Vacation photos: Chicago and Michigan

We just got back from a week-long trip to Chicago and Michigan to visit my parents. We hadn't spent much time in Chicago before (thanks again for your advice!) so it was awesome to explore all the neighborhoods. Here's what we did...
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Motherhood Mondays: Mabo clothes

Mabo is a tiny children's clothing line focusing on natural fabrics by Utah designer Emily McMaster. Toby has a pair of her wool pants, which he wore almost every day this winter. How cute is her new summer collection?

P.S. The pants we first fell in love with (and Toby wearing them).

Motherhood Mondays: Parachute birthday party

Laid-back birthday parties are the best, and this idea is genius: Just get a parachute! Little dudes can spin it around, sit underneath it and even get bounced on it (one at a time) while grown-ups hold the edges. (One of my earliest memories is when my kindergarten class did a parachute dance for our parents. We rocked it:)

P.S. Toby's birthday party.

(Via Momfilter)

Motherhood Mondays: Nursery in a closet

Our friends Ashley and Aron live in a 500-square-foot studio apartment in the East Village. When they found out they were expecting a baby boy, they rolled up their sleeves and transformed their walk-in closet into a six-square-foot nursery...
I interviewed Ashley on Martha Stewart Living's new blog, if you'd like to hear how she once army-crawled past his crib to get to the bathroom. And isn't the wallpaper a great touch?

P.S. More nursery inspiration...

(Photos by Ashley and Aron of Hither and Thither)

Motherhood Mondays: 5 tips for taking great photos of kids

My friend Alyson from Unruly Things posts family photos on Instagram, and every shot she takes of her son Wolf is utterly adorable. Luckily for us, Alyson agreed to share five tips to taking great family photos...
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Motherhood Mondays: Wallpaper

Now that we're (vaguely) househunting, we're also daydreaming about decorating. Wouldn't Ferm Living's graphic wallpaper look fantastic in a small space, like a bathroom or foyer? xo

Toby the boy

At two years old, Toby is becoming such a BOY. The other day, I asked him what he wanted for breakfast, and he said, "Butt." So I laughed and asked him what he really wanted, and he said, "Penis." Ha, noted.

Thankfully, this recent photo of Alex and Toby watching a video in the morning still captures that baby look. If only for a fleeting moment. Oh, how I love my little man.

Motherhood Mondays: Native shoes

We were hanging out with friends this weekend, and every single child we saw was wearing Native shoes. Apparently they're the new "it" shoe for kids. It makes sense: They're waterproof, comfy and way cooler than Crocs. Until now, Toby has worn only sneakers, but we're going to order him a pair of these right now for summer vacations.

P.S. They also have them in grown-up sizes!

(Photos by Vincent Kwok and House of Hype)

Motherhood Mondays: French Kids Eat Everything

When we were on on vacation last month, I read an eye-opening book that completely changed the way we feed Toby...
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Cute T-shirt

I know at least one little boy who would like this T-shirt.

Happy 2nd birthday, Toby!

Today is Toby's second birthday!!! Hurray!!! (I cannot believe this happened two years ago, it feels like yesterday.) To celebrate, we threw a birthday picnic for him last Sunday. Here are some photos, below, if you'd like to see....
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Motherhood Monday: How much did the tooth fairy leave for you? Your kids?

When we were kids, we left our lost teeth under our pillows and got a whopping...
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Motherhood Mondays: Scrapboxes

Last year, for his first birthday, Toby got a toy bus as a gift, and since then, he played with it so much that we lost the passengers inside, and then the wheels fell off, and then the whole bottom fell off. In the end, it was just a yellow shell. We ended up throwing it away this past weekend, which was surprisingly heartbreaking for Alex and me. (As a parent, you become so sentimental!)

So, these scrapboxes by Darcy Miller, below, really appeal to me. You frame a photo and an actual item. We could have framed this photo of Toby along with part of his beloved bus. This kind of thing could come off as cheesy, but Darcy handles them so beautifully. How sweet to have a photo of your child's birthday with the actual candle she blew out, or a newborn photo along with that sweet striped hospital cap. (And they could be great for grown-ups, too. Think: a vacation photo with seashells, or a wedding photo with a dried flower from your bouquet.)

Thoughts? How sweet are these? I'm turning into such a sap!
P.S. Remember this couple's idea?

(Photo of Toby by our wonderful photographer friend Kelsey Foster)

Dates with your child

Do you guys ever take your little ones on dates? Now that he's (almost!) two, Toby and I are starting a new tradition...
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Motherhood Mondays: Doo-wop group

Toby and I were on our way to the playground on Saturday, when we passed this AMAZING doo-wop group. Toby was transfixed! It was one of those awesome New York experiences. They play every Saturday (except when it rains) on Bleecker Street right outside Murray's Cheese. Man, those voices.

Hope you had a wonderful weekend! xoxo

Toby's eyebrows

Toby has always had Jack Nicholson eyebrows, but recently he's been taking them to a new level. These photos crack me up. Who needs words? He has a whole repertoire, including give-me-back-my-car eyebrows...
Taxi-spotting eyebrows...
Strawberry-eating eyebrows...
And get-me-out-of-this-ball-pit eyebrows.
It's a lot of work for one little guy! Toby, I love you:)

Taxi tattoo

The perfect temporary tattoo for two-year-olds.

Motherhood Mondays: The Great Toy Experiment

When pregnant, I barely read any books (they freaked me out!), but happily I've stumbled upon some parenting books for toddlers that seem to have wise and down-to-earth advice. Simplicity Parenting is one of those books. Here are four enlightening tips about toddlers and toys...
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About a Little Mole Who Wants to Know Who It Was that Pooped on its Head. (Seriously.)

The funniest thing we discovered in Amsterdam was definitely this classic children's book. The title? "About a Little Mole Who Wants to Know Who It Was that Pooped on its Head." Look inside...Read more »

Motherhood Mondays: Biking in Amsterdam

I'd love to share our Amsterdam photos later this week, but in the meantime, want to see some crazy photos of bikes in Amsterdam? Here goes...
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