Show Us Your Life

This week over at Kelly's Korner she's asking us to list out the baby gear we used and what we liked or didn't like about it and since I like sharing my opinion...oh anytime...here goes! ;)

Baby gear we used:

Bouncy chair - We used this constantly with the boys. I would say more with Owen. He literally slept in this for his morning nap until he was 6 months old. He would go in it every day while I took my shower and he would sleep for almost 2 hours.

Boppy - I loved my boppy...it was good for so many things....nursing being the most important. With Owen only weighing 5lb 14oz when we left the hospital he was so tiny it was hard to position him to nurse, but the Boppy really helped with that.

Owen also hated tummy time so it helped him feel like he wasn't being laid on his face.

It was also wonderful for sleeping. I tucked it into the bassinet we borrowed from our friends and then tucked Jack in and it helped him feel all snug as a bug. The Swaddle Me blanket helped too (Also a must)! Jack slept like this at night for the first 3 weeks of his life.

Swing - Both my boys loved the swing. Owen loved it for longer...Jack didn't like being confined as much. But they both slept and just hung out in there a lot. The music and the lights helped them be entertained so I could get a few things done.

Baby Bathtub/Sink - We definitely used the baby bathtub for the first few months, but once the boys started being able to hold themselves up I preferred to use the sink instead. It totally saved my back and since we have a really deep sink (I think it's 8 inches) they didn't try to climb out that much. The baby bathtub is totally worth the money for the first few months where they can't hold their head up. Plus someone always wants to buy those for shower gifts.

Double Stroller - We of course had a car seat...that's a given. What we got when Jack was born was a double stroller. It's from Kolcraft and it's the best thing ever! My parents bought it for us. The reason I love it is because it's so versatile. There is an attachment that comes with the stroller so you can put the car seat in (if you have twins you'll have to order another attachment), it comes with two big kid seats and they can be moved all around. They can both face me, they can both face out, one can face me and one can face out or they can face each other. I love it! They recline really far and the canopy actually keeps the sun out of their eyes. The bottom basket even holds up to 50lbs so when I do grocery shopping I don't even use a cart. This is probably my most important piece of baby gear I have.

Bumbo - My Aunt bought me this and at first I wasn't sure about it, but then I grew to love it. We used it all the time with both kids. I would put it on the kitchen counter and push it back all the way and make sure the baby wasn't close to anything that could hurt him and then I'd make dinner. It was a lifesaver...especially since both my boys HAVE to see what's going on and be in the action. They have trays for them now and I really want to get one.

Highchair - My Aunt also bought me a really nice highchair when Owen was born, but then later on I found this really basic highchair (sorry the picture doesn't really show the highchair) at IKEA. They are super cheap and super basic, but it serves it's purpose. I love that it's mostly plastic....the only part that can get yucky are the straps, but other than that you could just take the thing outside and hose it down. I love it!

Exersaucer - My friend's Nikki & Christa bought this for me when Owen was born. Like I said before Owen didn't mind being confined as much as Jack so he used it longer. It's definitely been well used though!

Portable Highchair - We have used this thing so much. It's almost always in the car. It can be used on a chair or just on the floor. It's really easy to clean and it keeps the kids contained when all you want them to do is sit down and eat. A must if you ask me!

Diaper Champ - This thing is only about $30 and it's totally worth it. You can use any old trash bag so you don't have to buy special bags like the Diaper Genie and it holds tons of stinky diapers. The only thing we noticed is it does start to smell after awhile, but Michael just put a bag of charcoal in the bottom and it absorbs the smell.

Aquarium/Noise Maker - Owen used his aquarium that was attached to his crib until he was almost 2 years old. He loved that thing! Now the boys have a noise maker that makes rain sounds and it's great.

Safety Equipment - Baby gates, plug covers, door knob covers & toilet locks all have come in handy at our house.

Crib - Kind of obvious!

Baby Gear we didn't use or like very much:

Wrap/Sling - I bought a Moby Wrap when Jack was born and I used it a bunch when he was a newborn, but after that not so much. I have back problems from all the accidents I've been in so I can only carry them around like that for so long before it starts to hurt. Plus the Moby Wrap can be kind of a hassle to put on. My friend Jen has a Ring Sling she's going to let me borrow with this baby so maybe I'll like that better.

Pack & Play - We use it when the boys need to sleep at other peoples houses, but not as much as I thought we would. I would still say it's a must, but I didn't use it everyday at our house. Jack liked to nap on his tummy on the couch before he started rolling over.

Wipe Warmer - I used this with Owen for about a week until I realized it's just a gimmick sort of thing. About oh 2 seconds after you take the wipes out they are cold and you have to buy these special pad things to keep the wipes from drying out. Totally lame! The baby just gets used to having a cold thing touch their bum for a few seconds.

Walker - Our pedi recommended not using one of these due to health reasons so it never crossed our minds to even get one.

Car Mirror - We have one of those mirrors that you put on the headrest of the backseat, but they always end up moving and you can't see anything so I would say save your $15 and don't buy one.

I could go on and on, but those are the big ones! :)

Show Us Your Life

This week Kelly wants us to talk about our favorite vacation spots. My first is without a doubt San Francisco. We went earlier this year. To check that out click here, here, here and here.

Our first trip to San Francisco was in June of 2006 with our friends Micah & Kim. Micah had just started working for Alaska Airlines so he let us tag along and use some of his guest passes for the flight.


It was literally a 24 hour vacation, but it cram packed full of fun.

We went to Fisherman's Wharf.

Ate at the Crab Pot! YUM!

Visited Ghirardelli Square.

Rode on a cable car.

Saw the Golden Gate Bridge.

And took a cable car tour of the city. It was so much fun and at the time we didn't even know I was 4 weeks pregnant with Owen.

My second choice would be Disney World. Michael and I took this trip in May of 2006. We had purchased tickets to Denver for my cousins wedding, but then I miscarried and the doctors wouldn't let me fly. So as some sort of therapy we decided to turn the tickets in and take a vacation all by ourselves. We usually would go on vacation with family.

We bought a package deal where Disney did everything. They picked us up at the airport on this bus and took us to the hotel. We never had to rent a car. There were so many different modes of transportation for us to take.

When we got to the Magic Kingdom we went to City Hall and got Magical Wishes buttons since we were there during our 7th wedding anniversary. They are buttons you wear with Mickey and Minnie on them in their wedding wear. They get you lots of special treatment.

Like 2nd row seats to see Beauty & The Beast. This was probably my favorite part of the trip. I love the music. I'm sure I actually sang out loud along with the production and annoyed everyone around me, but I was in heaven!

We spent a lot of time at Epcot...loved all the food choices and the fireworks show!

We also went to the Animal Kingdom and went on a safari tour.

We ate at so many wonderful places because we signed up for the Disney Dining Plan...totally worth it! It's like eating the food on a cruise without having to get on a boat.

I can't wait to go back when the kids are older and will appreciate and remember it. The only part of this trip that was awful was the 6 hour flight home. I don't like being stuck on a plane that long.

Show Us Your Life

This week Kelly wants us to show off or talk about more of our wedding such as...the wedding party, flowers and ceremony.

I'm being really lazy just like Kelly. I only have 2 photos of my wedding scanned and I just don't want to hook up the scanner right now. Too hot! So this is the only other picture I have. Maybe next week when we are supposed to talk about the reception I'll get more motivated.

In this picture Michael and I are actually signing our marriage license with our witnesses. Nicci, my maid of honor is on my left and Michael's oldest brother Rick, his best man is on his right. My bridesmaid dresses were this nice lilac color. We were married on May 8th so it was a great spring color. They were sleeveless and they had a chiffon wrap around the waist and it went down the skirt too. I liked them so much I wanted one!

We had a totally of 3 bridesmaids and 3 groomsmen and I think 3 or 4 ushers. My cousin Nicky who ended up being a fill in bridesmaid for her daughter since she was in the hospital sang the two songs we requested during out wedding...Grow Old Along With Me and another pretty popular wedding song by Shania Twain. I can't believe I don't remember the name of it.

We got our flowers from QFC and if you'd like to see them (dried) you can check out our wedding room A.K.A. master bedroom in my Show Us Where You Live post here.

During our ceremony each of our Dad's read a letter that they'd written to us welcoming us to the family. It was really nice. The funny thing is that my Dad used the word tenacity a lot in his letter to Michael and I remember looking at each other and whispering, "What is tenacity?" LOL!!! We definitely know what that word means now!

The only mishaps that happened during our wedding was I didn't pick my dress up enough when I was walking up the stairs to the stage so I stepped on my dress. I handled it great so I don't think many people knew. Also Michael was really nervous about the repeat after me parts so when we were exchanging the rings and the pastor said to say, "I thee wed", Michael said, "I be thee wed". It was funny and everyone laughed about it.

All in all it was a perfect day!

Show Us Your Life

Since we've shown off our houses it's now time to move onto something new. Kelly is starting out having us show off our wedding dress. Here's the only scanned photo I have of Michael and I where you can see my entire dress.

I bought it from this small bridal shop in Renton...it's closed now. I think it was the second time I had been in to try on dresses and I was having the hardest time finding anything I like. I remembered reading this article in a bride magazine where this girls dad actually picked out her dress. Well that happened to me...I had tried on so many dresses that day and I was getting tired. My dad showed me this dress and I kid you not it look so awful on the hanger. I was not going to try it on. But after a little coaxing I decided I would and then take it off really fast. I remember the moment I turned around and looked in the mirror...that was THE dress. It was a brand new spring style for 1999. In fact they had just put it out on the rack that day so needless to say we didn't get it for a steal.