Tuesday, June 19, 2012
Sunday, June 17, 2012
Fathers Day: Part one
We decided to surprise Jay with a few gifts this Fathers Day. I ordered two sets of concert tickets that I came across, since we had so much fun at the Dierks Bentley concert. One is in June, right around the corner, and the other is in late July. But they're both at different venues, so I'm excited to travel a little for some mommy-daddy time!
His big present was the grill. We LOVE to grill. In the summertime, I can eat just about anything off of the grill. And I love charcoal. But sometimes it's a pain to fire up the charcoal grill for just a few chicken breasts or hamburgers. Solution? A duo grill! Half propane, half charcoal, with a burner on the side and room on the other side for a smoker box. Win-win!
This is the "before" picture. I tried so hard to keep everything a secret, but I knew I wouldn't be able to keep it up through the weekend. So I arranged to pick it up at Lowes on Friday before Father's Day on Sunday. Picked it up, got it home, and was confused as to why the cover didn't fit. Then I realized...when they assembled it, they put the wrong lids on the wrong sides! Ugh. I called Lowes, and spoke to the least helpful person possible who suggested I just fix it myself. Sure, I'll do that. Except, I just paid a lot of money and am not satisfied with what I received. I made a quick trip to Lowes, and sure enough a manager was glad to assist me. He had two workers at my house early Saturday morning with a new grill, this time put together the right way!
We celebrated Father's Day with a little bourbon salmon, some shrimp and our new favorite, grilled bruschetta! I also found this sweet little sign, perfect for Jay's first father's day as a dad to two.
His big present was the grill. We LOVE to grill. In the summertime, I can eat just about anything off of the grill. And I love charcoal. But sometimes it's a pain to fire up the charcoal grill for just a few chicken breasts or hamburgers. Solution? A duo grill! Half propane, half charcoal, with a burner on the side and room on the other side for a smoker box. Win-win!
This is the "before" picture. I tried so hard to keep everything a secret, but I knew I wouldn't be able to keep it up through the weekend. So I arranged to pick it up at Lowes on Friday before Father's Day on Sunday. Picked it up, got it home, and was confused as to why the cover didn't fit. Then I realized...when they assembled it, they put the wrong lids on the wrong sides! Ugh. I called Lowes, and spoke to the least helpful person possible who suggested I just fix it myself. Sure, I'll do that. Except, I just paid a lot of money and am not satisfied with what I received. I made a quick trip to Lowes, and sure enough a manager was glad to assist me. He had two workers at my house early Saturday morning with a new grill, this time put together the right way!
We celebrated Father's Day with a little bourbon salmon, some shrimp and our new favorite, grilled bruschetta! I also found this sweet little sign, perfect for Jay's first father's day as a dad to two.
Exploring
Now that she has a little more motor control, Lila is enjoying some of her other toys!
The exersaucer is a ton of fun for all of us! Mom and dad get some hands-free time in the kitchen or living room, and Hayden loves to help her play with all the parts. Lila loves to grab all the add-ons, and of course everything goes straight to her mouth.
This is Sophie the giraffe. She's a teething toy, that's soft and squishy and also squeaks! I think Hayden may like this one a bit more than Lila so far, and it absolutely puts the dogs in a frenzy. But it feels good on those little gums!
We can feel our time with the swing drawing to a close, but what a wonderful soothing place it's been for our sleepy girl. She still catches a good nap or two in it on the weekends, with her pup-pup, but soon it will go to the attic to wait for another baby that needs it!
This is Sophie the giraffe. She's a teething toy, that's soft and squishy and also squeaks! I think Hayden may like this one a bit more than Lila so far, and it absolutely puts the dogs in a frenzy. But it feels good on those little gums!
We can feel our time with the swing drawing to a close, but what a wonderful soothing place it's been for our sleepy girl. She still catches a good nap or two in it on the weekends, with her pup-pup, but soon it will go to the attic to wait for another baby that needs it!
Thursday, June 14, 2012
Baby food!
We were going to wait until 6 months to start Lila on solids, just like we did with Hayden. But if the last five months have taught me anything, it's that babies are all different from one another. Lila sits in her high chair while we eat dinner, and she's absolutely obsessed with everything we put in our mouths. She watches every bite, every sip, and reaches to grab anything in her path. So we decided to try a little baby oatmeal and see how she felt about it.
She was a little suspicious at first, having spent her whole life so far on a liquid diet. But she got the hang of it pretty quickly, and seemed to like eating a little something at the table like us. Babies have a tendency to push stuff out of their mouths, so it's a fully focused affair to try to get about a tablespoon of oatmeal in her mouth at one sitting. But what a fun adventure!
Not bad for our first try! With the help of some friends and a few good websites, I've started making her baby food. I've only tried squash so far, but it was so quick and easy that I hope to make all of her food. We spend time at the local farmer's market every weekend, so I'm excited to pick some local produce to steam and puree, feed and freeze. I'm also excited to try some "out of the box" foods that Gerber doesn't make...like avocado, melons, beans and mango. The sky's the limit, right?
She was a little suspicious at first, having spent her whole life so far on a liquid diet. But she got the hang of it pretty quickly, and seemed to like eating a little something at the table like us. Babies have a tendency to push stuff out of their mouths, so it's a fully focused affair to try to get about a tablespoon of oatmeal in her mouth at one sitting. But what a fun adventure!
Not bad for our first try! With the help of some friends and a few good websites, I've started making her baby food. I've only tried squash so far, but it was so quick and easy that I hope to make all of her food. We spend time at the local farmer's market every weekend, so I'm excited to pick some local produce to steam and puree, feed and freeze. I'm also excited to try some "out of the box" foods that Gerber doesn't make...like avocado, melons, beans and mango. The sky's the limit, right?
Tuesday, June 12, 2012
A perfect wedding
This weekend we attended the wedding of my Salem little sister, Dr. Leighton Kennedy to her sweet fiance Nate. We left the kids at home and headed to Mooresville for probably the best wedding I've ever been to. Not the biggest, or fanciest, or most expensive, but I have never had so much fun, or seen a bride have so much fun at her own wedding. Exactly as it should be!
As soon as we got there, I was instantly glad we left the kids at home. I debated back and forth, back and forth. The thing is, I have no problem with other people's kids at weddings. I just don't personally believe in taking them. Hayden is 3, which means all he wants to do is run and be loud, especially if he's outside. And we've taught him that outside is the appopriate place to do just that. He can't appreciate the fact that my sweet little sister is pledging her life and love to one man, and how amazing she looks in that white dress. Nor could he have resisted the temptation to play in the sand, or attempt to jump in the water. And Lila? Lila decided at 2 months old that 7 pm was her bedtime, thankyouverymuch, and she wasn't interested in missing it. Hayden as a baby could go and do and sleep or not sleep, easy going. Lila prefers structure, and I have to respect that. So anything after 7 requires her crib and an adult to supervise.
The ceremony was cute and quirky, and I loved the vows. Dr. Adrian, a Salem professor, did the officiating and he was as charming as always. As soon as they walked back down the aisle as husband and wife, the catering staff fired up grill after grill to cook steaks, salmon and kabobs, while we enjoyed cocktails and snacks and the company of so many of our friends that made the trip from places like OBX and Alaska. Dinner, drinks, dancing, cake...all the ingredients for a perfect evening created the most delicious evening I've had in a really long time.
So thanks to Leighton and Nate for getting married, and letting us share their special evening. Thanks to all of Those Girls for a fun night we'll never forget, and for reminding me once again how truly special Salem is. Thanks to the chardonnay for the hangover, I haven't had one of those in a long, long time. And thanks to Hayden and Lila, who wake up at 6am even on the weekends, even when mommy has only been in bed a few hours...thanks for reminding me that wild nights with old friends are worth being tired and spending our first waking hours as a family in bed watching cartoons.
Roll baby roll
Bubbles
Well, she's still not sold on bath time yet, but she's having a little more fun!
Our ped suggested dandruff shampoo to help with her cradle cap and holy cow, what a difference! Not only does it clear up the cradle cap, but it makes her hair a lot more manageable as well.
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