Thankful to be given the chance.

"i’ve never done any of this before and it can all be a bit hard to navigate at times. sometimes i feel like all i’m doing is meddling with these perfect spirits and placing my own fears and habits and short comings on them. i spend a lot of my time crossing my fingers and praying i don’t screw them up too terribly. gosh my prayers are a mess. i’m just thankful i’ve been given this chance, with these two beautiful healthy and happy babes."

Her words. From my heart. 

From Rock Star Diaries.

Sausage & Corn Chowder

It's cold folks. The heat's been turned on, there is frost in the morning, last night's temperature was down to 15. 15. 15!

I made this chowder for dinner last week. It is super filling, super yummy, and perfect for a chilly night. And easy, easy, easy.

You'll Need:

1 pound sausage (I used a crumbled sweet Italian and loved the flavor. If you like spice, I think a spicey Italian would work well.)

1 onion, chopped

2 potatoes, peeled and chopped

3 cups of milk

2 bay leaves, dried or fresh

1 can cream corn

Cheddar cheese

In a large pot, brown sausage in a little olive oil. Remove browned sausage into a bowl and cover with foil to keep warm. Add chopped onion to pot and saute in sausage drippings.  Add in potatoes, milk and bay leaves. Simmer 20 minutes (or until potatoes are tender), stirring often. Once potatoes are fork tender, add sausage back into soup and also add in cream corn. Heat through (another 5 minutes). Serve and top with the shredded cheese.

From Gooseberry Patch & Mix and Match Mama.

Weekend Wrap-Up

The weekends. Why. Must. They. Pass. So. Fast.

Our weekend started off with pumpkin and applesauce pancakes - a double batch - I love being able to freeze them for the week. It makes for an easy weekday morning.

We had two family birthday parties this past weekend, one for J who turned 5, and the second for B who turned 8. 

G came to J's first birthday party - it was G's introduction to most of my family. Crazy to think that J is turning 5.

After our second party on Sunday, we came home to carve a pumpkin - well, G carved the pumpkin. It came out great - so impressed with G's carving skills.

Pumpkinheads are a necessary part of pumpkin carving. Especially when Sam is sleeping.

Our pumpkins! I stuck black and silver gem tacs in the white one for a glam look, tac'ed spiders in our small pumpkin for a creepy look, and G's carved pumpkin for scares! I LOVE THEM.

We also purchased Sam's Halloween costume - - looking forward to posting those pics at the end of this week.

Week in Review

Busy week for the A's! G left for Colorado on Monday morning so it was just me an my homeboy for most of the week. G surprised us by arriving home Wednesday night instead of late Thursday! Woohoo!

Tuesday was Sam's first appointment with his new doctor. We love him! It was a great visit and Sam got a healthy report. He is the 85th percentile for height and weight. I'm just happy those numbers are equal. And, according to his doc, his head is in orbit. Meaning, that lil chart that predicts growth development? Sam is the lone star, apart from all of those projecting lines. 

I shared this photo on Facebook - but maybe the next two pics explain why Sam's head is in orbit...

My cousins with Sam on St. Patty's Day 2013

Uncle K on the SING OFF on NBC. Nice round dome.

We were told by Sam's doc that he can eat anything now, except for honey, so Tuesday night Sam ate eggs for the first time. His dinner was scrambled eggs and applesauce pancakes. B-fast for dinner! 

Wednesday was PJ day at school. Sam and I were not seeing eye-to-eye on that fine morning, as the picture below shares. He absolutely hates this hat and I absolutely love it on him! 

Thursday I went to a doctor's appointment with my Mom and Dad. The appointment went well, Mom will have to cross a few mountains but the projected future is promising to permanently remove this infection. While at my parent's, my Dad pulled this gem out. He found it in the basement earlier this week and cleaned it up - this was mine when I was about Sam's age! We can't wait to get Sam in it for a photo opp. 

Our weekend to-do list includes two birthday parties and carving a pumpkin.... we are very popular in the 5-10 year old birthday scene.

aLike

G and I have way too much fun with this app, aLike. You upload a photo to the app and the photo runs through a celebrity generator and then spits out your celebrity look-alike. It's SO bad it's humorous. G was once told he looks like Meryl Streep. I hardly ever get a match. 

We've had the most fun comparing Sam to celebrities. Here is the most recent (although not a recent pic, this is Sam at 3 months) - I totally see it!? Sammy Sam and William Shatner. Half a star. 

Disclaimer: This app is REALLY bad. We've had fun with it. I do not recommend this app if you are in search of an actual celebrity look-alike app. It's just provided us with SO many giggles. 

Weekend Wrap-Up

The A's spent the weekend in one of my favorite places on Earth, the Samoset Resort in Rockland. I've been visiting the Samoset since I was younger than Sam! I was only a few weeks old the first time my parents and I made the drive "downeast". It's such a magical place and holds such special memories of my childhood. It is also one of the only things from my childhood that hasn't lost its spark. I think that means it's pretty special. So many things stop sparkling as we grow up.

The Samoset and Christmas. Two things still sparkling.

Hopefully, Sam will feel the same way about the Samoset for many years.

Sam was amped to be there! And out of the car. This guy has been a champ with road trips these past weekends.

After getting settled Friday night, we got an early start Saturday and headed to Camden. It's just lovely this time of year.

I tried to get a "Maine" shot of Sam next to a lobster trap, but homeboy wasn't down. He looked kinda drunk in every shot.

These next three shots are Sam in full flirt mode. He found a lady at the deli to make eyes with while Mom and Dad enjoyed some coffee. This is his new flirting move, arching his back. I feel like it's kind of, "Do you see what I can do??" thing??

How much is Sam looking like his da-da in this last shot??

We ate lunch at Cappy's, my favorite lil chowder house. We feasted on clam chowder, a lobster roll, and onion rings. The only things I could find on the menu for Sammy were a burger no bun (his first) and sweet potato fries, from which I tried to remove the fried-ness. Just sayin', it's no easy task to remove fried-ness from fries.

Gosh I just love this little smirk.

G and I were so excited to show Sam the oreo-cookie cows. He was not as impressed.

This shot is from G's camera. I love the filter on this one. And I love those oreo-cookie cows.

After Camden, we went back to the resort for a wine-tasting. Sam was so well behaved - we actually enjoyed the tasting! Then, Sam found a dog. Oh my goodness. He LOVED this pup. Loved him loved him loved him. Maybe it was the wine, but G and I left the event discussing the possibilities of getting a dog - we loved the smile the pup put on Sam's face.

And out of kismet, we get a text from Uncle K and Aunt A sharing their news - - they are awaiting the arrival of a Aussiedoodle pup! Seriously cute doggies. Pressure's off - now that they have a pup, we aren't feeling the pressure to get one. Philadelphia is a nice place for Sam's pup. {wink}

Tried to get a family shot. Fail.

And tried again. Sam wasn't impressed. At all. BORED.

Pretty gorgeous, no?

Love this one of me and my boy.

Had to leave ya with this gem. Sam discovers that in addition to his fingertips, straws fit up the nose too!

As much as we have enjoyed these last few weekends, we are so excited to be travel-free until December. These weekend wrap-ups are going to become much, much shorter.

We got boo'ed!

Didn't ever think I would be so excited about being booed.

After our epic road trip back from PA, we arrived home on Monday night to a small Halloween basket sitting on our front porch. It's contents contained two Shipyard Pumpkinheads, cocktail napkins, two children's Halloween books, a pumpkin sippy-cup, and small Halloween decor including gel stickers for the windows, a glittering spider, and mini-pumpkin decorations with tiny markers for coloring. How CUTE?

We got booed!

The next day we searched the neighborhood for others who may have been booed. Only one family - that we have NEVER met, on the street over from us. Suspicious! (Our neighborhood layout is like a giant H, but with two cross streets as opposed to just the one.)

We had to pass on the boo. I went to Christmas Tree Shop and put together a basket. I choose to boo a really cute family who has been very nice to us since our arrival. They are grandparents and retired teachers, and recently invited many neighbors over to their home for a fall potluck. I also have a suspicion they may be the ones who started the boo-ing, but I was excited to send something their way even if it started with them.

Here's my basket to the neighbors:

I filled their basket with pumpkin cupcake mix, fall-themed cupcake holders, leaf cookie cutters, "Happy Harvest" gel stickers, cocktail napkins, autumn potpourri, and this adorable lil' pumpkin that reminded me of them. 

G ran over in the dark of night (7pm) rang the doorbell and SPRINTED down the cross street to the other side of our neighborhood, then snuck in the back porch through a neighbors yard. So funny. I love this! I hope we get boo'ed again next year!

By the Numbers - Wedding Gift

For the nuptials of K&A, I scoured the internet and local boutiques for a perfect gift. It came to me one morning while watching Kathie Lee and Hoda. Seriously.

Side note - how badly do you want to be either Kathie Lee or Hoda? Or at least have their job? Sipping wine in the morning and talking about current events and just being silly - I think I could EASILY do that with my bestie La Vie J'aime. 

HarveyGrey's prints were featured on the Today show and I just fell in love with her designs. My husband is a numbers guy, so I knew that I wanted to gift the custom latitude & longitude print for the wedding. 

How cute?!

Not only was I able to customize the coordinates to the location of K&A's nuptials, but I was also able to customize the background, coordinate, and heart colors. I choose the colors of the wedding - gray, yellow, and plum. 

The print arrived in four days after I asked for an expedited order. HarveyGrey was super easy to work with and was in contact throughout the draft and shipping process. This would be super cute for a housewarming gift, too. 

More from HarveyGrey...

Wedding Weekend

I just had to get the photos of the wedding onto the blog, but I also wanted to post a few shots from our trip to Pennsylvania!

This guy had a fever the weekend before the wedding. A fever that broke into a rash. A rash that covered his FACE, chest, neck, and back through Wednesday morning. Doc said it could last a week. I was panicked. Luckily, the rash cleared up overnight Wednesday into Thursday. Must have been the car ride.

On the road! 7 states in 7 hours. Gotta say, Connecticut is ALWAYS the worst stretch for me. This picture makes me laugh for two reasons - One: How hairy do G's arms look? He is not that hairy in real life! Bizarre flash. Two: Look at all the STUFF we had. 

Sam did great on the ride down and slept most of the way.

Lovin on Aunt A!

I just love this pic.

And this one too. Uncle K is a talented musician and music teacher so this photo is totally K in his element!

Sam met his Bubby! Bubby lives in AZ so our visits are few and far between. She has been so sweet to Sam though, sending care packages and the CUTEST outfits his way.

Just had to throw this one in. Suspenders. On a baby. I die.

Having fun with Grandad at the Welcome to PA Luncheon!

G and I were so worried about waking Sam from his nap to begin our day of scheduled activities. When we opened the door to the bedroom of the hotel, we found this little smiling face staring up at us! Sam's nap schedule through the weekend was perfect. He was definitely overtired as a whole, but his individual naps fit in to our demanding schedule.

And he LOVED exploring his new "home" for five days. Please don't comment on the germy-ness of hotel rooms. I get it. And don't want to think about it.

The A's Get Hitched!

Oh what an amazing wedding. AMAZING. I honestly believe that everyone was just BEAMING the entire weekend. I don't want to get too chatty so I am going to let the photos speak for themselves, but a few highlights:

• The Bride and Groom. Seriously, they are the best. We are so blessed to have these two in our lives and the life of our baby boy. Their friendships mean the WORLD to my hubby and I.
• The Bridal Party. Wow. Those are some seriously solid people. I would never have expected the "boys" to be SO good to Sammy, but they were so great with him. And the ladies, don't even get me started! Awesome girls. It was a blast to spend time with all of them. 
• The Wedding Party app. If you are getting married, make sure you create this app for your wedding party and guests! https://itunes.apple.com/us/app/wedding-party-getting-married/id494214305?mt=8 It was such a fun way to document the wedding and to see other guest's pics.
• And on a more serious note, as the bride and groom were about to exchange their vows (written themselves), a pack of geese left the pond next to the ceremony and soared overhead. It was SUCH a beautiful moment and an amazing omen for this incredible couple. A lifetime of happiness - remember, those geese mate for life!

All the A's!

Sam decided this weekend was as good a time as any to start "walking"

Sweetest ring bearer. Ever.

 LOVE this photo of my guys rehearsing. 

Rehearsal got a little crazy.

How FUNNY is this baby photo of the Bride? Makes me laugh every time I look at it.

Cousin S was so sweet to Sam. In return, he was INCREDIBLY patient with her. Those lil animals she is swinging in front of him? She wouldn't let him touch them. Props to Sam for not tackling her out of frustration!

Sunrise on the morning of the wedding. We were all SO amped to see this. After torrential downpours Thurs-Fri with some light rain on Saturday, I think we were all a tad worried about the weather on wedding day. It turned out to be an absolutely perfect sunny fall day!

I made this.

Listening to a reading.

Dad walking his daughter down the aisle.

Sammy flirting with all the 'maids.

Showing Grandad his new shows. Love that little pointed toe!

Bridal party. 

Sam had NO IDEA what was going on but was in good spirits all weekend!

Bride and Groom!

The end of Sam's night.

Fearsome Foursome.

The last song of the night.

Sammy prepping the cooler of spirits with Da-Da and Uncle K on the wedding day.

My groom and I. Xo!