lbs good spoon

The story of our home

2013-05-22T15:13:00.001-04:00

Here we are. Homeowners. We feel like we've signed our life away, are super sleep deprived and living like nomads a bit until this weekend.

People ask about our house, want to see more pictures, and want to hear how we got it. When we found out we had to be out of our apartment by June 1 we started looking for places. We've always been okay with moving outside the city and wanted a place that would be okay driving distance for Benjamin's job too.

Looking at rentals was super depressing. City life is so pricey for such little space.

So we went out with a realtor one day who I had met at an open house a few weeks before and essentially the first place we walked into Benjamin said "it's great- I'll take it." That place is the home we ended up buying.

Every other home didn't wow us and we couldn't see ourselves in it. So. We low-balled an offer after seeing the home once more, comparing it to others in the neighborhood and sleeping on it. Offer accepted.

The whole process took a week and was quite the whirlwind considering Anderson and I were both sick and Benjamin was preparing for finals.

Now we've been painting and gradually moving in. Our furniture will move this weekend and then we'll officially be out in the country.

Fun at the Zoo

2013-05-15T13:46:00.001-04:00

We made it to the zoo this morning. Hooray. Mission completed.

Although a bit rainy at times it was a good morning to be there. The kids were at the perfect age to watch the monkeys and lions and polar bears, oh my.

I'm going to let go of the idea of getting to a museum. We can make that a day trip when he's older.

Thankful for a fun morning- and now back to packing.

Things I'm going to Miss

2013-05-14T20:19:00.001-04:00

It's our last full week here. We close on the house on Friday and now that they've sent us a lovely email with the money we need to bring with us at closing I suppose it's really happening.

Last night at dinner Benjamin asked me to pray and I started but couldn't finish. I'm going to miss it here.

I'm going to miss our neighborhood- the trees and most importantly our neighbors, two of whom have become dear friends. Our kids are all close enough in age that they play well together and we can call one another when we have free mornings or afternoons and need to go for a walk, the park, or just have one another over to socialize.

I'm going to miss being so close to the city... In that I'll miss that I can get my favorite ice cream of all time (Jeni's Salted Caramel) at a wine and cheese shop 15 minutes from our house. I'll miss that 2 minutes from that shop is a little bakery with the best petifores I've eve had. I'll miss that if we want to we can go to some great restaurants and be home in 10 minutes. I'll miss that the zoo and other museums can be a morning activity and not consume a whole day.

I'll miss old town Alexandria. It's reminded me sometimes of Santa Barbara in that its got character but isn't an overwhelming city.

I'll miss del ray. When we venture down there it reminds me of some little parts of Denver I liked when visiting. I'll miss the mom and pop shops galore.

Although our house has been driving me crazy with its lack of space and overall fact that its been fighting us- its our first place together. It's the house we brought Anderson home to and where he's spent 20 months of his life. There are a lot of memories here and as Benjamin has reminded me- we'll look back at this little place and think of how quaint it was.

This time is in fact bittersweet.

Soaking it up

2013-05-08T21:38:00.001-04:00

Trying to enjoy our last couple weeks in our neighborhood and close to the city. I have high hopes of trying to get to the zoo and to the natural history museum so Anderson can see the big dinosaurs before we go. We'll still be close enough but not 10 minutes close.

In the midst of packing I'm figuring out paint colors and think we've made some progress today. Potentially the neutral for the family room, kitchen, dining room, and master are figured out. Hooray!

A little update

2013-04-28T21:37:00.001-04:00

Things have been busy around here. Anderson and I were sick for a week, we found out we had to move out of our apartment, we house hunted, and now we're in the process of buying a house. Big times around here.

My free time is now consumed with packing boxes and trying to figure out paint colors. I'll be back when I can!

Balanced Beginnings with Robin Long

2013-04-05T14:08:00.000-04:00

You've heard me talk about Robin over at the Balanced Life before. Robin is now pregnant and knew she had to come up with a Pilates program that would work for her growing belly. She just came out with Balanced Beginnings, a program for mamma's to be!

Since many of you are in that boat I wanted to encourage you to check the program out and if it seems like it may be a good fit act now to get $100 off the program!

Check it out Here!

stir crazy

2013-04-04T21:26:00.002-04:00

This winter is dragging on which has us all going a bit stir crazy inside. 55 degrees seems to be the magic number to me for when it's warm enough to go outside. Lately it's been just shy of 50 and too cold.

In my state of being cooped up I did some re-arranging with the help of my Mom and husband and am thankful for the new layout. Spring cleaning is no joke. We cleaned our kitchen after the mice, and now Anderson has more room to play in our tiny apartment thanks to the addition of a bookcase that I didn't want in our house for the longest time for fear it would block natural sunlight. That is of little concern to me now that there's a toddler who needs room to run.

We also moved this piece to a new location and finally got a new rug for our kitchen table area which is really the play area and home of all his toys. The old rug with multiple stains had it's time and is now at home in the dump.

sign from Between You and Me Etsy Shop . my Christmas gift from Benny

Tiffany's plate- wedding gift

framed photo from Hawaii. Frame from Homegoods

Candlesticks from our wedding

Wooden Spoons from my Mother-in-Law

All displayed on a piece of furniture that was my Mom's

national harbor children's museum

2013-04-02T06:00:00.000-04:00

I think we're just now entering the real toddler phase of needing to get out and be active in the mornings, do some more activities, and make the most of where we live. We should always be doing that but I'm not always the best and have to actively look into what's around me.

A friend joined the National Harbor Children's Museum so we went as her guest the other week. It's a nice new museum with lots for them to do, crafts, story time, and if you go around Spring Break, lots of other kids.

I think we'll happily go again as a guest but probably won't be getting a membership any day soon. Anderson's favorite activity was climbing up the car tracks and thankfully the other kids didn't seem to mind. It was one of the first things I've done with his this winter where I wasn't too nervous about germs now that we're done with traveling and holidays.

Bring on spring though please, I'm ready to be outside not in!

there are bunnies in here

2013-04-01T06:00:00.000-04:00

We got to see Owen this weekend for a short visit. Grammy of course got the boys some treats, bunny ears included.

Happy Easter!

2013-03-31T06:00:00.000-04:00

He is Risen!

Hope you're celebrating in your Sunday Best!

dipping eggs

2013-03-30T13:58:00.002-04:00

There are still a lot of things that I figure will matter much more in the future when it comes to holidays. Anderson could care less if we colored eggs or not, but we did and of course I had to snap a picture, all be it a blurry one!

Anderson likes to dip his food a lot. "Dip it, dip it" he says. And so when it came to eggs it was easy to just assume we were dipping them.

Happy Easter Weekend! Trying to ponder the truth this weekend brings...

Because the sinless Savior died,

My sinful soul is counted free.

For God, the just is satisfied

To look on him and pardon me.

blessings this easter!

2013-03-29T13:08:00.001-04:00

I'm so glad it's GOOD Friday and even more thankful for Easter Sunday. I think this holiday has as much if not more significance for Christians. Not only did Christ come into the world, He died on the cross for our sins! When sending out some Easter Cards this year I asked the postal worker if there were Easter stamps. He just laughed at me. So sad.

Although it's barely reached 50 this week we made it out to a little egg hunt and believe it or not I've been cooking too. Sometimes meals that take hours in the kitchen and other times sautéing peppers, onions, and sizzling up some chicken sausage. Easy is good.

I'm so over this cold weather and beyond ready for spring so we can spend more time at playgrounds and less time inside. I'm ready for some more walks and to get the barbecue going when Benjamin comes home from work.

It's been a time of transition for us as Benjamin started a new job on Monday, is chugging along in grad school, and we're already, ok I'm already, thinking of where we'll live when our lease is up this summer. I get way too ahead of myself.

For now, I'll try to sit back and enjoy the weekend, hoping I can take some time to really sit and be thankful for what Christ has done on the cross!

my first stitch fix!

2013-03-19T22:40:00.000-04:00

My first Stitch Fix arrived and I finally got around to trying it on tonight. We had a little mice infestation that we came home to. Seems as though while we were on vacation they were having a holiday as well...in our pasta, pantry, pots, pans, and who knows what else. Benjamin got one this morning by baiting it with nutella and this afternoon as my Mom and I were taking everything out of the cabinets I saw one in pasta, screamed really loud, then when we finally got ourselves together we put it in the trash, triple bagged it, and drove to the dump to give it a new home. According to Anderson we went to "dump it dump it" a new thing it likes to say about blocks, anything in a bag, and now trash.

Moving on. I was happy to have the kitchen super cleaned thanks to my Mom, and be home with the husband tonight trying on my fix.

I was overal super impresed by the personalization that went into the order. I got a nice note from the Stylist and saw that she actually read everything I sent to her, and even checked out this blog and my Pinterest boards. Nothing I tried on was shocking, overal some things just worked better than others.

The first thing I tried on was a green slouchy top. It wasn't the best. It didn't do anything for me and actually Benjamin deleted the pictures before he knew I wanted to share all the pieces in my shipment with you. It's ok, it wasn't that great.

Second up was this peach polka dot top. Something that was really cute and I could see wearing often, maybe too often!

Then there was this chevron dress. I'm seriously not trendy so I liked getting something that I probably would have passed over in a store. It would be a cute cocktail dress or could easily be worn with jeans or leggings under it to be more casual.

Then there's the navy maxi dress. This is seriously flattering and I could see wearing it all the time but also dressing it up and wearing it to a casual wedding, like one we have coming up in a month or so.

They also threw in this mint bangle. Again, mint is trendy and I probably wouldn't have gotten this in a store but in the box I really liked it, felt like it would shnaz up my outfits and help me feel more attractive, which is pretty important when you're a Mom some days... or most days.

So, all in all my first Fix was a success. Can you guess what I kept?

I couldn't justify the cost of the pink top or how much I'd really wear the chevron top so we just kept the maxi and bangle. I'm pretty happy about it and ready for more 60 degree days so I can start wearing this spring attire!

what I'm cooking this week.

2013-03-18T15:21:00.001-04:00

Photo Credit from Courtney of Cook Like a Champion

I don't have my cookbooks in front of me right now which means I'm turning to Pinterest and some blogs I've wanted to cook from for recipe inspiration this week. I think I'll start back into cooking with these two recipes, Red Beans and Rice Soup and then Lentil and Black Bean Soup. I'll get some good bread, salad ingredients, and dinner will be easy.

These recipes come from the blog Cook Like a Champion. I had the pleasure of meeting Courtney, Eric, and Clara at the Big Summer Potluck this past summer and hope to see them again this year. I'm super impressed by her photography and am excited to try these recipes out. She's also mommy galore having just thrown a super adorable birthday party for little Clara that makes me wonder when she slept in the past month.

photo credit to Courtney of Cook Like a Champion

We woke up to snow this morning which has me less than excited. These soups will hopefully help me enjoy this cozy weather for only a few more weeks until it's really time to celebrate spring. I'm ready for it.

back to reality

2013-03-18T14:58:00.000-04:00

We survived some long plane rides with Anderson. Now we're back to reality this week and I'm wondering what we'll have for dinner, what we'll do to fill our days since we won't have chickens to chase, a pool to hop into, and a beach with sand to call 'ucky.' Although we have a playground outside our place it's not near as toddler friendly as the one he frequented this past week.

This vacation I felt like we were able to get away, relax (even with the buddy there) and come back more refreshed. With six hours between us and the east coast it felt like we couldn't be reached as easily, and that was really nice in an age of over-commuication.

I'm looking forward to our next beach time- perhaps even just something like a sandy shore in Annapolis to get my fix in. I'm coming back very much ready for spring, then summer.

It's nice to go places where life is much more laid back. DC life is not laid back. It helps put things into perspective, example being, this blog. I've shared a lot of pictures this past week. Some of you may love it, others are rolling your eyes. I'm sorry I'm not sorry.

As I had mentioned awhile back, this is my sketchbook. I sincerely hope you like it, but if you don't feel free to move on. I know I do often when it comes to other blogs I stumble upon. I truly am thankful for my readers, those of you who I know, and those who I don't. New and old, thank you for reading, and this past week, I hope you enjoyed a glimpse into our week away.

it wouldn't be a hawaiian vacation without a luau

2013-03-17T20:54:00.000-04:00

When my dad asked if he thought Benjamin and I would want to go to a luau it was easy to decide that Benjamin should probably go to a luau on his Hawaiian vacation. At this point there was no denying that we were tourists and we'd probably regret it if we didn't go.

We went to the Smith Family's Luau, an experience that was quite the show. You get a tour of their gardens, fabulous dinner, and then the show. I was happy to take the tram around and look at the peacocks, huge ducks, gazillion roosters, and swans from afar. I think I may have realized that being attacked by a bird may be a fear of mine.

These peacocks were pretty stunning to say the least. I know I have seen one before but it has been some time so I was incredibly impressed, and terrified, of them.

This evening marked the first time I left Anderson without nursing him before bedtime. He was happy with my parents, exhausted from a busy day in the ocean, pool, and at the playgroup, and apparently asked for me a few times before falling asleep but then did so quite easily. When I heard the report back from the night I may have gotten teary realizing he doesn't need me anymore. I knew he would go down easily for my parents and I'm glad he did.

When we got home he proceeded to wake up around 11 at which time I nursed him so he'd go back to sleep for many many hours. I never fully adjusted to the time change and felt myself quite tired in the evenings.

Thankful for our night out, Hawaiian style!

feeding the fishies, and himself

2013-03-17T06:00:00.000-04:00

Our hotel had lots of activities for the little ones but this and the ice cream were about the only ones our little guy could take advantage of. We didn't plan on feeding the fish but thankfully wandered up to the lobby just as they were breaking out the food.

Anderson would have most definitely gone swimming with them if he could have. The kid had no concept that they were not in a pool and also no concept that the fish food was not for him too. Thankfully no food was consumed on his part, but it may have entered his mouth.

real life pictures with our toddler

2013-03-16T20:11:00.000-04:00

We got some great pictures out of this trip but there are some serious bloopers. Anderson put on some serious fussy pants the night we stopped by the Beach House to get some pictures before it was time to get him to sleep. No pictures would be successful unless he was aloud to run free.

Here I am saying, "Anderson, you cannot push Mommy! No pushing!"

Ok, let's smile! Will this work? Benjamin and I didn't think so.

Let's just tickle him. This will surely work.

Good job, Buddy! Ok, no go be free. We say this to him when he wants to run around nakey for a minute after his bath- go be free, Buddy, be free!

waimea canyon and some kauia coffee (also where we're at with weaning)

2013-03-16T19:55:00.000-04:00

I just started weaning Anderson about two weeks before we left for our trip. Before that time he was nursing at least three times a day, and often more. I was ready to cut out the in-between times and wanted to start by weaning his nap time nummies so that when we got to Hawaii Benjamin and I could have an afternoon together, knowing the buddy would be okay with grammy and papa.

The weaning was hard the first couple days but I was committed, wasn't going to give in since I was ready now at almost 18 months, and knew we had this trip to look forward to. I realize Anderson could have been weaned much earlier but to each his own as is with many things in parenting. I nursed til I was three, so there you go. The kid loves our times together, I have too, and I feel like it's so good for me and him. That said, I think over the next month we'll start cutting the morning then evening nursings. We'll see.

Thankfully within the week he did fine and was back to taking good naps without assistance. It's nice knowing he can go down without nursing as he is getting to be quite the big boy.

On our afternoon out we headed up to Waimea Canyon so Benjamin could see it then headed down to the Kauai Coffee Plantation. The afternoon was fun and before we knew it we had to head back to get Anderson again so the parents could have some time before dinner and bed. It was an enjoyable afternoon, with a couple evenings out to look forward to as well!

mahalo

2013-03-15T13:30:00.001-04:00

Thanks Grammy and Papa for a wonderful week in Hawaii. It has been relaxing, fun, and at times interesting. I knew the long plane ride and time change would all be silly to worry too much about with a toddler. You got up with Anderson often and Grammy you were so good at happily complaining about how much work he is!

We are so thankful for this time, the memories we've had, and overall your love and support for our little family. Until next time- right Papa?!

lighthouse

2013-03-15T13:25:00.000-04:00

Going to see this lighthouse is something we knew we wanted to show Benjamin. Sure, it's just a lighthouse, but the views are incredible. What a wonderful God we serve!

drawing choo choos in the sand

2013-03-14T19:31:00.003-04:00

I just got in from my first attempt at paddle boarding. Paddle boarding is hard. It's also addictive. Although I fell down many times I want to get back out there and see if I can have a few more minutes standing up, this time standing tall, not so reserved and hunched over.

It wouldn't be Hawaii week around here if I didn't share some more pictures today.

These were from our time at the north shore. Anderson mainly finds the sand "ucky" but on occasion will pop down and ask for choo choos to be drawn in the sand.

the north shore

2013-03-13T15:37:00.000-04:00

We drove up to the North Shore yesterday, an adventure that took longer than I expected but was well worth the drive. Anderson thankfully slept for a little on the beach though it wasn't long enough.

We dealt with a very fussy buddy the rest of the afternoon but the view, the beach, and the shave ice all made it better.

the things he won't remember

2013-03-13T15:18:00.000-04:00

Anderson woke up this morning saying, "Chicken! Hawaii! Hawaii!" He loves waking up and looking for the chickens, rushing off to the playground, and when it's time getting in the pool or ocean. He won't remember these things though. Clearly we have a lot of pictures to remind him of this trip and I think he's gained some new words as well.

When he woke up from his nap yesterday he said, "Pool!" and didn't care about eating but wanted to get his suit out and get in the water. Papa of course took him in, similar to how Papa listened to his cries for Chickies this morning and threw on clothes so they could go look for chickens, a task that's not too difficult seeing as they're everywhere.

When we get to the beach he is cautious about the sand. I told him it feels like salt and so now we have an ongoing debate- "Salt!" "No...Sand!" "Salt!!!" This goes on for awhile. In his little mind the sand is like salt and of course I don't mind- he's gotten to helping me put some salt on his eggs in the morning and so the sand seems much like salt to him.

We joked that we'll have to come back when he'll remember. We'll see if that happens. What I do know is that this little boy is an energetic one, he loves the pool and chickies, the beach, and wavies. He won't remember those things necessarily, but I do think he'll look back at these pictures someday and realize just how much he is oh-so-loved.

acrobatics with daddy

2013-03-13T15:00:00.002-04:00