Traveling with a Toddler

We are embarking on a grand adventure in a few days; traveling with an active toddler. And by traveling I don't mean in the car were he will be restrained in his car seat or were we can stop and let him out for a little bit. Oh no! We will be flying. That's right, I will be one of those people you dread and pray you don't have to sit by. Patrick will be a lap child and I'm sure will not want to sit on anybody's lap. The first plane ride will be about 3 hours and then we will have a short layover before the last flight of about 1 1/2 hours.

To help keep him entertained on the flight I'll be packing some of his favorite toys.  Instead on just tossing them all in the bag I've made some smaller bags with different closures.  When he looks in the bag he won't see all the toys, but different bags to "unwrap".  My hope is that this will make the toys last longer.

As Patrick is still in his crib, when we travel I ususally bring along his pack 'n play for him to sleep in.  As we are flying I'm not going to use his pack 'n play as one of our checked baggage.  It's bad enough having to pay for checked baggage but I'm not paying to "ship" his bed along.  That said, I bought Patrick a foldable travel bed that will fold down into a 1 inch high circle that I can pack in my bag.  He loves to play in it right now.

June Update

Patrick's napping so i get to blog about the past month. It's been busy around our house. We've lived here for 2 months now and almost everything is put in order. I've found some great organizational tips on pinterest. Using two curtain rods attached to the inside of the pots and pan cabinet door, I've been able to create a little more cupboard space.

Using a cheap plastic shoe organizer I've been able to put my cleaning supplies in an easy to see and reach order. No more digging under the sink to find the right cleaner.

I'm making plans to redo two of our closets to make storage easier and better. The closet by the front door will be much neater, look cleaner, and less crowded. The closet by the back door will be redone with more shelves as well. I just need to save up some money now so we can do this, but before we do we desperately need a new front door. There is a crack about an inch wide between the top of the door and the door frame, plus it is just ugly.

As you can tell Patrick has been very busy around the house. He has also been having a ball at the pool and the beach. We go to the pool most afternoons on Wednesdays, Thursdays, and Fridays. Saturdays and Sundays we are usually busy. Last weekend my mom came up and we went to Kohler-Andrea State Park. Patrick loved digging in the sand.

Summer is Here

Summer is here and we have been spending a lot of time outside. I've been on the search for outside toys for Patrick. Right now I've been able to find a ladybug sandbox and a little tykes car. He loves the car since it has a steering wheel he can turn and a horn to beep. He is constantly wandering into the neighbors yard. I'm working on teaching him the limits of our yard but I'm still dragging him back to our yard multiple times. I want to find a climbing toy for him. It will give him a little more to do in our yard. I don't want a regular swing set as he is too little for one right now. I would love one like this: There is a slide on the other side. But I'll settle for anything else. I guess it's time to hit the garage sales. I'd also love to get a playhouse for the back corner of the yard. I don't want one of those little plastic houses, but one made from wood. Think more like a small shed with little windows and a little door.

New Cousin!

We have a new baby in the family. My sister gave birth to Patrick's first girl cousin; Jennifer. We drove down to visit them in the hospital. It was later, after dinner, and I wasn't sure how Patrick would do. Patrick had a good time. He ran around the hospital room and climbed on the couch and windows. Jennifer was so cute. She is just the cutest little peanut. Patrick did very well with her. He held her on the couch and was very gentle when he touched her. He seemed to enjoy the baby.

Memorial Day Weekend

We had a great holiday weekend up at the cottage. Patrick and I joined Michael's family up at the cottage on Lake Moshawquit in Northern Wisconsin. Michael had to work his weekend and wasn't able to come with. Patrick loved the boat because he could reach the steering wheel and "drive" the boat. We did take him out on the boat and let him actually steer while it was in motion. He also enjoyed climbing the stairs and opening the doors to run out side on the deck. I was able to relax and let Grandma take care of him.

Setting Up House

We've been in the house for two weeks now and almost everything is unpacked. There are still a few boxes and random items that I still need to sort through and figure out what to do with. I've begun to hang pictures and put out decorations. There are a few places that I'm not sure what to do. For example, there is a space above the TV that is bare and looks as if I need to put something there. I'm just not sure. It's beginning to feel like a home. Our bedroom is still a mess right now as we are in the process of trying to paint it. It's been tricky since Michael sleeps all day and I sleep all night. We only have to do some touch ups and then it will be finished and we can put things back in order. I've also come to realize, Michael has a lot more clothes than I do. I mean a lot more. I have three pairs of jeans, Michael has at least twelve.

Moved In, Now to Unpack

We were finally able to close on our house on Thursday afternoon and move all our stuff in the house. We've spent the last two and half days unpacking and organizing the house. I'll be posting pictures soon. We've had to buy some things for the house in order to put things away and fix some problems. There is know pantry in the house, so we bought a stand alone storage cabinet to go in the corner. We've all so had to purchase an extension pipe for the sump pump. It's been dumping the water out of the basement on to the yard about a foot from the foundation. This then means it's been seeping right back in. We may also need a new water heater as ours doesn't seem to be working. AHH, the joys of home ownership.