favorite (crib)

Another one of our current transitions with Ben is moving him out of his crib, and to a twin mattress.  So far he's really liking his new bed and usually chooses to sleep in the bed and not the crib.  He does have both in his room, because I do better with a gentle transition to new things.

But just like the binky - this is a little hard for me.  Watching him sleep in his new bed and knowing we are going to be storing away his crib (hopefully to be used again) is another big step away from our baby days.

Then...

Now...

I'm also wanted to write about this because I adore Ben's crib.  It was made for him by my Dad (Grandpa).  My Dad has always been incredibly talented with diy projects - from building a treehouse to hanging Christmas lights.  And because he's an engineer he's also quite the perfectionist. 

When we first told my Dad and Stepmom we were pregnant with Ben, I asked if he would make the crib and of course he said yes.  Jake and I began to look for plans and designs and eventually settled on one we loved.  Dad made sure it turned out beautifully. (and so did my Stepmom - she helped keep him on schedule!)

It's my favorite crib. ever.

favorite (travel mug)

It's been a long time since I posted about a favorite, but I was inspired today.
I love coffee! 
But you probably already guessed that if you read my favorite (coffee).

One of the essentials when it comes to coffee - it must stay hot! 
Unless it's an iced coffee - of course.
This is easier for me now that I'm home during the day and can use the speedy microwave, but when I worked in the "big city" and spent quite a lot of time driving around for my job having a great travel mug was super important.  I also spent a pretty good amount of time outside - on the job site - and I despised drinking cold coffee.

Until I received my Thermos Raya Stainless Steel Tumbler for Christmas a few years ago, I had no idea coffee could taste good and stay hot all morning. 
It's the best travel mug ever!

And the reason I had to write about my favorite travel mug today is because it's also become my husband's favorite travel mug.  He usually takes a large stainless steel thermos of his own to work, but when he's on the road he "borrows" my travel mug.  That arrangement was working pretty well.

But two weekends ago we traveled to visit Jake's parents, took the travel mug with us on the way to their house, and came home without it.  Bummer!  Not to mention Jake had to travel last week and was without a travel mug.  He went shopping, but couldn't seem to find anything to compare to our Thermos Raya.

So last Saturday I was able to do a little shopping in the "big city" and found the Thermos Raya travel mugs at Target.  I decided that Jake really deserved his own (or that I would really like mine for myself).  Our original mug is stainless steel so I chose a nice blue for Jake.  

He was very happy with his gift. 
Me too!

The old, original mug is still away from home, but it's okay.
I "borrowed" the new mug this morning and I enjoyed running errands with hot coffee.

favorite (compact stroller)

We are so glad the mornings and evenings are starting to be comfortable again for walking!  That leads me to another of our favorites...

Maclaren Volo Stroller

July 2009

We decided to purchase this stroller after an entire afternoon of shopping for one. 

Here are some of the reasons why we chose it...

• Super sturdy construction - you could tell by just pushing it around the store where we "test drove" every compact stroller available.
• The highest weight limit of any comparable stroller (if you can't tell this has always been important to us!).
• Easy to open and close - really!
• Very lightweight - great feature if you have to carry it around at all.
• Compact - fits well in our Honda where finding space can often be challenge.
• Large umbrella shade that keeps it shady and stays open without a problem.
• Breathable fabric that seems to help prevent sweating or overheating.  I
• Comfortable height of handles for pushing - this really sold me on the stroller!  I didn't feel like I had to hunch over. 

I am sure I could keep going, but these are some of the top features that sold us on the stroller.  It was a little more of an investment, but we use it all of the time and are still completely happy with it.   Happy strolling!

favorite (music for little ones)

Grandma Kathy first introduced us to Raffi when Ben was only three months old, and he's been a favorite in our house ever since.  We have two of his CDs (gifts from Grandma) and one VHS tape - yes, we still have a VCR. We came across the old VHS, dated early 1980s, at our local library sale table this past winter.  It has been worth much more than the fifty-cents we paid for it!  :)  I also have a Raffi station on Pandora.

favorite (coffee)

Time for another favorite - Radina's Coffeehouse & Roastery

favorites

I thought it would be fun to start occasionally posting about some of our family favorites. These may be baby items, toddler items, household items, books, movies, etc - anything we really like! Here's the first one...

Britax Roundabout

We love this car seat!