Fall re-set!

Know Your Numbers

Our health insurance insists that in order to "give" us money to use on healthcare next year, we take certain actions, tests, and checks...and be within healthy parameters (otherwise, no money without taking a class to correct whatever is wrong).

So I attended a biometric screening at work because it is WAY easier than taking a half day off just to get blood drawn.

This biometric screen was just a finger prick, plus BP, weight, and height.  Then they had counselors on site to walk you through your results and what they mean.  That part is awesome, much better than the call from your doctor that says "everything is fine".

My counselor was super nice.  She was also really surprised my numbers were so good since my BMI is so high.

I was happy to see my numbers continue to be in the normal ranges.  I eat relatively healthy-ish (just too much), I consume perfect nutrition with my shakes and food, I exercise some, I've been trying to lose weight. 

The only bad part about the biometric screening is they didn't do the detailed blood work that comes with the vials of blood, particularly TSH, T3, and T4.  My physical is coming up (again, on-site) and I'm going to ask for those to be taken.  I had to take Synthroid during the pregnancy because my TSH was not ok given the tightened parameters for pregnancy (but apparently is fine the other times? not buying it).

Because I'm a nerd, I've been tracking all of my stats in spreadsheet since 2010.  Some people may think that's overkill, but seriously folks - YOU ARE YOUR OWN HEALTH ADVOCATE!  I don't trust the system to spot a trend in one of my numbers, plus it's easy to plunk it into the sheet once a year.

Here's a snapshot of my results this year, straight from super fancy spreadsheet.  YAY ME! 

Test	2015		Low	High
Cholesterol, total	153		125	200
HDL Cholesterol	73		>	46
Triglycerides	101		<	150
LDL Cholesterol	59		<	130
BP	97/86		<	120/80
Chol/HDLC ratio	2.1		<	5
Glucose	89		65	99

Annual Apple-n-Pumpkin trip

Every year we go to North Georgia, around Ellijay, to go apple-pickin and pumpkin-pickin.

Our favorite orchard is R and A Orchards.  They are family owned, you get to ride behind a tractor in a wagon without hay, and there is apple picking and a little store.  No petting zoo, milk a cow, putt-putt extravaganza.  Which is totally more my speed.  (Yes I recognize that probably when E is older we will have to visit the ones with bounce houses, but not yet, yay!)

We left home by 9:30AM and decided to grab a snack en route.  Chick Fil A's line was ridiculous so we went to Dunkin Donuts.  And proceeded to wait in a 4 car line for 30 minutes.  Total fail.  Then we gave E a piece of biscuit, which we shouldn't have done - we never eat in the car and he proceeded to choke, then barf all over himself while we were on I-85.  No bueno.

Thankfully, the rest of the 2.5 hour trip was super uneventful.  We finally arrived at the orchard and proceeded to have a great lunch - sandwiches, chips, and a fried chocolate pie for Jeff.

Then out to the orchard on our tractor ride to the far area to pick apples.  But first, a selfie.  Of course.

It was the last weekend for U-pick (last weekend in September if you need to remember), and by now there were still some to pick but plenty had fallen to the ground in a super rotten stinky way.  So, definitely no scooting around for little buddy.  He got to ride on my back.

After we got our fill of apples - a 1/4 peck - we headed back to the main building for my annual apple and caramel treat.  Ethan thought the caramel was just fine lol.

Off down the road we went to Burts Farm, the epicenter of all Fall Fun Cuteness.  There were literally a zillion families with matching outfits trying to take their pictures.  Not that many were picking out pumpkins, but that's ok.

Every year Jeff picks out the biggest pumpkin he can carry.  No exception this year.  There was no injury this year either, thankfully.  No yellow jacket stings either.

Ethan loved to scoot around and be free, and of course stand while banging on a pumpkin.  And watching the kids, his favorite pastime.

We finally got our fill of fall fun, and headed home.  Another success!

19 months old

What a wonderful and joyful time to be a parent.  We are so lucky to have such a happy, if not a bit intense, toddler.

Here's a peek into life at our house...

Ethan has a bunch of words, some of which are kind of funny (don't judge them)...

Mama
Dada or daddy
Gaga (grandpa)
Bye or bye bye
mi-mi (milk), and signs it
Nigh Nigh
num num num (for food he likes)
pisa (pizza)
choo choo
Shoes
This, or these (with pointing)
tweet tweet (what does a bird say)
moooo (what does a cow say)
ba ba ba (what does a sheep say)

He also does some hilarious stuff:
claps for all done (with food. with playing. with riding in the car.)
Points at his nose and eyes
Loves to 'go bye bye'
Click kick clicks his heels on the ground when he's excited
Climbs the stairs up (only) super fast
Tries to put on socks and shoes constantly, the kid loves shoes
Stacks blocks 2-3 blocks high
Still loves to put stuff "in" stuff, like animals in shoes, trains in baskets, etc
Waves bye bye to planes overhead, from RC to commercial jets

Stomps his feet to "We are the Dinosaurs" by Laurie Berkner

And some other random stuff --

Loves Curious George and Thomas the Train on tv (yeah we didn't make it to 2).

He can drink water out if straw sippy cups well, if he wants.

He loves the milk, in a bottle.  And that darn paci.  He usually only gets it at naps and night but still.

Loves his teddies and blankie in his crib, and his monkey for cuddles downstairs.
Loves to play the piano with mommy, low notes.

He's a great sleeper, one nap a day 1pm for 2-3 hours.  Bed by 8pm and he'll sleep through until 6-7am.

And his laugh. Oh my.  I'm in love.

Pumpkin Spice Pronuts

Well guys, it's Friday.  Woohoo!  It's been a week for us this week!  Nothing bad, nothing magical, but sometimes the daily life of working, trying to exercise and eat healthy, and being a mom (even with an awesome stay-at-home-dad) is cray-cray.  

PS, I always think everyone around me has it way more together than me because it doesn't seem like others are struggling as much as I am to just BE.  That discussion is for another day.

Anyway, we've got tons of stuff going on at work, so I've been coming into the office early.  Let me tell you a little story of my Friday so far.

It's 7:45AM.  I'm at the coffee station to get my Newman's Own Organic k-cup, kindly provided to me by the company.  I spot PUMPKIN SPICE OREOS.  

I am a sucker for pumpkin-anything.  

I try not to make eye contact.  

I eventually look at the package and think, well I'm not going to open it if it's already open.  

Shit.  It was open.  

It's too early for Oreos, right?  

Ugh.  

Ok, distract.  Make small talk with colleagues about the new printer.  

...oh sweet geezus, the brew is finished...

Take the coffee and run!!!!!!!!

Then I pop open my Facebook feed and find THIS - Pumpkin Spice Pronuts (Protein Donuts).

I'm totally trying this instead of the Oreos.  Maybe.  If I actually make them.  Maybe I'll just THINK about them.  (See previous comment about people having their shit together more than me.)  

In any case, since YOU probably do have your shit more together, here's the recipe to make when you pop out of bed with unicorns and rainbows tomorrow morning.

Pumpkin Spice Pronuts

2/3 cup of IsaLean pumpkin protein powder (any flavor is ok but, Pumpkin)
2 tbs apple sauce 
1/4 tsp salt 
1 tsp baking powder 

1 tsp cinnamon
2 eggs 
2 tbs Water 

Mix and pour in donut trays (Makes 6 full size donuts)
Put in the oven at 325 for 15-20mins 

Our frosting was Vanilla Greek yogurt with a half scoop of Vanilla protein powder 

30g or more of protein! No artificial flavors, colorings, or sweetners!

**If you don't have a donut pan, use cupcake pan!

Enjoy! 🍩🍩

Semi-public restroom fails

No, this is not how I'm potty training my 18 month old.  (BTW, who DOES that?!  He can't even walk yet.  It's not good for them, here, I proved it.)

No, this is not a personal account of my own potty escapades.

It's a post about the semi-public restrooms known as "the bathrooms at work".  I have questions (and comments).  10 of them, actually.  Because lists of 10 are awesome.

1.  Do people leave little bits of T.P. on their bathroom floor at home?  Why do people do it in every public restroom ever?  How does that even happen?

2.  There are 4 different restrooms within 1 minute's walk of my office.  How is it - every time - the one I choose is "closed for cleaning"?

3.  Why is scrubbing out the inside of the bowl the gold standard for cleaning a toilet?  No one's body parts touch it.  I'd much prefer a latch wipedown.  Or maybe a inside-of-the-stall-wall wipe.

4.  The soap sucks.  It's not foamy or good smelling and I don't think it works that great.  (I'm a handsoap snob, thanks Ecolab.  I love going to Mellow Mushroom and using the awesome ECL soap there.)

5.  Who leaves the door propped open?  I get that there is an entryway so you can' see directly in... but just close it man.

6.  It's clear the full length mirror was designed and placed by a man.  Getting a good look is impossible.  Also, selfies are impossible.

7.  While we're on the topic of bathroom design, the depth of the counter/sink when reaching to get the faucet is no bueno ...I get water on my belly every.time.  Everyone else must too, because the sink counter is always wet.

8.  Auto flushing.  Why.

9.  Toilets not bolted to the floor - that instead stick out of the wall.  Why.

10.  T.P. dispensers that are mounted to close too far back (close to the wall).  My hand doesn't bend that way, and when it finally does, I rip off a tiny little piece because of the angle.  Maybe that's why #1 occurs.

(At least I don't have this one.  But see the little tiny bits!?!?)

I know, these are totally all first world problems.  But they are annoying, IJS.  Sorry.

What workplace / semi-public restroom woes do you have?

Vitamin obsessed

I have taken pills my entire life.  Any 80's asthmatics remember Slo Bid?  Yep, I do.

Sometimes I get super tired of taking pills.  I have a giant morning/night pill container that I was putting asthma medicine, allergy medicine, prenatal vitamin, fish oil, vitamin C, turmeric, plus other supplements depending on what I had recently heard about (my mom, Dr. Oz, Today Show, etc).

I actually don't mind taking a bunch of capsules every day - but I'm so lazy, I hate filling up my morning/night pill container every week!  What a pain.  I know it's only like 5 minutes but sometimes I will literally open a bunch of bottles every night before I fill up the container.

So I was so excited when I was introduced to Ageless Essentials with Product B.  The initial appeal is that it is pre-packaged into morning and evening packets, just tear open and take them.

Then I started taking it, and MAN, something magic must be in there.  I really, really like how it makes me feel!  Usually I take supplements and don't notice a difference at all, but figure it 'must' be good for me so I keep on with it.  This is different.  I can't really describe it, but it's a feeling...

Maybe after seeing this description and graphic from the website:

Formulated to meet the latest in nutritional science, Essentials contains therapeutic dosages of key nutrients tailored to meet the nutritional needs of both men and women. 

This sounds pretty normal, like a normal multi-vitamin, right?  That's what I thought.  Read on:

Ageless Actives™ Contains potent amounts of CoQ10, Vitamin D3 and Resveratrol, as well as botanicals and other antioxidants to support healthy aging. 

IsaOmega Supreme® Supports cardiovascular health and brain health by providing you with a high-potency and highly concentrated amount of DHA and EPA omega-3 essential fatty acids. 

C-Lyte® A daily vitamin C supplement featuring Isa-C™ Complex, a combination of three forms of Vitamin C, designed to be easy on the stomach and give you long-lasting antioxidant protection. 

Product B IsaGenesis Product B IsaGenesis provides a potent blend of powerful bioactive herbs and antioxidants that work synergistically to result in maximum healthy aging benefits and telomere support.

Wow!  Even my organic, all natural multi doesn't quite fit the bill when compared to these.  Amazing.

If you are interested, click this link for more info or you can of course email, Facebook, tweet, etc me anytime.  Here's to better health!

I need a chef.

Would someone PLEASE come be my (pro bono) chef?  I could really use some help with cooking and mealtimes.  Jeff does a great job, but I know he wants me to help and I'm just terrible.  I'm tired at the end of the day, uninspired, don't want to take more than 15 minutes start to finish (excluding eating time), and have poor attention to detail in the kitchen.

I'm GREAT at making plans and shopping.  I'm terrible at follow through.

So if you're interested, Here's what I'd want you to make first:

Honey Balsamic Grilled Chicken and Vegetables
Skinnytaste.com 
Servings: 6 • Serving Size: 3 oz chicken w/ veggies • Old Pts: 6 pt • Points+: 7 pts 
Calories: 273 • Fat: 12 g • Protein: 30 g • Carb: 13 g • Fiber: 3 g • Sugar: 6 g
Sodium: 260 mg • Cholesterol: 85 g 

Ingredients:

• 1 1/2 lbs boneless, skinless thin sliced chicken cutlets
• 3 tbsp homemade pesto (or store bought)
• 1 clove crushed garlic
• 1/4 tsp crushed red pepper flakes
• juice from 1/2 lime
• 2 tbsp olive oil
• 3 tbsp balsamic vinegar
• 1 tbsp raw honey
• kosher salt
• 1 lb asparagus (1 bunch), tough ends removed
• 2 medium zucchini, sliced 1/4-inch thick
• 1 red bell pepper, seeded and sliced into strips
• olive oil cooking spray

Directions:

Marinate chicken with pesto, garlic, red pepper flakes, lime juice and 1/2 teaspoon salt at least 1 hour, or overnight for best results.

Mix oil, balsamic vinegar, honey and 1/4 tsp salt in a small bowl.

Heat a grill over medium-high, be sure grates are clean and well oiled to prevent sticking.

Put veggies on 1 large grill tray or 2 smaller trays (or cook in batches), spray with olive oil, season with salt and pepper and cook, turning constantly until the edges are browned, about 6 to 8 minutes. Set aside on a dish.

Cook the chicken about 4 to 5 minutes on each side, until grill marks appear and the chicken is cooked though, transfer to a platter, too with the veggies and pour the balsamic dressing over everything.

Skinny Jeans

So, my pants are looser.  YAY.

I took a trip to Lane Bryant to buy a new pair of black pants for work.  They are a size down, and that feels great.

I also tried on a bunch of other stuff.  On a whim, and because I was feeling confident (hey, I was preparing to buy a smaller pants size), I decided to try on skinny jeans and a graphic tee.

The jeans were SUPER comfortable - they were super super stretch.  The tee had too big of a neck.  I thought I finally looked trendy and cute.

But did I really?  Skinny jeans on a plus-size lady?  With a slouchy shirt?  Was I just grasping to be on trend?

So I employed my stylists - my mom and sister - via text.  One suggested grabbing a boot cut instead, and then told me that skinny jeans are going out of style.  Then the other one agreed, on Hoda & Kathy Lee (or some show like that) they said skinny jeans are out.

So the clothes stayed on the floor of the dressing room.  I left with my single pair of black pants.

All was not lost.  I came home to this cute art project from CMO.

And cementing my mommy of the year status...a picture of my kid with string around his head, watching Thomas...you're welcome.

Let's see...

Well, my phone died last weekend.  So, very few cute Ethan pics, sorry folks.  I know you're heartbroken.

JUST KIDDING OF COURSE I HAD MORE PICS, I TOOK A BUNCH ON SUNDAY SINCE I LOST ALL MY OTHER ONES WHEN MY PHONE DIED:

 

This last week was a crazy one.  It felt like nothing went right for me.  Let me be clear - things did NOT go right, but nothing terrible happened either (no health diagnoses or car accidents or anything like that).  However, what exactly happened, it doesn't matter.  It felt crappy.  I felt crappy.

Guys, Imma be honest.  I'm not very good at feeling my feelings.  Like, at all.  I invented the phrase 'fake it till you make it' when it comes to sucking it up and moving on.

Resiliency.  I think that's the word.  It's usually a really good thing.  It has helped me deal with a number of traumatic things in my life.  And sttill become a productive member of society.

But occasionally - when shit ISN'T hitting the fan but yet things just feel crappy, I think it's important to feel crappy.  So I did.  With a deadline I gave myself.

On Saturday, I had an awful day, and I just accepted it, and as my sister says "sat in my own shit".

(OK, "technically" Ethan was sitting there with me, the kid was attached like glue and I couldn't even go to the bathroom in my jammies in peace.)

But I put a time limit on myself, because it's not fair to me or my family to do it forever.  I think part of resiliency is knowing there is a bigger purpose and an end-game out there that we are not always privy to.

So Sunday, a day after I sat in my shit, I bounced back.  We woke up late (8AM!!!), hung out, flew kites, had ice cream, snuggled up, and had a good day.  FLEW KITES!?  Who knew that could be so fun???  Apparently my husband.  Jeff, you rock.

Thanks for all your texts, calls, and messages.  LOVE YOU ALL, mwah!

Birthday weekend!!!

HAPPY BIRTHDAY MOM AND DAD!

Guess who turned 60! and 61!  I love that they share their birthday.  It's pretty cool.  And I love they came to visit us to let us help them celebrate!

We hosted a little party on Saturday night after they arrived - BBQ chicken, salads from Fresh Market, and a cupcake for Dad and fruit tart for Mom.

(I just noticed the milk bottle and beer cans on the table.  Classy.)

Thanks to the Walkers for providing the kids to entertain Ethan (and subsequently the rest of us).  Hope you guys enjoyed our family!

On Sunday we went out for lunch at Brixx (mmm love that place, get half BBQ chicken no onions and half Americo), and walked over to Stride Rite to get Ethan his FIRST pair of real shoes!!!  At school, he needs closed toe shoes to go to the playground, once he starts walking.  Which I think will be soon because they really hinder his scoot.

He was so, so proud.  Ya'll, not even joking, he got them on and kicked kicked and then looked at all of us, just BEAMING!  It was about the cutest thing ever and totally melted a mommy's heart.

We celebrated this milestone as any good milestone gets celebrated - with ice cream from Marble Slab Creamery.  Ethan and I shared a baby scoop cup of Sweet Cream vanilla, the perfect way to end a fun outing.

Happy Birthday Grandma and Ga-Ga!

Ethan's First Day of School

Our little baby Ethan is not so little anymore - he is going to school this fall!  He will be going on Mondays and Wednesdays from 9AM-1PM.

We went to meet the teacher the day before school started and saw his room, got the lowdown on all of the stuff we needed to bring to "donate", what we should send with him, and what to expect!!!  (By the way: clorox wipes, kleenex, diapers, wipes, lunch, extra outfit, milk, sippy cup.)

While we were chatting with the teachers, Ethan went off to make friends.  He scooted right over to other kids and tried to take their toys.  Oops, the Peachtree City moms totally gave me the side-eye.  Well, he doesn't have to share at home, give us a break, plus he's only 17 months sheesh.  His room is adjacent to the baby room, and there is a big shared play area complete with a ball pit that Ethan loved.  

We were a little bit worried about taking him to his first day.  Daddy got the obligatory "First Day Photo" on his dropoff, but guess who wanted to check out the playground...yep, that's our pumpkinhead.

He says, "BYE DADDY!!!  I'M OFF TO GO MAKE FRIENDS LIKE A BIG KID!!"

Holy crap, they grow fast.  Bye kiddo.  We love you.  Please hug and kiss us when we pick you up.  Until you're 20, at least.  We love you.  *Tear*  We love you.

15 months old!

Little buddy is getting so big!  We think he is going through another growth spurt now as well - I guess that doesn't stop for a lot more years?!

He's been dropping the afternoon nap, so Dad's been trying to start his morning nap later - after 10AM if possible.  And sometimes it's a lot later if the boys went someplace fun, like the zoo or aquarium, with Ethan's buddy Silas.  And sometimes he still sleeps in the afternoon though, it comes and goes.

We are finally fully on  cow's milk (we use Horizon Whole Milk with DHA).  Thanks to my donor mommies for stretching out their pumping sessions to give us mommy milk.

Bedtime continues to be easy (thank goodness!) - diaper and jammies while singing "Are You Sleepy" and "My Ethan Lies Over the Ocean, bottle, a book "Where Do Diggers Sleep at Night" (he pushes all other books away), kisses and lay him in the crib.  Mealtime continues to be difficult (kid hates to eat anything other than a crunchy carb).

Ethan is still scooting instead of crawling, and his legs and arms are not very strong as a result.  Thus, no walking.  Not very much standing.  He is starting to go up on his knees a lot more to peek into the toybox, and LOVES climbing over stuff (like pillows on the ground).  His ped recommended an early intervention evaluation - just in case - so we are working on getting that scheduled.

(His nose-crinkle-smile when you say "CHEEEEEESE" or he is trying to make you laugh)

Likes
Music, especially Raffi - we listen to Pandora a lot

Anything that he can 'drive' - trucks, cars, tractors

Putting things into things.

We try not to have the TV on too much BUT those teething days are tough.  Thomas the Train and Curious George to the rescue (thank goodness for PBS Kids and Sprout).

Foods - Cheerios, saltine crackers, and cheesy poofs; Peanut butter (on crackers or toast); breakfast bars and Clif bars; sweet potato, pumpkin, or squash type foods.

Monkey during the day if he's feeling yucky or tired.  Paci, blankie, and teddy at sleepy times.

Puppies!  He gets so, so excited when he sees puppies duirng walks.

Mark and Silas - he is a little Silas groupie, and Daddy is grateful for the adult company :)

Dislikes
Pooping - poor kid has trouble once in awhile

Eating in general - except for the list above

Sippy cups - although that is getting better with water :)

(Enjoying a bagel and cream cheese on Father's Day)

Play Date

My friend Danielle and her little guy Ike invited us to join them at Imagine It! Children's Museum (back in February).

Ethan was not yet one and hadn't been out a ton with other kids.  Ike was definitely ready to walk and explore, while Ethan was more content to play on the ground with toys in the toddler area.  But they did have fun in the cars!

I'm totally stealing Danielle's post's photos because I didn't take any!!

Ethan really liked playing with the other babies, LOVED plunking on the piano, and played with all the toys he could.

After eating a mouthful of the touch and feel exhibit, we did discover he's still too little to play with sand.

We can't wait to go back again, and when he's a little bit older!

OK. Well.

Sheesh, I have been 'meaning' to catch up to blogging for months.  Like since Christmas.  I have these posts sitting pending in my drafts.  I'm gonna catch up on some of them here, and finish the other posts this week.

January
Happy 1st Birthday Hailey!

Happy 1st Birthday Finn!

Running the Hot Chocolate 5k with Amy. (We didn't do it due to the early start time and traffic.  Instead Jeff dropped us off from home 3.1 miles away, country-farmkid-style.)...we also shopped for, and FOUND, my mom's Mother Of The Bride dress, which is amazing and beautiful.  Thanks a million to Bridals by Lori for their excellent customer service (again).

My favorite crazy haired little man Ike invited Ethan to a play date at the Children's Museum.  Ike is a good walker and loved the mini car.  Ethan loved all the kids (as per usual).

February
Happy 35th Birthday Jeff!

Happy Baby Shower Chrissy!

March
The Mammengas visited for a week!

Happy 1st Birthday Ethan!

Camping at Chattahoochee Bend State Park!

Happy Easter!

April
Happy 1st Birthday Charlotte!

The Zoo!

Welcome to Georgia Jason and Bobbie!

SEFF, where Jeff volunteered more than he flew his plane!

May
Happy 1st Birthday Emma!  Our friends Kelsey and Ryan moved in just down the road and hosted their first part in their new house (which is beautiful).  The kiddos had a blast playing on the quilts in the soft spring grass.  Emma ate her cake like a champ!

Happy Birthday to ME!  We went out for dinner to Star of India - super yummy.  Then we all promptly caught a stomach bug.  I'm sure it was not related but it super sucked the life out of my birthday and Mother's Day weekend.  We had planned to go to Vogel State Park, my favorite, but canceled last minute because we were sick.  But that allowed us to go to the next party......

Happy 1st Birthday Matthew!

Happy Bridal Shower Amy!

Fayette Flyers Family Fly-in!

Lots of Play Dates!

Happy Bachelorette Amy!

Shopping, and Hot Chocolate 5k-ish

This post is a flashback to January as I'm trying to catch up...

Now that Amy's dress was completely lined up, it was time to focus on the Mother of the Bride dress.

Amy and Mom decided to come back to Atlanta - to Bridals by Lori - since we had such a stellar experience with Amy's dress shopping adventure.  The weekend ALSO coincided with the Hot Chocolate 5K, which Amy and I signed up to walk together!

It did not disappoint - they had TONS of plus-size options for Mom to try on and really get an idea of how they would look.  In addition, the store was hosting two trunk shows that day so we had even more to choose from!

After a couple hours, we finally settled on a beautiful, beaded, navy dress.  I can't wait to see how she looks in July!

We got to the car - exhausted, thrilled, and thirsty.  My car wouldn't start.  The battery died!!!  I called Jeff, who was an hour away.  Amy called AAA, who was an hour away.  We had them both come and were going to use whoever came first - they came at the same time.  La vie.  We got a jump and got home just fine.

That night, Amy and I decided we were too tired to get up at 5AM for the 5K.  Besides, we had already picked up our swag on Saturday en route to the bridal store, so we had the goodies in hand.

We decided Jeff would drive out 3.1 miles to the railroad tracks, drop us off, and we could walk/run home.  Reminded me of track back in Warner!  #countrylife

It was actually really fun to do that!  Although Ellison Road is way busier than I thought, and cars get REALLY close (I will stick to my neighborhood and gravel roads from now on).

I sported my new fitbit and got 13K+ steps that day.  And we were done by lunchtime, without having to get up so early and park downtown!  So fun!

Mom, Dad, and Amy spent the rest of the day loving up on Ethan.  He loved them right back.

Holiday Decorations 2014

Photo dump!  Here's is our Merry Christmas cheer (inside).  Jeff did a GREAT job with the outside again, but somehow...no pics.  Oops.

Thanks to Grandma Hartman and Aunt Judy my Snowbabies collection exploded this year!  YIPPEE!

Next year I'm doing a kid-friendly tree with NON breakable ornaments...the silver and gold is pretty, but not toddler friendly...

I got super sweet monogrammed stockings from Pottery Barn Kids (whoa, needed a coupon for that one).  Also notice we were "hot" in December (the door is open!).

My kitchen..........bleh...........can't wait to renovate....

Dos Leches Christmas Party

Yep, as if the holiday season is not busy enough - we hosted a not-quite-impromptu-but-almost Christmas Party!  It was for all of the families of moms that I met at work in the Mother's Room.

 And that mean LOTS of young babies.  Our house wasn't baby proofed.  Or clean.  All the food and drink was prepurchased from Publix...#noshame #workingmomforthewin

We even managed to do a gift exchange.  You know, the one where you pick one from the pile and then can steal...it went "ok"...maybe not next year lol.  It seemed like a lot of additional pressure we didn't need!  But it was a fun activity.

It was a perfect time to meet the other babies you hear so much about over the curtain, and a great time for camaraderie and fellowship.

These women have become an important piece of my mama tribe and I'm super grateful for them!!!

Two Weeks in SD aka CHRISTMAS 2014 PART 1

I'm naming this year's Christmas adventure "Traveling to the Tundra" because is was D*MN cold this year in South Dakota.

We started our adventure one day early due to flight loads, which meant we were there two full weeks - one week with the Sioux Falls family (Jeff's) and just under a week with my family in Aberdeen.

Since it was a CRAZY two weeks, I'll give the quick(ish) version.  Stayed at the Mammengas in Harrisburg.  Visited Santa.  Made cookies.  Wrapped gifts.  Went to candlelight service followed by Christmas Eve with the Hartmans.  Celebrated Christmas Day at the Mammengas.

Visiting Santa

 

Lots of cousin time

Special Time with Grandma and Poppa

Christmas Eve

Christmas Morning!

Christmas Day with everyone

and then drove through a blizzard for 3 hours to get to Warner...