 |
| one of my photo contest winners was this shot :) |
Honestly, anytime we leave the house together, especially in this cold, snowy weather, it's kind of a big deal. Calvin's a pretty easy baby, but outings with him still mean getting on-the-go food and drink options packed, making sure his diaper caddy is stocked, of course getting myself and him dressed and generally presentable (that alone is a challenge in itself sometimes lately with Mr. Squirm-a-Lot), then struggling to get his coat on (which he's typically not a fan of), and his hat, convincing him not to take it off, then chasing after him to fight the losing battle of getting him to wear mittens, zipping up the coat, simultaneously trying to put on my own coat whilst trying not to drop a wriggling, bundled-up boy, and then lugging said bundled-up boy out to the car while also schlepping the sippy (ugh, asinine word) cup, my handbag, gloves, scarf, etc., and plunking him into the car seat, trying to persuade him to sit back so I can fight with the belts and buckles, making sure everything's in place to ensure he's safe for the ride, distracting him with a toy to make the job marginally easier... And by the time we're all in the car and ready to go, I'm exhausted and ready to go back inside and take a nap. But we soldier on.
 |
| Calvin in the winter, minus the pacifier |
And every few weeks or so, we soldier on to Whole Foods.
Most of the time we actually have a shopping agenda, even if it's just to replenish our red quinoa supply, pick out a couple of specialty beers and pick up a block of one of our favorite cheeses. But much like another one of our super-exciting outing locales, Target, WF often seems to have a way to lull us into buying more. Yesterday's trip was such a case.
 |
| attempting to nom a grapefruit as big as his head |
 |
| "I don't like you shiftless layabouts." |
We got a nice, chunky crayon set for Cal, and he also picked out a giant stuffed turtle at 50% off of an already very reasonable price (LOVE the Melissa and Doug line of toys).
We then explored the rest of the store, so Calvin could further practice his newfound skill of walking (!!! - he took his first steps in recent weeks, and then over the past week or so has really improved his ability - amazing!).
 |
| Meet Señor Tortuga |
 |
| tortoise love |
 |
| walking hand-in-hand with my little boy makes me melt |
Then as daddy was busy checking out, I took Calvin over to the kiddy play area. It's always so cute watching him interact with other kids, and a great bonus is that there was a play kitchen for him to explore. (We plan to get him one of his own in the next several months or so.)
 |
| future chef |
 |
| trucks go in the kitchen cabinet, because of course |
Just goes to show you that a good time can be had just about anywhere, as long as you're with people you love. Anywhere with Calvin is where I always want to be!
 |
| the beautiful sky that day |
