Staycation

So, this week and next week I'm on a staycation (aka 2 weeks of vacation at home!) per some encouragement from my manager to really take some time off since the last few months have been really hectic. I'm settling in nicely to this routine, though it's taken me a few days...if you know me well, you know I'm not that good at sitting. I was regularly "in trouble" with my mother-in-law a short while after giving birth because I was up trying to do my normal piddling, cleaning or anything that didn't involve me sitting down.

But now that I'm settled and over feeling lazy (silly, I know - there's nothing lazy about taking care of your family!), I'm really enjoying myself. Mary-Michael and I are doing lots of playing, we've visited with Daddy a few times during his work day and will have a few play dates under our belts by this time next week. I made it my goal (because I had to have some sort of goal!) to cook/bake/make a new recipe each day. I'll update this as a go along with the do-overs and those that were one-time only.

Do-overs
Molten chocolate lava cakes (if I could, I'd eat these every night!)
Black bean tostadas (Geoff was a huge fan, and he's kinda picky)
Aunt Artie's oatmeal cookies (family recipe from Geoff's mom)
Honey roasted carrots (they tasted kind of like a dessert!)
Chicken taco bake (I've found it's hard to mess up a Mexican recipe!)
Sunny frittata (the Beethoven-Wilson boys really liked this, and it was relatively easy)

One-time only
Curry shrimp over rice
Fresh blueberry crumb coffee cake
Peppered cheddar muffins

I'm also doing lots of reading. If you've let me borrow a book over the last year, I'm hoping to get to it in the next week! So far, I've read "Hotel on the Corner of Bitter and Sweet" and "Thursdays at Eight." Next up is "The Day the World Came to Town."

But more than these easily quantifiable goals, I really hope to have a little me time, and a lot of family time. So much is missed when we hurry through life, so I'm going to try and take it slow these next several days...hopefully, it will stick.

Maine

Our trip to Portland, Maine was awesome. If you haven't been you should go - we hear the summertime is the best because it's not quite so chilly! And if you go, you should make sure to have a local show you where the best food and sites to see are. We had the best one available, but I'm not sure her services are for rent. My friend Sarah, whom I met at my very first job out of college (I was a measly intern), is from Maine and relocated there shortly after Geoff and I were married. It was great to see her after several years apart and spend some time getting to know the place she's always called home. Here are just a few pics from the trip.


I made Sarah turn around so I could get a picture of this.


In the original LL Bean store.


Beautiful coastline.


And more beautiful coastline...


In our hotel room after trick or treating on Halloween.


Doesn't this look like a postcard?


Self-portrait.


Taking a hike at Morse Mountain - highly recommend this if you go!


Walking on the beach.


Family portrait at the end of our hike.


And beautiful Sarah with a happy M&M.

Eight months and a special celebration

My little mover and shaker,
You continue to rock our world and you really are such a blessing to us and so many friends and family that love you. You wouldn't believe all the people that came to cheer you on for your baby dedication this morning. Wow, we are lucky (ok, I really don't believe in luck, so really were just blessed!) to have such support.

You did really well up on stage in front of hundreds of people and wore a dress that one of my Godmother's daughters wore when she was a little one (Thank you Susie and Sarah!). You looked very sweet. After Momma and Daddy committed to raising you in a Christian home, encouraging God's purposes in your life and teaching you about our Lord and Savior, Pastor Carter spoke of hope, and he prayed a special prayer of hope over you with so many friends and family standing around you. As Nonnie and Grandad said in their card, "Jesus said 'Let the little children come to me, and do not hinder them, for the kingdom of heaven belongs to such as these." Amen to that. It was a really special day.

As Momma is journeying through this life of faith (the joys and the challenges), I am often struck by how much I want you to know that you are special and uniquely created for a purposes. I want you to love yourself just the way you are and know that your personality, circumstances and appearance were well thought out and from your Creator. I know there will be times (i.e. middle school and high school) when you don't like your hair, your clothes, your parents, etc., but I hope your daddy and I can minimize those times by teaching you to believe in yourself, wonder and learn about our great big God and dream big dreams. You are an unbelievable little girl!

Lately, you are into everything! You are crawling, pulling up, walking while holding onto the couch or the coffee table, and last night I bought you a toy to walk behind. I'm still not sure that's a good idea because I'm encouraging this whole walking thing and you're only 8 months. I know once you start you won't stop! Your daddy said to me last night while you were nursing and hitting my chest, pulling my necklace, scratching my arm... "she doesn't stop moving, does she?" Hello??! Haven't I said all along she is exactly like you!

You are eating all kinds of things, and a few things you're not supposed to be eating when I'm not looking. Papa George gave you some brownie this weekend...you really liked it, naturally. I love chocolate, too. You are eating Cheerios and bites of what Momma and Daddy eat for dinner, but for the most part you're still eating lots of cereal, fruit and pureed veggies. You are not a fan of green vegetables. A book I have says it takes up to 10 tries for a baby to figure out of she/he likes a food. We're getting close to 10....so, we'll see.

Green veggies or not, your Daddy and I are smitten with you. We love you baby girl.

Momma


The children's corner at Sunday lunch.


You in your pretty dress.


You and your brownie-giving grandpa.


Carla and something to chew on - what more could a girl want!?


You and your friend, Sherry Lee.


Your new walking toy.

(more pics to come from the dedication once I collect them from friends and family)

First Halloween

Our sweet girl was a ladybug tonight. Between ladybug shoes and the ladybug outfit she was decked out. However, since we're in Maine where it didn't get above 50degrees in the heat of the day today, she was wrapped in a blanket while we walked around with my manager and her kids, so no one really got to see her cuteness! But as you'll see in the pictures, even though we loved her outfit she wasn't so fond of the hat! But alas, here are some pics with the ladybug outfit and her Halloween pajamas. Hope y'all enjoyed your evening!

Crawling

Pulling Up, Army Crawling and Running

Ok, so Mary-Michael hasn't reached the running milestone yet, but this past week she did indeed master pulling herself up to standing position and army crawling. Gone are the days when I could leave her in the middle of the floor with a few toys and walk away. This girl is on a mission and she does not sit still! I have found her this week standing in her crib bouncing up and down and have learned that babies will put anything in their mouths, including dog toys and dog hair. It's so fun to see her discover new things (ok, maybe not all new things, but most).

This past weekend we enjoyed a trip to Northern VA - had lunch with Ash, visited with Grandma, Papa George, Uncle Kam and Aunt Keesha, and I ran in the Army 10-miler (hence the running part of the title). M&M had lots of fun playing with all the toys Grandma has and spending time with our NoVA family. Despite her yucky cold she came out to cheer Momma on while she ran, too. I didn't win a prize, but I did finish and ran the entire time - it felt really good to run in a race again, too!



Playing with my Aunt Keesha.


Daddy, a tired M&M and Momma after the race.


The running group.


Practicing my sippy-cup skills with Papa George.


Tasting an orange for the first time with Aunt Keesha.

My Favorite Kind of Weekend

Have I mentioned that I love fall? Apples, pumpkins, cool weather, leaves changing - it's the best! This weekend we enjoyed a full day in Charlottesville with friends. After a trip to Carter Mountain to pick apples (16 lbs!) and pumpkins, we grabbed lunch at a college favorite sandwich shop and temporarily moved in (a baby requires a lot of bags) to Christian and Mike's so that Mary-Michael could take a nap. We had to wake M&M up from her slumber to make it over to the tailgate in time - see M&M below with her Auntie Boo. The game started at 6pm, so I knew it would start to get interesting as we approached M&M's bedtime, and as expected, she had some fussy moments and didn't love all the loud noises, but since the Cavaliers really started to fall apart early on in the game the cheers weren't long-lived. Overall, baby girl, you did pretty good.



And after church on Sunday, Geoff headed up to DC for the Skins/Colts game with some friends, while we spent the afternoon with Mimi and Poppy at a benefit for a friend of theirs with cancer. M&M even had a little dance with Poppy.