Memorial Day

Blake and I have been watching the John Adams mini series, based on the book by David McCullough. It's very well done, and is definitely helping to make this Memorial Day meaningful. So much was on the line 300+ years ago, and I can't help but wonder what the outcome would have been had not the idea of "duty" been taken so seriously.

On a lighter note, it's beautiful out. And for one, not windy!! We fearfully ventured out to the garden to inspect the damage after the insane winds of last week, and while it appears many of our less hardy plants likely won't make it, I'm encouraged by our pumpkins and zucchinis and am cautiously optimistic about the spinach and a few tomatoes. We may go to a nursery and get some little seedlings to replace our shriveled broccoli and strawberries.

I just want to say that I LOVE the Oscar Meyer nitrate and additive free angus hot dogs. We are big hot dog fans here, but not big nitrate/nitrite fans. These preservative free ones are so flavorful and juicy- we definitely eat them at least a couple days a week, usually for lunch (today we had them sliced into homemade macaroni and cheese). So, for all you pregnant women or anyone else watching their preservative intake, I recommend these. And they go on sale with the rest of the Oscar Meyer dogs, so they're pretty inexpensive!

News, News

Yesterday was a big day. Rory threw up for the first time. All over the floor (and her parents) after dinner at some friends' house. And again in her crib.

But it was a bigger day than that. Blake and his business buddy went to Phoenix to buy their commercial pressure washing equipment! Summit Power Washing is so close to getting off the ground! We're really excited for this venture! And....US Airways called! They offered Blake a part-time job at the Flag airport!!! Not only does this mean we'll have a little money coming in while we wait for Blake to start earning a salary from the business, but we get AWESOME flight benefits!!!! Blake and I and the baby(s) can fly for FREE anywhere in the country, and basically for free internationally as well!! I'm swooning!! I'm so so so proud of my man for getting chosen out of all of the other applicants- he's amazing!

In other news, we got to spend a couple days with some friends from Seattle- Danijela and her fiance Ryan. Danijela worked with Blake and me at BA in Seattle (you've heard of her if you've read Our Story), and we enjoy the two of them so much. We spent a windy day at the Grand Canyon and visited Cafe Ole for a marvelous dinner.

Today we're home taking care of our feverish babycakes instead of going to church, which is a bummer, particularly because it's the last Sunday our friends the Soares (missionaries in Romania) will be here. I think I'll have to look up flights to Bucharest sometime soon...

Rory's b-day party is this coming Saturday, my mom comes on Tuesday, and there's a lot to do to get ready for this milestone!

I leave you with some pictures of the last week or so:

Playing in the swing with Grandpa before the Moms' Walk

Not too fond of her new sunglasses, but animal crackers help

Rory and her buddy Audrey hanging out after the walk

Zonked out after a busy morning

Listening to the monkey song in honor of Papa's birthday

Blake's "candle"- a match stuck in a pat of butter

Aurora and Audrey enjoying the zucchini muffins at Buster's

Rory and Danijela and Ryan!

PEANUT BUTTER. peanut butter.

Peanut butter is really, really great. But there is probably nothing in the world nastier than wet, peanut butter-covered utensils in the sink. And peanut buttery bibs. And a baby coated in peanut butter. Wet peanut butter is disgusting. And it's stinkin' hard to get off of things.

But Easy Mac is awesome.

I love magazines. Reading magazines makes me feel sophisticated. But one of life's little annoyances is when you're reading a magazine and one of the little inserts falls out. Like the subscription renewal cards. I always thoroughly shake my magazines upon receiving them so I won't be surprised by falling papers whilst enjoying them. But I always miss at least one. And it always falls out at a bad time, like when I'm climbing into bed. And then I have to bend over and pick it up and walk to the recycling bin. The worst is when you bend over, pick it up, and another one falls out. Grrrrr. And then I scowl and no longer feel sophisticated. But I still love magazines.

Blake had a birthday (and other notable happenings)

Saturday was my love's birthday. He is very fond of birthday, particularly his own. Thus, most of the happenings of the last few days have revolved around said birthday:
- I spent much of Friday making a gazillion maple bacon cupcakes for young marrieds that night, per Blake's request. They turned out great, of course, and I even tried a new frosting recipe, which had favorable results. Blake was permitted to open anything that may arrive for him in the mail that day, since I refused to let him have his presents from Rory or me until his actual birthday. Much to his delight, a package came from my parents (more on that later).
- I got up a bit early Saturday to make Blake a special birthday breakfast- creamed eggs on toast and homemade iced frappuccions. Then, it was off to the MOSP Mom's Walk! Blake was a good sport and gamely agreed to spend his birthday morning/afternoon at the MOPS fundraiser and BBQ. Thankfully, some of his guy friends came with their wives, so he was able to enjoy manly company. We set Rory on her stomach on the lovely grass, hoping she's be inspired to crawl like her friend Audrey, but she was not a fan of the grass at all- she held her arms and legs out and chin up like she was skydiving, and we finally took pity on her and sat her up (we are expecting crawling any day though!). Oh, and I won a door prize, which never happens. It was a good morning.
- We worked in the yard and house the rest of the afternoon. Not much else to say there.
- 16 of us met for dinner at Buster's: Blake's parents and some of our good friends. We had a really great time, and enjoyed my homemade pear pie (the birthday boy's favorite).
- On Sunday my sister in law came up from Phoenix, we did more work on the house, and ordered takeout from La Fondas for Blake's final birthday dinner. La Fondas is gross. Blake and his dad love it.

Regarding Blake's gifts:
Gifts are my love language. I spend much time searching for the perfect present, and buying/making for Blake is one of my toughest tasks. He has a handy Amazon wishlist, and I know that if I get him something from there, he will be thrilled. The problem is, I long to find him a gift on my own, to come up with something that will surprise and delight him, and make him say, "Wow, I didn't even know I needed/wanted that, but I do! It's perfect!" This really has yet to happen, for various reasons. I know logically that since it's his birthday, it should not matter how I feel about it as long as he gets something he wants. Thus the wishlist. But this year I had TWO strokes of genius, one of which I graciously passed on to my mom.

It dawned on me that Blake did not have an outdoorsy watch, one to use in ruggedy situations. I determined that such a watch would be a welcome gift, and proceeded to find the perfect one online. I sent the link to my parents, and they got it for his birthday. I just knew that Blake wouldn't want a silly watch that came with loads of gadgets to clutter it up. I knew he would want a watch that told time and would light up for nighttime viewing, and that was it. Blake, I was sure, had other, superior methods of telling the temperature, elevation, directions, etc. and would scorn a watch with those features, especially since such watches were chunky black rubber and not at all stylish. I found on Amazon the perfect thing: a nice, classy, analog face with a brown leather band, water resistant, rugged and shock resistant, with a back light so one can tell the time at night. It was perfect, and he would love it. My mother informed me my father would purchase it that day. Imagine my shock, then, when my husband joyfully informed me he had updated his Amazon wishlist. Amongst the books and camping gear, he had added a watch. A chunky, black rubber watch with an altimeter, thermometer, barometer, and even  world clock. "You don't want that!" I wailed! Blake was alarmed. I told him of my smug assumption that he would want a watch that was only a watch, that I was sure he would be only amused by a gadget-watch. Blake blinked at me. "Guys like gadgets." "I don't know you!" I cried. "After three years of marriage, you're a stranger to me!" I mournfully showed him the chosen watch, and Blake assured me that he loved it and would wear it gratefully. We told some friends of our misunderstanding that night. A guy seemed confused- "why wouldn't Blake want gadgets on his watch?" Good grief- and they say women are the confusing ones. As soon as I think I've got my man pegged, he reveals another side of himself. And I guess all the cliches about men and gadgets are true.

Oh, my other gift inspiration was a pair of Kevlar gloves. Blake had never mentioned wanting a pair before, but I was confidant he would love them. And I was right. Minutes after their purchase, he guessed what I bought. And he was thrilled.

Little Toothies

She's so nonchalant about it. A month ago Rory's top teeth were causing her such grief. Then the pain went away, but the teeth didn't appear. Then, while holding her upside down and swinging her around, I see TEETH. You'd think she'd tell me or something, "Hey, Mama, look at all my top teeth!" But no, she kept her little secret to herself. Now her total tooth count is 5!!! I'm so proud of my little girl. And I hope they're not as sharp as the bottom ones.

In other Rory news, for the first time last night, I didn't nurse her before putting her to bed at 7:30. I was sure she'd be up for a snack a couple hours later, but we didn't hear a peep until 8:20 this morning! I think the weaning process has begun, which bodes well for soon-coming overnights at her grandparents' house! And, I have to admit, I'm looking forward to a few nursing-free months before Once's arrival (Ohn-say- 11 in Spanish, since we were hoping on having him/her on 11-11-11)!

Way to grow, Aurora Whitney!

Trip to WA (etc.)

Well.

Rory and I made it safely to and from Seattle/Spokane. I found out that being a single mom is NOT FUN, especially when flying. We had a really great flight schedule, but darling US Air suffered a delay out of Flag, causing us to miss our connection in Phoenix. We ended up on an 8pm flight bound for Seattle, which is Rory's bedtime. She's a terrific little sleeper at home, but she doesn't sleep well on my lap anymore- there's just no room for her to get comfy. So, she did not sleep on the plane, and nor was she happy. I don't think any of the other passengers were either. And, her grandma fed her REFRIED BEANSfor lunch, being Cinco de Mayo and all. That was a BAD idea! What to do with a really gross baby- change her in my lap in the dark, or wake up the guy next to me so I can fumble my way to the bathroom?

Thankfully, Aurora was a trooper the rest of the trip. She smiled and laughed and charmed and delighted everywhere we went, and she adored my grandparents. She did great on the seven hour car ride, both ways! I was so proud of her! Flying home was a much better experience. She didn't sleep, but she was a happy baby, so all was well. I was never so relieved as when our little plane finally landed in Flag and I could hand my little one to her exuberant papa...hooray for being reunited with my beloved! It was great spending time with my mom and grandparents though, and I'm really glad we made the trip.

I'm definitely enjoying having Blake around so much! We've been doing some work on the house and yard, and Blake's exploring a few work options. Rory LOVES seeing so much of him (and I do too)! I've come down with a gross cold, and he's taking care of me and babycakes. I'm trying to decide if I should spend a couple days doing nothing so I get over this, or if I should plow on through my massive to-do list, cold and all. So far I've washed diapers and the dishes, and begun the task of sorting Rory's clothes for the next size swap.

Speaking of Rory, my baby girl is just a few weeks away from turning ONE! I know it's cliche, but Blake and I are astonished that she could be so old, so fast. She has become the most delightful little girl, and we enjoy her so much! She talks nonstop, always trying out new sounds. She clearly says, "dada" to Blake, but otherwise it's a lot of babble. Except she pouts, "mamamama!" when she's angry, go figure. She's a smiley, easily amused, laid back, pleasant little thing. What she is not is mobile- no crawling or walking for this one. She's very content to sit on the floor and play, but his no desire whatsoever to move. Granted, she rolls and scoots, but that's the extent of it. I'm kind of enjoying this stage, where she'll entertain herself but not go about causing mischief. She's eating more and more grownup food, which is fun. she loves all bread products, cream cheese, some eggs, oatmeal, BANANAS (she'd eat half a dozen bananas a day if we'd let her), and many more things. She's so great :)

Here are a few pictures of our time in WA:

My first Mother's Day

The view from the house

Aurora and Grammie

4 generations

Happy Trails to Me

Tomorrow Aurora and I are leaving on our first (of hopefully very few) non-Blake trips. This regrettably means I'm literally flying solo with Rory on an airplane, not her first flight, but I anticipate them getting tougher as she gets older. I really don't want her to be one of THOSE babies on the plane, and I don't want to be one of THOSE moms!! We're meeting up with my mom in Seattle, then driving six hours across the state to rural northeastern WA to visit my dear grandparents. I'm looking forward to seeing everyone, and to spending Mother's Day with my mom, grammie, and daughter, but I'm sad to be leaving my hubbycakes for a week. I know Blake will enjoy some time in manly pursuits that he graciously neglects in order to spend time with his affectionate family, and time apart always makes for a strengthened marriage, but I still feel forlorn.

I thoughtfully made Blake a calendar, suggested "to-do list," and list of meal options for my absence. Then I had a brilliant idea: since Blake enjoys video games, it would be so awesome if in order to unlock the food list, he has to complete items on the to-do list! When he crosses off the first three items, the next day's breakfast would appear- genius! Since like many men, he's conquest-driven, I thought for sure he'd enjoy this little game. Let's just say he wasn't amused.

Yesterday, we celebrated an early Mother's Day with Blake's parents and sister, which was enjoyable. We've enjoyed Auntie Bethany's eager babysitting this week to run baby-free errands, always a treat!

In the realm of the kitchen, my only particular feat of late was the eggplant paremsean I made Monday. We're not huge eggplant fans (other than the fact that they are hands down the world's most GORGEOUS vegetable), but when we got one in our Bountiful Basket, I was resolved to use it. My own eggplant parm recipe is as follows:
1. Thinly slice the eggplant into lovely circles (leave the skin on)
2. Dip the slices in a mixture of egg and Italian salad dressing
3. Coat the slices in Italian breadcrumbs (buy some ready-made or add appropriate Italian seasonings and some shredded parmesean cheese to some plain ones)
4. Place on a broiler pan and broil on low heat until toasty, then flip them over and do the same
5. Layer a few slices on a dinner plate, top with marinara sauce and a bit of provolone or mozzarella
6. Enjoy a surprising amount

Finally, it seems our health insurance is all settled, with the whole family remaining covered. I was pretty stressed about what we'd do insurance wise (a big deal, since we're expecting), but God worked it all out, and I get to keep my wonderful OB and family practitioners, which is a huge blessing!

Okay, off to con one more meal off the inlaws, than home to finish packing and get some sleep. Happy Mother's Day to the awesome moms (especially my own!!!) out there!

My mom with her first grandbaby!