Kansas City Zoo | Our Summer Bucket List

To celebrate Father's Day, we took the girls to the Kansas City Zoo for a rare, cool morning. The girls had a great time with their daddy, Papa and cousin Watson. Another item on our summer bucket list is complete!

Chris enjoying smiles with Isla

Adalyn has become notoriously difficult to photograph, so I use the peek a boo trick. It works every time!

Adalyn, Aniston and a family of chimps. I love going on cool days because all of the animals are out. 

What? We went to the zoo?

Have you been to the KC Zoo lately? We love it! What other zoo can you ride a boat or a camel? The exhibits continue to improve and I love how animals have ample space to relax and play. Not to mention Skyfari!

Father's Day Gift from the Girls

We enjoyed a beautiful Father's Day. Breakfast at Chris' favorite Sunday destination {Urban Table}, followed by a morning at the zoo {click for photos}, yard work, playing outside with the girls and dinner. It's days like that that remind you how incredibly blessed you are. The days go by so fast and I never want to forget how they feel. That's what this year's Father's Day gift was all about. I documented what the girls love about their daddy. I used recent photos of them, taken by RPM Photography and asked Adalyn what she loves about her daddy. She quickly gave me a list. I selected a few and added them to the photographs, which I had printed.

This melts my heart. Every now and then, Adalyn goes into work with Chris when he's on call to bring his patients a little bit of cheer. She always remembers each individual patient and asks frequently how they are doing. Her compassion at such a young age is something we'll never want to forget.

As I mentioned, we love Sunday breakfast. And our little Ani-cakes loves her panny-cakes. If you think she's smiling big now, you should see her with a mouthful of them!

Our sweet little Isla has colic. Moments like this above are rare and unfortunately, Chris rarely gets to see them due to his schedule. While she can't be calmed, he holds her, dotes on her and kisses her in hopes it offers her just a little comfort. There is nothing that makes me love my husband more!

I couldn't resist sharing this personal gift with you. We also bought him a wine cooler/refrigerator to enjoy the wines from our recent trip to Napa, Sonoma and Calistoga. In addition, I made him a cd with songs about dad. It included:

The Best Day - Taylor Swift

My Little Girl - Tim McGraw

My Front Porch Looking In - Lonestar

Drive - Alan Jackson

You Can't Lose Me - Faith Hill

What a Wonderful World - Eva Cassidy

Family Man - Pat Green

I hope you enjoyed a wonderful day as well!

My Must Have Baby Registry Items

After 3 kids and countless diapers, I almost feel like an expert on parenthood. Almost. I'm frequently asked by friends and readers about my favorite baby items and decided to put it in a post. Disclaimer: we're pretty minimal. We're not diaper bag and plastic everywhere parents. We found that babies don't require near as much as anyone would like you to believe.

Swing {we have a traditional 2 direction swing w/batteries, but that was before the momaroo. I highly recommend it because it plugs in!
Bouncy/vibrating seat {easy to travel from room to room}
SMALL pack and play {only if you travel}. Also great in lieu of bassinet. 
Boppy pillow for breastfeeding moms - this has saved my back!
BOB Revolution Stroller - it's our one and only stroller. Somewhat lightweight, great for everyday, rough terrain, jogging, etc.
Folding bath tub
Kiddopotomus or Summertime Rinse & Roll bib - we have 2 {one for car and one for home} and donated all the cloth bibs we received. So easy and who has time for the extra laundry?
Sophie the Giraffe - the glorified, overpriced dog toy, for teething
Bottles - just a couple because every baby is different
Bedding {read this first}

Excersaucer

Books - you can never have too many

Car seat - find one that's lightweight because you'll have an extra 8-20 lbs to carry in it

Gowns - so easy for changing diapers in the middle of the night. Don't even think about any snapped sleepers. 

Sleep sacks - again, easy

Swaddling wraps that velcro {vs zip w/excess fabric}

Monitor
Great baby book
Handprint kit 

A great photographer. Priceless. Many offer gift certificates.
Rechargeable batteries - it will save you a lot of money and last minute runs to the store

From Pottery Barn Kids:
Chamois crib sheets x2 - who wouldn't want to sleep on a sheet that soft? 
Chamois changing pad cover x2
Changing pad
Chamois bobby pillow cover
Critter nursery wrap x3 - only towels we ever use

Sherpa stroller blanket for winter babies - it's heavy enough not to blow

Things we skipped:
High chair. It's just another piece of {often} plastic that is not only aesthetically not pleasing, but in the way and difficult to clean. Yes, I know my philosophy isn't for everyone. We love using a booster seat that attaches to a dining chair. It is concealed under the kitchen table and is easy to deep clean in the sink or take to grandma and grandpa's.

The diaper bag. What do you really need? Diapers? Wipes? Bib? We keep those in the glove box of our car and take a couple at a time in my oversized purse. Just the essentials. I've never felt like I've been without in 3 years and have enjoyed not carrying a second bag. Sure, I registered for one, but within a month of Adalyn's birth, I sold it on Craigslist. 

Wait on binkies. Some babies take them and some don't. You don't want to end up with 25 binkies and 2 babies that don't take them {true story} and Isla only takes 2 out of the collection.

Recognizing that everyone is different, I'd love to know what you couldn't live without and what you didn't need. {photo credit: RPM Photography}

Gold Painted Stripe Cards

One of my favorite trends is gold painted stripes. I rushed out to purchase this gold painted stripe shirt from J. Crew the day I received the latest catalog and adore the gold stripe thank you cards and iPhone case from Rifle Paper Co. I decided to take on a quick stripe project of my own. The possibilities are endless. I'm thinking glassware and flour sack towels next!

You'll need a basic paint brush {I snagged one left over from Adalyn's birthday party} and Martha Stewart multi-surface acrylic gold paint.

Put a large dab of gold paint at the beginning of your stripe and stream it out several times, trying to maintain the width.

Add another dab on your line {an inch or two over} and drag it until you get the desired appearance. I did 3 dabs before allowing it to fade the last 1/4 of the line. I couldn't resist creating a matching envelope. The card took just a few minutes to make. I look forward to gifting stationary sets.

A Patio Party

We recently welcomed Isla, our third daughter, to the family. Being a mother of three girls ages 3 and under can be a little crazy, but it doesn't make me want to entertain less frequently, just a little differently. I'm always looking for ways to simplify. Fortunately, I discovered Seagram's Escapes! All of my favorite cocktails are offered, pre-mixed, making serving easy.

We invited friends over for a typical Kansas dinner party. One minute it was sunny and somewhat warm, and the next it was raining! Nevertheless, we enjoyed great company, barbecue and cocktails! I like to set up a beverage bar so that guests can feel free to help themselves, allowing me time to enjoy their company.

I included the sign above as a free printable. Just click the image below for your 5x7 "Grab a drink" sign.

I kicked the party off with a little grilled mozzarella and apricot served with crackers. It's deceivingly easy.

The apricot was a perfect complement to all of the fruit flavors...the sangria was my favorite while my husband favored the margarita. Let's be honest though, this bucket was empty by the end of the evening.

I love a colorful bar. Aren't these ranunculus gorgeous in shades of peach, coral and orange?

One of my favorite things to barbecue is pizza. It gives it a restaurant quality you just can't achieve in the oven. I made tomato, basil and mozzarella pizza as well as goat cheese and caramelized onion, my favorite.

 

And for dessert? Peaches and cream dessert pizza...

and frozen cocktails! Yes, you heard me right! Frozen! I never knew just how much I loved them until I pull a few Seagram's Escapes pouches from the freezer. The Sangria, Blue Hawaiian, and Jamaican Me Crazy are must tries. I just garnished to make them appear homemade. Believe me; no one would know the difference! Delicious! Anyone else singing "Boat Drinks"?

As I patiently wait for summer weather, I'll be dreaming of it with these cocktails while I relax on our patio.

What's your favorite cocktail?

Be sure to visit the Seagram's Escape website or like them on Facebook!  Win a trip to the Hilton Rose Hall Resort & Spa in JAMAICA! Just tell us: Who is Jamaican You Happy?

Disclosure: this is a sponsored post, however, all designs, ideas and opinions are my own