Summer Friends - Baltimore, MD - Summer 2012

Over the summer we've had the extreme pleasure of becoming friends with two very special people.

Kristen...

And her sweet little girl.

(The cutie pie on the right.)

We did a lot of swimming and met up a bunch at our near by nature center.

Did lots of baking.

Became ball popper pros!

They even let a certain little sister get in on the fun.

There was even a little time for some "Mickey Mouse Club House".

Unfortunately, the circumstances that brought them into our life have just as quickly taken them back to their home.

For the last week, every time we've gotten in the car E has repeated the same 2 words "See Halle"? I know she doesn't understand when I say that Halle has gone back to her home, in snother town, in another state, and we can't see her anymore. She just say "See Halle, please Mammy".

It's one thing to know you'll be somewhere for 3 months, or a few years and then move, but now, I'm not the only one making friends.

It was such a blessing to have them in our lives over the summer and I hope we remain more than just Christmas card friends.Thanks for a wonderful summer!

WE MISS YOU KRISTEN AND HALLE!!!

TIll next time,

Bon Voyage!

Welcome to the Family - Baltimore, MD. - October 2012

With two children, two cats, and two adults, 8 year old Eureka just wasn't getting the job done.  So, we recently made the leap into grown up cleaning products and welcomed two new members to our family.  And let me just say that these two have made cleaning an "experience"!

Meet Hoover (steamer).and Dyson (vac)

Kicking Ass (and other unmentionable or unknown substances) and taking names!

Till Next time,

Bon Voyage!

Good Bye Dr. Martens - Baltimore, MD. - October 2012

In 1999 I was in college at the University of Tennessee. There was a small "emo" boutique down on the strip that sold all manner of strange things; from tie die T-shirts to vinyl records. They also sold Dr. Martens. I'd wanted a pair since my freshman year in high school but there was no way we could spend a hundred dollars on shoes. Payless knock offs would have to do.

Fast forward 5 years and there I was with an on campus job, a scholarship, a little bit of extra money each month, and the still fresh dream of owning a pair of those chunky leather shoes. The buckles made a distinct little tinkling clunk when i walked. You could tell my mood by my "Dr. Marten walk". They were perfect! 

I saved for 4 months, which is an eternity for a college kid, and visited my shoes each week. Finally in mid December just before Christmas break I went down, cash in pocket and bought these shoes.

I think they were just over a hundred dollars. I remember walking in and telling the clerk I'd like them in a 5 and 1/2 please, He disappeared into the back and returned a few minutes later with the familiar box in hand. I slipped them on and felt a little giddy. I even asked if I could wear them out, not caring that it was in the lower 40s. I wore these shoes EVERYWHERE. They took me up and down The Hill, to football games, and all over France in 2001 and although I don't wear them as much these days, I still bust them out each summer and they remind me of college every time I put them on. I love these shoes!

Now, almost 13 years later, they've finally walked their last mile. They are literally falling apart.

So it's time to say good bye. It's been great walking with you!

The good news is I've got my eye on a new pair, less chunk and a little more girl.

Till next time,

Bon Voyage!

MJ Sleeps - Baltimore, MD. - October 2012

This...

little...

lady...

will...

sleep...

ANYWHERE!!!

(Yes, that's a flip flop.)

Till next time,

Bon Voyage!

Cooking With E: Applesauce - Baltimore, MD. - October 2012

A couple of weekends ago we took a day trip to a local "Pick it Yourself" farm. The main goal was to find apples but we also got tomatoes and supplies for peeling and canning.

To be completely honest, I'm not the best of cooks. I like to cook with a recipe and play it safe. The Hub on the other hand is WAY more free form. I think my main problem is that I'm not all that comfortable in the kitchen, so just like when I go to a place I've never been, I like to have a map and DO NOT like surprises.

Note To Reader: Surprises for my birthdays, Christmas, Mother's Day, and any other special occasion are perfectly acceptable!

All this to say I would love for my girls to be comfortable in the kitchen and I think the way to do that is to start at a young age and keep it fun! I also agree with my good friend Annie in that I want them to know where their food comes from. So here's our journey into "applesauce".

We started the picking day with tomatoes and she REALLY love that because they were right at her level.

.

She loved spending time with daddy!

The cherry tomatoes were her favorite.

By the time we got to the apple orchard E was so tired she decided it was better to be a passenger. With 27 lbs of apples and two kids we neglected to take any pictures of the actual apple picking (and eating).

Back at home we imediately put this new toy to work E loved turning the crank...

and much to my surprise was actually pretty good at it.

All of this while little sister cheered her on.

After all the apples were peeled and cored, we filled the crock pot to the very top (about 18 apples), put it on high, and let them cook for about 7 hours. When they were finished cooking down I mashed them with an old school masher and we gobbled it up. This was by far the BEST applesauce I've ever had.

I promise next time I'll take more pictures because I LOVE cooking with this little lady!

(Thanks Megan for the "applesauce road map"!)

Till next time,

Bon Voyage!

Part 2: MJ's Arrival! - Baltimore, MD. - February 2012

The story of MJ's arrival wouldn't be complete without recounting our hospital stay. I'll skip the details of foley catheters, pain killer induced paranoia, a liquid diet, and a few of the other unmentionables of the aftermath of childbirth, natural or surgical, and skip to the fun stuff.

First off we LOVE our peds group!!!  They came every day and were so gentle and loving to our sweet baby girl.  They didn't make me feel silly asking questions and gave us wonderful advice on how to help E with the transition to "big sister ".

(Dr. G. checking MJ without even waking her up.  Impressive)

This time it was fun to have a few visitors to welcome this little lady into the world,.  On day one MJ got her first visitor when Megan came by after work.

(Megan and MJ)

And on day two, Katie brought a yummy lunch from Einstein's Bagles!

(Katie and MJ)

And as one of the perks of being a hospital employee, on our final night in the hospital we enjoyed a fancy dinner brought to my room.

We dined on Lobster Tails and Ribs...

While MJ slept a few feet away.

One thing we did differently this time was that after the first night, the Hub and I decided that it'd be best for E to spend nights in her own bed so at the end of each day he picked her up from Katie's and took her home.  This gave them some really good one on one time and it gave me a chance to decompress and process every thing that had happened.  I took advantage of the nursery every night so that I could rest.

These 2 didn't actually meet until we came home because E was under 2 years old and it was flu season but when she held her for the first time I think she realized on some level that her world would never be the same.

Looking back, although there were major ups and downs, our hospital stay was good.  Thanks to a brand new food service program, the food was wonderful!!! 

I know this may sound strange, but it was nice to be "taken care of".  food brought to me, water at the push of a button, someone to make the bed while I was in the shower, it was nice.  There is an acceptable amount of fear that comes with being a new mom and adding another little one to your family.  Having people there to bounce questions off of and cheer you on feels good, especially if your family doesn't live close by and isn't able to come into town to help.  I take away a new found LOVE of Lorna Doones shortbread cookies and an EVEN DEEPER LOVE of these two.

Till next time,

Bon Voyage!