Hubby's Golden Birthday!

Well, my hubby had his Golden birthday today... and is currently in class, poor guy. But we made a weekend of it!

Friday we went out for dinner at one of our favorite places, Smokey Bones. It was my mother's birthday on Jan. 19th so we brought her with us and had a great time - munchkin had a blast eating out and people watching :)

Saturday we took Andrew to the children's Gasparilla Parade. It was the first time we've gone to any Gasparilla events and it was a lot of fun - definitely wanting to go the more events next year.... here's more about Gasparilla. We also went to a work dinner for Jesse and two of his co-workers that all had birthdays this month. Munchkin got lots of beads... hubby got lots of drinks ;)

Sunday was the biggest event. My mother came over to baby-sit and we took off for a hotel. We watched a movie in our room and just hung out and sipped some wine for a few hours. Then had a cab called to take us to the Theater - we had dinner upstairs with a show-themed menu (which was delicious) and then walked down to the theater just before show time. We saw Book of Mormon which was fabulous! SO funny! 

Afterward we went to Ciro's Speakeasy for a cocktail and then retreated back to the hotel. 

In the morning we sat by the river and ate breakfast before sprawling on the bed and watching cupcake wars until check-out haha!

Happy birthday, hubby - you are wonderful <3

Little man is TWO

It's kind of funny, my mom and I were talking the other day about how it seems like he should be turning 3 -- he's just so big! Other two year olds look tiny next to him. 

Well, Andrew's grandparents were visiting over New Years and we decided to throw a birthday party for him that weekend so everyone could be there. We had gone to 'Noon Year's Eve' on the 31st, and then on the 4th we took him to the Children's Museum and had some cake.

On his ACTUAL birthday we three went to a bonfire and chili cook off at our church. We stuffed ourselves with chili, hot dogs, hot cocoa and smores. We warmed ourselves by the fire, listened to music, and let the little one run around to his heart's desire.

Also, here are some pics from Christmas - it was pretty low-key, just stuffed ourselves silly, watched the parade and opened gifts.

Happy first birthday, Andrew!

How did we become parents to a one year old???

"If your one-year-old hasn’t yet mastered the art of walking, he may be clocking some serious miles anyway by hanging on to anything he can and propelling himself forward. (Don’t worry if your tot is doing neither of those — every child progresses at his own pace and some may not yet be pulling themselves up to stand.) In addition to cruising, he may be using his hands for some very important tasks, including holding his cup, picking up tiny objects, playing patty-cake, and waving bye-bye. He may also summon you with a loud and clear “Mama” when he needs something — even just a hug. Don’t be surprised if your little one protests (a lot!) when you leave the room these days.Separation anxiety is very common at this age. And while some toddlers are the life of the party, others may seem suddenly shy, which is actually developmentally appropriate. Try not to worry about it or other typical behaviors of the one-year-old set, such as hitting, not sharing, serious attachment to his bottle (though the time to ditch it is imminent), and picky eating. All are normal and most likely temporary as your child’s growing sense of independence leads to some trying moments. Weaning from the breast may be high on your priority list or months down the road, but either way, it’s one milestone that’s best approached with patience and a plan."

--whattoexpect.com

Andrew's birthday fell on a Thursday. His one-year check-up was on the same day. His grandparents got in on the 11th. So we were a bit confuddled about what to do when. We decided to do sort of a three part birthday celebration.

The first part came on January 4th. We took him to the circus! He was pretty transfixed for the bigger numbers started getting restless during the tigers but nothing some snacks and a nap couldn't fix.

On his birthday, like I said, he had his one year check-up. Shots and all. So we decided to go buy him a gift, and let him pick out a gift as well. He chose a xylophone and a peg puzzle. We also grabbed some triangle crayons and a large drawing pad. LOVE Melissa&Doug products!!

The last part came the next week on the 17th. We went to the Lowry Park Zoo after we all had breakfast. Arrived around noon and stayed until close at 5! We adopted an elephant calf, M-Pumi, in Andrew's name and got an annual membership. Andrew actually looked at a bunch of the animals and seemed interested which was great! We went on the safari ride which takes you into some exhibits/ behind the scenes of a few.... something I think we'll be repeating a lot. We also got a free ticket to feed the giraffes but we were too late in the day so we're thinking of going back later this month for more zoo fun :)

After arriving home we had his little party. He "opened" all his gifts, and ate his birthday cake - he was pretty unenthusiastic about getting frosting all over his hands but once he took a bite he loved it! (Recipe below*)

The adults had some cupcakes and moscato spumante hehe

I was a bit disappointed we didn't have a bigger party but #1 we have no parent friends yet/ Andrew hasn't made any friends and #2 it was so great to have all of his grandparents there to celebrate with him and #3 he's one. He's not going to remember. We all had fun and he was surrounded by people who love him to pieces so it was pretty perfect :)

Here are some pics:

Andrew at One Year:

• Stands alone for a few seconds at a time
• Will take a few steps on his own between things but refuses to try otherwise
• Hates all chicken except chicken nuggets
• No longer likes eggs
• Squeals and laughs all day
• Has learned to throw a ball back and forth
• Is matching shapes to their holes
• Has said "Mama", "Dada", "Yes", "No", "Ewwo" (Hello), and "Ligh" (Light)... and "Moooo" haha
• Has scooped up beets in his spoon and feeding himself
• Helps dress himself (puts his feet up for socks and pants/ pushes his arms through sleeves, etc)
• Will walk with you holding one of his hands
• Claps
• High-fives
• Will sort of sing  with you in baby language
• Bends his head so you can kiss him on the forehead
• Points
• Loves drinking water throughout the day
• Will book it toward any open door/ ungated Kitchen
• Drinking whole milk now
• Waving

*Sugarless Carrot Cake and Cream Cheese Frosting:

8oz (2 cups) whole wheat flour

1tsp baking powder

1tsp baking soda

pinch salt

10 fl oz (1 1/4 cup) water

6oz (3/4 cup)raisins

1tsp cinnamon

1/2tsp nutmeg

8oz (1 cup)carrot, grated

4 fl oz (1/2 cup)sugar-free applesauce

Preheat the oven to 375 deg F (190 deg C).

Combine the flour, baking soda, baking powder and salt in a bowl.

Pour the water into a small saucepan and add the raisins, nutmeg, cinnamon.

Bring the mixture to a boil, then lower the heat and simmer for 5 mins.

Put the grated carrots into a bowl, then pour in the liquid mixture. Then, add the applesauce and stir the mixture thoroughly.

Mix the wet ingredients with the dry ingredients and stir thoroughly.

Pour the mixture into a greased pan and bake for 45 mins to 1 hour, until a sharp knife inserted into the centre comes out clean.

Stir together one 3 ounce package of cream cheese, 1/4 tsp of vanilla and 2 1/2 tbsp regular frozen apple juice concentrate (thawed). Spread over the top of the cake once it's cool.

Our travels/ playing catch-up

Well I have never been much good at coming BACK from a trip I must confess... and you can probably tell from the length between this and my last post, haha!

The MN trip was wonderful! Tuesday morning we left for Orlando. We flew with Delta, and had a great experience! The kiddo had a bottle during take-off and slept through the landing (otherwise he was up and playing or napping for short periods).

We went straight to ACE for our car rental. We had reserved an economy car but the lady, upon seeing the amount of luggage we had, said there is no way it would all fit. Now, it wasn't a huge worry for us because other than two long drives we wouldn't be in the car with them for long... but anyhoo, we said we'd make it work because that's all we could afford. We took the shuttle to the car and found ourselves standing in front of an SUV. I looked left and right, slowly edged closer to it and then said "I don't think this is right." Haha, turns out they upgraded us free of charge! What a wonderful surprise-- it made the whole trip more enjoyable and otherwise they were so great to deal with. I highly recommend using ACE next time you need a vehicle! :)

That day we saw a college friend, her boyfriend and mother, as well as Andrew's godparents/ aunt and uncle. After the three hour drive north, we ended up at my aunt's place in the country- a 280 acre expanse that everyone calls "the farm". We had a great time catching up!

The next three days involved running to and from Duluth. 

We went on the scenic railroad,

had a picnic by the liftbridge,

visited my old job (an awesome toyshop called J. Skylark),

visited Betty's Pies (where the hubby and I had our first date),

did some dance rehearsals

and spent a lot of time with our besties, Nicole and John :)

Saturday was a day to relax at Jan's with my side of the family. My cousins have a kid about a year older than Andrew so it was a lot of fun seeing them interact, and great seeing everyone/ feeling at home with everyone. Growing up, the place was my grandmother's. She had all the get-togethers, planned the holidays, and really made everything feel right and normal. She passed away a few years ago and the effect was almost immediate. The family get-togethers became more and more rare, but everyone lives far away and now with us kids getting married and tarting families/ the aunts and uncles getting older, it's getting harder in general. So long story short, it was great to feel back-to-normal with the family even if just for a day <3

Sunday we traveled down to see Jesse's family. We had Andrew baptised at the church Jesse grew up in and it was a beautiful day/ experience.

The 112 year-old baptismal gown that my great-grandmother and I both wore

His parents had a pot-luck after so everyone could meet Andrew, and that was a lot of fun as well, it had been too long!

Monday and Tuesday we spent time with Jesse's parents, visited Andrew's great grandfather (his only great-grandparent),

saw some friends, and had a dinner with his parents/my mother/my aunt/ my godparents, so that was a lot of fun as well!

Wednesday morning we left for the cities and took off for home. Again the munchkin ate through take-off and slept through landing (he slept about 1.5 of the 3 hour flight).

The drive home felt so long but it was great to get back to our beds!

It has been over a week since getting home and I am the tiniest bit ashamed not everything is unpacked. Our bedroom is somewhat of a disaster and I have not been motivated at all to keep up with my cleaning schedule. I am not good at this ending travel thing.

In other news, Andrew amazes us every day. He handled spinach like a champ, is finally liking to drink water throughout the day, has started imitating our "kissy" faces, and actions (today I lifted up a flap in a book with my pointer finger and then dropped it and he copied me exactly), or bending down with such a serious look on his face, extending a finger and making his new train wheels go round and round. That kid is gonna be way too clever for his own good (and probably a lot of trouble for us haha!)

The 25th was my GOLDEN birthday! We had a nice day relaxing, going to church,

watching movies, eating some yummy food and my favorite ice-cream cake. Also "Andrew" (AKA daddy) got me this adorable card...

doesn't it just melt your heart?? <3

The 28th was our two year anniversary! We swam, picnicked, relaxed, tried a new recipe, went dancing, watched the video of our wedding for the first time ever(!!!!), slow danced while we watched our first dance as husband and wife, and drank a lot of moscato wine.

It has been quite a full month for us!!!!

Next month *should* slow down a bit. We have plans for some dinner dates, some dance classes, a day at the zoo, a playdate event for Andrew and hopefully some beach time!

Well that's all for now, eight-month blog to come soon! OH! And P.S.:

Andrew starting to learn to crawl!!!

And P.P.S.:

And was happy about it!!!

Andrew experienced Lake Superior!!!

<3

TTFN!! <3