Favorite (Baby) Things -- Snack Trap

I am back in baby mode, thinking of favorite things, since I have a baby shower to attend this weekend. It made me realize that I haven't put up any baby/toddler favorites lately. So, here is my little review on the Snack Trap.

When Eleanor was just starting solid foods, a friend told me that I would definitely need a Snack Trap. She showed me the one her daugher used and I thought it looked fine, nothing out of the ordinary. But, the seed had been planted and when I saw it at Buy Buy Baby, I bought it. Thank goodness I did, it has saved thousands of Cheerios from being lost to the depths of our car, the couch or any other dark and deep place that children's food might be lost.

The Snack Trap is basically a little cup with handles and a lid that allows toddler hands in and out without too much spilling. It really works amazingly well. We got a knockoff at Target and I have to say that the one actually called the Snack Trap works the best. We happen to have the pink one with the butterfly on it.

Here are a few of Leah's amazing shots from the spring, which happen to feature the snack trap that we couldn't get out of Eleanor's hand:

In Just Three Years...

So much has happened in just three years. I always like to think of the day we got married as the birth of our little family. And how that little family has grown! I love all of the memories from these recent happy years; the birth of Eleanor and Henry, celebrations with extended family and friends, outdoor adventures and all of the quiet moments around the house. Our family brings me so much joy. I love you Vince and look forward to many more years together.

Thanksgiving and the Tree

We had a truly fabulous holiday with a full spread and a nice large gathering of family. The only downfall of the weekend was the cold that had Eleanor coughing and Vince and I complaining about our sore throats! I hope everyone else doesn't come down with the bug. At any rate, we owe a huge thanks to everyone who helped make it possible -- especially to Mu and Tada who came a few days early to help ready the house and prepare the food, not to mention the playing and reading with Eleanor and Henry. It most certainly would not have been possible without them.

We did manage to get a tree as well, though the farm that we have cut trees at for the past couple of years had sold the property and had no more trees for do-it-yourselfers. We were all cold and tired so we decided to just get a pre-cut tree rather than driving to another farm. We did have a nice lunch at a cute little place in Clifton, VA on the way home, complete with peanut soup and a caboose in the parking lot.

Here are a few pictures from the weekend, the rest are up in the Thanksgiving Week set.

Eleanor helped with food prep:


The table(s) was dressed with leaves (from adventure walks), wooden acorns, Lake Superior basalt, and gourds:


Everyone ate:


The camera's timer worked it's magic for a family portrait:


We had fun with the caboose in Clifton, VA after picking out the tree:


We had a few minor hangups with the tree:


But eventually managed to get it up and decorated:

River of Leaves and Museums

The majestic sycamore in our backyard certainly is beautiful. However, it produces more leaves than we were able to believe when we started our raking. Vince made a comment about our backyard wanting to be the woods, and I think he was right on. At any rate, we eventually got the lawn cleaned up, only to find it covered again this morning. Ah, fall. Despite all the complaining about hard labor and blisters, it really was a beautiful day and Eleanor and Henry enjoyed watching us rake. Eleanor even helped out a bit.





We also enjoyed having Grandma and Grandpa here over the weekend. We visited the Udvar-Hazy Center (the new part of Air and Space) and the National Portrait Gallery on Saturday and Sunday respectively. The airplanes definitely made an impression on Eleanor because she is still talking about them. All in all a wonderful weekend.

Dark and Light

There was a beautiful moment today, after the rain, when the sun was illuminating the fall colors and the sky behind was still dark. If it hadn't been for the power lines and me being embarrassed that I was in my pajamas trying to capture the moment, I think I would have had some nice shots!