Monday, November 22, 2010

Weekend Wrap

This weekend was another pretty "normal" one.

Food-wise...nothing too exciting. haha! I've been making crock-pot dinners for about a week now, so we've eaten a lot of crock pot food. Neither of us has been too crazy about any of it. I made chicken spaghetti, chicken stroganoff, "prospector's stew" (kielbasa-based), and a whole chicken dinner--all just kind of "eh." It's so disappointing! I am going to keep forging on, though. I need to try a new cookbook or something....I just really like crockpot cooking because of the ease and simplicity of it all. I need some new inspiration!

I got a haircut Saturday, and Ryan worked on tiling the foyer with his dad. On Saturday evening, we went to Town Center for the grand illumination with Amy, her Momma, and the sweet Wyatt. We got there a little late, so we couldn't see the parade too well. It didn't matter that much for Parker, though, because he was VERY sleepy....and then fell asleep! He did not see the actual illumination. haha! I think this is something we will definitely do for the next several years. He'll like it for sure when he knows what's going on. Is that a tradition I hear?

In more food-related news, we ate at Kelly's for dinner. This was VERY yum. I had a St Patty Melt because that's what Amy and her momma got. I can't handle the pressure of looking across the table at options I "should have chosen." Ahh, food. That's a whole 'nother post.

Sunday we had church and then came home and did yard work. Ryan mowed the grass, and I planted pansies. It was sad to take out the vinca that we planted right after Parker was born. They grew to be SO huge! But they aren't a winter flower and I looooooooooove pansies anyway. I'm pretty sure the vinca will be back..their roots were left all over the place in the beds.
We had a sweet helper...



We did not have dinner at Omi's on Sunday as usual since Thanksgiving is Thursday. Instead we had crockpot Chicken Stroganoff.

Gross. Parker's Baby Mum-Mums tasted better.


See how happy he was to be eating them?


Oh--hi, teeth!



We both have off Thursday through Sunday and are super excited for the time we get to spend with our families for Thanksgiving. I am also very excited about shopping on Friday (kind of). I'm also very stressed. That's also a whole 'nother topic. I love getting good deals, but getting up so early really stresses me out! haha.

Maybe Parker will make it easy for me like he did a couple of days last week. Nah..he'll probably still be asleep by the time I get HOME from shopping. And then he'll laugh when he gets up and say, "haha mom--look how long you could have slept in!"

This post is getting more and more off topic by the line.

The end.

Wednesday, November 17, 2010

Orange Tractors

First of all--let me just saw how VERY happy I am that this has returned to the freezer aisle:::


WOW. I think it tastes better this year than it did last year. I just love Edy's Light "Limited Edition" flavors. Most of them are SO yum.

I haven't written anything about this but I quit my job at USIS two weeks ago and am now working exclusively for Onlineformals. For now, I will be working three days per week. In January, it will increase to four. I am enjoying having an extra day during the week to get things done around the house and run errands. I'm hoping that this will make more time on the weekends for us to have family/snuggle time.



I've decided that since I have Wednesdays off right now, this will be my new grocery shopping day. I actually made an organized list by department based on five crock pot recipes I picked to cook over the next week. I tried as hard as possible to stick to the list and did pretty good! As usual, Renee joined me in our gallavanting.



After hitting up the store, we went to Joanne's to get the rest of the supplies for the Christmas stockings and tree skirt Omi is making for us. I am beyond excited to see the finished products soon! I know that I could have bought a cheaper tree skirt and cheaper stockings, but they wouldn't be nearly as special. I will treasure these for the rest of my life.



We went to Trader Joe's after Joanne's. I have only been in there once before, with Ryan, and didn't buy anything because we rushed out when I thought I saw someone I knew and didn't want to talk to them. Yeah--it happens sometimes. This time around, I wanted to buy everything in the store. I bought several things to stick in the freezer to use "in a pinch" for a quick meal here and there. Everyone raves about this store and its products, so I'm looking forward to trying them!



Renee and I stopped at Omi and Opa's for a while to visit with them and print some stuff from their computer. After we got home, Renee left for school and the rest of the evening was normal. Food, cleanup, playtime, Parker's bedtime, shower time, and relax on the couch time.



Tomorrow and Friday are work days, so Parker will go to Honey's house for some full-on grandmother lovin'. I know she can't wait to get her hands on him, and I'm sure he will enjoy it, too :)


Man, I love this kid.

Tuesday, November 16, 2010

First Annual Cabin Weekend

This weekend we travelled to Amissville, VA, to celebrate Ryan, Bryan, and Chris's 30th birthdays. Chris turned 30 in August, and Ry/Bry turned 30 in October. We planned to go to the Outer Banks in September--didn't happen. We tried planning this trip for October--didn't happen. FINALLY, through extensive research done by Chris and myself, we were able to locate an available cabin that was gorgeous! We had all been looking forward to this trip for a long time. It was a chance to celebrate this big milestone together and spend a weekend together reliving old memories and making new ones.A view from the back of the house

Ryan, Parker, Chris, Molly and I arrived Friday evening and had dinner together. Chris made "Chris-pasta" and it was super yummy. It was soooooooo nice having a full kitchen to use. Bryan and Lacy didn't get there until almost 10, so we waited up for them. WOW was that hard. The four of us were ready to go to bed at about 730..haha! When they arrived, we took a quick group picture to mark the real start of the weekend and then the boys smoked cigars while us girls played Scattergories. We had an absolute BLAST!
Obviously not my finest photographic moment.
When Ryan and I went to bed at about midnight, we tiptoed around very, VERY quietly....and Parker still decided that he wanted to wake up. He kept us up until one and then decided that 545 was the time to get up! We did not get much sleep but were still excited to wake up with him in the cozy cabin. We snuggled together in the bed and dozed in and out between kisses and "dadas" and "mommas." This is something we do every Saturday, but this time it was that much more fun.
Playing the bongos since it's a Saturday in the country--duh.


Just three 30-year old "brothers" drinking coffee out of tiny coffee cups with their left hands in their pockets. I did not tell them to do that. Can you tell who got up earliest and who had just woken up?
My little man...all bundled up and ready to go!

After eating a yummy bagel and cream cheese breakfast, we decided that we were going to head to the Luray Caverns about 45 minutes away to see this natural wonder. I have never really been into that kind of thing before, but for some reason I felt like we really needed to go. It was nothing short of breathtaking. Literally, I was in complete awe.
This is the lake in the caverns--it looks like a mirror image, but it's really water on the bottom. AMAZING.

Ryan took about 6000 pictures inside the caverns, bless his heart, but I won't post them so that we can leave some suspense for people that may want to visit in the future. HA!

After leaving the cabins and having lunch, we headed back to the cabin, stopping at a couple of wineries on the way. Once we were back, we just relaxed by hanging out in the cabin, walking around outside, napping, and cooking. That night we played Loaded Questions until we were laughing so hard we were crying!Watching Uncle Chris watch the VT game--he was a little intense.
Out for a walk around the perimeter of the yard. This picture was taken right before Parker peed and it leaked through the diaper onto my back. I think he was just trying to keep me warm!

Unfortunately, it was time to head home on Sunday morning. Ryan cooked eggs and bacon for everyone and we enjoyed a yummy last meal.Uncle Bryan and Parker Bryan :)

Bryan shot off some potatoes with his potato gun as a ceremonial "goodbye" to the woods--haha. Then we took some "formal pictures" before leaving the cabin.
We were trying to watch the potato fly into the woods--they were hard to keep an eye on. Lace was kind enough to shield Parker's ears from the noise. He didn't seem to mind!
Our "formals"

This was such a fun and relaxing weekend. I was very sad to leave and get back to the real world, but we are all already looking forward to the next trip! Notice the title of the post.

Until next year.........

Saturday, November 6, 2010

Besties


So we all know Parker was born on 2/25/10. My BFF {best friend forever--truly...we will always be friends} , Amy, just had her sweet baby boy, Wyatt, on 6/27/10. It's funny that we had our babies so close in age because back in high school when we first became friends, we always said we would want to have our babies "at the same time." We TOTALLY did--and not on purpose.
Amy and me at my baby shower in February, about three weeks before Parker was born

We have been able to help each other and share information about baby products and trends with each other....it has been an amazing blessing to be going through motherhood together. I am so glad that it worked out this way and cannot imagine what this journey would have been like without Amy there to talk with and sympathize. I highly recommend pregnancies that coincide with those of a friend. Amy--love you! :) Parker and Wyatt "meeting" for the first time. I'm really glad we took this picture!

Okay back to the point--up until recently, Parker and Wyatt haven't been able to really interact at all because of the vast differences in their abilities being four months apart. It's amazing to see what a difference just a few months makes when babies are under a year old.

This past Friday, I kept Wyatt for about an hour and a half to help Amy and Jimmy, her husband, out. When Amy dropped Wyatt off, Parker was already asleep for his morning nap. About five minutes after Amy left, I put Wyatt in the swing for a nap, and he slept for about 30-45 minutes. They woke up at almost the same time, so I decided it would be a nice time to take a few pictures of the two of them--fresh from naps!"Talk to the hand, Wy."

"Wyatt, let me help you with that!"

It's funny to see them together because they are close to being the same size. Since Wyatt is still in more of a "baby" mode--meaning that you can sit him down and he won't go anywhere--he just kind of sat there and looked at Parker, like, "Wow--you are a crazy person. Please stop touching me!" Haha! Parker always reaches for Wyatt's face and wants to squeeze him!
I think it's his way of saying, "Hi...you're my friend."

"Auntie Dink, you so cwazy"

Parker:: "Mom, everything is fine here. Me and Wy are just playing--right Wyatt??"
Wyatt:: Gulp. "Yes??"

I hope that they can grow to be pretty good friends like their mothers. If nothing else, it sure would make it easier for Amy and I to have social time! Haha!
PS--Weren't Amy and I super cute preggos? We should do the whole double pregnancy thing again--it would be SO fun!
PPS--I obviously understand a secret baby language that no one else does--hence, all the quotes for the pictures. Indulge me.