What's in my hospital bag this time...

Maverick noticed me packing my bag a couple weeks ago, asked to help, and then proceeded to pack his own Paw Patrol suitcase for the hospital. It weighed about 20 pounds because it was full of every single Hot Wheels car he owns, plus his robe and his slippers and his Bandit.

He knows now he doesn't need a suitcase because he will just be visiting the hospital, but every once in a while I go in Cooper's room and find a mysterious bag packed with toys,lined up next to mine and Cooper's and it kills me. Mav is as ready as we are for this brother to come any time!

I always like reading what people pack in their hospital bags, and it's really useful to remember (for myself) or direct people to when they ask. I know blogging is a dying art, but you would be shocked at the number of times people ask me about a recipe or something else random and I either direct them to my blog or I go hunt down a post to remember for myself.

Mom's Bag:
Pretty robes + comfy robes
Cute pajamas/loungewear/hoodies
Leggings
Cute nightgown to wear instead of hospital gown
Swimsuit (I do not 'do' stark naked during childbirth)
Nursing bras, wide variety/assortment
Most comfortable/cute sports bra
Undies
Socks + slippers
"Fresh 48" outfit
"Going Home" outfit
Shampoo/conditioner
Dry shampoo
Lotion + chapstick
Vitamins/current meds
Self-tanner spray (Yes I went there...it's winter, just ok?)
Blow dryer/straightener
Make-up
Headbands
Letterboard + presorted letters needed
Phone charger
Current books/reading material
Wallet + Insurance cards + ID
Toothpaste/toothbrush/floss
Deodorant
Make-up/face wipes
Notebook/pen to record possible gifts
Pillow + blanket (a MUST)

Cooper's Bag:
Hakka
Sleepers + hats (I also do not 'do' hospital hats and blankets)
Favorite swaddle blanket
Assortment of paci's
Diapers/wipes
Gas drops
Hand sanitizer
Portable sound machine + spare batteries
Socks/booties
Stuffed cow for pictures
Nursing shield
Nursing pads
Nursing cover-up
Nursing lotion/cream/balm
Breast pump
Burp towels/cloths
Car seat + base + warm car seat cover
"Going Home" outfit

Josh's Bag: 
Pajamas
Lounge-clothes
Hoodies
Slippers
Deodorant
Toothbrush/toothpaste
"Going Home" outfit
Tennis shoes
Laptop + charger
Phone charger
DVD's
Assortment of snacks
Spare vehicle/house keys
Pillow + blanket (also a MUST for dad)

Because some of these things have to be thrown in at the last minute...if I'm unable to perform that task for whatever reason, I can direct my dearly beloved ones straight to this list.

Think I'm leaving something out? Message me!

MmB

Gear for Baby #2

I absolutely love baby gear.

I love sorting the clothes and figuring out how to organize all the stuff...I love hauling out all the newborn-stage gear and setting it up around the house...I love opening Amazon and Target packages as all of our last minute things have started to arrive.

The clothes are clean and the drawers are organized and full, the swings are out and waiting, the soaps/creams/lotions/balms/gas drops/hand sanitizer/tiny diapers are all scattered in convenient locations throughout the house. Basically the only thing we're waiting on here is the baby.

So I thought I'd share a few of the things I made sure to grab this time around based on recommendations from friends or things I've observed and LOVED other friends using over the past four years. I've been taking lotsssss of mental notes so when we finally got our news I was READY for the STUFF. Here's a link to what we bought and loved the last time around. I still firmly stand by EVERYTHING on this list, namely the Baby Bjorn Travel Crib which, I'm convinced, is the literal best pack'n'play in the history of all time. Absolutely worth the money because it's been used nonstop by Mav (and many baby-visitors) for the past four years and I've never once been frustrated by it. That's a pack'n'play win for sure.

Each item listed is a clickable link!

Sound Machine:
We used a white noise app on my iPad for a LONG time with Mav. And even after I bought a small Graco sound machine, I doubled-up on the sounds most of the time because our old house was so small. However, a few months ago I decided I was kind of 'over' sharing my iPad and I might as well order two matching sound machines (plus a battery-operated travel option!) for both boy rooms. This thing is SO GREAT. It's a super common model/brand and it gets LOUD, which I love. I grabbed it on an Amazon Deal of the Day.

Rocking Chair:
We had this chair in the gray version for Maverick and LOVED it. Again, a purchase that I would say was definitely worth the money, especially on the FIRST baby when the Target giftcards are a-flowing.  I probably did 80% of my nursing in this chair. For a long time I tried to figure out a way to NOT order a second one (we were still using the gray rocker for naps/bedtime for Mav in our new house)...but as I thought more about what having a newborn in this house would look like, I settled on the fact that baby will likely be in our room for MUCH longer than Maverick was (approx. 3 days?) because I'm not trekking across the creaky floors in this house 2, 3, 4, 5, times in the night to feed the newborn. So in October during a Target furniture sale I pulled the trigger and ordered one for Cooper's room, moved the gray rocker to our room, and moved the gray chair + ottoman to Mav's room so we still have a special spot to cuddle up and read books every night. I like these chairs because they look like a real piece of furniture I could move to any room of our house when they're done being used for babies/kids. *I couldn't find our exact chair on Target.com anymore...so I'm glad I ordered it when I did! The one I linked is super similar.*

Hakka: 
I have yet to use this handy thing (it didn't exist when Maverick was born!) but I've witnessed my best friend use it for two babies, and if it's as magic as she claims, I'll get away without having to use Satan's Breast Pump EVER this time around. She catches so much milk without having to do a THING or waste any extra time, and I'm all about that life. It was one of the first things I ordered!

Letterboard: 
This seems like a dumb one, but I love me a good letterboard. They are SO great for remembering big milestones (first day of school, last day of school, monthly baby photos!) so prepare to see a LOT of letterboarding happening on my Instagram this year. I prefer the felt boards to the plastic ones from Hobby Lobby or Target.

Roller/Bar Cart:
Like I said, being in a new place for our second newborn has given me a lot to strategize for (ie: sink baths in the farmhouse sink; a BASEMENT to utilize; a toddler sleeping one room away, etc.). I grabbed this cart at Target and the more I think about it, the more insanely useful I think it will be. First of all, it rolls...so I can roll it to our master bathroom for bath time, out to the kitchen for bathtime, to the bassinet for a quick diaper change, to the rocker in our bedroom in the night to feed baby...or all the way to the other side of the house to Cooper's room when he's more settled over there. Second of all, it's gray...so I can put it in any room of our house whenever I want from now until forever and it will continue to be useful, but also match.

Bassinet:
We skipped this the last time around, because we didn't have room in our bedroom, and honestly...Maverick in his crib in his room meant better sleep for everyone. So this was one of those things that I labeled as unnecessary gear and did without. But as I've previously mentioned, with a bigger house comes different newborn challenges...namely logistical middle-of-the-night challenges. I didn't want a tiny bassinet that would only last a month, but I also didn't want to just set up a big pack'n'play in the middle of our bedroom...I wanted something that made sense with the style of our bedroom...and if you know me, you know I don't like the 'look' of most baby stuff so this was a challenge. Because it's semi-temporary, I also wanted it to be semi-cheap. After much deliberation, this is what I finally settled on. If I have a hard time sleeping, it's a perfect size to throw in the bathroom for more distance/barrier between me and Cooper.

Baby Bath:
The tub we had for Mav was *fine* but it was big and made showering in my own shower kind of a pain...I always had to move it out before I could shower, it was annoying for guests to 'work around' and it was just MORE than necessary. It simply took up way too much square footage to store for years and years after Mav was done using it so it got donated. When I found out we were pregnant I picked up this bath seat/support as soon as I saw it in gray on the shelf at Target (can you believe it was almost impossible to find gray stuff five years ago?!). I'm planning to hang it on the wall down our back stairs for easy access for kitchen baths and when it's time for the big tub I can stick it to the tub wall.

Baby Gym:
Want to know what else has become popular in the past four years? Baby toys that aren't obnoxious colors! We liked the little baby play yard we had for Mav (see link to old blog post!), it was easy enough to fold up and hide if people were coming over or if I just didn't want to look at colorful plastic on my floor for a few days...but LOOK AT WHAT THEY MAKE NOW. I'm sort of planning that this adorably-neutral set-up will be upstairs in our living room and the BRIGHT LOUD COLORFUL one will be downstairs for evening movies or hanging out with Mav in the toy room.

Diaper bag/Backpack:
Literally everyone I know has this diaper bag, so when I saw it on sale I jumped on board. It's been proclaimed on my social media ads as the Best Diaper Bag Ever so I figured it was worth seeing what the hype was all about. There are so many compartments it's insane. I'm a purse-carrier by nature, so I never wanted a diaper-bag-looking diaper bag, and I still plan to use my leopard Coach bag for the first 6-ish months...but this one seemed appealing for the second-stage when there's more food and toys and bigger diapers to pack. Plus that's when we'll be on the go a bit more in the summer/fall and I prefer a backpack for those months anyway.

Vornadobaby Space Heater:
Maverick had a Vorndo space heater for about three years, but for some reason it didn't like our new house. It worked at our old house, we moved, plugged it in here, and it hasn't worked since. We never replaced it because he's been sleeping under real covers since we moved here (his room is actually the coldest in the house, so I've often thought we should grab one for him, but it's just one of those annoying things you don't WANT to spend $70 on) but finally last week I threw the the nursery version of his space heater in our Amazon cart. I like all the safety features on this brand of space heater, I just think we used the old one a LOT, so I'm interested to see how long this one lasts.

Diaper Cady:
I was suckered into this on a PrimeDayDeal. It was less than $10 and looked like something that would be good to keep behind the couch in the basement filled with diapers, wipes, burp cloths, etc. so we don't have to hike upstairs for a diaper when we need one. It's already loaded up and downstairs!

Double Stroller + Attachments:
This has not yet been ordered, but it's on my list. Last summer and fall, we were still frequently using a stroller for Mav, and I always like the OPTION of making him get in and sit if I need him to. He obviously doesn't need his own stroller seat, but I like the skateboard or bench seat options for him to be able to ride along...especially if it's for long walks or big trips to the zoo or the fair, etc. It's way easier to hand him snacks and drinks if he's sitting than expecting him to handle that if we're walking around...maybe this is because he's a first and only child, but who doesn't prefer their child be CONTAINED at the Farmer's Market?! We used our first stroller to death because I was determined we only needed ONE. But after four years and that much use, it's not folding quite right...it's dirtier than I can get clean...and I think right now the kitties use it to cuddle up and sleep on in the shed. So we have our eyes on an upgrade for the spring.

Humidifier:
As freaking annoying as it was to have to buy two of these this winter...they're a necessary part of life for an Iowan living through winter. I've had a cold in some version since Thanksgiving and Mav has been a lot snottier than usual too...throw in the fact that we needed one for baby's room, and that's actually three humidifier's. But because I know Cooper will be in our room, I held off on buying the third because...humidifier's are like the least fun thing to spend $150 on. I like this model because it's SILENT and holds a gallon of water, without using a filter we have to keep clean/replace (all different from the Vick's one we owned when Mav was a baby...it ended up getting super grimy, hard to clean, and filters needed to be purchased/replaced often). Mav loves that he can pick a different light color every night. You can also throw essential oils in if you're into that kind of thing.

Drawer Dividers:
I couldn't find the exact kinds we have online so I've linked really similar options. I bought a white set from IKEA and more recently a plastic Room Essentials set from Target and let me tell you. I already know it will be easier to keep paci's and Q-tips and gas drops and tiny baby socks and mittens more organized. I hate having that kind of stuff just floating around in big drawers, so this was a super cheap option to remedy that.

Stuff I'm borrowing this time around:
Dock-A-Tot (lots of hardwood floors in this house, seems like it might be useful but I didn't want to commit to the price tag)
Rock'n'Play (NOT for overnight sleep, just an option to have in case we have an unreasonably fussy baby this time, and they're like Black Market Contraband now so borrowing was my only option)
MamaRoo Swing (so we have a swing option upstairs and downstairs)

There it is! I know none of these things are 'needed' to bring a baby home, but they do make it easier. And in the dead of winter when we will be hibernating, I just wanted everything to be here and ready and waiting...and I think we're there! All that's left is deep cleaning the showers, appliances, sinks, and baseboards...making freezer meals...and planning our family newborn picture outfits!

MmB

Christmas Letter 2019

Right now Maverick’s biggest frustration is not being able to understand time. In his vocabulary, last week could mean last year; yesterday might mean last week; & tonight could mean tomorrow…so the way we explain things is by season. The ‘calendar’ I created for Mav when we told him about what he calls, ‘his baby’ is a list with pictures in the correct order everything will happen. He knows after the pool comes the orchard…& after the orchard it’s Halloween, Thanksgiving, Christmas…then we will have some snow & the calendar countdown ends on Valentine’s Day when his baby brother is due to arrive! So it just made sense to break our Christmas letter down by season.

WINTER: Josh plowed a record amount of snow. I’m not sure the final totals, but I know BLC plowed more snow than ever before so things stayed nice & busy around here. We had a great crew of guys and made it through the whole season safely, no accidents for customers or employees. We played out in the snow as much as we could, exploring our acreage and playing with our puppies and kitties…we have a decent sledding hill at the back of our property & we all had fun shooting Maverick down on a saucer to see how fast & far he’d go. Mav went out in the plow truck a couple of times with Josh, but got bored pretty quickly so I had to be available to run & grab him…I think he will like riding along with daddy a lot more this year! Josh & I snuck away to Galena for a couple days in January during the Polar Vortex & will remember forever the trip when we were the only people staying in the DeSoto house...two nights in a row!

SPRING: Josh geared up for BLC’s 20^th season in business and the snow continued…Maverick enjoyed his usual rotation of church play group, library, CFA, play dates with buddies, & playing outside…I planned/hosted/decorated for countless parties/showers/events & ended up designing/redecorating a chiropractic office in Ames. We had tons of events for Aunt Jamie getting married & most weekends involved wedding planning + prep, ending with the Big Day in May. Josh hired his BLC crews to start rolling with spring work; one of our trucks was rear-ended; we bought a skid loader (Josh’s favorite BLC toy to date) to haul the four semi-loads of mulch our customer’s requested; & we finally got around to growing grass in our backyard! We also accidentally took two trips to Galena…one in April and one in May.

SUMMER: At the beginning of June we found out we were finally pregnant! Most of 2019 has been spent at the usual doctor appointments, planning for baby, decorating baby’s room, throwing a gender reveal party, embracing maternity fashion, & Instagramming everything along the way (I swear this is the #1 way I remember things!). Josh spent the summer managing his mowing crews & chemical applicator, which made BLC more efficient + able to take on more customers because Josh actually had time to sit at his computer & quote work. We picked up some great new accounts; bought another white truck + plow to be able to run more crews at once; & enjoyed lots of time on our porch with family and friends. We spent nearly every day at the pool; took a family vacation to Galena; hit up the fair; dealt with a flooded basement + the clean-up that followed; & tackled rescreening the porch + adding supports to the bottom half to make it safe(r) than it was previously…one of the last ‘big’ home renovation projects we needed to accomplish. Between his trampoline, sandbox, play set, & Gator, Mav will spend hours outside playing while I read/watch from the porch and this is our favorite way to enjoy summer…acreage life is still a perfect fit for all of us.

FALL: Maverick started preschool! We were all really excited about this new milestone…he’s young for his grade since his fourth birthday was on September 1^st, but we knew he was ready. Mav absolutely loves his four mornings of preschool each week (the adjustment was shockingly easy!), which is mostly because his teachers are amazing. Josh’s chemical applicator quit without notice so we didn’t see him for a couple months while he was finishing fall weed control, irrigation shut-downs, & getting fall fertilizer down in record time. With some weirdly early snow, our crews have stayed plenty busy going between fall work & snow prep…plus we’ve finally committed to finishing the man cave/office in the shop attic + finishing the shop the way Josh wants it done, so we should have some pretty exciting Before & After pictures coming soon. Mav and I made it to the orchard (our favorite fall place) 10 times and Josh was even able to come three times! We spent two horrible weeks ‘vehicle shopping’ and ended up buying an old Yukon from a grandpa who had it parked & for sale down the street…so now we have more than enough room for two car seats + baby gear! We took our annual October trip to Galena, this time ‘vacationing’ with Adam & Jamie who are usually stuck at home house + pet sitting for us.

As most of you probably know, we lost a sweet baby in April of 2018…last year’s Christmas letter didn’t seem like the place to announce our news, especially because we’d been hoping we’d have happy news to share on the heels of the sad news. We didn’t & because baby #2 was due to arrive on December 3^rd, all the celebrating was consistently met with sadness over what was obviously missing…a fourth stocking on the mantle, tiny Baby’s First Christmas outfits, swaddle blankets with red trucks and trees…& the entire year kind of played out like that. We absolutely loved making more memories with just Maverick and our family of three, but every time we did something fun it sort of felt like we had a family member missing.

If anything loss has altered our eternal perspective to a more urgent hope, a desperate longing that when Christ returns again everything will be made right. And that perspective, our hopeful longing, is actually exactly what Christmas is about. The Israelites waited 400 years for God to give them a King. They were faithful to wait, trusting the words from Prophets who had come before them, that God would send a King to be the Savior of the World…and then…a baby born in a manger in Bethlehem, the King they’d been waiting for. We experienced a taste of desperate and hopeful longing this past year and can relate, in a very small way, to what the Israelites might have been feeling. When would God answer? How would He answer? Why won’t He answer? Cooper Wilder Harm will be the perfect addition to our family in seven short weeks, given to us exactly when God decided we’d waited long enough.

This Christmas has been filled with all the usual…movies, baking, kiddo concerts, BLC plowing, decorating, special traditions, wrapping, and one more trip to Galena…all while remembering the true significance of the Christmas Story & how that fits into the bigger picture of the Gospel, “In our longing in our darkness, now the light of life has come…What a foretaste of deliverance, how unwavering our hope…Christ the great and sure fulfillment, of the Law in Him we stand.”

Merry Christmas!

Josh & Mollie, Maverick & Cooper, Millie & Remy

Spring + Summer Reads + Reviews

After feeling like I wasted most of the summer NOT reading due to so many other fun things and outdoor chores...I stacked up my pile of everything I've read/studied since my last post, and it turns out I wasn't as much of a slacker as I thought! I just pictured lazy summer days on the porch reading for hours on end, and that was not the reality. The same thing happened when Mav started preschool...I pictured coming home and settling in for three hours of reading and Bible study, and that hasn't. happened. once.

BUT I've started reading at night with a little reading light once Josh has gone to sleep (which is EARLY these days) and I just read until I'm tired which has led to two things:
1. Surprisingly, I'm getting a lot more reading done.
2. I have a much easier time falling asleep!

Reading ALWAYS makes me sleepy, whether it's 10am, 3pm, or bedtime...which is why I avoid it most afternoons in favor of accomplishing other chores and tasks around the house...but it's PERFECT for my new bedtime routine. I'm hoping that if I can establish this healthy habit now, it will have a better chance of 'sticking' when I'm feeding a newborn all hours of the day and night. I'd like to trade my Netflixing or reading this time around.

Anyway, here's everything I read from March to October, in no particular order (+ links to click and order from Amazon!).

1. Grieving the Child I Never Knew, Kathe Wunnenberg

Jamie gave me this book last Christmas, and it took until sometime in the spring for me to read it. I kept it in my nightstand but just wasn't 'in the mood' to pick it up because it included journaling inside...and books with lots of questions or journaling are usually more work than I want to put in. That's why I like reading, because I just get to sit and READ. No homework involved. But it was a good book for processing our loss, even a year later. Would be a good book to gift to someone when you aren't sure what else to DO.

2. Closer Than a Sister, Christina Fox

You've seen this one multiple times for more than a year and I am FINALLY reading it! Our connection group had planned to read it last fall, then pushed it off to do some other stuff during our group time, but now we are reading through it in a 'book club format' and so far I'm really like it. I think this is one I'd definitely recommend for a book club though.

3. Parenting with Loving Correction, Sam Crabtree

I've read a lot of parenting books at this point, and this one is in the Top 5 I'd say. It brought a fresh, practical, no-nonsense perspective...I found myself nodding along in agreement the whole time. It was a good 'refresher' about giving one warning, employing discipline immediately, consistently, and calmly. Like a pep talk full of reminders for why/when/how to use discipline correctly...and that's exactly what I needed to read right now that I'm parenting a four-year-old.

4. Labor with Hope, Gloria Furman

This book wasn't what I was expecting it would be, but it was good. It's written as more of a daily devotional, and I prefer to plow through books on my reading list, instead of reading small parts each day. It felt a little bit like 'the same thing' over and over, but that *might* have also been because I was reading two other books by the same author, at the same time. I'm not sure I'd recommend that approach, it's just how things happened. Overall, a good quick read, specifically for expecting mom's.

5. Risen Motherhood, Laura Wifler, Emily Jensen

This was the book I was waiting for all summer. It lit the fire I needed to jump-start my fall reading...sometimes a PRETTY, fun book does that for me when I'm feeling 'bored' in the current book I'm working on. I was feeling tired of reading HEAVY books, by the time I cracked this one, I was able to finish it within the week. It was filled with equal parts stories, wisdom, and gospel application, mixed with solid theology and practical mothering ideas. It will probably become my 'new mom' gift.

6. Love Lives Here, Maria Goff

This had been in my Amazon cart for a long time, and I ended up snagging it on an insane book-deal-day. I had it read within a week and it was good, but I prefer Bob's writing style and personality. His books feel like he's right in front of you talking and I can't get enough of them (he has a new one out and I'm dying to have it!). I liked Maria's take on hospitality and what that's looked like in their home over the past 30 years...while raising kids and after their kids left, with a husband who worked long hours and now with a husband who works even weirder/crazier hours. It was good, but not a drop-dead-must-read.

7. Grace-Based Parenting, Tim Kimmel

This is the one I was stuck on for most of the summer. I wanted to read it to check it off my list. And I wanted to like it. But it made me bored and I can't pinpoint exactly why, since it was all parenting strategies I agree with. There are so many other amazing parenting books I'd recommend, I'd say this is one you can skip. I feel mean saying that, but it's just how I feel.

8. Glimpses of Grace, Gloria Furman

I liked the practical mixed with the biblical in this book. By the end it felt a little repetitive (but like I already mentioned, that *could* be because I was reading two other books by the same author at the same time), but it was filled with the perfect eternal perspective to get through mundane days of motherhood...right down to specific examples for how to find eternal perspective while doing a mountain of laundry or a sinkful of dirty dishes.

9. 1 Peter, Jen Wilkin

I can't remember if this was my fall semester study last year, or the spring...either way I never included it on a blog list, so here it is! It was, of course, excellent. I could listen to Jen's teaching all day long. Her studies are intense because they're quite a bit of homework, but I tend to get a lot out of them because of that, especially because I hadn't studied 1 Peter before. I'd recommend doing in group alongside her video-teaching.

10. Imago Dei, Mike Cosper

I'm only a couple weeks into this study and it's HARD. Not because there's a lot of homework or time commitment, but it's a lot more thinking than is usually required of me, and for that reason I'm SO thankful we're doing it for our fall women's study...which means I'm at a table of my friends discussing it out every week. I can't officially review it yet, but so far, I'd definitely recommend. Just be prepared for some heavy lifting in the processing department.

11. Nahum, Habakkuk, Zephaniah, Haggai, She Reads Truth

I tackled this study on my own in the spring after we finished our women's study at church and I really enjoyed it. I liked seeing how each of these prophets fit within the bigger context/story of the Bible, but I liked zooming in to study them individually...since they're small books and easy to breeze over. All four are written with differing styles and perspectives and with totally different themes, but I liked seeing how they fit together using the timeline always included in She Reads Truth study books...this helps me SO MUCH with context and I regularly flip back and forth to reference the timeline.

12. Genesis, She Reads Truth

I've been in this study since July and I'm annoyed about it. It's Genesis, so I expected that it would take a while...because it's BIG and a lot of stuff goes down. But I haven't put in the time I know I should to consistently sit down and study it to get some good momentum going. I've studied bigger chunks/days at a time and have gotten so much out of it (I even started doing genealogy diagrams to better understand those parts of Scripture on the days when the passage is 90% genealogy and I have little to 'reflect' on), I just haven't made it a habit. Reading books in bed is easier than sitting down at the table with book + pen + Bible to spread out and study. Sitting still is getting increasingly harder at this point, which isn't an excuse, it's just the reality. I've liked digging into Genesis, even though it's familiar and filled with common stories I've heard since childhood.

Here's what's on my fall reading list!

1. Love and Respect, Eggerichs
2. The Strong-Willed Child, Dobson
3. 12 Ways Your Phone is Changing You, Reinke
4. The Mission of Motherhood, Clarkson
5. The Accidental Feminist, Reissig
6. The Home Edit, Shearer
7. What Grieving People Wish You Knew, Guthrie
8. A Standard of Grace, Ley
9. When Less Becomes More, Ley
10. The Art of Neighboring, Pathak
11. Cozy White Farmhouse, Galvan
12. Give Thanks, SRT
13. A Thrill of Hope, Advent 2019, SRT
14. The Road Back to You, Cron
15. Make Something Good Today, Napier

Mav's TOY STORY 4 Birthday Party

It's been a couple months since we threw this party, but it was too good to skip over documenting. It was honestly the best-decorated birthday party Mav has ever had (and I kind of have to say...he's always had pretty great birthday party decor ;). But this time I went ALL IN on the kid theme of his choosing and bought all the cheap theme-y party crap...and it was super fun.

Mav's FOURTH birthday + Toy Story FOUR...it was just too perfect.

I grabbed some yellow, green, and red table cloths and streamers from the Dollar Tree which give a really fun colorful PARTY vibe almost immediately. Plus, clean-up is a breeze because you just bundle them up and toss them...when stuff is only $1, you can afford to party like this.

This is the first balloon arch I've ever made (above), but it certainly won't be the last. I bought four packages of different colored balloons for $1/per package, and THIS was the result. It looked so awesome and made such a fun statement...for FOUR DOLLARS. I'll breeze over the fact that the fake Dollar Tree Command Hooks ripped the paint off my walls in three small spots (lesson learned). but this looked so awesome I'm only like 45% mad I need to get more touch-up paint out before Christmas decorating.

I bought our Toy Story napkins, plates, and plastic cups from The Dollar Store in Manson when I saw they had them...they weren't the cheapest paper product option, but it was a Toy Story birthday party...we needed the plates and napkins, and I figured The Dollar Store would likely be the least expensive place to purchase.

The rest of the Toy Story party decor came from the party aisle at Wal-Mart...I bought one banner that hung near the front door and then the big plastic picture that hung above the buffet was actually in a 'photobooth' package...each package was like $5 and it was all the Toy Story specific decor we needed to create the theme.

Our biggest 'party splurge' every year are these sugar cookies from Larita's Cakes 'n' More in Fort Dodge and I'm telling you...they were worth the hour and a half drive there and back to get them.

I raided Mav's toys to find things that are in all the movies...a Barrel of Monkey's hung from our chandelier...wooden ABC blocks spelled out his name...baby monitors + army men (which I thought was the most genius/hilarious thing I did and unless you've recently seen Toy Story 1, you forget how genius this really is!). I bought 100 tiny plastic army men from Amazon for insanely cheap. And nabbed a vintage-looking Etch-a-Sketch at Target when I saw it (I figured it would make a great car-toy, bonus it doubled as party decor!). Hot Wheel cars, Mav's Tonka Truck, cowboy hat + bandana, Toy Story 1, 2, and 3 DVD cases, and then the Buzz and Woody toys he received from his grandparents as gifts rounded out fun decorating! 

When I had the invitations printed, I also saved and emailed the print-shop some Toy Story 4 pictures I found on Pinterest...I had them printed at the same time, which was so easy and it was a great way to cheaply add more 'Toy Story 4' stuff around the house. The biggest picture I used as a little 'guest book' that I'll keep with some of Mav's other party cards and notes, stored away in his 'special stuff' tote in the basement.

The party-drama happened the week prior to the party as I was scrambling to find all the 'ingredients' to make our own homemade Forky's for the kid's craft. This was the ONE aspect of the party Mav had been talking about for MONTHS. He'd been telling everyone, "and we're going to make Forky's for my birthday craft!"...........guess who had no idea it would be IMPOSSIBLE to find plastic SPORKS?! This mommy. The week before the party I checked literally every store and restaurant and craft store in the greater Ames area to no avail. My time had run out to order on Amazon Prime (which I actually thought I had done the same day I ordered the white dough/clay for the base...dough arrived, sporks did not), so I ended up calling the KFC in Fort Dodge and asking if my parents could pick up 20 black plastic sporks on their way through town. I spent the night before the party spray painting black sporks white in our basement and if that isn't love for your child, I don't know what is.

But come ONNNNN. Look at how legit those Forky's turned out! I can't even believe it myself. If the sporks hadn't been such a headache, it would have been the easiest craft in the history of birthday party kid crafts.

Perhaps only children of a Toy Story generation will understand this, but I was probably the most thrilled with this stack of labeled boxes. IT'S LIKE THEY'RE ANDY'S MOVING BOXES YOU GUYS. My parents were like, 'ummm we just don't get it we haven't seen the movies in a while.' My Grandma Rose got to our house and said, 'Did you know you got a lot of big packages delivered today??' Three boxes my mom grabbed from work for free...my favorite party decoration.

I wanted to throw a classic kid birthday party, so we went all out and got a pinata. Mav didn't even know what it was or what to do with it. I filled it with this summers' parade candy, which I then forced our party guests to take home. It was genius and the kids (and daddies!) had fun with it.

We just love this little peanut and had the best time spoiling him on his birthday. He's so smart and special and awesome. Throwing a big 'ole party for him is the highlight of our year because he's just the best. And now he's FOUR!

MmB