Momma and Baby Bucket List

I spend quite a bit of time day dreaming of all the things Grace and I will do together as she gets older. Here are just a few of our impending bucket list adventures!

1. Go camping! I did a whole lot of camping as a kid and hope I can share this with Grace someday soon! It just so happens that Grace's Grandpa, my dad, is a camping extraordinaire and is already planning Grace's first outings. She's such a little trooper, I doubt the bugs will bother her a bit!
 
2.  Visit the Zoo! I imagine if Grace is anything like me, she'll want to free all of the animals! 

 3. Swim! In the Ocean ideally,  so we can jump in the waves together. (I'll start working on my bathing suit body stat)

4. Trick or Treating! Grace's first Halloween consisted of us wrapping her up in a pea pod swaddle and frantically snapping pictures before she woke the neighbors with her shrieks!  This year, Grace will be just over 1, which means she'll still be okay with Mom and Dad eating most of her candy!

5. Baking Christmas cookies! I love, love, LOVE to bake, and can only hope Grace will be my little helper! 

6.  The Marshmallow Drop.  For those of you who don't know, every Easter, Hines Park throws this event for little ones.  It consists of a helicopter flying over a huge field, dropping massive amounts of marshmallows for little ones to hunt for and collect.  Something about marshmallows falling from the sky, scratches my Willy Wonka itch.  I may be more excited on this day than Grace will be. We'll see. 

7.  Daddy Daughter Dances.  I'm not super sure they still have these, but when I was a kid they did.  This dance was like the prom of elementary school and always left me feeling extremely loved.  The idea of Grace dancing with her Dad makes me want to weep right now, but I'll hold them back til' she in her dancing shoes.


8. Apple Orchards/Cider Mill! This is another one that may be more exciting for me than Grace, although I predict she will enjoy the cinnamon donuts as much as her dad and I do. 


9. Movie Night! My mom used to lay down a pile of blankets in the living room and set up the ultimate Disney movie viewing.  We would snack, cuddle, and ultimately pass out in a pile of popcorn.  


10.  Toys R' Us! Grace doesn't truly understand the paradise that is Toys R' Us, but I know she soon will.  I predict that this will be an expensive and exhausting trip for me. 


11.  Decorating the Christmas tree! I always loved this as a kid (and still do).  It's always such a happy day, filled with Christmas music and tangled lights.  We'll save taking the tree down for Dad. 


12. Scary Movies.  When I was a child, not too young but none the less, I watched the Exorcist and almost died.  The true horror of the movie didn't peak until I found my Mom in her bed, pretending to be possessed (yes Mom, you did this), with the window wide open, letting the winter air chill the room for effect.  Grace is next. :)


13.  Birthday Parties.  I. Can. Not. WAIT. to throw Grace parties.  I may be that super irritating Mom who starts planning way in advance, collecting ideas throughout the year.  And yes, Grace's first birthday plans are already being made. 


14. Music.  I hope Grace will have inherited Ryan and I's love of all music, and hopefully Ryan's natural skill for playing EVERY instrument without lessons.


15. Bike Rides.  (I again feel like weeping at the thought of Grace on her little bike.)


16.  Letters to Santa/Easter Bunny.  My parents really did this up.  We'd write long winded letters asking for the newest and coolest items, apologizing for being brats and pleading our case for adequate treats despite out incessant trouble making. We'd litter the snow with "reindeer food"  and leave carrots out for the Easter Bunny.  In the morning, we'd find half eaten carrots, handwritten Santa correspondence, and trampled snow piles with clear reindeer prints. I hope to make holidays as magical for Grace and my parents did for me. 


17. Girl Things.  I'm not a very girlie girl, but I do enjoy my fair  share of dresses and nail polish, and I look forward to being Grace's lipstick adviser. 


18. Pets!  I can only assume Grace will get to a certain age and want a dog/cat more than anything in the world.  Luckily, Ryan and I are both animal people and will likely cave at Grace's first whim. 


19. Ice Cream Sundaes.  I can't wait to take Grace to get ice cream! She's had a little preview so far and her "wow that's cold" face is priceless!


20.  Everything Else Grace.  Grace is growing quickly! I often have to remind myself how little Grace has experienced.  She's never been to a petting zoo and never gone bowling.  She's not touched water outside of her bathtub, and has never played in the sand. She's never had a McDonald's sundae, or a Popsicle on a hot day.  With Grace's first steps coming soon, I'm ready to get out there and make some "first time" memories.  I can hardly wait!