Ugly Sweater 5K

We spent a good portion of our Saturday cheering Daniel on in the Ugly Sweater 5k in downtown Denver.  It was freeeezing (well, for us, Daniel got quite warmed up  running over three miles in his sweater), but I tried to keep Colette warm in the sling while Papa chased Miss Anni as we paced the finish line watching for our runner. 

Happy weekend!

Four Years: Pt. Two

Generally, I love gift giving.  It's one of my love languages (so, yes, I enjoy receiving super thoughtful gifts as well), and I pride myself on trying to find something thoughtful.  For our anniversary; however, I was tapped out.  A few days before our anniversary, I picked up a cold of some kind, and had come to the desperate decision that I would probably pick up a pineapple (haha!  Daniel told me that this year's materials were books, flower and fruit... though, looking it up now, I don't see books on it, which kind of makes my gift not fit that, but it was fun anyway!)  The day of, I decided to make him a little mini book (stick figures and all!) summarizing our marriage.  It's a little silly, but he loved it, and it makes me smile every time I see it sitting on the shelf in the living room.

We even made it out on a date!  Miss Colette ended up tagging along as she's got stranger danger kickin' in like you wouldn't believe.  It was a fun, cheesy and yummy date.

Four Years

Four years ago, I married my best friend, my confidante, and the guy who makes me laugh more than anyone else ever has.  In four years, we've lived as fundraising missionaries (and continue to do so), we have had two sweet, sweet babies, and he has, without fail, supported my goals as a photographer, stay-at-home mama, and person.  I am so glad we chose each other! 

Seven Quick Takes: Volume V

-One-

"Comparison is the thief of joy." -Theodore Roosevelt 

I've been thinking about this a lot lately as get myself twisted in knots that "everyone else" has lost their baby weight and looks pulled together and fantastic, and that "every other business owner" knows what they're doing while I struggle to stay on top of things.  Is this true?  Probably not, and even if it is, I need to move on: this kind of thing is what steals all the joy from being a Mommy and having a job that I really enjoy (and am kind of good at, sometimes). 

-Two-

Daniel's birthday was on Wednesday.  I got him Jim Gaffigan's new book Dad is Fat... and I'm almost done reading it.  (And while he's hilarious no matter what, the fact that he's Catholic and has five kids squeezed into a two bedroom New York City apartment makes for a whole lot of hilarity... I almost never laugh out loud when reading and I have been giggling through this whole book).  I also made him a cake (Daniel, not Jim Gaffigan).  Well, cake is putting i milyy, it was like a teetering tower of cake.  See, I didn't read my recipe through very carefully and when I went to actually make the cake and was running back and forth to my computer to read the recipe from the kitchen (printer out of ink and iPad with Daniel at the office donchyaknow), realized they wanted me to use three 9 inch pans.  Um... I have one.  And my 9x13 pan is out on loan.  Therefore, I used my three smallest pyrex pans (ie the three I had left), and proceeded to make this monstrous tower that not even all of my homemade frosting could cover.  It did; however, hold 27 candles quite nicely.

This year, I asked Daniel's parents to tell us his adoption story beginning to end.  I would love to share it with you someday, but that'll be up to my love.

-Three-

We went to the nearby splash park for the second time. The first time a few weeks ago was a little chilly and Anni had a pretty miserable time as she just froze (and spent the whole time wanting, no, throwing a complete fit for, a snack).  This time it was hot, hot, hot, so the water felt amazing and didn't chill Anni quite as quickly, and, between the snacks I brought and our sweet friend brought, it was definitely a success.  There was a lot more bravery running up to the water, and a whole lot of happy smiles.  Lettie slept most of the time in the sling, but got to come out to test out the water for the last few minutes before we left.   

-Four-

 The theme of this moving process is "suck it up".  I can't wait to get into the house, but everything has to be packed first, and, for some reason, my littles still need a semblance of an every day routine (food, naps, mommy looking at them instead of packing, you know).  My inexperience is showing as I stand in the middle of a room and try to figure what to pack, how to pack it, and if we're going to end up needing it in the next seven days.  I shouldn't be an inexperienced packer, but the last two times we've moved, I have been pretty sick (an awful case of mastitis while caring for a wee Anni on oxygen the first time, and an out-of-control case of poison-ivy made worse by a bad detergent and therefore me a little crazy between the itchiness and steroid side-effects).  I was lucky that one of my sisters and my mom came out both times and helped finish the packing and pretty much made sure everything went smoothly.  However; my mom and other sister are coming the day after the big move this year to help un-pack, rather than before (definitely something I'm going to need as I try to organize an entire household for the first time), but, with Daniel being insanely busy at work, I've been kind of on my own.  It's got to get done; though, because we need to be completely moved out with the apartment cleaned for the sweet girls taking over our lease by the 23rd.  So, suck it up, Alzbeta.

 -Five-

Lettie discovered her feet this week!   She likes to hang onto them while attempting to roll over and chew on her other hand... multi-tasking at its finest.  She's also starting to get the sweetest, most kissable little rolls on her legs.  I just can't get enough of her!

 

-Six-

My Antonia.  She has been telling stories and making up songs non-stop this week.  While I can only follow a portion of the story-line, I adore listening to her.  Sure, having a three-year-old is like living with a ticking time bomb (that inevitably goes off at the most inopportune time), but it is also one of the sweetest joys I can imagine.  

-Seven-

Despite a lot of stress over the move and keeping up with everyday life this week, I also had a lot of moments where I was able to take a deep breath and really soak in how much I love being a mommy.  I'm loving the fact that while I am still a worry-wart, I have found a few little ways to let things go and just enjoy kissing my babies and telling them how wonderful, smart, beautiful, sweet and funny they are.

 Find more Seven Quick Takes at Conversion Diary.

   

Father's Day 2013

7 Quick Takes Friday

I decided I'd join in on the "7 Quick Takes" this week.  Easy way to share our week without too much brain energy...

1. Anni is POTTY-TRAINED!  I'm not saying she'll never have another accident, because, well, I just can't promise that.  But we're on our fourth day (and soon to be night!) in panties only.  Thank goodness we ran out of diapers and just decided to grin and bear it.  That being said, I'm really glad we took the slow train and let her do things her way... we definitely don't need one more reason for tantrums and tears (from any of us) around here.

2. Colette sleeps sometimes... this is a big, happy deal.  That's all.
 

Oh, and then she wakes up like this:

 So, pretty much, life is good.

3. It's still snowy... stillllll.  I'm really grateful for the precipitation (for our state, not really for me, I have no yard, therefore no garden that notices that we're in a drought), but I'd love it if we could transition into a nice spring rain now.  Maybe? 

Maybe I should drop the dreams of Anni's 3 year pictures having any sort of green in them... cuz it doesn't look like that's happening quite yet.  At least I've been trying to get creative with snow-y crafts so we aren't so bored being trapped inside (well, Anni, I'm an introverted introvert of the homebody type and it takes some serious prying to get me to leave my cozy little home... disaster that it is).  Anyway, Anni got her first go at scissors annnnd we brought some snow inside. 

4. Oh, yeah, Anni is turning THREE in less than 3 weeks.  eek!  When did this itty bitty baby

grow up and become, not a baby, not a toddler, but a little girl?!  I'm not sure what our birthday plans are for our sweet gal as we're leaving for Kansas the next day.  Thoughts welcome.

5. Daniel and I celebrated 5 years since we started dating this week... and by celebrating I mean that he completely surprised me flowers by sneaking them up from the car after I'd gone to bed and then we skipped going out because I'd already been out in the freezing snow/rain with girls the entire afternoon and while we had a babysitter for Anni, Lettie is still definitely in the "mommy is not letting you out of my sight" phase.  Soooo... we ordered pizza and didn't go straight to bed the instant Lettie was down for her longer stretch... nope, we watched Dr. Who... romance at its finest :).

Us... just a couple of weeks after we started dating... it's a good story, someday I'll tell you all about it.

6. I love my sister's homesteading life. It just makes me smile every time she tells me about their new adventure (and... I love mooching off of her delicious produce!)

7. We're still house hunting!  I'm accepting the fact that I may need to keep practicing patience for several more months... things are just not easy for buyers in our area!  Here's hopin'!

Find more 7 Quick Takes at Camp Patton.

Taking it as slow as I want to...

In my high school days, I was inducted into Quill and Scroll (it's an honor's society for high school journalists).  My Dad showed up unexpectedly, with a bouquet of yellow carnations and a big hug.  That little moment of recognition, of letting me know that he saw me and my accomplishments was a big one for me.  

On St. Valentine's Day, Daniel surprised us by making it home a little early and bringing a gorgeous bouquet of flowers for me and a single, beautiful, white rose and a tigger balloon for Anni.  Knowing that Anni is shown love and respect by the most important man in her life right now gives me hope that she'll look for that same level of love and respect in future relationships. 

 

We're entering the "almost three, I'm a big girl and cannot listen to anything you want/need/ask because that would mean I'm not doing it myself" phase.  It brings with it lots of mommy and daddy desperately looking at each other trying to figure out the game plan is.  However; it also brings amazingly detailed and vivid stories from this little girl's imagination, dance parties like you wouldn't believe and, a healthy dose of, "I yike you, mommy.  I yike Daddy, too.  Do you yike Daddy?"  (The answer is yes, in case you were wondering.)  It's all about hanging onto those moments through the screams of, "No, I DO IT," even if we were perfectly happy letting her do it.  At least, as a 9 month pregnant woman... I can understand irrationality a little, even if I'm not as capable of patience as I should be.

Speaking of being 9 months pregnant (Lil' Bit and I reach our estimated due date tomorrow), Anni and I have been striving for a balance of "Do something" and "Get enough rest so that if this pre-labor actually turns into the real thing one night I'm not completely exhausted."

Valentine's Day went something like this.  Me = very glad I had wandered through the Target dollar aisle a few weeks ago so I had some fun projects for us.  We rolled out some pie crust we had leftover in the freezer and used some frozen raspberries to make some quick heart tarts for breakfast.  I was hoping to use the strawberry vanilla jam my sister sent us from summer canning... but, it didn't want to give itself up (aka, I couldn't open it, I think I've required help the last few times... I've got to find a better way), which probably means it wanted me to use homemade crust, so it is getting saved for homemade mini poptarts for my hubby's weekly "mini poptart time" that he has with a team (not quite his team, but probably the closest he has since he's kind of his own department) at work.    

Then, we rolled onto stickers, window clings and playing with the decorations (again, thank goodness for Target this time). 

Then came afternoon.  No really, that was our morning.  Afternoon was mostly me lying half passed out on the bed, Anni reading books and watching the PBS kids app and then her both having a dance party and throwing fits (they somehow can happen one after the other...) while I made dough for our Valentine's calzones.  whew.  By the time Daniel walked through the door, I may have shed a few tears of exhaustion and happiness that he was there to help.  Have I mentioned that he's just great?

The next day, some of our favorite people came to visit.  I love that my friend made the plans and was perfectly okay that they were contingent upon labor, sickness and general feeling of our household... despite the fact that she has to drive half an hour to see us.  I'm so grateful that we have such sweet friends in our lives!

 Then came the weekend... glorious weekend.  It's funny that a quick house showing and visit to the park wore me out completely and constituted a "busy" Saturday, but I'm okay with it.  I'm allowing myself to take everything as slow as I want, even if every other 40 week pregnant woman is doing amazing things and feeling awesome.  I'm just going to do my best not to worry about what's coming and maybe, just maybe, get caught up on the laundry. 

 

  

PS Was there ever anything quite as wonderful as my hubby having a three day weekend?  Because I'm pretty sure it's the best thing ever right now.

Best Birthday Gift Ever

Remember how I mentioned that my husband had been able to surprise me with an awesome birthday gift?

Well, this past weekend, we cashed that gift in.

My beloved hubby, he got me a babymoon.   

He watched deal sites for a few weeks and found a sweet little getaway for us in southern Colorado, tucked in a valley and hemmed in by mountains, in a town full of art galleries and good food.

The bed in our little suite was so high off the ground that Daniel had to give me a hand anytime I wanted to climb into it (for real, climb).  It was also like sleeping on a soft, fluffy, happy, cloud... and I spent a good portion of our weekend napping in it. 

And when we weren't exploring the surrounding mountains (by car... because I'm 30 weeks pregnant and the wind still nearly knocked my rather substantial self over), snoozing in that fluffy cloud, doing a little Christmas browsing in the local shops and art galleries, or eating fantastic food (which I will make sure to discuss at the bottom of the post for my foodie sister), we curled up on the couch in our little living area and watched Diner's, Drive-ins and Dives... because it was always on, entertaining, and easy to walk away from when we found something more interesting to do.

 

Our last morning, we awoke to a blanket of snow and flakes continuing to drift into the courtyard and town.  While it made for a bit of a tricky drive out of the valley both to Mass and back home to see our sweet Nugget (she was thoroughly spoiled by Nonna and Papa for the weekend), it was a beautiful sight to wake up to.

Should it be of interest, our yummy meals are below.  Should it not be of interest... just skip to the last paragraph.

1st Night Dinner at the Inn: I had steak, with some kind of mashed beans (there where whole beans as well, I'm not sure what the exact make-up of it was), and delicious veggies on the side.  Daniel had a surf and turf over mashed turnip (we think) that he raved over.  

Breakfast: Ryus Ave Bakery: They are only open Tuesday, Thursday and Saturday, so we were pretty excited after reading the awesome reviews online that we were there one of the days they are open.  It was lovely.  Coffee (for hubby), hot chocolate for me, a (free!) cranberry coffee cake on my plate and a pecan cinnamon roll on his.  And then,  because we were feeling a bit extravagant, we bought an almond roll to round it out.  So. good.

Lunch: Next Door Deli: Tiny little place, delicious sandwiches!  I had a cubano (only without cheese, because I'm odd like that) and Daniel had... hmm... I don't remember, but it was a sandwich and it was good :).  

Dinner: Alys': Oh. my.  This was by far the best meal "experience."  It's set up in the living room of a former home, so there are less than 10 tables.  Alys wanders through periodically to check up on you and your meal comes in three amazing courses.  I had the best salad I have ever eaten (seriously, I want their house vinaigrette for every salad I ever eat), chicken marsala over linguine, fresh squeezed tangerine juice (because she noticed I was pregnant and not drinking while Daniel had wine and offered, "I just squeezed some tangerine juice, would you like some?" YES!) and pear and walnut cake to round it out.  Oh. my.  Daniel had a buffalo sausage and potato soup, steak of some kind and tiramisu.  We were both very happy customers when we left.  

The best part about this little trip was that my hubby and I had time to just be.  We adore being a family and the time and energy we put into our sweet girls, but we also recognize that maintaining a healthy marriage makes our family that much stronger.  I have a hard time leaving our Nugget, and I'm grateful that my hubby knew that and found something close and short-term, but still just for us.  Happy Birthday to me!