Master Garagesaler...well, self-proclaimed anyway

I'm so proud of my finds today. Keep in mind that I only spent $1.00! Here's what I got:

2 in 1 Walker

This is the one toy that I would recommend to any mom! We borrowed this from a friend in St. Louis as we did with pretty much everything because we thought this next season of life would find us overseas. We are so grateful that God led us to Wheaton instead! However, we had to return this toy when we moved away and I've been debating on whether to buy one. I probably would have paid up to $20 for this toy. Here's the best part...

I got it for FREE on the side of the road and it works perfectly!

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A Dr. Seuss book

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Disney's Dumbo video

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Little Princess video (with Shirley Temple)

This was a sentimental purchase for if God blesses us with a little girl one day.

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And I'm most proud of this find:

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Terry Toots book

Zachary already LOVES it! He is all boy!!

Out with the Old and In with the New

We are so grateful to our dear friend in St. Louis who gave us this crib that her, now grown, kids had slept in. Sadly, it broke beyond repair this morning. I took this picture after the initial break. We tried to prop it up while Z took his morning nap, but after 2 minutes we heard a loud crash and I exclaimed to Dane the obvious, "He just fell out of the crib!"

Well, there were wood and plastic pieces everywhere! Zachary was fine and within a few minutes he was snuggled up on the mattress laid on the floor. I'm not sure how long that lasted, but it couldn't have been for long due to the amount of mess I found in his room when he came to let me know that he could get out of his room without my help. Fortunately, I was able to borrow a crib from a friend -- and she was already planning a trip to Wheaton today!

Zachary is now safe and happy in his new bed.

Thanks Jess!

What's up with the trucks?

That is what our neighbors keep asking. Why? Well, it all started Wednesday morning...

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At 7:30am I was walking out the door to finally get my IL drivers license at the DMV when Dane yelled up, "Our basement is flooding!!!"

The standing water was over our ankles!
Zachary was delighted with the new splash park in his basement
So, how does one fix a problem like this? I will tell you.

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Step 1: pump the water outside Step 2: if the plumber digs 100 feet out from your house and is unable to unclog your sewer pipes (because they are filled with tree roots!)...

Step 3: call in THE DIGGER

What a lovely hole the digger can make Step 4: send in "the team"
(they do not pay these guys enough!)

Step 5: cut the pipe with a really big saw and then...
...break it apart with a hammer
Zachary LOVES the digger
Step 6: install sewer cleanout
Step 7: wait for the inspector to approve the job

Step 8: fill in the hole

So now we have a lovely dirt pile in our front yard. We are waiting for the next big rain to help the dirt settle back into the ground. In the meantime we are watering our dirt pile to help out the process. It all seems a bit strange.

Scuba

My dear friend Scuba (as we affectionately call her) came to visit this weekend. We lived together in college for essentially 3 years. It was a big deal because I had not met her new husband, Matt, yet (I was very sick the day of her wedding and could not attend) and she had not met Zachary! It had been about 4 years since we had seen each other so it was a sweet reunion.

This girl is a true gem, I miss her so much!

Of course we had to visit Chili's! He smiles on command now ...well, at least sometimes (when he isn't chewing!) mmm....
He's already a gamer

We finally had a good excuse to visit Wheaton's Wade Center and see the wardrobe that inspired C. S. Lewis' The Chronicles of Narnia!

Thanks to Matt - handyman extraordinaire! - our lawnmower is working again.

And so we said goodbye to our meadow...

I'm Officially a City Girl!

NEW VIDEOS AT THE BOTTOM OF THIS POST!!

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Now that's some serious parking skills!

(And yes, that's my car)

Fun day at the Lincoln Park Zoo Watching the polar bears with Aunt KristaDoes anyone else hear the theme to Jaws playing?

Our Favorite Exhibit

Zachary went from scared...



to LOVING it!!!

Now that Zachary can run, it seems that his new favorite past time is running away from me. He's so curious and loves to explore, but he has no clue where I am and doesn't seem to care much.

Mr. 21 Months

Well, it finally happened...Zachary has learned how to say no! It started out being really cute, but now it's his automatic response. Dane and I were searching the house for something, checking every room and letting each other know where it wasn't. Then I heard Zachary's small voice saying, "In here?...no!" (with an inflection at the end of no). It was so darling. We still laugh endearingly when he says it.

Today we visited some friends with a playscape. Zachary only had to see how to get up to the big slide once before he began his slide marathon!

Please visit this link to see more pictures of Zachary from this month.

Loving It!

Zachary is loving his new mega blocks fire truck!

Thanks Carla!

Happy Mother's Day!

I love you Mom!!

Her children rise up and call her blessed

Proverbs 31:28

MyKaelah's 1st Birthday

MyKaelah's mother, Leslie, and I have been friends since the 6th grade! Today was very surreal as I attended her daughter's 1st birthday party. What fun it is to see our little ones play together!

Zachary got to help MyKaelah open some of her presents.

They were especially excited about this toy!

Touch A Truck Day

We had so much fun today! Thanks to a great tip by my new friend Gretchen, Zachary and I got to go to this fantastic FREE event. The kids were able to touch, feel and climb through vehicles of all shapes and sizes.

The Road Sweeper

The School Bus
The Cement Mixer
The Ambulance
Our little criminal!
Talking to the fireman
Is this thing going to take off with me still on it??
The Big Event...The Crane!!!

The Trolley

The Digger

I own this Bulldozer!!

Brookfield Zoo

Zachary is finally old enough to appreciate the animals at the zoo. It was so much fun to watch him see the animals he knows from his books come to life!

Checking out the fountain with his friend EilyLook how close I am to the bear!

Yes, that's a fang!

(Please mom...it's so embarrassing when you scream and run away. It's only a nice cuddly bear!)