FINALLY. I did it.

I finally ordered my canvas print of our favorite wedding photo! Two years later, that is ((insert shameful face here)).

I ordered it through Canvas on Demand, and even my photog friends recommend them, so it must be pretty high-quality. I ended up ordering a 16x20 size, which would normally cost $126, but I ended up paying only $35! Groupon was offering this size for $45, and I had a $10 Groupon referal, so VIOLA! Best deal. Ever.

Here's the print that we chose, shot by very talented Aunt Barbara & Uncle Steve at our wedding in Mexico.



Here's a 20% off offer from Canvas on Demand:

And here's a Groupon link. If you use it to sign up, we both get referral points: http://www.groupon.com/r/uu5807572

More pics to follow when it arrives!

Weekending.

I'm a sucker for a deal. Especially on kids stuff. Twice a year there is a kid's consignment event just down the street from me. While the prices are not quite "garage sale" prices, the items are all in pretty great condition. For some time now, I had my eye on this tiny, portable high chair that they sell at Wally World. Lo & behold, they had it at the sale...gently used for a mere $5. It made my day. I also picked up a brand new DVD copy of Shirley Temple "The Early Years" Collection, a CD titled "Babies go Coldplay" which turned out to be all musical rendition of top Coldplay songs, plus a set of Touch & Feel flashcards for my BFF's kids, since I've told her how I love them so. Oh, plus a little "rain stick" that Buggie loves. All for just $15. Steal. I was also very tempted to buy a "like-new" MacLaren stroller, but it was HOT PINK. If I ever have a boy one day, I doubt he (or his father) would appreciate being pushed around in that, so we passed. Reluctantly. Sigh.



Sunday afternoon we went to Nana & Papa's place to have some fun. Hayden climbed the stairs, played hide-n-seek, dressed up like a ballerina, had a tea party, and did yoga with Nana.




(I made Hayden's pants on Friday night. The stitching didn't turn out too pretty because my thread kept breaking for some reason, but they're functional).





My mom has a whole little play area set up for Hayden in the spare bedroom. It's as cute as can be with a Whinnie the Pooh Tea Set & even some books from when my mom was little.






Who wouldn't want to play here?



In my tutu:


Downward Dog with Nana:



And one last picture of an old, but new, addiction. I say "old but new" because I hadn't bought one of these in a LONG time, but now I'm back on the bandwagon. Hello, soy chai latte:


And Bart this weekend? He was a trooper. He & a crew of guys re-roofed our house in two days flat. And it looks amazing. Hats off to them!

Cheers to the first. Of many.

I can hear it outside...neighbors chatting, children squealing in joy riding their bikes, a friendly game of bags (& if you're not from Chicago you might not know what that means!) I hear glasses clinking & dogs barking. This all means one thing...it was 70* in Chicago today, baby. While the day was mostly overcast & seemed to be teasing us with possible rainclouds, we stayed dry.

The house was wide-open, letting the fresh breeze in, and Nana, Papa, & Mike came for a visit.




My girl is all about her baths these days. We knew she was going to be a water baby since the very first time she had a bath, but she has taken it to a new level. It's the cutest thing. I just say the word, and she shrieks with excitement. She watches in great anticipation while the water flows into the tub.




And when it's time to get out, I ask, "Are you ready to get out?" She adamantly declares, "NO!" and acts as if she is trying to run away from me in the tub, pacing from corner to corner to escape my grip. Hence, the sour face here:


A few other random things she's into...

Hairbows. She doesn't like them IN her hair, but rather she pretends she is putting them in her hair & carries them around the house.



Hide & Go Seek. She will sneak away into the other room & wait for you to come find her. Here she is "hiding":


Headstands. Apparently she learned this from the twins at daycare. I think it's pretty darn cute.


Milk. Finally. After many, many attemps, it seems as though Hayden has finally taken a liking to milk. Now let's see if we can conquer pasta (what kid doesn't like that, right?!?) Oh, and we also LOVE getting food in our hair. Good thing she also likes baths!



Cheers to the first-70-degree day. Looking forward to many more this season!