Toodilleeedoo

 

During our trip up north this summer we were able to stop in Toledo to introduce BG to some of our favorite places and people. 

 

The park bench where Nate and I met fifteen years ago...and where he asked me to marry him...

Our favorite place to eat ice cream when we're in Perrysburg.  Next year BG can have something too!

 

 

Perhaps my favorite moment was introducing BG to my dear friend Laura's little girl.  She is six weeks older than BG and such a sweet influence on our little stinker.  

 

She even wore maize and blue for him... 

 

This photo will be the highlight of their wedding someday! :)

To Grandmother's House We Go...

We finally had a chance to visit our extended families up north this summer.  We actually made one big trip out of it meaning that BG slept in four different places over the span of seven days, bless his heart. 

Our first stop was to my grandmother's house in Green Bay, WI.  From the moment BG was born I couldn't wait to introduce him to my grandma.  I knew that she would love him, that was a given, but I also knew that he would heal a small piece of her heart as he had healed so much of mine. 

We named our sweet boy after my father, whom we lost suddenly at the beginning of our pregnancy.  BG has given us more joy and filled us with more love than we ever imagined and I just hoped that he would do that for my grandma as well.

So for a few sweet days this summer BG filled his great-grandmother's home with sweet giggles, drooly breakfasts and his first attempts at crawling. 

 

 

Shrimp and Grits

The other day I had way too many grits leftover from our dinner on so I decided to repurpose them into good ol' fashioned shrimp and grits.  The grits recipe that I used was Creamy Cheddar Grits from The Barefoot Contessa's Back to Basics cookbook and the shrimp recipe came from Bobby Flay.  We put BG down for the night first and then started to make dinner.  Both of us were quite pleased that it only took about 30 minutes, maybe even less, to complete the meal.  Once we sat down to actually eat it we were both more than ready for dinner, so the ooh's and aah's that Nate exclaimed initially didn't surprise me too much.  But then he said "I love these grits."  Now, I may not remember it perfectly as I was too busy picking my mouth up off the floor to get the direct quote.  My husband? Loves...grits??  And then just when I'd recovered from the shock he said "Does this have garlic in it already?"  Yes, sir.  "Hmm,  these are just delicious.  I think you could add even more garlic to them!"  And that's the day that my eyes bugged out of their sockets.

 

He loves grits.  

 

And wouldn't mind more garlic.

Good to know he's finally converted.

Five on Friday - BG Style

What better way to get back into blogging than by linking up with  Five on Friday ??? 

I obviously have some back blogging to do...but I figure a proper week in the life of BG will work for now. We had a relaxing week...something to do every day but nothing too overwhelming. 

 

Just how we like it!

 

One.

 

We met our friends Rachel and Lew on the Greenway for our weekly walk and chat on Monday.  Rachel and I try our best to walk fast enough to sweat but not so fast that we can't chit chat the whole way!  BG and Lew take turns chirping from their strollers but BG usually ends up this way. 

 

Two.

 

We were so excited to have another park play date with some fellow mommy bloggers here in Charlotte this past Tuesday. These ladies are such a joy to visit with and BG spends his time encroaching on their blankets, playing with their toys and at times ignoring all of us for a nice tasty handful of grass.  I won't name any names but he was pretty darn close to locking lips with an "older" woman!!!

 

 

Three.

 

We went to our usual Wednesday music class - BG looooooves music of all kinds so this might be his favorite activity of the week.  His teacher, Miss Annette, is so sweet with him - always encouraging his "singing" plau she has new songs for us to learn each week.  I highly recommend the Musikgarten program for any music-loving babies, no matter where you live!

 

 

Four.

 

We met our friends Theresa and Acadia for lunch on Thursday. BG did really well eating out per usual...he just mooched my lunch in between making eyes with Acadia.  Although maybe I should have kept my eyes on Miss A too...she did sneak in a little hand holding at the table.  Love these chubby little baby fingers.

Five.

 

BG and his Pops had their weekly swimming lesson today.  This is actually an older picture...somebody was too busy staring at the water for a picture today.  BG loves getting in the water each week but I'm convinced that Nate enjoys it even more.  For any local babies that need swimming instruction Charlotte Aquatics has provided a wonderful experience for all three of us!



Cheers to a nice weekend!

Foodie Update

We are still enjoying this new stage in BG's life.  Food.  I don't think Nate nor I have ever been so captivated watching someone else eat before.  BG is so deliberate in his movements with food and yet at the same time he's really just playing with what's on his tray.  However, if there is zucchini involved little mister does NOT mess around.  Those lovely green strips go directly into his mouth with purpose and speed!

We've tried an assortment of fruits and veggies thus far.  Sweet potatoes, peas, carrots, zucchini, yellow squash, avocado, apples, pears, peaches, bananas, tomato and eggs. Any suggestions for another tasty treat??

Five on Friday!

This is my first timing joining in the 5 on Friday fun! 

1. Am I allowed to say that 5 on Friday is one of my favorites or is that cheating???  I have just loved reading so many others lists that I just finally had to join in the fun myself!  It's really helped inspire me to start blogging again after finding so many other interesting bloggers through a.liz adventures - I'm actually linking up my list as well - this is the first time I've ever linked up anywhere!  Ha!

2. I love watching my sweet boys during swim lessons at Charlotte Aquatics.  I'm with BG every day and I wouldn't trade it for the world ~ but my sweet husband is gone more often (somebody's gotta bring home the bacon!) so seeing these two bonding while BG learns to swim is such a pleasure!

3. Nate gifted me recently with all of the books missing from my Barefoot Contessa collection.  I have used many of the recipes in Back to Basics lately - we're actually making the Niman Ranch burgers with caramelized onions and a side of creamy cheddar grits this weekend. Oh, Ina!

4. These Morning Glory Muffins are delicious!  I made a batch this past weekend and had enough batter for 24 muffins...I froze most of them for easy and healthy breakfasts down the road.  Delish!

5.  The pool in our "backyard" a.k.a. our neighbors pool!  We just love popping over there to take a dip, especially when naptime ends earlier than normal and we need a little distraction until dinner! Don't worry they usually meet us out back to dip their toes in too!

So, those are my five...what have you been loving lately??


 

Happy 4th Ya'll...Recap!

Two weeks before the fourth of July I turned to my lovely husband and asked him "Do you think you're ready to have a party?"  "Sure." was his simple but oh so very common response.  My mind immediately started reeling...what time of day is best for us AND BG to entertain, how much food should we provide vs ask others to bring, can I really handle throwing our first party in less than two weeks time most of which would be sans the hubster (specifically the last 48 hours leading up to the party!)???  After deliberating back and forth and back and forth we decided to just go for it.  No less than five minutes after we pulled the trigger I was emailing the amazing Elizabeth* at Sunshine Ink to see if she could not only create an invitation for us but complete it within 24 hours so I could have it developed and mailed to our lovely guests.  Well she truly rose to the occasion!  (We loved the work she did for our annual pumpkin carving party so it was no surprise that our first fourth invitation was be just as darling.)  The thick white lines are just my way of erasing our details...not very subtle but purposeful!  How darling is this though??

We had a fantastic time...a wonderful group of friends...and of course delicious food!  Unfortunately I only used my phone to take pictures of the spread and party goers...poo poo on me for that.  I was so nervous about the house looking nice and how BG would respond to all of these people in his house.  All of my worries were for naught...no one cared if every last surface of our home was dirt free...especially when so many of the sweet children left a trail of muffin crumbs throughout the house from the moment they entered - and I wouldn't have it any other way!!!  BG was the wild card though and boy did he shock me.  I barely saw him for the three plus hours of the party...he was passed from stranger to stranger without much of a peep...I guess it didn't hurt that some people were feeding him watermelon and blueberry muffin (ahem. Debi.)

Long story short?  \I cleaned, grocery shopped and stressed for days leading up to the big event.  Our guests started arriving and we ALL enjoyed ourselves.  Entertaining with a baby in tow was not nearly as overwhelming as I'd expected...in fact we're planning to do it again soon!

After the party BG took a nap and we put our feet up after a quick clean sweep of the first floor.  Once the baby woke up I convinced the mister that we should snap some 4th photos for posterities sake.  So glad we took the time to do this...as tired as we were I'm so happy to have them!

(BG's flag outfit is a handmade creation from my mom...I saw a design online and sent it to her wondering if she could create something similar.  A few weeks later it was on my doorstep!  So nice to have such a talented mom...if only I could sew like her!)

*Elizabeth is truly a dream to work with.  I've had the pleasure of using her creative services for three separate occasions each of which were ideal!  She is not only unique in creation but extremely particular and professional.  I can't recommend her enough!