Colorado 2015 | Day Two

Wednesday | July 29th

{Run, guys golf, playground, hanging at home}

Porter woke up at five am this date, and I started a really awful habit that we are still currently trying to break: I handed him a 6 oz bottle in his crib and walked out. He loooooooves a bottle in the middle of the night in his crib and I know this is how he will always fall back to sleep for at least a few solid hours, but it's also creating a monster baby who now likes to wake up every.single.night at least once for this 'lazy' bottle. Sigh. Anyway, I was exhausted and could not deal with any other options to get him back to sleep. It worked, and can I still use the phrase 'whatever works' when my baby is over a year old? I think so. Yes, on vacation anything goes, I think.

At 7:00 on the dot Truman came into my room all excited and happy to start our day in Colorado. We did bring the big kids' Tot Clock because it's basically a part of our family at this point, and the kids really needed it to help them with the time change. We also brought two iPods and two docking station speakers because white noise is also a priority for us, always. And so just like clockwork (pun intended), Truman was waiting to exit his room until his clock turned yellow at seven. We sent him upstairs to see GoGo and PoPo and attempted to 'sleep in', but then Cecelia was in our room at 7:05. She was very proud of herself for not falling out of her bed, something I didn't think about before we arrived. At home their bunk beds are against a wall and they each have a small railing across the open side, so they really can't fall out of bed if they tried. Putting chairs right next to the beds in Colorado worked well, which is great because if Cecelia fell and landed on the tile floor it would be a rough start to a vacation day for all involved! Nate and I both went upstairs with Cecelia and listened for Porter on the old school 1980s monitor that somehow still works! I really missed the luxury of our video monitor on this trip though.







Nate and I sat out on the patio and enjoyed our coffee, mom had made a baked oatmeal breakfast dish, and I also made us egg sandwiches. YES.


Finally at 8:30 am I made Nate wake Porter because I thought he might be dead, since it was like 9:30 with our old Wisconsin time and I wasn't sure how we'd handle naps if he slept all morning long. He was alive and ready to party, I fed him breakfast and we all played for a bit.

Shall we eat an orange, unpeeled, buddy?




Mom had to run to Target to make a return so the rest of us went outside and tested out the many garage sale finds for kid toys my parents have accumulated. The electric car is still a favorite and I couldn't stop laughing at Truman driving Cecelia around, and then Cecelia driving Porter. It was frightening, it was adorable, it gave me flashes of my future with teenagers burning rubber in our driveway;)



My mom forgot to make us the traditional sign to welcome our family to the house. My brother pulled through with this beauty in her honor.


ZOMG.




The way he looks at her here.


Hey babes. I'm just riding with my sis, NBD.


Man down.


Magic Mike approves of this morning. He used to blow smoke out of his mouth and my brother and I loved him something fierce.


Oh, this guy, too.


I mean, all the heart eyes, I can't even, GAH.


We tried to force Porter to nap at 10:30 but it was a big fat fail, so we set up the kiddie pool and let everyone continue playing outside.


Mom came home around 11:00 and Nate and I set off for a run We knew it would probably suck because of the altitude---Fort Collins is at 5500 ft according to my brother, which is a LOT compared to Milwaukee! So we ran but stopped to walk a few times on our 2.6 miles, but it was great to exercise a bit on vacation. I'm becoming one of those people who craves exercise even when 'relaxing', and also I had way too much coffee this morning so the run was necessary to take the shakiness down a few notches. 

Mountains and a beautiful utility box behind us.


It was 80 degrees and sunny but (cliche alert) it's a dry heat, so it didn't even feel hot except when standing in the sun. Then it was absolutely summer time weather. On our run we discussed how incredibly majestic the mountains were and we wondered if people ever got tired of looking at them. If you live in Colorado or somewhere else with mountain views, do you sometimes not even glance at the mountains when they are in sight? Does that skyline become old hat after awhile? We were just enthralled. Also: the new construction homes in my parents' subdivision had us majorly dreaming about painting our house some of these beautiful/earthy/craftsman-like colors. (I'm still leaning towards blue-grays but Nate is all about brownish-grays, it's been a popular discussion of late).

When we were finished with our run Nate showered and I played with the kids a bit outside, then we headed in to make lunch. I have a quote from Cecelia this day which made me die laughing at the time: "The question is, I want a chip!" I think I might use the phrase 'the question is....' quite a bit but obviously she didn't understand the concept of a question. More of a statement and yes, the child loves her potato chips. 

Nate, my dad, and Michael all left at 1:00 for their first of many rounds of golf while Mom and I held down fort with the kiddos. And by 'held down fort' I mean that we put both Cecelia and Porter down for their naps, they didn't fight it, and Truman got his iPad time. Mom and I both read some of our books, I made simple syrup and iced coffee, and then I sat out on the patio with Truman to enjoy this quiet time fully. Eventually I took a shower, Porter woke up at 3:00 and we woke Cecelia at 4:00. 




The pool in the backyard was our post-nap hangout, Clif bars were had for a snack, and then we packed everyone up for a walk to a nearby playground. We left around 4:45 and it took about 15 minutes to get there with one scooter, one wagon, one Ergo, three kids, and two adults. I missed our Double BOB many times throughout this trip and this was one of them! I kept pointing out the mountains in the distance to the kids and Truman was totally uninterested, saying things like, 'Oh, there is a bunny rabbit!' I mean, CHILD, we have bunnies in Wisconsin. Pay attention to the majestic landforms to our left, geesh. 



















Anyway, the playground was awesome: a giant dragon, rock climbing, swings for my obsessed daughter, a few empty sand volleyball courts that begged us to play tag for a bit (and I nearly died from sucking thin air chasing Truman, but it was worth it), and perfect evening light. I swear the light in Colorado is different somehow, much like I'd imagine Greece to be. Colorado, Greece... same diff, right?

We left the park around 5:45 and this time I put Cecelia on my back in the Ergo and she adored it! Also, I think she is literally the same weight as Porter now, as she felt light as a feather to me on our journey home. I had Truman use the selfie stick at this point, and I believe Cecelia was singing us all songs on our walk home. Porter was happy with his pretzels in the wagon with big brother and life was good. 







Dinner time! Mom made tiny pizzas for the kids by using tortillas, red sauce and mozzarella cheese inside cupcake tins. She cut out the tortillas to be the right size for the cupcake circle and baked them in the oven. Perfect! Mom and I had a variation on a Caprese salad---fresh mozzarella, tomatoes, lemon olive oil and blueberry vingearette, plus chicken and avocado. So good.







We sat down to eat at 6:30 and Porter started to tweak around 6:50. Mom gave him a bath while I observed the older children eat/complain about their dinner. Truman was so tired he couldn't handle being vertical to consume his sugar cone for dessert but Cecelia had zero issues with the cone eating. Porter went down at 7:00 and then it was time for books and pajamas for the bigs (done with GoGo) while I cleaned the kitchen. I love my parents' new kitchen so much! It's still so odd that 'going home' doesn't mean going to my childhood house in mid-Missouri but I'm getting used to this whole change concept, I guess;) 

I heard Cecelia singing songs to Gogo and Truman at the tail end of their bedtime around 7:45--she was saying something about a white man and a red school house and ceiling fans. I love that child. The bigs were passed out by 8:00, except for the one time Cecelia did call out for me requesting another tuck in/more water/a kiss. 

Next Mom and I watched HGTV on their DVR (the luxury! I miss cable sometimes!) and we watched a few episodes of Beach Flip and chatted. The dudes had been texting, finished up their round of golf and they were finishing up dinner, planned to be home by 9:30. I uploaded pictures to Flickr and cracked a beer, because: vacation. Once the guys returned home we all sat inside with HGTV paused and chatted---so much to discuss, such as a possible family reunion next summer, our plans for the next day, briefly discussing their golf games and dad's aching joints. 

More beer. Nate and I retired around 10:45 and I read my book a bit. But Porter is awake and angry at 11:15 pm. WTF, whyyyyyyy?  I had to give him bottle and wait a bit after that to be sure he is asleep. Enter in all of the usual suspects of mom-worry: could he be getting sick, ear infection, altitude issues, regressing for some other reason? Or is vacation and a total change in routine just a lot to handle for my one year old? OR does he really just love bottles in bed? WHO KNOWS!! 

Worrying in vacation is still 100x better than worrying in real, everyday life. Deep thoughts from day two.

Colorado 2015 | Day One

We are just returning to our sense of normal after a week long trip to Colorado. And it was glorious and the trip deserves multiple blog posts for my own enjoyment if nothing else. At the end of each day I would dictate a bit to Siri on my phone to jot down the details I might have forgotten if I didn't write it down. Sure, I took a lot of pictures but I still want to blog about the trip in full like miniature Days in the Life posts. Combine the DiTL feel, plus the request to cover 'traveling with small kids' as a topic, and revealing a box I received from Savvy Sassy Moms (I'm a product scout for this group now, watch out!)....this post might cover a lot of topics. So perhaps I should pour a nice glass of wine (tired of beer after our trip, where the brew flowed like water) and settle in for this one. You should, too.

Final (pre) note: our family last traveled to Colorado almost two years ago, to visit my parents when they recently moved from Missouri. I vividly remember this trip in 2013 well because I was very newly pregnant with Porter and didn't find out until we returned home. So I like to say that he tasted all of the beer and coffee right along with me last time. And now? First time flying as a family of five and it is no joke, people. You'll see. 

Tuesday | July 28

The night before our trip, Nate and I laid out most of the clothes we needed to pack and I started plowing through my lists. I'm in charge of myself and the three kids for packing and my goal was to underpack instead of my usual overpacking. I knew that we could do laundry at my mom's house and hello, there is a Target near their house so I'm not sure why I always feel the need to take everything we own. So anyway, after making appropriate piles of clothes the night before, Nate and I planned to spend Tuesday morning doing the last rounds of packing. Nate did his packing first and then he took the big kids to the pool for a bit while Porter napped, so that I could focus on packing things like the bathroom items, toiletries, carry on bags, etc. Last minute I decided to have Truman and Cecelia each take their own backpacks as carry ons, where they could keep their loveys, their headphones, empty water bottles to be filled after security, and individual snacks. This was also helpful to corral Cecelia's chapstick collection into her own bag, thus making it her own responsibility to keep track of all eighty of them. Ha. 

All in all, we had three checked suitcases (one giant one for all three kids' clothes, then Nate and I each had our own suitcases that really could have been carry on sizes) and Nate's golf clubs, so we checked four bags. Then we opted to bring the Ergo and also the cheapie umbrella stroller for Porter---neither of these worked that well and ended up being super annoying, but oh well. And then we had four carry ons with the big kids and their backpacks, then Nate and I each had backpacks, too. If you are counting, that is a ridiculous amount of stuff for a family vacation which didn't even include bringing car seats or pack-n-plays or anything wild. But it turns out that five people flying means a lot of stuff, even when I focus on 'under packing.'

Once everyone came back from the pool I was mostly finished packing, and we decided to open some  of the new snacks we received in our Back-To-School box from Savvy Sassy Moms. I wanted to try them out to see which would make the cut for the 'plane-ride-goodie-bag' and yes, since it's a 'back to school' theme I could certainly pack any of these for Truman's lunches this fall. Because my boy is going to full day Kindergarten in a matter of weeks and my mind is blown!!

Anyway, SSM sent a fantastic box and we had no problem digging in right away. Click here to enter a giveaway for this box on the Savvy Sassy Moms site!

I let them try the Plum Organics Mash Ups squeeze pouches and the Jammy Sammy bars. Both were big hits and Porter took down the PBJ bar like a champ, even better than the others. He was also my biggest fan of the Mash Ups and I ended up packing both of these plus the Annie's Cheddar Bunnies (a big hit around here always) for the plane ride. Mid-morning snack pre-flight, success!

Tony came to our house around noon and our flight was to take off at 1:50pm. We loaded up the car, I did one final check of my list, and we were off!

We got to the airport without issues about 1.5 hours before our flight took off. Tony came inside with us to assist with the motherlode of bags and we had to show Porter's birth certificate copy to verify he is under the age of two and therefore does not need a seat. I also had to call Southwest the day before our flight to have them add Porter onto my ticket, which I find odd---seems like you should be able to do that online, but whatever. We checked all four of our bags and headed off to security.

No real issues there, always kind of a pain when you have to wait in line with excited kids but it went quickly. Apparently kids under the age of 12 don't have to remove their shoes and if you are holding a baby, they will wipe your hands down with some unknown substance to make sure you aren't...carrying a bomb? I don't know, it was perplexing but both times through security meant I got my hands inspected. Once we arrived to our gate Porter was starting to tweak out and so I made him a bottle to take on the plane. He was over waiting around and wanted to get down and crawl (!!) on the germ-infested ground. He settled for looking out a window with his siblings as we discussed the baggage carrier trucks and airplanes. I also insisted on the selfie-stick use at this point, which made Nate very proud;)


Being a family with small kids means that Southwest lets you board after the A group, before any of the B groupers get on board. I was just hoping we could get Truman, Nate, and Cecelia together and then Porter and I would be okay wherever we sat because we'd be on survival mode anyway.  My motto with the big kids: unlimited screen time and fun snacks with daddy. My motto with Porter: just keep him from attempting escape from my lap for the two hours and ten minutes of flight.

It ended up being alright with the kids, but I felt like having three small ones with two parents really highlighted the fact that Nate and I were outnumbered;) Actually, Truman and Cecelia both did great with their respective iPad/Kindle time. They would literally scream, 'Daddy! I need another Mamba!' because apparently they didn't realize their headphones only made their shows louder, no need to scream about it! Porter was a different story, and I think that age one is maybe one of the hardest for flying. He's mobile now, he doesn't sleep like a newborn, and yet he doesn't care about screen time or rules, so yeah. It is what it is. Luckily there were no less than ten other babies on this flight all under the age of two. It was awesome because Porter was not the loudest and most unruly baby, yay! Also, another mom who was sitting right across from me was the kindest and kept offering her dollar store finds to keep Porter occupied. She came PREPARED with sheets of stickers that kept him entertained for a bit, velcro hair curlers that could stack inside of each other (his favorite), and other little containers of tiny things that kept little hands busy. I totally should have done a Dollar Store trip this time around but I'm slacking as a third time mom, never quite as prepared as I should be. She was awesome and I noted her fifteen month old baby was still happily nursing throughout the flight, along with a lot of the other babies around us, and I still get a little sad that Porter isn't nursing/stopped at six months. I mean, just for the logistics of the flight itself, having a baby who will nurse is much better than one who sort of/kind of takes a bottle or a sippy cup. Sigh. I miss nursing.

But I digress. P-man did take a bottle during the flight, he loved playing with the seat tray and tried to consume many many airplane germs. Porter only cried for a few minutes here and there and was mostly interested in my snacks, the dude next to us, and my straw from my drink provided by the airline attendants. He did not nap despite needing one badly, but there was just too much awesomeness around him to lull him to sleep. I apologized to the single man next to us as Porter threw his lovey on his lap, sprayed my water everywhere, and was a regular old baby in a confined space for hours. We all survived somehow and I could tell Porter's ears did bother him on the descent, despite me trying to force more bottle and sippy cup and anything to help him with the pressure. The big kids chewed on their Mamba candies Nate brought and seemed alright with the pressure changes, and my own ears were popping constantly.We landed in Denver and prepared for our final leg of the journey: driving to Fort Collins.

We took the little train/shuttle in the Denver airport and met my parents near the baggage claim. We had a few good hugs as we were reunited and the kids all seemed beyond excited to see their grandparents. We got our four additional bags and went to my parents' two cars--Mom, me, Cecelia, and Porter in one and Dad, Nate, and Truman in the other. My parents don't have a big enough car for all three car seats to fit in a single vehicle so we have successfully sized ourselves out of a simple trip to the airport for them. Last time I could wedge myself between Truman and Cecelia's seat in the back of my dad's car no problem, but this time it meant two cars. We drove to Fort Collins (Windsor, actually, if you want to be specific) and Cecelia constantly asked us 'when we gonna be there?' Mom and I finally convinced her to take a snooze and both she and Porter did sleep for about 30 minutes of the hour long drive. Hallelujah. 

Once we arrived at my parents' new house, we got the full house tour and hugged my brother who was staying with my parents at the time. Mom made us all dinner and it was a delicious spinach salad with quinoa, chicken, blueberries, strawberries, and feta cheese. YUM, Nate and I were personally starving at this point. Thank you, Pinterest for that one. With the one hour time change we had to hold off Porter's bedtime until the new 7:00pm, taking a bath before bed helped. The big kids were down at 7:30 after testing out the tub and having Uncle Mike read to them.  

I somehow forgot their toothbrushes and toothpaste in my packing haste. Mom came through with extras and then once they were (sort of) down, Mom, Nate and I went for a walk to catch the sunset. It was very much worth it, see if you can spot the mountains. (And yes, beer!)


The three of us ended up going for a 45 minute walk somehow and while we were gone I was worried that CC was calling out for me/freaking out. Come to find out that Uncle Michael did have to go soothe her while I was gone, pushing a chair against her bed so she wouldn't fall out at night. Worked like a charm!

Michael, Dad, Nate and I all went out to the patio to have a beer and catch up on life. Dad and I retired to bed around 10:30 after one beer, the young guys stayed up for an additional brew. I read a bit of my book (Gone Girl, finally reading it!) and passed out cold after a long day of travel. Ahhhh, vacation! And extra helping hands with the kids *while on* vacation! The best.

Stitch Fix #2 | August Review

I'm signed up to receive my Stitch Fixes every month, and for my August box I had it scheduled to arrive immediately after our trip to Colorado (blog posts to come soon, do not fret). Last month for my very first fix I ended up keep two of the five items they sent to me and got a little taste of the fun that's had when getting surprise clothing in the mail. In case you haven't heard of Stitch Fix before, my description is this: you fill out your style profile online, pay a $20 styling fee, and receive five items in the mail. If you like all five items, you receive 25% off the total which is a lot! If you buy any item out of the five, you will get your $20 styling fee applied to the purchase. If you buy nothing you lose the $20 styling fee. Whatever you don't want, you put in their pre-paid bag and send back to Stitch Fix. You'll rate everything online to help the stylist next time, so that (in theory) each time you get a Fix it should get better and better. It's really simple and fun and I mistakenly assumed everything would be way too expensive for my tastes and nothing would fit me correctly, but so far I've been pleasantly surprised.

Sneak peek of my second box:


My referral code is here, if you want to fuel my fire to this new addiction. I was shocked and pleasantly surprised to see that four of you signed up and received fixes after my initial post. Thank you for contributing to my obsession with Stitch Fix! I wish I knew who you were so I could beg for pictures of your own fix, since I'm constantly stalking the Stitch Fix buy/sell/trade Facebook group. I like seeing what everyone else is getting just as much as I like opening my own box.

Would you like a fashion show for box numero dos??




I had a different stylist this time named Morgan, and I think this is a 2/5 box much like last month. I specified in my 'note to stylist' that I will never, ever pick something that is dry clean only. I said I love color, specifically the coral from my last fix. I said she should focus on longer length tops with fun patterns but no chevron, no severe hi-low tops, and I asked her to please look at my Pinterest board, since I felt like my last stylist never bothered. I pinned pictures of me from my first fix on there along with a bunch of new tops I wanted to try. And then I received these five pieces...

Zad Adrianna Circle Bib Necklace: #34

When I cheated and looked at this after it had shipped to me, but before it arrived (yes, you can do this!)* I immediately hated this necklace. Then when I pulled it out of the box I was pleasantly surprised with how it looked in person. I love that it mixes gold, silver, and pewter (if that is the right term?) and that it feels fancy. But it's pretty flimsy and I know I'd never wear this necklace--it's not for my everyday style and I don't see myself reaching for it when I dress up.

So the necklace goes back and I will be sure to specify on my style profile that *if* they want to send necklaces, make them long. I'm a big fan of the pendant style necklaces that hang down lower on my top. Because, of course, I am obsessed with all things looooooong for my 5'10" self.

VERDICT: Returned.

41Hawthorn Flynn Colorblock Sleeveless Blouse: $54

My stylist mentioned that this was on my Pinterest board, and sure enough--it's one of the dozens of tops I have pinned! Initially I thought it would be really see through but it's actually completely fine with a nude colored bra.

And oh, it's nice and long and not too boxy. GREAT JOB, MORGAN!! Usually $54 would seem fairly steep for this but it's a really nice top--flattering, long enough, bold colors. Totally my style and with referral credits I feel totally fine with the price;)

It's 100% polyester and is 'hand wash cold/tumble dry low' so I suppose I can handle that. I think it's fairly dressy compared to my usual cotton tank tops but it would be really cute with some white shorts...if I had any. Otherwise wearing it with jeans and sandals will work just fine, but I will probably reserve it for dinners out or when I want to feel a little more fancy than my norm at home. I suppose I could wear it with a cardigan for work, too?

Just goes to show me that I do sort of know what I like, since I pinned it an my stylist listened. I know this top also comes in a navy/green combo which would have been nice but I don't own much red anyway.

VERDICT: It's a keeper!

DL1961 Ember Straight Leg Jean: $98

I really don't need any new jeans because I have one pair of darker denim 'Always Skinny' jeans from Gap that I adore, and then one pair of the same style Gap jeans in a gray color. Two pair of jeans are enough for me at the moment since it's summer and way too hot for jeans, plus I am not a big jeans person anyway (shorts or leggings will always be my first picks). PLUS, I was a total skeptic that they would find jeans that are long enough for me. I have been proven long on the length, my friends. I have never tried on a pair of jeans longer than this!!

My stylist seemed certain I would love these jeans because of the fabric and the fit. I can vouch for her and say that these are made of the softest, stretchiest material ever and they do fit me nicely. I just cannot get over the price and the fact that I might actually have to have them hemmed! The horror, I can't believe it! The tag doesn't specify how long they are but I am guessing 34-35" inseam. Don't suggest heels, I really don't own any;) But the wash is great, the fit and fabric are really nice, and yet my Gap pair look almost identical for much less money (although they are not this soft and stretchy, for sure).

VERDICT: Likely returned.

I think I am going to ask for some black work pants next time, and no more denim unless it's a lighter wash/more distressed. We will see what happens with that request!

Market & Spruce Corinna Striped Dolman Top: $48

Ahhh, 'The Corinna' is like some sort of magical unicorn on the Facebook group. It's a superstar, something everyone loves and wants, so I should feel extra special that I received it without even mentioning it or pinning it to my board. When I knew I was getting this I was hoping for a color other than gray, because my closet is dangerously close to maxing out the gray hues, but yet? I really do love this color so much.

It's a dolman cut meaning 'bat wings' and I don't think I own any tops in this cut. It's super long for my torso with 3/4 length sleeves, it's soft and stretchy and SUPER comfortable. I think the price tag is a bit of a stretch, but if I had success finding long enough/comfy tops at Target or Old Navy for a fraction of the price, then I wouldn't need Stitch Fix. Honestly, it's difficult to find tops that are long enough for me and I have searched high and low for years. So therefore, $48 for a top that fits well and is flattering? Okay by me!

I think I can probably dress this up or down through the seasons, but it really does look lovely with dark jeans, no? Can you imagine it with a long necklace? My dream! I don't love how you can see my bra straps with this wider neckline but I can always wear my other bra that is black and less visible at necklines.

VERDICT: Definitely keeping

Fun2Fun Haro Henley Blouse: $48

Saw this on my style card before I pulled out the shirt and said to Nate, 'That is really freaking ugly.' It reminds me of one of those striped, southwestern ponchos people used to wear---the burlap sack ones. Do you know what I'm saying? Anyway, Nate said he didn't think it was awful when he saw it, but then I tried it on...

Oh, Morgan. No. This is truly one of the most hideous shirts ever, it's super see through and simply ill-fitting. I mean, I am an A-cup on a good day so how in the world these buttons separate when I move my arms is beyond me.

Plus it's really short in the front, fair in the back. I feel like the stripes with the pocket and the Henley neck line make me look super masculine and just nope, I don't like it one bit. I like the concept of this top but not the reality of it. Big huge miss on this one, I'm afraid.


VERDICT: NOPE, sending back.

So your opinions are always welcomed here. Do you think the Corinna and the color block top are my keepers? The others are returnable? Do you think I can make my two favorites work for 'everyday' or are they too dressy? Well, I think the Corinna dolman is casual enough for days at home with the kids but the color block blouse, not so much. Anyway, love to hear your thoughts on this fix. And seriously, let me know if you have links to your Stitch Fix fashion shows. I can't get enough!

*The way that you cheat to see what you are getting? Once your fix has shipped, you can go online to your account and select 'checkout.' You won't actually have to check out, don't worry, but if you are too impatient to wait (like me) this will be fun. You'll click on 'checkout' and then you will see the list of items, but no pictures and it won't tell you what colors you'll receive. So just google the names of the items, or search on Pinterest, and try not to hold your breath as you wait for the images to appear. Ah, instant gratification, I love you.