1.31.2012

Settled

We made it! It was a crazy weekend but we are in the new place and I am IN LOVE. It's not much bigger than our apartment in square footage, and the place definitely has it's flaws, but it feels like home. Just the fact that their are three different floors - bedroom upstairs, living room/kitchen/half-bath main floor, and a finished basement/laundry and storage downstairs makes it feel just a teensy bit closer to having a house! John and I have had a lot of people question us as to why we aren't looking for a house (apparently it's the best time to buy a house right now?) It's hard not to get caught up in the - "we are married, we have a baby, it's time to get a house!" stereotype. But here's the thing, we could put ourselves into lots and lots of debt, buy a house, and pay a mortgage that's pretty equivalent to the amount of rent we pay. But we are still young, we are new to the area, new to John's job, who knows where we will be in 1, 2, or 3 years. We are NOT ready to commit to a house.. even though I dream of the day that we are! 

ANYWAYS (Excuse my house tangent) I am so happy with this new place. I am so happy that once it gets warm we can walk to our cute little downtown, or to church just up the street. I love the hardwood floors in the living room and the way our furniture looks inside of it. I love that I have my own bathroom to get ready in downstairs, and most of all, I am IN LOVE with my new kitchen! It's not perfect by any means. It doesn't have granite countertops or a gas stove. There's some quirks with the alignment of the cupboards to the countertops and there is a TON of space between the two sides. BUT it feels like MY kitchen. All of my stuff fits in it! I am already being obsessive about keeping it neat and tidy, and cannot wait to finish decorating. 

Jack's room all packed up :( 

Now it took us quite a bit of time to get to this point of happiness. John and I spent 6 hours finishing up all the packing on Friday night. We went to bed exhausted - not really noting the fact that it was the last night in our first home together. I got extremely nostalgic packing up Jack's room and couldn't believe all the emotion I had tied up in that stupid little garden-level cave-like apartment. Jack has been sleeping through the night consistently since Friday night and it is amazing. He seems to really be getting on a schedule, and he didn't let the madness of moving screw him up. After packing up his crib on Saturday morning he hung out in his little Nap Nanny watching Mom and Dad and snoozing here and there. I left for the condo before the boys came and packed everything into the GIANT moving van my dad rented from U-HAUL.. he really wanted to get it in one trip. I am sort of thankful I didn't have to see the place completely empty. I think it would have made me really sad.

I was so thankful for all of the help we had on Saturday. My mom stayed at the condo with Jack and I. We pretty much unpacked all of the boxes John and I had brought during the week and waited around for my dad, John, my brother, and John's best friend to come back with EVERYTHING. My sister Megan showed up to help too. Our moving day became a family affair, which makes even the most horrible tasks seem more bearable! Once all of our stuff arrived, it became madness. My brother and John's best friend were anxious to get back to school, because college students have much more fun activities to attend to. This resulted in boxes simply being piled up into a cramped space instead of being sent to their designated areas. They left us a DISASTER zone. 

My poor kitchen after the boys unloaded the moving van..

Once we had the furniture set up and clear pathways to work with, we abandoned getting any more work done for the day and went out to eat. My parents are leaving for Hawaii later this week so they needed to go shopping at a nearby mall and decided to just get a hotel and stay the night, Megan didn't want to leave the party so she stayed with them as well. It made for an awesome night, where no one felt rushed to leave the restaurant. Jack ate and fell asleep pretty much instantly after we arrived so we enjoyed delicious cold Smithwick's  (Did I mention I'm 100% Irish) and the world's best fish & chips, wonderful live music, and time well-spent with family. The more we get together with our family partially together, the more apparent it becomes how much we miss our family members so far away in D.C. - When are you guys just going to give up your big city lives and move to Michigan?!

Jack bellied up to the bar as we waited for a table on Sat. night

On Sunday there was no rest for the weary. My parents picked up Mr. Jack to take him along shopping and John and I set to work. We got the kitchen, living room, bathrooms, and master bedroom completely  unpacked (only leaving Bubba's room and the basement to finish). It felt amazing to see our new home come together.. Even though we were being sent distractingly adorable pictures of Jack.

Cute little fuzzy head on a shopping spree!

My kitchen made a beautiful transformation from the cramped, box explosion that it was on Saturday. Even though it is still a work in progress decoration wise, I could not be happier! 



1) I cannot wait to add shelves on that empty wall space to display our wine glasses/bar wear

2) John's dad refinished this table for us. I can't say I am in love with it. I do love that we have space for a kitchen table though! In my dream world I would paint this table white and display it's really cute antique-y features. Instead I am in search of a table cloth (as well as matching chairs) to pretty it up. We also have a BEAUTIFUL blue bowl (on the table) that I cannot wait to hang on the wall.

3) We displayed some of our beautiful wedding gifts above the cabinets :)

4) The other side of the kitchen.. There is room for everything!

Another new development since my last post is Jack's new found love for his highchair! He loves to be able to sit up and see everything that is going on. He happily eats his solid food, plays with toys, and even falls asleep in it! His grandma also brought his Christmas present (that we couldn't fit in our old place) to the new condo and he LOVES what I call his "flying saucer". New home + New toys = Happy, stimulated, and sleeping-through-the-night Bubba. 

Looking out the window with Aunt Megan at his new house!
He loves his high chair!
Playing in his new "Flying Saucer" and eating his mitten
Snuggling with Daddy for his nuh-night bottle before bed :)

The rest of this week is dedicated to finishing unpacking and getting organized. Today I have to go to the dreaded grocery store.. My favorite task to procrastinate doing. But it's a must! 

I am finally feeling at peace. We moved. I submitted ALL THREE of my grad school applications. I have Jack on a schedule. It finally feels like real life is going to start without a constant flow of things to be "waiting" for or "looking forward" to. I am relieved to feel like we are getting to that point of "settled".

1.26.2012

Moving Sucks.

Cutest little sleeper-through-the-nighter EVER
We are moving on Saturday and I am living in the land of boxes. I am trying my best to get as much done during the day as I can, but Jack is so bored of all of his toys and not liking the cramped, non-rollable living space situation we have going on. He screams and screeches and just wants me to play with him! I can only fail to comply for so long before I am picking him up and covering him with kisses. He has been looking so out of this world cute lately.. I mean even cuter than normal! Maybe this is because he magically, RANDOMLY, started sleeping through the night. I awoke at 5:40 am on Wednesday morning and woke John up to ask him if he ever got up with the baby. When he groggily responded, "no" my response was a skeptical, "He slept through the night?". John didn't even respond, he pretty much just bolted out of bed to go check on Bubba - who was of course, soundly, happily asleep. I though it was most likely a fluke, but he did it again last night! Maybe he's figured it out? But I don't have my hopes up. It will just be a happy bonus when it happens. 

Ever since giving birth my core muscles are just gone. I'm hoping working out will help, but my back is constantly in pain if I try to do anything like stand for long periods, or you know, pack up our apartment. It doesn't help that I am constantly lifting a 20 some pound Bubba. I've just been trying to do little bits at a time. Take breaks, play with Jack, tackle some more. Today I had to organize all of the random bills, papers, folders, etc. absolutely PILED onto our desk. I attempted to organize it into piles but John and I MUST make a system so that we aren't left with a mess like this in the new place. 
Boxes, papers, folders, Bubba. Pure MADNESS
Last night we made the trip out to the new place to try and unpack the boxes John had brought the previous night. This resulted in John's parents coming over to check out the condo/take us out to dinner. We don't have much more time to get things done so I was feeling a little irritated over the interruption to our productivity, this led to me trying to rush around to get things done after dinner so we could get Jack home and into bed.. I ended up breaking one of the glass tops to a casserole dish and it SHATTERED all over the tile floor spilling out of the kitchen into the living room. UGH. With not so much as a broom at the new place we weren't really left with many options but to clean up the larger pieces and leave. John has kindly offered to go clean it up tonight with a newly purchased broom and our vacuum cleaner, but needless to say last night didn't end in feelings of marital bliss. 

I submitted another grad school app today. I think I said a five minute prayer before actually clicking the button. I wish I felt more relief but now the waiting game starts and I hate that just as much as the pressure to finish the applications. I just keep telling myself that all will be better in 2 months. I don't know why I have chosen the end of March as the goal period but it just seems like when everything will feel settled. We will be in the new place and it will feel like home. I will know what my plans are for next year. It will be getting warmer. John and I will have recovered from the financial costs of moving. Things will just be.. better. Not to say that things are "bad" right now - I'm just feeling like the craziness of the past year is sinking in and instead of going going going just to stay afloat I am able to reflect. I've gone through a lot. I don't give myself credit for that sometimes. I'm adjusting to a new life, one I didn't expect to have at this point. I'm adjusting all the plans and goals I had for myself. I'm someone's wife. I'm someone's MOTHER. 

Okay. Time to stop using blogging as an excuse not to pack. Here's hoping I can just get through these next couple of days! 

1.24.2012

Weekend Recaps & Housewife Lessons

How is it already/only Tuesday? This weekend flew by but this week is CREEPING along. I'll recap with pictures. It was pretty uneventful, but Jack makes everything seems fun (in my opinion)

FRIDAY:


Jack ate cereal (and his feet) then screamed at me for wiping off his face..

SATURDAY:


We went to get John's car looked at in East Lansing. We were there for 2 hours. I drank lots of yucky coffee. Jack & dad watched the basketball game.


 We went out to lunch with Aunt Megan. We rolled around on countertops at the new condo.


Jack went to sleep cuddling blankey. Jack woke up with blankey over his face.

SUNDAY:


We hung out in our jammies all day and cuddled.



The weekend ended too soon (as always) ... and now it's time to get to work. We move in THREE days! I have so much to pack. My mom came down yesterday afternoon and we sort of got started. Mostly she just scolded me on the state of our apartment and gave me lessons on how to clean properly/keep my husband happy/be able to have proof when my husband makes the messes. The woman is a saint.. she took Jack last night (Wahoo night off for BOTH John & I) then deep cleaned my kitchen this morning (while swearing at me the entire time). I don't think our kitchen looked this good when we moved in.. it is sparkling!

Reading stories with Grandma

 We ventured to the new place to let in the cleaners. This was a gong show and a half. John didn't give me the right keys so we ended up having to wait outside while John took off for an early lunch and drove to us. It all ended up fine, but sometimes it seems as though John and I just can't do anything the easy way! 


Bubba being a cute boy waiting for Daddy to bring the keys

We also went to Target to get some moving supplies and out to lunch. Jack was such a trooper the entire time. He napped and smiled. He loves his grandma. We managed to pack up all of our pots and pans, kitchen appliances, and allllllll of Jack's many many clothes that no longer fit. My 5 month old is wearing 9-12 month clothing. Seriously?! I am going to tackle 1-2 areas a day until it is done. Hopefully the whole "divide and conquer" attitude will help me (The Procrastination Queen) along. I loved having my mom here, I did not want her to leave! She is so reassuring and is pretty much the only person in the world who can understand my thinking while pointing me in the right direction at the same time.

Tonight John took a giant load of boxes to the condo, so I decided to make him a delicious meal to be waiting upon his arrival home (I also needed to make something that would get rid of several food items in the fridge!) So I made a homemade pot pie. I found this recipe on my beloved Pinterest. It is easy, yummy, and improvise-able. Tonight I used more chicken, less veggies (it's what I had), Rice milk, and whole wheat flour. It was DELICIOUS. The Hubs was a happy man - who helped himself to seconds and thirds. 




We also discovered that we can no longer take our eyes off of the Bubba for more than 2 seconds. He is a rolling machine and will get himself into and UNDER everything. 


The whole "schedule" thing is going okay. We are definitely getting a more routine dose of solids in every day. I'm really looking forward to being done with moving so we can start settling into "normal" life. Right now I need to stop using blogging as a procrastination tool against finishing one of my grad school essays. Sigh. 

1.20.2012

Friends & 90's Sitcom Bangs

Getting out the door this morning was the epitome of a joke. I take blame because I thought I could get myself ready much quicker than I actually did. My hair. I slept in a sockbun hoping my hair would be wavy and cute.. no just frizzy and staticy and annoying. Ugh. So my sweet boy, dressed and ready to go watched his momma fuss more than he did. Sigh. When it was time to leave, of course Bubba was hungry. I figured it was better to be late for the library story time than to show up with a screaming demon child. We ended up being 15 min late. Oh well. There were 2 other mom's there with little boys that were about 3 months older than Jack. They were crawling and sitting up on their own - I can't believe how much will have changed in 3 months! After the singing and story time was over, there was about 30 min to socialize. These moms were NICE. I was so relieved. They knew each other already so I felt like the new kid but one offered to find me on facebook and let me know about their play dates. FRIENDS! I felt like I was so excited to be socializing with people that weren't John that I might have over done it with the talking, but oh well. Can't wait to go back next week!

Then it was haircut time. I should have known not to trust my husband's idea of a classy establishment. He is the friendliest human being on the face of the planet and makes friends with anyone and everyone he talks to. Any business that subs a "z" for an "s" is probably a red flag but hey, like I said, I don't get too nuts about my hair - it will grow! I ended up chopping off about 6 inches! I feel like it's healthier and looks ten times better. But I didn't leave the salon with these warm fuzzy feelings... I left the salon with round brushed bangs that came 2 inches off of my forehead and a zig zag part. Enough said. But once I got home, was able to redo my bangs and brush out/straighten my hair, I actually do like the change quite a bit!

Another month has come and gone and I cannot believe how much my Bubba has grown. My Aunt bought me these little stickers you put on your baby's onesies that say 1 month, 2 months, etc. on them from Etsy. There was a "Brand New" sticker, but I didn't know that/didn't have the brain space to check so I don't have a newborn pose, but I have been really good about taking his pictures each month! Today I took a look at all of his photos and I cannot believe how much he has grown!


I also finalllllly uploaded all my pictures from Christmas. I am so terrible about taking pictures. I guess I am an "in the moment" kind of person. I wish Christmas break didn't go by so fast. Our entire family hardly ever gets to be all together and so I feel like we were spoiled with John and I's wedding and then Christmas all 1 month apart! I miss everybody and cannot wait until we get to be under one roof again.

My soon-to-be brother-in-law Justin, my sister Erin, my brother Sean, my sister Megan, John, Me, and Jack!
This weekend John and I do not have much going on other than preparing for the big move! John is getting the keys tomorrow and my mom is coming on Monday to "help pack" when really she is just coming to see her grandson. But it will be nice to be able to show her the place/plan where everything will go before next Saturday. We are also trying to find a last minute babysitter so that John and I can possibly go out tomorrow night.. we'll see how that goes! But for now I am going to go snuggle with my husband and try to find a movie on Netflix - Happy Friday!

1.19.2012

Budgets, Schedules, & Under-Appreciated Husbands

So I woke up this morning at 10 a.m. completely confused as to a) why it was so light outside & b) why i felt so wonderful and well-rested. NO - my sweet boy did not sleep through the night, but he did sleep in! And not the 9 o'clock kind of sleeping in, but the 11:15 kind.. I had my morning coffee baby free today and I wish I had done something more productive with that hour and fifteen, but of course, I let myself be sucked into the couch - where I remained the majority of the day. Sigh. 

My hair appointment had to be rescheduled for tomorrow, and without the deadline of 3:00 to be productive at home before my haircut.. I was powerless to the lazies. I didn't MEAN to be lazy though. It all started with an e-mail from my husband about a budget. We have always had a budget "in theory" but aren't really good about being organized budget people. This has to change and so whenever he brings up "the budget" I feel like since I am the one staying home I should be the one to take control and be organized.. so then I went on this crazy search for part time jobs I can do at night (not going to happen) which led me to believe I should become a crazy extreme couponer (looked at 2 blogs and decided I simply could not do it) and finally ended on the idea that I should just find formula coupons. HA. What a joke. I feel like manufacturers and stores know that because you have to have formula, they charge out of this world prices with NO coupons! UGH. I will nurse as long as possible the next time we have a baby. 

While Mommy was on a treasure hunt for formula coupons, a barrel rolling Jack proved to his Mommy that he's a genius. Instead of crying because he was bored of his play gym, he rolled over to his toy basket and tipped it over! 


My mom has been harping on me about it for a month or so now, but it's really time that I actively try to put Jack on a schedule. He is 5 months old now and the whole we do what Jack wants when he wants thing is not going to work for our family forever. I realize that the things I do now are establishing habits for him. The introduction of solids this past month has been fun, but I haven't really worked it into our "daily routine".. his solid feedings are sporadic, and some days he has more "solid meals" than others. So it's decided. Tomorrow is day 1 of the "Get Jack on a Schedule" campaign. We will eat cereal in the morning with our morning bottle, a veggie at lunch time, a veggie at dinner time, and cereal with a bottle before bed. We will take a mid-morning (early afternoon) nap and a later afternoon (early evening nap). We will have baths before bed every other night. We will go to bed around 10-11 pm! Ha.. we'll see how that goes. But hey, I am going to TRY! I just want him to sleep through the night.. right now he wakes up around 3 or 4 and then at 7 or 8.. sleeping from 11-8 would be the best.. but our chunk-a-lunk dare not miss a feeding!

Today marks John and I's 2-month anniversary.. it feels crazy that it was only 2 months ago. It feels like a lifetime ago.. such a blur! We are currently in the process of getting healthy, and part of that is me trying to get John to eat breakfast at home. Yesterday at the store I bought him granola and fruit to put in his yogurt but he didn't eat any this morning! This dicussion led my husband to reminisce about "the good old days" when I would wake up with him at the crack of 7:30 to make him a cup of coffee and breakfast before he left for work (I would then go back to sleep for several more hours before my 12 pm class..) And how he thought, "Wow, Kayla will make the best wife!". Ha- once morning sickness hit, this behavior came to a halt. Sleep is so precious now, the idea of dragging myself out of bed to make John breakfast seems terrible! But, on second thought, he does so much for our family - couldn't I spare the 10 min of sleep it would take to brew a pot of coffee and mix up some granola and yogurt? The answer is yes. It's my new resolution. I will treat my hubs to a healthy at-home breakfast at least 3 times a week (okay, make it 2). Hopefully it will help him to feel as appreciated as he is! :) 

Now I am off to bed! It's my "night off" and I cannot wait to sleep the whole night through! Library story time with Jack in the a.m. along with my hair transformation in the afternoon! I am really looking forward to tomorrow, and I haven't felt that way about a week day in a while! 

1.18.2012

Peas Please!

Well, it didn't happen until after 4 in the afternoon, but I finally went to the grocery store! There is a Kroger right across the street from us that I am not really "in love" with.. but I waited until too late in the day to trek over to Trader Joe's. I get irritated because I feel like I am paying more for produce that only comes in large quantities and will most likely go bad before John and I can eat all of it.. grr

Anywho - I made Jack some peas today. It is so easy to make baby food at home I don't really ever see myself being tempted to go to the jar.. I even took a look at some of the different options at the store today (out of curiosity). It is really shocking how much sugar there is in a lot of the foods, and even the so-called "organic" baby food is LOADED with sodium. No judgment on Mom's that do use jar food (I was a jar food baby and I turned out just fine!) but I really do love seeing the bright, fresh colors of the baby food I make and watching Jack enjoy the different textures and flavors! I also love tasting along with him.. I helped myself to a few spoonfuls of peas :)

Easy Pea Puree:

Now, I was given a Beaba Babycook Baby Food Maker as a baby shower gift. It feels kind of unnecessary when I have a brand new food processor, but hey! It is convenient to have it do everything I need without having to get out (and clean) more than one appliance. 

I used frozen peas, but have used fresh peas too! I first steam 2 cups of peas with 1 cup of water


Once the peas were bright green and mushy, I put them into the food processor and pureed them!


I spooned two servings into a freezable container and put the rest in a bowl to use for the next couple days!


Jack is really good with the solids so I don't feel the need to "water down" any of his food. You can add formula, breast milk, or water to the peas to get the right consistency for your baby. The peas will stay good in your fridge for about 3 days, but when frozen can last for 3 months.

Jack loved them! 






Right now, when Jack is just getting his first tastes of everything, making the food is a relatively simple process (just one food, pureed, at a time) -the only thing I have been unable to master making on my own is the rice cereal.. Jack gags on my homemade attempts :/ So for now, I just use an organic, whole grain option that he seems to like!





Tomorrow I am getting a haircut.. I haven't done anything to my hair in a while so we will see how it goes. I am not too crazy when it comes to hair. It grows - so whatever happens I know it's not forever! I'm feeling pretty adventurous... John is terrified! He loves my (too) long hair, but I think it just makes me look even younger (sigh). It is also a pain when Jack grabs onto it with his baby death grip. I am so tempted to chop. it. off. I guess I will just decide tomorrow :)

1.17.2012

The 11 Pound Difference

Not much happened today besides cleaning and essay writing (I submitted 1 of 3 applications! Wahoo productivity!) But after uploading all the videos from our video camera onto John's computer I decided to re-watch all the little tidbits from the birthing suite and beyond. 

I cannot believe how my little boy has grown! It's hard to believe that that yellow (jaundice), black haired, muddy eyed, 8 pound peanut is the same baby as the 19+ pound, blue eyed, squirmer currently taking up residence in my heart! 

Jack hardly ever cuddles anymore- he is just so curious and on the move. He wants to look at, grab, touch, and slobber on everything he sees! John and I also tried really hard to make sure that Jack wasn't "over held". After working in a day care all summer I was terrified of him becoming one of those babies you could never put down. While we have succeeded in helping Jack to be "independent", it also means that bed time means put me down, I want to sleep! But last night he got sleepy eyed and slept on his Daddy's chest for the first time in weeks and weeks. John was so happy and relaxed and the sight of the two of them together made me melt.

Bubba 1 week old
 Bubba (almost) 5 months old

I can't help but reflect on how much things have changed from the first picture to the second. John and I are married. I respect him so much as a father. I AM SOMEONE'S MOTHER?! I cannot go to sleep, wake up, or even breathe without thinking of another human being. I'm tired, so very tired. I cannot leave the house without my suitcase of a purse (aka diaper bag..). I'm not nursing anymore (yes, okay, judge me, I got married, it was busy, I dried up!). Jack smiles. Jack rolls over. Jack laughs. I'm confident in my ability to be Jack's Mom. I'm (somewhat) less worried about SIDS. I'm (somewhat) less worried in general.. somewhat.

A typical week day morning consists of John (or I) getting Jack out of his crib (yes, I took down the pack'n'play, I promise) and putting him in bed beside me (where John was before his rude alarm goes off at 6 am). I usually have to feed him around 6 or 7, but then we sleep for just a little bit longer (today we slept until 9, until Grandma called and woke us up! It was heaven..) When Jack is ready to get out of bed he doesn't yell or screech or cry.. he sings! Or coos, or just talks to me. It is the best alarm clock in the world! Today was no exception, I just had to capture a little piece of his sweetness to share :) 



Perhaps I'll actually go buy some groceries tomorrow? Tonight we had homemade rice (when you marry an Asian, even if he's only 25%, you acquire a rice cooker, whether you want one or not) with red peppers and onions. We also munched on edamame. Just using what we have!

Now I just need to go cheer up a very sad and disappointed hubby after a terrible loss by our basketball team. 

1.16.2012

MLK Day = Sunday Part II

We decided to treat this glorious holiday as an extra Sunday. John slept in. I made coffee. Jack was cute. I didn't leave the house (who needs groceries?) and loved an extra day with my hubby at home! 

We stayed in our sweats, didn't clean, and watched movies and TV.
We gave Bubba lots and lots of kisses!
I attempted to write another grad school essay...
Jack practiced rolling all around, and came over to say hi to Mommy!
 No complaints from this family today! Hope to head to the grocery store and get more writing done tomorrow... but as you can see, I'm not so good with plans!

1.15.2012

Where Diets Go to Die.

So Friday didn't go as planned - yes I know, shocking. A friend/my old boss (I used to be her nanny) was in town for a trade show and decided to stop by in the morning for some coffee. It was great to see her and about midway through the visit I was surprised to see my husband walk through the front door! At first I got a little nervous, but he quickly explained that he had to do an online training course that the company's firewall wouldn't let him access. So he finished off his "work" day, training in bed, and I got a bonus weekend day with him home!

On Saturday I woke up early-ish, got myself and Jack all dressed and beautiful and drove to a mom's group "open house" at a local coffee shop in our new area. I was SO nervous. It felt like the first day of being in the dorms when you don't know anybody and you have to awkwardly try and introduce yourself. I was hoping that there would be a few mom's there relatively close to my age, but I was about 10 years younger than the majority of the women there (which was quickly pointed out by everyone there). I stuck it out for about an hour, making small talk over babies and whatnot. I'm honestly glad that I went - it was a good ice breaker for the next time I put myself into an uncomfortable situation. I also think that I am going to join the group. It is $30/year for a membership, and I would honestly pay $30 just to make one friend (pathetic, I know).

Saturday night we spontaneously decided to drive to our alma mater for a hockey game! I come from a relatively large family (two older sisters and a younger brother) and we are very close. My brother currently attends the university while my older sister works there. We were able to get up into the "club" so there was plenty of room for Jack to be walked around (as well as free food). Jack absolutely LOVED being at the game. He followed the players as they went up and down the ice and even fell asleep in my lap despite the very high noise level! 

Happy to see Aunt Megan!
Watching the game with Uncle Sean 
Asleep on Mommy!

Today was a lazy day spent at my sister's. My brother turned 21 this past Wednesday so we decided to make him a Sunday feast full of some of our mom's specialties: Pork Wellington and Carrot Cake (from scratch). After acquiring a Kitchenaid Mixer I have gotten a little too into baking (Pinterest is a lonely housewife's dream/nightmare). Today was a true challenge because I put my baking skills to the test, making my mother's famous carrot cake and cream cheese frosting, without my beloved mixer! Now I cannot post this recipe because it's top secret or something like that, but I will show the process via pictures!







Pork Wellington is one of the most delicious things you can ever eat if you are a meat and cheese lover and it's a relatively simple process:

Take pork tenderloin, butterfly it, and stuff it with Boursin cheese.
Wrap the tenderloin in pancetta and brown it in a frying pan.
Wrap the tenderloin/pancetta in puff pastry & add any desired design. 
Brush with an egg wash and bake for around 30 min.

My mom was out of town for the weekend so my dad drove to my sister's with our family dog, Riley. It was so nice to get to spend some time with at least part of my side of the family. Jack loved getting to see his Papa and his favorite black lab!



After reversing all the weight I lost this week by eating our fantastic meal, watching hours upon hours of football (I am not an NFL fan), and getting in as much family QT as possible, we headed home. John figured out that he has the day off tomorrow (Hello unexpected 4 day weekend!) so I am really looking forward to being able to grocery shop without the baby and maybe finish up my grad school applications?! I'm mainly happy that this awesome weekend with my hubby isn't over yet :)