I’ve been writing this post in my head for several days. I’m still not sure I can effectively communicate how fantastic our trip was. I kept thinking that this might have been the best trip of my life. Then I felt guilty. I mean, I spent four amazing weeks in the Cayman Islands when I was in college. Then there was the trip my man and I took for our honeymoon. So with those two other trips mentioned, I will say this was one of the best trips of my life! The kids were so well-behaved! They were angels on all four flights and just about every moment in between. I dealt with a three-year-old, who is definitely asserting her independence, but overall, she made me proud.

The time with my family was so special! We had nothing pressing, no “to-dos”, just the time to enjoy each other. Before I left home I really felt that I needed this break to survive the winter. I know, sounds so dramatic, right? I just felt so many burdens weighing me down. Then we got to Florida. What a reprieve! I told my dad that I should’ve probably gone a little later in the year, when it was high 70s, but I needed the break right when I got it. I “put up with” 60s and 70s in order to be completely refreshed when I needed it most.

Now we’re back. It’s 24 degrees. But I’m so grateful for the time we had in Florida. I can’t complain about being back. I flew over my friend Tasha’s house and my church as we descended into our home airport. So instead of being depressed, I sat and looked forward to all of the friends I would see the next day at church and in the days to come. I needed that reminder! Because I cried buckets when we left my parents. Baby Girl held on to her Papa! When he put her down she started crying a heart-broken, silent cry. Leaving was hard. But now we have so many memories and millions of pictures! And the promise that next year will be just as sweet!

Thanks, Papa and Nani! We love you!

*Just as an addition to this post: One thing I didn’t put in my suitcase on purpose? My mousse. It was almost gone. I figured I’d be fine without the little bit left. I thought I had another one at home. I didn’t. So I’ve spent the week with my hair in a ponytail. Oops. And it would have fit in my suitcase. So that’s awesome.

I’m still working on writing my how we met story, but this little trip to Florida has sort of put that to the side. But I had to share this story today, because seven years ago today, February 12, 2005, my man asked me to be his wife.

Valentine’s Day was on a Monday that year. We had classes, so we decided to each plan a weekend on either end of Valentine’s Day. My man decided he wanted the first weekend. All he told me was to dress casual. I sort of wondered if he would ask but I tried really hard not to think about it. I wanted to be surprised. I tend to over-think everything, which makes surprising me difficult.

He picked me up around 9, I think. I was wearing jeans, a t-shirt, and a hoodie…so fancy, you know? He had a cooler, maps (before GPS), and lots of secrets. I tried to guess what we were doing the whole time. I finally figured out the first thing. We were going horseback riding! He remembered the one time I mentioned that I had never ridden a horse by myself. We rode through the woods with Table Rock Mt in the background. We had fun!
Next stop was for lunch. We drove to a state park for lunch. Earlier in the year we had visited a state park in the area. My man thought we were heading to that park. Little did he know that he mixed up two nearby state parks. We drove around the state park trying to find where we thought we were supposed to be. At this point I started thinking, “There’s no way he is proposing today.” My man is thorough. He would have maps printed, exact times set, etc. There was no way he would get lost on the day he was going to propose.
We settled on a nice spot by a lake (with Table Rock in the background) to eat our lunch. The park was fairly empty (it was February, after all). We sat and ate a delicious lunch and chatted. After lunch I was just sitting on the blanket, and my man says, “Wanna skip rocks?” At this point I thought, “This is our special date? We’re skipping rocks?”  We started picking up our lunch. I was shaking out the blanket when I heard him call my name. When I turned around he was down on one knee. I was shocked, and maybe a little ashamed that I had those few unkind thoughts moments earlier. I don’t remember exactly what he said. I wish I did. But I know I said yes. (I might have said, “Seriously?” first.)

We ended up finding the other state park, and it was crowded. We’re pretty glad we had our own private lunch at the first park. We headed home, where I found a dozen roses waiting for me. We dressed up and went to a Japanese hibachi grill for supper, then downtown for ice cream. My man even stopped so that I could tell my best friends in person.

We’ve been through a lot in the last seven years. We’ve lived in five homes, two states, finished grad school, had two kids, and the journey is just getting started. I know this, though, I wouldn’t take back that “yes” for any reason.

I love you, Babe! Thanks for asking.

By the way, I don’t remember what we did on my date weekend, but I know it wasn’t nearly as exciting as the weekend before!

I am still alive and kicking. I have so many things I want to say. So much going on in my life and in my head. But it’s not been my week for extra time on my hands. Buddy is sick. There’s a tiny part of me that fears it’s pertussis (whooping cough) and part of me that hopes it’s a cold. Needless to say, he’s not sleeping, at all. He is coughing so badly. His nose is non-stop running.
Then I went out to get a hot chocolate with a turbo shot of espresso this morning. What did I find? A flooded downstairs. Not terrible, but that took up an hour or so of our time. I was planning to have my man organize the basement storage room while we were in FL. Ha! Guess we’ll do it now.
So, I don’t have time to write. I will someday. I hope.

My friend Tasha at My Homemade Happiness nominated my blog for the Liebster Award!

“A Liebster Blog Award is a fun way to recognize your fellow bloggers and get the word out about how much you love them! It’s specifically for smaller blogs and those of us who are just getting started! Liebster is a German word that means favorite or dearest.” I was thrilled to be included in Tasha’s list of five bloggers!

Here is my list of great small blogs!

My Homemade Happiness

I have to admit, even if she didn’t nominate me I would’ve put Tasha on my list. She often makes me laugh as she talks about raising three boys (and being overrun by Legos). And her recipes look amazing! I’ve had her cooking and can attest to how talented she is in the kitchen!

Just Another Day in Paradise

I was drawn to Kathy’s blog when I found out she was from Connecticut, but now I just love reading whatever she writes. She shares crafts, stories about her girls and homeschooling, and encouragement for me as a mom. I loved her series on Becoming a Joyful Wife and Mother. She gave such practical ideas and again encouraged me to enjoy my job as mom and wife.

Navigating the Mothership

I don’t remember how I found Laura’s blog, but I’ve been laughing and commiserating with her ever since. She had her baby boy about two weeks after I had Buddy. I’ve enjoyed seeing another baby grow up with Buddy. And sorry, Laura, but I was sort of happy to hear that my son wasn’t the only clingy, non-sleeping baby on the planet. I loved reading her love story and am seriously contemplating trying to write my love story out as well.

The Illiterate Author

My friend Alissa just started this blog a few months ago. She reviews the books she reads and usually has me laughing about something. She will probably be mad at me for mentioning her blog, but hey, I like reading it.  I’m sure she’d love ideas from all of you for some great books to read!

Blue Jeans and Cotton Tees

I think I started reading Melinda’s blog at a blog party a year or two ago. I admit, I’m totally drawn in by her description of country life with Amish neighbors. She has a great sense of humor in every situation.  I’m sorry for any of you animal lovers out there, but her story about Little Bunny Fufu made me laugh out loud!

There you have it, my five nominations for great small blogs! Check ‘em out!

I want to have a post full of other great posts, but I’m sitting down quickly before getting back to my baking. So, you’ll get what you get.

I just read this post about disagreements in marriage. Not that my man and I ever have them. Having a newborn, getting through all the holidays, etc are not at all stressful! We are always happy and loving. Okay, so maybe not. I have been working on “fighting fair” lately, not acting like a little kid fighting with her sibling. (It’s true, baby; I am working on it.) This was just one more reminder to act mature and handle disagreements in the right way.

I’ve shared before about my struggle with just being a stay-at-home-mom. But that’s my job. And I see the importance of it. This post just reminded me once again of how important my job is.

This question has been a problem in our house this Christmas more so than any other Christmas. My man and I have just had to buy gifts while we’re together a little bit more. So, do you still wrap it and pretend you don’t remember what you’re getting? Or do you just use the gift before Christmas? What would you do?

I am taking these rules to heart today and in the weeks to come. You should, too.

And finally, Baby Girl and I sat and giggled through this video last night. This morning she wanted to see it again. This is currently one of our favorite songs. We sing it constantly. Of course, when I tried to make a video she just acted silly.

Any posts you’ve enjoyed this week?

Tonight Baby Girl got to talk to her grandparents. She got to see them. They read her books; she showed them her paintings. She told them all about her day. All through Skype and Google chat. What a blessing! Grandma and Grandpa are in OH (roughly 11 hours away). Nani and Papa are in FL (probably 24 hours away…sniff, sniff). And her adopted Nana and Grandpa are in CT (4 hours away). And she talked to all of them tonight!
Sometimes I wish people talked more, texted less, wrote letters instead of emails, but tonight? I am so grateful for technology! I wish I could’ve talked to my grandparents like that when I was a kid!
So very thankful!

I’m here to help you. So, if you need a new small appliance in your house, I will tell you how to achieve that goal.

Start by planning to do something special for your husband. This may sound simple, but I bought my man some hard taco shells. I am not a huge fan, so when we have tacos we either have taco salad or soft tacos. I decided to get him a pack of hard tacos. I know, I’m so sweet.

While I was fixing dinner, he came in. I showed him my surprise. He was happy about it and told me he had to bake them. (I didn’t know this bit of info.) He put them in our toaster oven while we sat down to eat. After a few minutes we heard a little click. He stood up to check on the taco shells. He says he saw orange and only orange. What do you do when there is a fire in your toaster oven? We didn’t know either. When he opened it up the flames got higher. Bad decision. We had to get it out of the house. He carried it (with hot pads) out the back door. Thankfully, it was raining out. Before he put out the fire he said, “You wanna get a picture?” Oh yeah, I thought, great idea!

There’s my toaster! A wedding present on fire!

And there’s my man, putting out the fire!

The toaster sat out there all night…it was raining, after all.

Saturday morning we headed out to buy a new toaster oven. Let me just say, it’s more fun to register for one and let someone else buy it. Oh well. We have a new toaster oven. Our house is still standing, and we had some important discussions about what we would do if our house were to catch on fire.
Not something I wish to relive again, though! So, actually, if you need a new small appliance, just go buy it. Don’t do it my way.

What a gorgeous weekend here in the northeast! It was close to 80 and sunny. The leaves are changing. Ahh…my favorite time of year. We stayed pretty busy but also had some downtime at home.

• First, my Clemson Tigers won! What a great team this year! I’m hoping the QB’s injuries aren’t too bad and he’ll be back soon.
• Yesterday, the Patriots also won…against the Jets! Yay, yay, yay! I love football season. I think it’s kind of funny because I remember sitting with friends in high school asking question after question about the rules. I still don’t get it all, but I’ve come to love football season!
  
  Buddy loves it, too!
• We went apple picking Saturday. We got a great deal online…1/2 a bushel and 1/2 a gallon of cider for $10. We didn’t realize how many apples are in 1/2 a bushel! I have a lot of baking and freezing to do this week!
  
• Friday evening we walked to our neighborhood farmers’ market. It was the last one of the season (so sad, it’s our favorite weekly event). Baby Girl made a craft, we bought a pumpkin swirl bread (YUM), and wood-fired pizza for dinner. We have enjoyed every visit to the farmers’ market this year and look forward to next summer!
  Maybe this isn’t the greatest picture, but I captured it on our walk home from the farmers’ market. Baby Girl loves to see hot air balloons and the moon…they were right near each other! She was pretty excited!
• We walked a lot this weekend…to the park, to the library, to the farmers’ market. I’m going to miss this come winter!Happy Fall! I hope you all enjoyed your weekend, too!

Actually, it’s closer to 3 1/2 months; what can I say? I’ve been stretched thin lately. I had a nice post all planned out in my head. Then we went down to help my parents move. The rest, as they say, is history.
But my Buddy is 3 months old! And I wanted to celebrate that we’ve all made it!

Becoming a family of four was a big adjustment for us. Baby Girl and I had gotten into our routine. We’d talk, play, shop, etc every day. Then came this little baby who wouldn’t let us do those things like we used to. I was used to sleeping. That definitely wasn’t happening with this guy. But slowly, we’re discovering our new normal. And it isn’t such a bad thing.

Buddy, you are a blessing! You’re always smiling and laughing. You have a scratchy-throat laugh. I love it! When I think back to those first 6 weeks when you cried constantly because you were in pain, I rejoice. You truly are a different baby. You’re happy. You’re strong. You’re not in pain.

You love your sister. You watch everything she does. Yesterday she was running circles around you…literally…and you kept moving your head back and forth to catch her every time she came around.
Your sister loves you. The other day in the car you were crying and she kept telling you, “It’s okay, Big Guy, we’ll be at Micah and Alissa’s house soon. You’ll be okay.” She finds your teething toys (yes, you’re teething!) and sticks them in your mouth for you. She is constantly telling you, “I love you!” (and then she says, “Say, ‘I love you, too.’”)

You enjoy tummy time, which is so different from your sister. She would scream the whole time. You want to roll over, but haven’t quite figured out how. The Bumbo usage is pretty much over because you try to fling yourself out the back of it. I blame your sister for teaching you that trick. One of these days you’re going to flip your bouncy seat, too. Where am I going to put you when I need to do the laundry or make lunch?
These last three months have been hard. Not just because you joined us; there’s been so much more going on. But I have you. Even when I’m still in pain from your delivery, I look at your smile and it is worth it. I love you, Buddy!

Now, let’s discuss that sleeping-through-the-night thing….

I’ve slept one hour since 3 am. Seems like a good time to look on the positive side of things, right?

• Okay, I can’t help it. I am mentioning my bed. I love this weather right now…warm during the day, cool at night. I love it because there is nothing I love more than cuddling up in my blankets on my bed. Ahhh…. Too bad I have to get out of bed several times a night still. Hopefully by winter I’ll be enjoying my bed for much longer stretches of time.
  (My mom made this blanket. It’s one of my favorites.)
• Family days
  Yesterday we enjoyed the morning at the fair. Really, a fair is an over-priced, money-stealing place. But we get free tickets and only buy one or two food items. Having a little one does make it more worth it; she loves the animals! And by seeing all of the animals and getting our card punched, we got a free ice cream! Yay!
  
• Apple cider donuts
  Yes, they are out already! I eat way too many donuts this time of year, but it has to last me all winter, spring, and summer!
  
• An evening run…  all by myself, just my ipod and me. Then there’s the feeling when I get back, all sweating and tired, but knowing I accomplished something and cleared my head.