last splash pad visit

 Every year in September, we visit Inlow splash pad near our house for a last photoshoot. Last year, we had to go elsewhere because it was under construction. This year, the new splash pad is complete and it's great! It has a fun (albeit dangerous) slide and a big bucket that opens up periodically. Plus there is a great playground there, too.

Levi calls them "hah balloons"

after the bucket pours, they lay in the pool that forms

blog books

Over the years, my blog has turned in to my way of cataloguing and remembering all of the little details of our daily lives. It is so easy to get caught up in the day to day that you forget to remember the small things that happen. Starting in 2012, I started turning my calendar year of blog posts into a books to act as keepsakes for the year.

In 2012 I used blog2print. It was easy to do, but I wasn't as impressed with the quality of the photos in the book but it wasn't too expensive either. It is also the biggest book.

In 2013 I used Blurb. It turned out to be the cheapest option and the photos turned out well because I customized the whole book. It did take me about 10 Downton Abbey episodes to make (Chris asks me "are you even paying attention to the show?!"), so it was very time consuming. This is my favorite book, though.

For 2014 and 2015 I used Into Real Pages. It was quick and easy and I liked the formatting that they do (each month is sectioned off). They also create a page of QR codes at the end from any links (videos/etc) from the blog. It was the most expensive option (the company is in the Netherlands), but I really didn't have time to customize everything because I made both books at the same time. I did email them and they gave me a 25% off coupon, which was nice!

 I'm so glad I have these books around our house. We don't have photo albums anymore, but this is a good alternative, I think.

"Oh, the Places You'll Go"

Several years ago I saw a photo somewhere of a baby in a suite case with the caption "Oh, the Places You'll Go" (the Dr. Seuss book).  I knew I wanted to do a monthly photo shoot with my own baby using that theme.  My Mom gave me her childhood suitcase to use and every month we went to a new location to take the picture. I plan to continue to occasionally use the suitcase in photos for "milestones" and future birthdays.  So here it is, a year in the making!

This is the frame I got to display the photos

this one is my favorite...just want to give him a hug!