionally ready (you are physically), and so we are tabling it until you are.

Places You’ve Gone: We just returned from Colorado this past month and I would say the trip was made so much sweeter because we got to see and travel through your eyes. EVERYTHING blew your mind, the mountains, the "vacation house", the birds, the gondolas, the sun, the food, the airport, the plane, everything! 

----

Leo, we love doing life with you. 

You make us laugh, smile, run, jump, play, sing, and dance, and you make us live our lives SO much better, sweeter, and more joyfilled. You are an incredible teacher, and I can't wait to learn more from you this next year. 

 We love every little thing about you,

Mom and Dad

 

Weekend Recap

It's really feeling like fall around here and I'm loving it! 

Friday our high school had their homecoming parade, so we met up with a few friends and kids to watch all of the students. 

 

The kids loved it - and then we decided to walk down to Crystal Lake Brewing for a beer.

A few families went home, but we tried two restaurants with friends downtown to grab dinner, and both had way too long of wait times, so we decided to head back to our house. We ordered pizza, let the kids play, and drank a ton of wine until the kids (me) were falling asleep on the couch. 

Saturday morning we woke up early to celebrate Leo's birthday! We decided in lieu of a birthday party this year we would head into the city and go to the Shedd Aquariam. 

We left our house early, and after a quick drive, did end up having to sit waiting for the parking lot for a while. Luckily no one broke down and we were in the Shedd exploring pretty quickly thereafter. 

 

My sister Hannah met us (my mom is in Europe, my other sister Nell was at a wedding in KY, and my dad was good skipping out), and we spent two hours following Leo from exhibit to exhibit. He was in hog heaven.

 

 

I was really glad we got there early in the morning, because it was a Saturday, it was jam packed by noon. 

So, we all loaded into our car and drove for lunch at our favorite taco spot in the city - Big Star. 

 

We had a few margaritas, Leo chowed three quesadillas and all of the guac he could consume, opened some presents from Aunt Hannah, and then headed back home.

We were home pretty early, but decided to skip naps for everyone so that we could put them to bed a little earlier. 

We did baths, got them into bed, and then Joel and I both sadly watched our teams (Vols and Hawkeyes) lose some pretty important football games.

Sunday morning Joel let me sleep in which was glorious - and then after breakfast we went out for a 4 mile run, followed by a 4 mile bike ride (Joel ran both). It was the PERFECT weather, so we really enjoyed spending the morning outside. 

After naps, we wrapped birthday presents, mowed the lawn, ordered groceries, typed this blog, and got ready for a birthday dinner with Leo's grandparents.



 

It was the perfect weekend - and I'm so excited to be starting fall with a THREE YEAR OLD!!!

Tomorrow we will bring treats into school, play at the library, and then have a park party with some friends and brownies before coming home for dinner and presents! A pretty fun weekend for a pretty special little dude.