Park Pics

{Trey insisted on carrying tennis balls and other toys in his hood, which is why his sweatshirt is pulling like that}

Pump it up!

Wee hoo!  Trey was invited to a birthday party at Pump it Up (http://www.pumpitupparty.com/).  I’ve been wanting to go there!

Stockings for the boys

Mari, Clint, and I have THE BEST christmas stockings. A neighbor of ours kitted them when we were born, and they are beautiful and still in great shape. One of my favorite things about Christmas is pulling out the stocking every year. I have been searching for similar ones for the boys, and last night found some adorable ones on Etsy. They are 2 slightly different patterns and will have their names and the year. They are hand knit by a woman who has been kitting stockings for over 30 years. The tree has been decorated with beads and sequins and the back of the stocking shows decorations hanging. Santa has a real bell on the end of his hat and a fluffy angora beard. I can't wait to receive them!

Tiny Tales Free Giveaway! And 500+ others...

Check out www.bloggygiveaways.com for chances to win over 500+ products, including 2 Tiny Tales Babysitter notepads (http://tiny-tales.com/blog/2008/10/27/new-tiny-tales-giveaway/)

 

Oh dear

We went to the Wildlife Experience museum on Sunday and the kids had a blast! There were a bunch of kid friendly exhibits and learning games. One of the rooms has lifelife animals that move, and shows them in their natural habitat. Trey was scared on the sleeping bear that snored. When we got home he rushed to tell Joe about the scary bear!

Mari claims she didn't see my horns when she was taking this pic!

It has already started!

This morning Trey saw a toy commercial on TV and said, "mommy! I want Christmas to bring me that toy.". (He calls Santa "Christmas")

Gigi is in town! One of the first things Trey said to her is "I have a big pee-pee."

busy bee

Sorry for the lack of posts lately…I’ve been busy! Here is my typical schedule:

• 4 or 5am – give Jonah a bottle
• 5:30am – 7 – gym
• at work by 7:30
• work until 4:30
• home by 5
• catch up on the boys’ day
• 5:30 or 6 – put Jonah to bed
• dinner
• Trey bath and bed
• 7:30 – 9 – work on tiny tales (answer emails, fill orders, contact stores, etc.) and visit with Joe
• 9ish – bedtime!

Trey has been getting up once or twice a night with nightmares, and Jonah usually gets a bottle around 10pm and 2am. Joe and I take turns, but that still leaves me getting up 1, usually 2 times per night. Then at 5am it starts all over again.

So needless to say…I don’t have a lot of spare time!

Welcome Joe the Blogger

Joe has agreed to start blogging, so watch for his posts!  Under the post it will say who wrote it.

 

My new office

FINALLY... An office with a window!

Newspaper ad

Can I say that?

Trey: Mom, can I say douche bag?

Me: Who taught you that?

Trey: Dad did!

The Office

Well...my office! Right now it is being set up so I can move into it. I have been in a cube on the call center floor. It has been nice because I can hear what is going on on the phones and start to learn the business, but a bit hard when I need to have conversations about how we are going to change the systems that they use. Sometimes people get nervous when change is coming, so I have to be careful about what can be overheard. And plus...I want to put up pics of my babies!

A new skill

Look what Trey learned at school today!

Photo Op Failure

A few weekends ago I got all motivated to get some good pics of the boys. I put them in ADORABLE outfits - Trey was in navy and white striped pants and a navy sweater, Jonah was in khaki cargo pants, a blue and white striped onesie, and a light blue sweater. It would have gone well except...

- Jonah's sweater was too big making him look like a mini-linebacker
- It was too sunny outside
- Jonah was not in a good mood
- Jonah kept spitting up (can you find the pic with stuff drooling out of his mouth?)
- Trey had a little trouble holding Jonah. He was either falling off Trey's lap or when I said "hold him tighter," Trey wrapped his arms around Jonah's head.

I really need a baby handler next time I try to do this.

Check out the results of the photo shoot:
http://www.kodakgallery.com/I.jsp?c=tqvqlh5.83a63v6d&x=0&y=-p7ftcq&localeid=en_US

Sunday Pics

The boxing pose.

Isn't this cool?! Joe built a fort out of empty boxes in the basement. Trey LOVES it!

Mari brought over Ryan's old train.

Reading a book on the train.

Happy 3 month birthday Jonah!

Isn't he growing up so fast? Such a happy and sweet little baby. Still waiting for those eyebrows to come in...

Getting in touch with his feminine side

Happy Birthday Quinn!

Quinn is 12 years old today. He was Joe's fraternity dog, and been a loyal part of the family ever since.

His name has changed over the years... Lil'Buddy, LB, Q-bert, Quinner, Q-dog, Q, and once Trey started to talk, Neen. We are still calling him Neen these days.

Quinn on his 12th birthday

Quinn in 2005

What a looker!

Introducing The Organic Backyard

Joe and I decided on a different direction for his new business. Colorado is so "green" and local and organic food is such a hot topic these days...so he is going to design, build, plant, and maintain backyard vegetable gardens! The company will be called The Organic Backyard.

I am so excited for Joe. I think this is really a niche that could take off, and I know he will have fun doing it. I ordered some door hangers, and we are going to hit the neighborhood as soon as they arrive. Check them out!

Exciting day!

The babyGap POs are in! I am still in shock that babyGap wants my products, and this just makes it more real!

potty mouth

When I got home from work, Joe said to Trey "tell mommy what you did
today." This is what Trey had to say: "I got my hands wet and my
arms wet and my head wet 'cause I fell in the potty." Apparently he
was standing up to pee on the stepstool, and leaned forward which
cause the stool to slip out from underneath him, and he fell
headfirst into the toilet.

Trey has a new fascination with peeing in the bathtub. We try to
tell him it is yucky, and he does it anyway. Tonight after he had
peed twice (I know because he announces it and sometimes stands up in
the bath to pee), he drank some bathwater when he was playing with
some cups. I started laughing and told him he just drank pee. He
screamed and tried frantically to clean off his tongue with his
hands. Too funny! I got him right out and he brushed his teeth.

It's all about potty around here these days!

sickness season...

In the past few weeks, Cousins RyRy and Erin, Uncle Scott, and me have all had strep, and now Trey has an ear infection! Yuck.

Back to the grind

Well...the time has come for me to go back to work. Argh. I started on Monday full time in the Corporate Express call center in Aurora. The only good thing about driving into work vs. working at home is that I pass our amazing gym on the way, so it only makes sense for me to work out. Yesterday and today I went in early and played on my new favorite machine - the Precor Cross Trainer. Love it!



I've got about 5 more lbs of baby weight to lose, and then the weight I wanted to lose even before I got pregnant...so I will be hanging with this puppy every morning (at least that is the current plan).


Did I mention the gym is amazing? Check out the child care center on the virtual tour:

http://www.lifetimefitness.com/clubs/index.cfm?strWebAction=virtual_tour


{click on Childcare Center then view 360}


You can drop your kids off there for up to 2 hours every day for free!

The bath, part duex

Ever since Joe told me that Jonah smelled like spoiled milk in his neck folds, I've been making an effort to bathe him nightly. He is liking his European Spa Tub much better, and only cries when I take him out. It works better now because he doesn't sink down into it and can't really fall over.

Worker guy

trey playing with his shovel. This is what he was saying:

I have to step on the shovel like this cause I am a worker guy.

See me workin? (When I said yes, he told me he was talking to Quinn.)

(Big stretch). Ok, now I need to get back to work.

I'm feeding the elephants. (I think at the zoo someone shovels the hay to the elephants)

I put the dirt in the wheel barrow cause I am a worker guy.

Baby's first tailgate!

At the CU v UT game!

Target

This is where tiny tales will be at target - on an end cap with other parent invented products. It says "hello genius. Brilliant gear invented by moms and dads"

My baby and me

New Tiny Tales Products!

Its a good day for Tiny Tales! I've been working hard on some new products, and today they are going live on the website.

Memory Postcards
Same great Tiny Tales design to keep track of baby's "firsts", but now in a postcard form so you can easily share with grandparents and friends.

Babysitter Notes
Sometimes even moms and dads need a time-out.... with each other! This handy slip covers all the essentials your sitter will need so she can keep your kids happy - and you and your sweetie will have the peace of mind you need to enjoy a little break from Baby.

Daycare Notes (Infant version)
Even Supermoms (and Dads) can't be everywhere. While you're out conquering the business world, your nanny or daycare helper can keep you up-to-date on your little one's day. You'll have plenty to chat about with your wee one come bedtime, and the sweet design is cute enough to save and cherish.

Daycare Notes (Toddler version)

All available now on www.tiny-tales.com, and will ship in a few weeks. These make great stocking stuffers!

Life changing gadget

Rarely does a gadget come along that I deem to be a necessity, rather than a luxury. On Tuesday I was introduced to the most amazing kitchen gadget (thanks Julie and Chris for changing my mornings forever). It is a toaster that also cooks an egg and sausage so you can have a hot breakfast sandwich in 4 minutes with no mess! As anyone who knows me knows, I need my breakfast sandwich in the morning.

Help with new product, please!

I am designing a new product for Tiny Tales - babysitter info notepads. As I am not a graphic designer by trade, I need approval from as many people as possible before I feel secure enough in my abilities to release this into the public eye.

So here is where you come in. Yes you. The one reading this blog. If you have ever hired a babysitter or ever been a babysitter or know what a babysitter is, then I need your help.

I will send you the draft of the notepad design. If you tell me one thing you like and one thing that can be improved, then I will send you a free notepad when I have them printed. No getting away with "looks fine now where is my free one?" Nope...you need to tell me both something you like and something that you don't.

Send me an email (lara-f@earthlink.net) and let me know if you are up for the challenge.

Ft. Collins

We are in ft. Collins for the day, enjoying a little daytrip on my last day of maternity leave.

A lovely september day at the playground

potty time

I can hear Trey sitting on the potty reading Polar Bear, Polar Bear,
What do you see? Except the words are now "stinky bear stinky bear,
what do you stink?" Then laughing hysterically.

while the cat's away...

Joe is away at Tony's wedding in New Hampshire, so I'm kickin it with
the boys. We have a full day planned of going to look at the very
very big construction vehicles (they are building a high school
stadium about 1/3 mile away), going to to the playground, hanging out
at the library, and of course, naps for all!

Tonight I have a girl's night at the house. Sex in the City movie
and cosmos. There will be 7 of us. It should be superfun (as long
as I can stay awake that late).

busy bees!

Sorry for the lack of posts. We've been busy around here! I go back
to work on Wednesday, so I've been trying to get things done before I
suddenly have no time during the day to spend on Tiny Tales. Here is
what has been going on...

1) Filling that big wholesale order I received last week

2) Writing my business plan and financial forecast

3) Researching different suppliers to reduce my cost of goods

4) I have 3 new products in the works, so I've been working on the
design and descriptions of those

5) Starting Joe's landscape business. He's talked about doing this
for a while, and it seemed like a good time to try to get it off the
ground. It is called JMF Landscape Design & Consulting, and he will
be doing - you guessed it - design and consulting. There are 2
fundraisers coming up (one for the neighborhood and one for Trey's
school), so we donated a landscape consultation. I've handled the
business setup - 800 number, domain name, email, looking into
advertising opportunities, etc. Joe's been brushing up on Colorado
plants and fine tuning his service offering and value proposition.
I'm really excited to see how his consultations go, and to start
getting his name out there. Since we will focus on getting customers
in the neighborhood, he has also been working on a design for our
front yard so it looks impressive to potential customers in case they
do a drive by.

6) I will be starting a new company representing independent wedding
invitation designers. More on this to come as I figure out how it
will work!

Funny!

Real 911 call in Arkansas.

Talking on the phone

I gave trey a phone headset this morning, and he carried on about 20 minutes of imaginary conversations. It was hilarious!

Hi grampy! How are you? Great! Are you coming to my house to play? Great! Good. Good. (Giggle). It has to be after nap. How is your big tractor? Great! Wellllllll... OKBYE.

Hi gigi! How are you? Great! Are you in Texas? Good. Good. After nap I will come see you and mimi in Texas. Great. I'll come to mimi's house and see you and the cows. Good. Will you pick me up at the airport after nap? Great! OKBYE.

Hi gramma T! How are you? Great! Are you coming to play with me? Great! After nap I will come to the airport and pick you up. It will be very fun. OKBYE.

(Don't feel left out pops and nana... He had a long conversation with you yesterday.)

I love sweaters

I LOVE sweaters. Last time I counted I had over 75. I just can't
bear to part with any of them, even the ones I don't wear anymore. I
still have one that my dad bought me in college from Abercrombie and
Fitch. It is too young-looking for me now, but I can't give it
away. I took it with me when I went abroad to England and as any
anyone knows who has spent a lot of time overseas...you just can't
take your whole closet. So you have to wear the same clothes over
and over. That sweater is in just about every photo taken during
that semester, and it was such a special time in my life that when I
look at it those memories come flooding back.

Check out these I recently acquired for Jonah and Trey. Aren't they
adorable?? Gotta love Target.
>

Tiny Dancer

Jonah has discovered his hands

be sure your sound is on to get the full effect

Chunker!

Jonah weighs 11.5 lbs according to our home scale. He goes in for his 2 month checkup tomorrow so we will get his official stats.

his onesie says "i already know more than the president."

Babygap.com

I heard from gap this morning and they won't be carrying Tiny Tales online, only in the stores. I'm disappointed, but they said if sales are good in the store they will reconsider. Apparently keepsake items haven't done well online.

So smart!

We have an unfinished basement, which we don't have the money to refinish right now. I am trying to at least use what we already have and make it a space where Trey can be a crazy, loud toddler. The previous owners left a bunch of carpet rements from when the house was built, which I laid down and they cover about half of the space. Once we figure out how to get more outlets down here we will hook up a tv and our treadmill.

We also have a rubber floor mat from our old house when Trey was learning to crawl to cover the wood floor. It is perfect for this space! At school Trey is learning about letters, and he was able to pick out A and B. He is so smart!

{more photos here}

I love having family around!

Thanks to Mari and Anne who helped me put together 60 kits last night while watching The Hills.

HOLY CRAP

I just received a wholesale order for 105 Tiny Tales kits. That
might take me a few days to fill...

Time to renew my effort in finding a factory to assemble these things
for me!

Today I went for a walk/jog with Trey in the jogging stroller. This is my first attempt at jogging since, well, november? So I took it easy and walked up the hills and jogged when it was flat or downhill. One time when I slowed to a walk Trey said "why did you slow down mommy? Are you not using the pedals anymore?"

You've got mail

I found an old keyboard in the basement so I put it on a box in the office and told Trey it was his computer. He told me - mommy don't come over here because I am sending an email.

Grampy - check your computer for a note from Trey because he told me he sent you a pretend email.

More Trey wisdom

Trey: do you have a tissue in the car?

Me: no, sorry baby.

Trey: ok. I'll just have to pick my nose then.

Shut up and drive

Today at the gym they were giving away samples of the new V8 fusion juice in dixie cups (which is fantastic by the way - 1 serving of veggies and 1 of fruit in each serving). I got Trey into his carseat then let him drink the juice. It was purple so I was hovering to make sure he didn't spill it. He said "go away and drive mommy. I'll be ok."

Lil' burrito

I love to swaddle my babies!

An afternoon activity

Time to give the jungle gym (aka jungle book) DVD a rest and do something different post-nap.

Afternoons at the library

We have the coolest library in town. Let me tell you why...

1) The outside book drop has a moving sidewalk-type window you and
put the book there and it sucks it in. Then a man's deep voice says
"Thanks for using the Parker library." It is very mesmerizing.

2) There is a self checkout like a grocery store where you lay the
book on a pad then bag it. It fulfills my dream of working in a
grocery store.

3) Trey LOVES the water fountain with a stool in front of it so he
can reach it.

4) In the kid's book area, there is a big fish tank. Today Trey
watched the fish for about 10 minutes while I picked out some books.
When we were leaving he said "Bye bye fish. Bye bye big fish. I
love you big fish. I'll come back and see you after my nap. Is that
ok? Big fish? He's not saying anything!"

Trey's new school

When we first moved to colorado we put Trey in a daycare 2 days a week so he wouldn't forget what it was like to be away from us and around other kids. I also love some of the little tricks they teach in daycare, like listening ears (if you ask if he has his listening ears on he pulls on his right one then his left one to show you that, yes, his listening ears are on his head) and 'you need to rest your body' which was a precursor to time out. He never really loved this daycare like he loved the one in Boston. Dropoffs were a nightmare, and everytime I went there I didn't like the lack of control the teachers had over the room. So a few weeks ago he started 3 mornings a week at a Montessori school in town. The first few days of school he had a rough time - he wouldn't participate and wouldn't go on the potty there even though he goes at home. Today's report was that he participated in the activities and went on the potty. Yea!

I can't believe I go back to work in 3 week. Argh. It is going to go by so fast!

T-shirt sale at Tiny Sprouts

My friend Tracey is having a sale on her adorable hand embroidered baby t-shirts...only $15!

BOY

GIRL

Joe's breakfast in santa fe

Road trip!

For our anniversary, we are headed to Santa Fe and staying with Cousin Allyn. This is Jonah in the car on the drive down there.

a bit confused

Trey has been walking around the house measuring everything with a
measuring tape and saying "this weighs 13 pounds!"

Happy anniversary to us!

We've been married for 5 years!

On monday we are driving to Santa Fe for a few days for our anniversary trip. Any tips of things we should do or see? We'll have the baby with us and Gigi will be babysitting Trey. I haven't been there since high school and can't wait.

a nice scene in steamboat springs

How clever