Seattle-Part 1

This post has taken me way longer than it should to get up because I've gotten fed up with all the pictures several times. I think now I've gotten it straight!

 

Back to our trip!  The day after we got home from St. Lucia, we took off for Seattle.  This was Ruthie's first time having her own seat on the airplane and she looked like such a big girl.  Both girls were excited to go to Grandma's house!

 

After the flights were getting a little long, we started playing around with the ipad taking silly pictures to keep Ruthie entertained. 

Our long flight, we had a row of three seats. Lainie and I took the window, Ruthie was in the middle and Joel was on the aisle.  This seems to work best for us because both girls can move around but are completely blocked by Joel's legs.  Plus this gives me the most privacy when feeding Lainie.

On our first flight we had great flight attendants who were super sweet to the girls.  One flight attendant came up to Ruthie while Joel was in the bathroom and asked her if she wanted some candy (after asking me first, thankfully). Ruthie pretty much leapt into her arms.  Yikes, talk about an eye opener that its now time be talking about strangers... I didn't think anyone would believe me that she went with a stranger (since she has never gone near a stranger without screaming) so I took a picture.

After a long day of flying we got to Grandma's House! Ruthie was so excited to run up to Grandma in the airport, I wish I had a picture of that.  One of my favorite parts of the trip was that the girls carseats were next to each other (and I was usually in the back row so I could take pics) and they kept holding hands.  Break. My. Heart.  Seriously, into a thousand pieces.  They did it over and over.

I really almost can't take it.  

Once we got to Grandma's house, the girls quickly found their boxes full of toys and Ruthie showed off her loot!

My MIL Judy, has a friend from Japan who she has been penpals with since she was a teenager, Yasuhiro, who was able to make it to the wedding.  He is one of the nicest people I've met and Ruthie instantly loved him.

My big girl and I.

Aunt Jessica decided to make her own wedding cakes and was baking when we arrived.  She had a great helper.  The cakes were absolutely delicious.  She made a Roasted Apple spice cake from Smitten Kitchen.  She also made red velvet cakes, but I'm not sure what recipe she used for those.  I would definitely make the apple spice cakes again, they were so good! I bet they would make a great muffin.

 

The next day was spent playing with Grandma and Grandpa, grocery store runs, costco runs and getting as ready as we could for the wedding weekend.  The wedding was held at Wellspring near Mount Rainier National Park.  There weren't stores nearby so everything pretty much needed to be ready for the weekend when we left on Friday. 

As always the swing is a big hit!

She loves it!  I love this one!

Thursday evening, Jessica's MIL, Aleda came and joined us for dinner. The girls loved her and she is just so sweet. I'm glad we were able to spend some time with her!



 

Of course, Ruthie (and Lainie) love love love Miss Molly.

 Ruthie loved playing with Grandma non-stop and especially hiding with all of Auntie Jessica's stuffed animals!

Jessica and I spent the night (from about 7pm-1am-ish) making frosting and splitting and leveling the cakes.  We decided to go ahead and frost the cakes that night so once we got to wellspring we could do the final decorations.  Those containers are holding the first and last wedding cakes I will be part of :-)!  We had a good time doing it, but wow cake decorators earn their money and probably don't charge enough.

 

The next morning it was time to pack up and head to the wedding site!  Wedding Weekend coming up in Part 2!

Good Eats-Melt in your mouth chicken

While working on my other Seattle posts, my pictures got all jumbled and I had to take a break from it!  Hopefully tomorrow, it'll be sorted out, but until then here is a recipe I found on pinterest that I was REALLY hesitant to try.  Mainly because the main ingredient is mayo....gross.  I've always thought mayo was gross until I cut dairy with Lainie.  For some reason, then I couldn't get enough of it. 

Just typing that grosses me out. 

Now that I've added back dairy I don't want mayo on every sandwich anymore, thankfully!  I seriously cringe thinking about the calories and saturated fat content of it!

Anyways!  The title melt in your mouth chicken got me and the fact that it is super easy.  There are several variations of this recipe on other sites, but the one I love the most is from Grateful Belly.

Ingredients

• 4 boneless chicken breast halves (I cut these into halves, for eight peices)
• 1 cup mayonnaise
• 1/2 cup freshly grated parmesan cheese
• 1 teaspoon seasoning salt
• 1/2 teaspoon ground black pepper
• 1 teaspoon garlic powder

Instructions

• Mix mayo, cheese, and seasonings. 
• Place chicken pieces in a 9x13 baking dish. Spoon mayo mixture onto tops and sides of chicken.
• Bake uncovered at 375 for aboug 25 minutes, or until cooked through.

 

Verdict:  Incredible! and so so so easy! We have had this many, many times since first trying it and I've changed a few things to limit the amount of mayo.  I used a mayo/sour cream mix, and then at my parents we used about 1/3 Cup mayo and 2/3 cup greek yogurt and it was delish. I think that is probably what I'm going to use from now on.  It seems like there is still enough mayo to tenderize the chicken, but not enough to gross me out.  With the greek yogurt, the chicken didn't seem to get as browned on top.  Hope you enjoy!

 

 

And for good measure, here's a cute picture of a typical breakfast in my house!

West Coast time!

Like I mentioned before we had a day at PapaGigi's house before we flew out to Seattle for Aunt Jessica and Uncle Tim's wedding week!  We had been talking about going to Grandma's house for weeks, so when we woke Ruthie up really early all we had to say was that today we were going to Grandma's house and she was Pumped!

Everywhere we went Ruthie told anyone and everyone she was going to Grandma's house (she was a big hit with the flight attendants).  She is really coming out of her shell lately and we couldn't believe how much she was talking to everyone.  The past 2 years of her life, she has pretty much cried if anyone she didn't know looked at her so this is a huge change.

This part of the trip is going to take several posts, so in order to post on Wednesday, here is the video we took when we got on the plane!  So cute!

St. Lucia!

Over two weeks ago, I packed the girls and myself up and headed to PapaGigi's house.  We decided to let Ruthie have a long weekend of superfun with PapaGigi while Joel, Lainie and I went to my best friends wedding in St. Lucia.  (**Robin and I have been friends for a long time.  We cheered together at NC State but didn't get to be really close until we lived in Hawaii together.  She is one of the people I know will always be there and I knew we needed to be at her wedding.  We absolutely love her husband Ron and are so thankful they've found each other and we were able to witness their wedding!**)

It was one of the hardest things I've done thusfar.  I have never understood why parents couldn't leave there kids knowing they're in great hands and will have a great time.....until it was my turn.  Its always amazing how perfectly clear you see things when it's someone else's situation. I think I've learned its just better to keep my mouth shut about everything :-)

**Any decent photos on this blog I have snagged from my friends and facebook, all other pictures are courtesy of our ipad**

After we got Ruthie settled and Joel joined us after work we got a short night sleep and got Lainie up about 3am and took off.  Lainie is a great traveler.  Those yogurt melts below are crucial to flying.

 She has a few minutes of screaming (which sounds extra loud and extra long to us) and then knocks out.

When we arrived we were greeted by the beautiful bride and had a snack while we waited for our room to be ready. 

This was our first trip staying somewhere all-inclusive, we have always thought that wasn't our thing.  We were wrong (refer to above statement about keeping my mouth shut always).  It was AWESOME!  We loved not having to pack up and go anywhere, not take our wallets anywhere, be able to easily go back up to the room if we needed something, having all the food we needed, etc. 

The resort also had pack n plays that had toys built into the mesh walls (and were square shaped). I hadn't seen them before, but thankfully we were able to wedge it into the bathroom so Lainie could snooze away and we could watch tv or sit on the balcony.  We took turns going and getting food and drinks and bringing them back up to our balcony.  It was great.

The night we arrived the bride and groom had a beach party and it was so much fun. It had been a pretty long day for us (and especially Lainie), so we left the party early and crashed for the big day ahead.

This is a group shot of just the ladies who came to the wedding. I believe about 75 people traveled to celebrate this awesome day!

 The next day the bride took time out of her busy schedule to meet me for breakfast so we could catch up. It was great, and I have an awesome picture on my camera (that is broken). Hopefully we'll be able to get the pictures off soon! The camera has an xd card, instead of an sd card so its not working with my computer. After I walked her to the spa to get ready for the big day, we took Lainie and hit the pool.

The pools at the resort were great. They had lots of shallow areas and shade, plus waterslides and a lazy river. Ruthie would've loved it (and we missed her terribly).

 

  Time to go to the wedding!

It was gorgeous.

But not as beautiful as the bride!

How cute is this picture??  Lainie knew just what to do when her toes hit the sand! 

The bride and groom had a steel drum band after the wedding during cocktail hour and it was so awesome! We loved the music.

When it started getting late, I put Lainie in the boba (similar to the ergo carrier) and put my hair in a ponytail.  That ponytail made her laugh for a good 45 minutes! Best toy ever!

The reception was held at a beachfront pool, dinner was delicious.  After Lainie was tuckered, Joel (graciously) took her back to the room, so I could dance with some friends I never get to see for an hour or so.  Below are a few of our Hawaii friends we miss like crazy. it was a great reunion!

The bride dancing with her Mama.

Robin had put together several songs specific to guests and it was a highlight when the dj played Garth Brooks, Baton Rouge.  We sang that song (at the top of our lungs) thousands of times in Ms. Kitty (a Big Red Ford F150 that I babysat for our friend Leigh, who is in the black floral dress dancing above).  It is a great memory I will always have!

When the cake was cut, I snagged a piece and took it to Joel and called it a night. It was good cake and a great night!

 The next day was a free day and we spent most of it in the pools. And of course, who doesn't love a baby in a rash guard over a tutu bathing suit. 

 

 The resort had several restaurants we could dine at and we chose the Carribean fare.  They had family hours starting at 6pm which was great. We didn't have to worry about disrupting others in case Lainie needed to talk or get mad (which she didn't).

 Really dark, but the best I could get on the ipad.  The food was delish! One of the best meals either of us has had in a long time.  For my own memory, I got corn chowder, crab cake, filet with crab mac n cheese (crazy good), and the chocolate decadence dessert.  Joel got the conch salad, shrimp appetizer, surf and turf and apple crisp for dessert.  We each loved everything but his dessert won hands down. It was so good.

 Facebook shot before our fancy dinner out.

 Lainie hanging out in the hotel room.

 Photo shot of Lainie's favorite game

 

Peekaboo!  This is how we take almost all of her pictures now!

 

 Before we left we got a shot of Lainie and I with Robin.

 Robin spent a good amount of her free time like this.  There is nothing like a lifelong friend who loves your kids.

 You can't really see too much in this picture, but I love it, Lainie was loving Robin and while you can only see half her face, its definitely a happy half. 

Here's my I'm getting teeth and super cute in my yellow dress face.

 

We had a wonderful time in St. Lucia and so much fun celebrating Robin and Ron's marriage, but I can't lie I couldn't WAIT to get home and see my sweet big girl.  We got home about 1:30am, so come 7am I was pretty much running down the hall to get a big Ruthie hug!  She was so sweet and had a great time with PapaGigi (and Aunts/cousins of course), but there was nothing as good as having the four of us together again! 

 

We had one day at PapaGigi's house then it was off to Seattle for Aunt Jessica/Uncle Tim's wedding! Stay tuned!

Long time!

Wow, it has been a long time and I've gotta say, I've missed blogging! The past two weeks have been full of weddings, beautiful brides, friends, family, lots of flights and of course, loads of fun.  We're getting back to the swing of things and like always, are glad to be home. 

Until I can get my act together, here are a few cute pictures from one of our favorite three year olds birthday party this past weekend.  Hopefully, tomorrow I'll have the first part of our trip up on the blog, my best friends wedding in St. Lucia (of course our camera died when we got there, so I've got ipad pictures :-)! Until then...

 

And this is my two girls LOVING the bouncy house (and tackling each other).

 

Can you tell from the pictures my girls stick together? One of my favorite things in life.

My Little Lainie Month 11

Wow am I behind! Thank goodness for a deadline on the 2nd of every month for my sweet baby's update.  We are very close to having two walking kids and no crawling baby anymore and I can't stand it.  Here is our month 11 update!

Eating:
We're definitely making progress! We've found that Lainie LOVES cheese.  String cheese, cheddar cheese, colby jack, etc.  Loves it.  Right now that is definitely her favorite food.  Her other favs are yogurt, black beans, happy tot stage 3 squeezie pouches, pasta, banana bread, sweet potatoes, green peas and bananas.  She really likes to chew on apples if I'm holding the apple, I think they feel good on her chompers.  I have to be careful with apples because she'll bite a piece off and promptly start gagging on it. 
Its been a slower introduction for Lainie to solid foods, but she's doing great and eating all sorts of things now.  I think she could eat anything that is soft with some texture, but she still gags a little bit, although she's losing. 
The only thing I know of now that she obviously doesn't like is oatmeal.  Hopefully that will change, we'll keep trying!

She eats 3 meals a day at 7:30am, 11:30am, and 5:30pm.

As far as nursing goes, our schedule has gotten much more flexible.  Usually she nurses at 7am, either 11am or 1pm, 4pm, and 6:30pm.  She is fine if she misses a feeding (other than the first and the last) since she is eating so much regular food.

She likes puffs okay (I think they've lost their novelty), cheerios (sort of), goldfish, graham crackers, and baby mum mums for snacks (and cheese).

Size:
She is still so big.  I'm guessing she's about 20/21 pounds and in size 12-18 month clothes and some 18-24 month clothes.  Its shocking to put Lainie in clothes Ruthie literally just got out of!    She is still in size 4 diaper.

Nighttime Sleep:
Baby still loves her wall!  She sleeps from about 7pm-7am.  In.Cred. Ible.

Daytime Sleep:

If we're at home, she'll sleep from about 9am-12pm, and 2pm-4pm.  If we're out and about, she sleeps from about 12:30pm-3:30/4pm.

Mobility:
She could SO walk!  She has taken several step over the last few weeks and now can easily go from sitting to standing without pulling up on anything. 

She has amazing shocks too, when you're holding her hand and let go she has the most controlled down ever!  If you hold her hand with one finger she almost runs across the room. She is FAST!  It won't be long before there are just walkers in my house, sniff sniff.

Eyes:
Blue baby.

Paci:
Just in the crib and carseat (or if we're out in a store).  She doesn't love it like her sister, but she does love it.

Hair:
In comes the mullet!  Just like Ruthie, the back is growing in long and it is time for her first snip!  The top of her hair is long but the front hasn't come in at all. Her hair seem to be coming in lighter too.

Signs/Words:
She's a clapper! She waves bye bye, claps, plays peekaboo (loves peekaboo) and dances her head off.  She hasn't signed other than that but is very attentive when we do.  She says MaMa, DaDa, and makes a lot of sounds.  Her most prominent sound is her teradactyl scream, its pretty sweet,

Teeth:
Still the bottom two. I think more are coming, the chewing has started again and the drool also! I'm thinking  its more on the bottom but we'll see!

Doesn't Love:
-Still at the top of the list is having things taken from her.  She does NOT like it and will let you know!  She'll give you a warning scream and it cracks us up.  She is so funny.
-oatmeal

Loves:
-The Swing (outside, we put the baby swing up a long time ago)
-her sister

-all of her sisters drinks (I don't think we're going to have any problem making the transition to milk, almost daily I turn around to find her chugging Ruthie's milk, as soon as Ruthie yells "don't drink my milk NayNay".  She can get to her milk in about 1 second flat).  I now give them all the same cups but somehow she knows which ones are Ruthie's and apparently water takes better out of Ruthie's cup.
-Chloe. She's really showing interest in Chloe and loves to pat her.  Its cute and Chloe is so so good.
-peekaboo. Loves it.
-being tickled
-singing
-Being chased, one of my favorite things in life.

-Dancing.  usually if we're in a store with music playing, if Lainie is in the stroller, she is dancing.  Cracks me up.
-playing with hair.  Her's or mine, doesn't matter. Its usually when she's tired and its really sweet.
-blowing bubbles and making her piggy face.  hilarious.

-Life. 

Other:
Lainie still does great playing by herself. 

There is no one she thinks is funnier than her sister.  She is the sweetest ever to put to bed when she's sleepy.  She has a sleepy giggle that Joel and i think is the cutest.





Lainie is so happy and such a great baby.  She is nothing but a blessing and we are so incredibly fortunate that she is ours! I love seeing how much my girls love each other.  This month was so much fun, and I can't even get my head around next months update!