Magic House, Supercross and Lone Elk Park

The weather is warming up here in St. Louis and we have been trying to take advantage of it as much as we can. (all these are cell phone pictures since I don't always lug my big 'ol 70D everywhere with me.)

During Black Friday the St. Louis Magic House had 50% family membership so we jumped on it. We haven't gotten much of a chance to use it yet so when Charlie had a day off with nothing planned we decided to hit it up.

It was a rainy day so they were pretty packed but we had lots of fun nonetheless.

Both girls enjoyed the art room, which I didn't even know existed! I may have had fun in there, too haha.

The Charlie chased Lexi around (she was so excited all she wanted to do was run, run, run!) so Kay and I played around in the mini-town they have. One of the buildings is a Vet office and Dr. Kayleigh had fun giving the animals a check-up.

It was a very fun and very tiring day!

Then this past Saturday was Super Cross! We have been going to Super Cross since I was pregnant with Kayleigh and, with the exception of one year I got sick, we have gone every year. 

The girls liked their headphones for a whole 10 minutes before they decided they were done. Thankfully the fireworks part was over so I wasn't too worried about the loud noises.

 (Lexi giving Charlie a 'hug' while on his shoulders)

Kayleigh, being the almost 3 year old she is, refused to nap but wouldn't sit still so we spent a lot of time just riding the escalators up to the top floor and back down again.

Lexi didn't have any trouble falling asleep and almost slept through the entire race! She can fall asleep almost anywhere (one time in a shopping cart at the store!)

Then yesterday, Charlie was working on unclogging the Excursion's radiator. After he flushed the system, he needed to drive it around for at least an hour so, since I've never been to Lone Elk Park we decided to hit it up! 

It's a really neat park where you drive through and see deer, elk and bison (although you can get out anywhere except the bison area)

Since we were driving so slow (maaaybe 10mph) we let the girls out of their car seats to see the animals. We saw a lot of elk, one that came almost right up to the car. (The elk are known to stick their heads inside your cars!) The girls thought they were so neat. Charlie and I saw two bison, but they were so far away the girls couldn't. Hopefully next time we go through we can see them.

That is all we've been up to lately! I have been forgetting I started blogging so I need to remember to update more often!

March Photos

The weather randomly warmed up to 80 degrees so we put our summer dresses on and played outside. And anytime I close a door with Lexi on the other side she thinks its hilarious to stick her hands under the door.

Our neighbor brought us a bouquet of daffodils from her yard. They were so beautiful, but I wish we had more sun in our kitchen so they lasted more than a few days.

 I'm trying to get some more pictures of me with the girls and this was my first attempt. I normally hate how I look on camera so I avoid it at all costs but I want to change that so the girls can look back and see me with them, not just me taking the pictures.

 We got some farm eggs and I totally geeked out and took pictures of them. I had some set up with a gradient from dark to light but never got around to take a picture of that but there is always next time!!

 I don't know why I never tried adult coloring pages before because it sure beats coloring Doc McStuffins with crayons ever day! And some days Kayleigh will freak out if I don't buckle her bunny, Mimsy, in while we're in the car.

 Always climbing. Its so hard to keep her of anything because she will climb anything if she gets the chance!

Going to the races

Over the weekend we went down to Bixby, MO for the Missouri Hare Scramble dirt bike races. Charlie started competing this year and this was the second race of the season. This was also the first time taking out our new (to us) RV camper! Charlie picked it up the weekend before from Houston, TX, which is a crazy story in itself but he made it home in one piece.

Lexi decided the table was her new spot to eat and would eat everything there - breakfast, snacks, you name it. It was really cute, except when she finished her plate and worked her way over to someone else's and would help herself.

Charlie did really well at the race. He got 11th place in his class (total of 20 people, I think) which is really good considering he forgot his hydration pack so he didn't have anything to drink the whole race.

 Somehow both girls fell asleep on the side lines - Lexi in the carrier and Kayleigh just conked right out in the chair. We were right next to the track so it wasn't crazy loud, but it definitely wasn't quiet either.

Juno came too but she mostly hung out at the camper because he decided to chew through her leash so we only had the tie out for her. But while we were packing up, our friend said Juno looked lonely and needed some love so both girls ran over and started hugging on her. It was so sweet!

It was an awesome weekend and a great experience for Charlie and the girls. We all can't wait for the next race this weekend!

Things Kayleigh Says

A small collection of things Kayleigh has said. I just started recording them about 3 or 4 months ago, but she says so many silly/crazy things that I wish I started sooner. Lexi is starting to talk so I can't wait to be able to add things she says in here, too!

Kayleigh age 2

"Someone, stop that baby!!" Said any time Lexi is into something

Walking out of the grocery store after the cashier called her 'honey'.
"Mama, he called me honey! HE CALLED ME HONEY!!"

"Mama, I really like your boobs."

Kayleigh: Papa Mike, I got in trouble.
Mike: Kayleigh, you need to mind your mom.
Kayleigh: Well, I'm a mommy, too, sooo… I don't have to get in trouble.

-sigh- we are having a bad day.

(When asked if she wants chocolate chip pancakes while at a friend's house)
“weeeell, we have chocolate chip pancakes ALL the time at home so no thank you!”

Octo-donouts = Octonauts

“Oh no, my camera broke! Mama, I need a tool! Ok, another tool, please! Now I need a carrot... a piece of bread… and a flower. Yay, I fixed it!”

Me: “...and what else did God make, Kayleigh?”
Kayleigh: “Waffles!”

“mama, you're a super dinosaur mama. The BEST super dinosaur mama EVER!”

(Getting ready to go into an restaurant to eat)
Kayleigh: do I get to go in there?!
Me: yup!
Kayleigh: does Lexi get to go in there, too?
Me: yup, she's coming with us too.
Kayleigh: aww, I don't want Lexi to go. Can't she stay in the car?

Kayleigh: mama, I like your ring!
Me: thank you! Dada got me this ring when we got married.
Kayleigh: Dada got me a ring too. It's a super ring! It makes me fly, but it broke so my powers don't work anymore.

Hello again!

So I've started and failed blogging before but I think I'm just going to start again just for myself. I will admit I'm bad about keeping memories for the girls; their milestones, things they (well, Kayleigh) say and all the little memories. So I decided to just start over and post when I feel like it, just for me. Not to make Pinterest worthy posts or gain a ton of followers and be famous. No, just for me. 

Anyway, if you happened to stumble upon my little blog, let me introduce myself! I am Debbie, a midwest living, jesus loving, diy doing, photographer wanna-be and mom to 2 little girls (Kayleigh Mae (2013) and Alexis 'Lexi' Marie (2015).

Toddler Meals: Chicken Nuggets

Ingredients:
1 Chicken Breast
1 Egg
Salt
Italian Bread Crumbs
Optional: Vegetable (Peas, Spinach or Carrots work well)

Prep time: 40 minutes

1. Boil chicken breast for 20 minutes or until fully cooked
2. Cut up chicken breast and put it into a blender with egg and a pinch of salt
3. Add vegetable of your choice. (Only add a little because the flavor can get overwhelming quickly and if you have a picky toddler the color change may bother them.)
4. Flatten into patties and coat with Italian breadcrumbs
5. Bake at 400 degrees for 10 minutes, flipping halfway.

These freeze well so you can make a large batch and use them for days.

Using the blender makes the consistency similar to that of fast food / frozen chicken nuggets which will satisfy the pickiest of eaters while being much healthier. I add in vegetables to reduce the fight of getting my toddler to eat them. Parents are sneaky ;)

Building a Newborn Cloth Diaper stash

When I was pregnant with Kayleigh I knew I wanted to cloth diaper. However, we didn't actually start until she was 3 months old, mainly due to procrastination on my part. I mean, I didn't even get her nursery completely finished until she was 8 months old. I am a total procrastinator at heart.

But this time around I'm going to be ready!!

Kay is actually 4 months here but let's pretend its a newborn!

When starting to cloth diaper there are a lot of factors - what type of diapers do you want to use, how much do you want to spend, how large of a stash do you want, etc. Newborn cloth is no different. I have had my head spinning with all the research I have been doing the last few months. I thought I would just share my thoughts and what I have learned so far!

The first decision you need to make is what type of diapers do you want to use.

There are flats/prefolds + covers, which is how our Grandmas used to diaper. You use absorbent material that you fold and pin (or use Snappis) onto the baby with a waterproof cover on top. This is the cheapest option since you can buy prefolds and flats for around $1.00 each. Covers can start at around $5.00 each and you don't need a lot because as long as poo doesn't get on it you can wipe it down and reuse it a couple of times before washing.
These require a little bit more of a learning curve to use but since newborns go through diapers so quickly it really can help those on a budget. They are also really fast to dry, flats being faster than prefolds.

Then there are All-In-Ones, or AIOs, which have the absorbent layers and waterproof cover all together - no pinning, stuffing of inserts, or anything. These are the closest to a disposable you can get. Very quick, easy to use and great to have on hand.
However, they are a little more expensive and as your newborn gets older and starts to pee more you can't add absorbency to them (Unless you have a style called All In Two, or AI2, which you have a pocket to add inserts to) AIOs also take longer to dry due to the fact all the layers are sewn in together.

The final common type is Fitted diapers. These are kind of like a mix between the two previous types - they're a diaper with the absorbent layers already sewn in but are not waterproof so they require a cover. These are typically the more expensive option. However, since they don't have a sewn on waterproof layer they are great for what cloth diaperers call "air time" or letting air get to your baby's bottom to help fend of rashes.

There are also pocket diapers, but from what I have seen they aren't common for newborns. Personally, for older babies, I love pocket diapers because you can adjust the absorbency by adding more inserts as needed.

Now which type of diaper is the best you may ask? Well, that all depends on you and how much work you are willing to do.

 Personally I think a mix between the three is a great combination.

What we are doing is mainly pre-folds (I have already purchased 24 Green Mountain Diaper newborn/orange edge prefolds) and covers (I bought 5 Prowrap covers) with fitteds for nighttime (Planning to buy 5-6 Green Mountain Diaper newborn/orange edge workhorses) and a few AIOs thrown in for convenience while not at home.

The amount of diapers all depends on how often you want to wash. With my planned stash I will have to wash every 1-2 days, which is fine with me. However, if you want to go 2-3 days you should buy more diapers (I don't recommend going more that 3 days due to staining & stink issues).

But don't go crazy with newborn diapers!!

Most babies are only in their newborn diapers for around a month before they either outgrow the size or the absorbency so you don't need 30-40 diapers! Have a small newborn stash, then make a bigger stash out of One Size diapers (or larger sizes if you don't like One Sized ones) I'm trying not to spend more than $100 on my newborn stash so I have more money to buy larger diapers that the baby will be in for longer.

We have about 20 some odd diapers for Kayleigh right now, which is enough to wash every 1.5-2 days (I can sometimes squeeze by washing every 3 days if I want to have only 1-2 clean diapers left over) so I am planning on buying another 20-ish diapers for Baby. Hopefully Kay won't be in diapers for too much longer after Baby comes so I can use a larger stash but the great thing about cloth diapers is that I won't have to buy anymore for future children.

If you want a quick guide to buying used cloth diapers, head over to my YouTube channel and check out my video!