Back from vacation!

We're ba-aaack!

Adam, Aiden and I spent nine glorious days in FL and boy am I tired! Why is it that so many of us seem to need a vacation after our vacation?! Here's how our trip went from beginning to end:

Adam dropped Aiden and me off at the airport a week ago Monday. I was so nervous to fly with the boy but he was soooo good. (I really should give him more credit!) Adam joined us in FL on Tuesday evening and we had a few beautiful days at the beach and the pool, getting sun, having fun in the water, and just relaxing.

Beach bum! Notice the bottle...he just fed Aiden

Having fun with Grammy

The boy LOVES the water...He kept licking the salt off of his hands and fingers. It was hysterical! And a little gross...

Beautiful Vanderbilt Beach in Naples, FL

He was obsessed with my Mom's beach hat

We celebrated my 30th birthday with my parents while we were in Fort Myers and Adam and I even had the chance to go on a date on Friday night, which was so fun, and so very needed! We went on a sunset dolphin cruise and then out to a late dinner at Bahama Breeze (yum!).

On the cruise

Manatee Zone

A $12 million house on the water....just gorgeous!

Beautiful sunset

On Sunday, after Adam left, I called him to let him know that he forgot our pillows and I wasn't able to fit them in my suitcase. He hadn't gone far and he was backtracking to get them, but it was getting late and since he had a 12 hour drive ahead of him, he decided that he'd stay in a hotel that night instead of driving straight through. To make a long story short, we decided that Aiden and I would go with Adam instead of flying home the next day and we'd go to Disney World on the way back, extending our vacation by a couple of days. What an unexpected treat! :)

Mommy and Aiden on Main Street, USA

Daddy and Aiden on Main Street, USA

Cinderella's Castle...it never gets old! :)

I think we have some video of Aiden in the water and at Disney but I'm still tired from spending 3 full days at Disney plus the looooong drive home. Sorry for the short commentary, but this is one tired Momma!

My first Mother's Day

This past Sunday was such a sweet day for me...It was my first Mother's Day! My Mother's Day celebration actually started on Saturday. Adam went to a childhood friend's wedding in Wake Forest, NC (I didn't go because we didn't have anyone to watch Aiden and the wedding started too late to bring him) so Aiden and I went to Portrait Innovations to get our picture taken together. While we were waiting for our pictures to be printed we went on our first solo dinner date together. This is how I described it to Adam via text message that night:

Me: "Aiden and I went to Jason's Deli on a date."

Adam: "Did he pay?"

Me: "No, I paid...and he flirted with other women throughout dinner..."

Adam: "That's not very gentleman like!"

Here's the pictures that Aiden and I took together:

My actual Mother's Day (Sunday) was a very nice, relaxing family day. It started off with me receiving a beautiful ring from Adam and Aiden (if you look closely at the front side it says "MOM").

Our afternoon plans were to go to Firebird's for a late lunch and then we wanted to head over to Adventure Landing to play mini-golf, but we have a baby, so those plans didn't exactly pan out. We got to Firebirds around 2:45, thinking we'd go at a time when it wouldn't be as busy, but there was still a 45 minute wait--not happening with a 10 month old. We wound up eating at Five Guys instead. Then on our way over to Adventure Landing Aiden fell asleep. Needless to say we didn't play mini-golf! Instead we went over to Lowe's and Adam sat with Aiden in the card while I bought some hanging baskets for the shepards hook I bought for my backyard.

No, it wasn't what we planned but it was a wonderful day. I am indeed beyond blessed to be a mother.

Tasty Tuesday (One day late...)

I haven't been quite the domestic diva that I would like to be lately...I've been feeling kind of blah, and when I get like that I don't want to do more than I HAVE to do (being that I'm the mommy of a 10 and 1/2 month old boy, there's plenty I have to do...). I need to get out of this slump of quick dinners and spotty housekeeping...

I really do like to cook, but this past week I can't seems to motivate myself.

So, in honor of needing to give myself a swift quick in the pants, here's a recipe that gets rave reviews everytime I make it:

Tuscan Beef Soup:

1 lb ground beef, cooked and drained (ground Italian Sausage would also be fab with this!)
2 carrots, chopped
2 potatoes, chopped
1 onion, chopped
1 celery stalk, chopped
1 can (14.5 oz) diced tomatoes, undrained
2 cans, (14.5 oz each) beef broth
2 teaspoons Italian seasoning
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon pepper
1/4 teaspoon crushed red pepper
1 1/2 cups water
1 can (15oz) dark red kidney beans, drained and rinsed
1 cup chopped unpeeled zucchini
1 cup frozen cut green beans, partially thawed
2 tablespoons minced Italian parsley
Shredded Parmesan cheese

Combine all ingredients, except kidney beans, zucchini, green beans, parsley, and grated cheese in a pot. Stir well, cook until potatoes are almost cooked through then stir in kidney beans, zucchini, green beans, and parsley. Cook until all ingredients are hot.

Garnish with grated cheese and extra parsley.

Tip:

This can also be made in your slow cooker! Use your "soup" preset (or cook on low for 6 hours) and then add the remaining ingredients and switch to high for one more hour. (7 hours total)

Mr. Noodle

I've been watching a lot of PBS Kids lately. More than I thought I'd be watching with a 10 month old. No, we don't sit in front of the TV all day, but our morning consists of floor play while we watch (some of) Sesame Street, Curious George, or (sometimes) Martha Speaks. I usually DVR one or more of these shows so that we can watch them later in the day, but we always watch one thing: Elmo's World. The boy loves his Elmo!

Now, Elmo is cute and I can see why so many kids love him, but I think the real star of the show is Mr. Noodle. (Not so much Mr. Noodle's brother, Mr. Noodle, but I do like when they are both on at the same time.) Why this affection for Mr. Noodle, you ask? I don't know if I can narrow it down to one reason. I just know that he makes me laugh and, in some ways, he reminds me of my dad. Scary, I know, but if you know my dad you can probably understand why.

So, here's to you, Mr. Noodle. You give this mommy a much needed laugh every morning. What else can a mommy ask for? :)

(This is the episode we saw this morning)

Soon and very soon!

I know that age is just a number. You're only as old as you feel, right? (Good grief....that means some days I'm a 60 year old woman!) I will be turning 30 years old thirty days from today--May 21st. I'm not upset about it. I won't be ashamed to tell people my age. I won't be eternally 29. I just can't believe how quickly it came. It feels like my twenties went by in the blink of an eye.

I just realized something: The reason my twenties went by so quickly is because they were so much fun! Between college and really being out on my own in my early twenties, to meeting the man of my dreams and marrying at 25, to having a career where I truly felt I made a difference, to buying and decorating a house, and finally to having my life long dream of becoming a mother become a reality, I have lived a wonderful, blessed life.

Adam, Aiden, and I are heading down to Ft. Myers, FL for my birthday week. I know I'm not a kid anymore, but I still love the idea of making a fuss over the "big" birthdays. I wanted to do a cruise, but I had to accept that bringing a baby on a cruise probably wouldn't work. Instead, we are spending the week with my parents at their Florida home. (I'm also toying with the idea of having a themed 30th birthday party...)

I am very excited to get away--I haven't been anywhere (except NJ) since Aiden's been born--but I'm also nervous, too. Adam and I decided that it would be best for Aiden if Adam drove to FL so that we could bring the things we really need while we're away. (It also helps that we're saving money that way...) So, yes, I will flying with my little man all by myself. All. by. my. self. It gives me chills...

Yes, my Aiden is a good boy, but he's never flown before, so I guess what I most afraid of is the unknown. What if he poops mid-flight? Where am I supposed to change him? (The boy wants to be changed immeadiately!) What if he cries the entire time? What if we have a delay on the runway? All of this stresses me out...

But I am choosing to look on the bright side. I'm going on vacation...woo hoo! The flight is only two hours (only...ha!) and if worse comes to worse, I can just feed him puffs for two hours straight. :o)

So, I am embracing my thirties with excitement. I can't wait to see what wonderful experiences the Lord has in store for me! And I'll let you know how the flight goes...