Moments Turned To Memories

I have this little book in Jack's nursery.

I am supposed to document his major milestones with a quick sentence or two on the date in which they occurred.
I am terrible at doing this.
I am just not the kind of person that is going to stop and remember to do it.
When I try to go back and fill in the gaps from the last few months I find myself referencing THIS BLOG to get the exact dates. 
This blog is an outlet. It is a purpose. It is a hobby. It is my new favorite social network. It is FUN!But mostly... it's one heck of a baby book!
So one day when my Bubba is grown I can look back on this time and know exactly what I was feeling on the day after he slept through the night for the first time! Or what it was like when his first tooth finally popped through!
At the end of the day I know it's not about how many followers I have, whether my layout looks right, or if my design looks professional - it's about the moments that are turning into memories every time I post! 

*Lately Bubba has figured out how to pull himself up in his crib.. I can't help but snap some pictures each time I catch him in the act!

UPDATE: I've deemed this my favorite post of the week, and I am linking up with Aunie for Just Because Friday! 

Back to School!

Contrary to popular belief (or all of my tagged Facebook pictures from 2008-2010) I actually did quite a bit of studying in my undergrad days. 

When I wasn't tailgating, attending some sort of greek function, or bar hopping I managed to find the time to crack open a text book or two...
I was one of the few and EXTREMELY lucky students that had parents funding my studies! But I wasn't COMPLETELY spoiled (just mostly, and I am SO grateful). I was still responsible for my living expenses, and those included... books. WOOF!
This time around?! Things are a bit different. Other than the obvious (no more bar hopping for me!) John and I are taking on full financial responsibility for the cost of my master's degree. It's all on me. Books included.
One of the most frustrating parts of purchasing text books is the ENORMOUS price tag and the slim to none chance that you will get ANY of the money when you sell them back at the end of the semester.
That's when this awesome company, Campus Book Rentals, comes into play! I am so excited to know about this company and the awesome option of RENTING my books. They make everything in the process extremely simple and easy! There's even FREE shipping both ways! An added perk?? With each book rental, their company donates to Operation Smile - an amazing organization that donates surgeries to needy children with cleft lips!
Campus Book Rentals is a great solution to my book buying woes and a much needed resource when John and I painfully restructure our budget to get ready for the next two years!
As I sit here and register for classes, it's really starting to sink in that I am going back. I am so excited! I am so blessed! 
P.S. Do you read Erin's blog? Probably, because it's awesome! But she has a friend currently undergoing an extremely risky brain surgery as we speak. I cannot stop thinking about her and her friends! Extra prayers for them today please!!

The Glory Days With a Twist

While this weekend may not have gone as originally planned - it was so full of fun, friends, and laughter!
Friday evening we packed up the car and headed to my sister's in East Lansing. We had planned a "quick" trip in order to attend the MSU spring football game Saturday afternoon.My brother hadn't seen Jack since this post, and was dying to get his hands on his nephew!We planned to go to the game with him, make some dinner afterwards, then head home.
Wrong!
A few friends ended up being in town and our weekend quickly filled up with unexpected fun and trips down memory lane. Jack is so lucky to have Aunts and Uncles so anxious to snuggle with him and his parents are lucky for free babysitters :) Friday night John and I went to a bar that we used to LOVE, waited in line without a "pregame buzz", met up with friends that make me laugh so much, and  wracked up a bar tab that made both of us cringe!We even shared a 2 am burrito.. & when I say share, I mean we both got our own and sat next to each other as we shoved them into our faces... it was special!
Saturday involved a visit to my old sorority house and lots of squeezes from gorgeous KD sisters!

Bubba even got down on the formal room piano...

We met up with my brother at his house and walked to the stadium. Jack ate up every second he had with his Uncle Sean.

 We even attempted a family picture to commemorate the day - Reminding me that non-brushed hair/hangover face are not prime conditions for family pictures. 

 After the game Jack enjoyed a bottle and nap in a nest of blankets & pillows his Uncle Sean created on his bed. 

We visited with friends and my siblings. It was an awesome day!

A GIANT perk of being a recent grad is still knowing lots of people on campus! Because next week is finals I was able to locate a studious family friend who was willing to babysit Saturday night. 

My sister, John, a few friends, & I enjoyed an amazing sushi dinner followed by Catch Phrase at my brother's. 

Sunday was for laziness and hang overs. 

We procrastinated heading home and didn't end up back here until 10 pm. 

It's great to go back to MSU and "relive our glory days" yet still be able to share so much fun with Jack!

 ...Until next time East Lansing!

Friday's Letters

Today will be my first time linking up with Ashley - I love this link up and I'm excited to join in on the fun :)

Dear Friday, Thank you for showing up! I am so excited for this weekend and it felt like it took FOREVER for you to get here!
Dear Weekend, Thanks for having so many awesome things on the agenda! I don't know what can get much better than a visit with some family, Spartan football, & a Sunday date with my husbandspeaking of the husby...
Dear John, Thanks for being such a good sport about me putting pictures of you acting like a ninja in footie pajamas on the internet. I know this was hard for you... you have never even had a Facebook and think of yourself as a private person. I am wrecking your private/noninternet public world with all this blogging business but I really do love you the most :) 
Dear Bubba, Stop growing up so fast! I just uploaded all of the pictures off of my old blackberry and I can't get over how much you have changed!  

Stop pulling yourself up on everything you cray cray child. You fell over yesterday morning and gave yourself quite the bump. Your scared/hurt/frustrated cry BREAKS. MY. HEART.

Dear Brownies, Why did couldn't you turn out like the ones in the picture?! I swear I followed all of the directions to the T, yet the caramel layer still decided to swallow the top layer and now you are a gooey mess... although I suspect after your night in the fridge you will serve nicely and taste DELISH. 

Dear Laundry, Go do yourself. 
Dear Blog Friends, Have a FANTASTIC weekend :) 

Out of the "Office"

I am over at Megan's blog today! I'm revealing a big secret about making Jack's baby food - Check it out!
In other news... do you watch Ellen? Is that just a SAHM thing? Well anyways... she's hilarious and I laugh out loud DAILY watching her show. Today this happened:

DYING!
I will say that the second book is SIGNIFICANTLY better than the first. I find myself skimming over the sex "scenes" (what do you call them in a book?!) to get back to the love story.I don't know.. call me prude, but it's just A LOT for me.
Anywho - Jack climbed all the way up the stairs last night (while I hovered over him the entire time) and pulled himself up on the couch this morning. He's been pulling himself up on the coffee table... basically he's going to be walking soon and I just need to get over it. AHHH!
Perhaps now we can stop dragging our feet on buying a new coffe table/ottoman instead of continuing to use the janky one John had throughout college... (God knows what has been on that thing)

All that grunting... SUCH hard work.

SIDE NOTE: Yes, that is a battery that he almost got his sticky fingers on... I took them out of the remote so he could chew on it without changing the channel... priorities people!ALSO: Yes, those are trashball makeshift pajamas because, SHOCK, I am not done with laundry

Did You Know That My Husband is a Ninja?

Okay not really... but he is 25% Japanese and we like to embrace the Asian roots as often as possible. 

Lets hope I stay married after posting this...

To be fair - my mom & dad bought all of their adult children footy pj's for Christmas this year...

If you were a part of our Christmas Eve traditions you would know that about 10 bottles of red wine were consumed along with various other cocktails before these pictures were taken.

Anyways...

I though that I might share some stuff with you about that guy that appears in lots of my pictures (you know, the one that isn't Bubba.)

There is a lot more to my husband than the ability to be overly dramatic when I've been taking, in his opinion, too many pictures. 

So here it is, 

John 101

He is as loyal as they come. A friend of John is a lucky person. He gives everyone the benefit of the doubt, is slow to judge, and has your back no matter what. 

He is actually a pretty sentimental guy. He likes to make every memory special and likes things to be just perfect. If he gets it in his head that something should be a certain way- well then, that is the way it has to be! For example, the standard "jumping" picture with his groomsmen...

via

He has been fatherly since before Jack was around. Our nicknames with my roommates in college were "Mom & Dad". on Sunday mornings he would always make a big breakfast (And a BIG mess) for everyone while I made a fruit salad/served up the goods.

These fatherly tendencies only got worse while I was pregnant...

I'm glad he had practice with us crazy ladies because he is a FANTASTIC father.

Jack is the first baby he has ever really held... he was a natural right away!

He does thoughtful things like grow a "playoff beard" in my last month of pregnancy cause I think it looks hot... 

He also dry heaves every time he changes a poopy diaper or gets spit up on... whimp!

I find this habit hilarious and laugh every time I hear him gagging in Jack's nursery.

He is actually a REALLY good dancer. I mean, his Dougie OBVIOUSLY did it for me :)

He can mean mug like you would not believe.

He may grumble about it, but he is ALWAYS willing to to do favors for me. If it is a stop at the store on the way home from work, a Diet Coke run at 10pm, or even just holding my stuff while I take a quick picture or 10... he always likes to help a wifey out :)

He was a swimmer in high school, he still holds records at his school 10 years later... But the only time I ever see him in the water he's doing this:

He also told everyone that his Asian skin doesn't burn... he lied. 

He has lots of nicknames with my friends: Mookie, Dad, J Shigs... but probably the most famous is Justin Bieber. This is due to his famed Justin Bieber costume Halloween 2010 - you may have seen it here, but in case you haven't:

it led to our friends doing things like this...

Can't you see the resemblance?! 

He is the BIGGEST Sparty fan you will ever find. I love that tailgating/football games/Spartan pride will be a family tradition that lasts forever!

These are just a few things about my husband. Mostly, I just love him and thought he deserved a little extra attention on this blog of mine :) 

Babe - we have come a long way in this crazy relationship of ours! I love you more today than I did yesterday!

 Look how drunk young we look in our very first picture together - 

I love you John Shigeru!

UPDATE (2/27): I decided that this was my fav post of the week and linked up with Miss Aunie :)

A Waste of A Tuesday

Okay. I shouldn't say a waste. I did make 4 batches of baby food.I also did my Tracy Anderson muscular structure work (no cardio though.. whoops!) I made the bed.I did ONE load of laundry (Go me! that is improvement people!) 
Okay fine. It wasn't a waste of a day. Just not as productive as yesterday.Bubba stayed in his PJ's until 5, and that's when John got home and I FINALLY got to take a shower. 
I feel like I probably need to cherish days like today because, come next year? These days will never happen.I am so grateful I got to stay at home this year.Sometimes I was sad or bored or negative - but it has truly been a blessing.
If I wasn't at home I wouldn't get to watch Bubba do this all day:

or see this cat on KLG & Hoda... 

I want him.