Jaxon's First Zoo Trip

Tis the season of limited Nick time.  Cue sad face.  This weekend, we only got to spend time with him on Saturday so we made a whole day of it and Jaxon was quite the trooper!

We woke up and slowly got ready to leave the house, then headed to Maple Street Biscuit Company for brunch.  Nick and I enjoyed chicken biscuits while Jaxon enjoyed his Oball and Sophie.

Afterwards, we headed to the Jacksonville Zoo and Gardens for Jaxon's first zoo trip. We didn't really expect him to get anything out of it, because he's so young, but we were wrong.  As long as the animals moved, he would notice them and just stare at them.  It was such a fun experience!!!

These two seriously melt my heart.  I could have watched them together all day.  

(Jaxon spends half of his waking hours eating his hands.)

Y'all, seriously.  Look at this kid.  They don't come any cuter than this.

(And oh my gosh, does he look exactly like Nick or what?!)

He loved this giant gorilla and was hitting, feeling, and picking all over his face.

This ball is his favorite.  We have a few of them.  He's always holding it, even while sleeping, as he was in this picture.  We don't get anywhere without it, even if there's plenty of animals to entertain him.

Nick and I each have a stuffed tiger.  Tigers are my favorite animal and Valentine's Day 2007, I received a package from Nick that contained a stuffed tiger.  And I've slept with it (almost) every day since then.  A few months after receiving mine, Nick casually mentioned that he wished he had a tiger.  So I bought one and mailed it to him.  And he then began sleeping with his tiger.  We decided it's only appropriate that we get Jaxon his own tiger.  We had been searching for a while but every tiger we find in stores had those ginormous cartoonish eyes.  No thank you.   We popped in the gift shop in the hopes they would have a tiger with normal size eyes and they did!!!  So Jaxon got his first tiger and a souvenir from his first zoo trip.  

Seriously, how did I create such a perfect little boy?!

Afterwards, we hit up Sam's Club and then headed home.  It was a long day.  We were gone from the house from about 11am until 5pm.  Jaxon didn't cry once!!!!  He just took his cat naps in the stroller, fussed for one minute before I nursed him, and remained smiles all day.  It made for quite the pleasant day.  

I can't wait to spend more weekends creating memories with my little family.  I know they'll be few and far between now with Nick being gone a lot, but we'll take what we can get!

Weekend Recap: Friends, Dogs, Date Night, Furniture, and Baby Moving!

Happy Tuesday!!!!  Today is my Monday, but also my Thursday because I had yesterday off work for MLK Day and tomorrow is my last day of work for the week.  Holla!!!  (Do people still say that???)

I'm here today to give you one of those weekend recaps, but this is going to be a photo heavy post.  People really only care about photos anyway, right?  So let's jump right in to this random, pointless blog post!

Friday evening started off great as my husband walked in the door holding this box of donuts.  Let me tell you, this man knows his pregnant wife well!  Husband award right here for not only thinking of me, but for getting Dunkin even though he prefers Krispy Kreme.  (I prefer KK glazed, but Dunkin iced donuts.  And as you can see, I couldn't hold off on eating one before snapping a photo.
Then Nick made dinner while I sat on my tush and watched.  He even did the dishes as he went along which he normally doesn't do!!!  It was a great and relaxing Friday for me for sure!!!

Saturday morning, we lounged around awaiting our new furniture.  We ordered a new couch for the living room.  We also ordered a china cabinet and hutch but we're not using it for china.  We're using it as our bar.  Call us lushes, but it is what it is.  We have far more barware than we know what to do with and we have an abundance of liquor.  On Black Friday we got an awesome deal on the two pieces of furniture so we jumped on it and had to wait what seemed like forever to get them in!

That is the before and after.  Let me also let you know that Nick set up this entire bar.  I will be making it look much more attractive and appealing.  But I didn't want to leave you hanging without a photo.  So you get's Nick's set up.  We'll call this the before and trial photo.  Stay tuned for the final after photo.

Likewise, this was our living room as awaited the new couch.  I couldn't help Nick move the couches this go around so they sat here until a friend came over to help move them upstairs to the loft.  We love the new couch! (it's not positioned in the bottom photo; it doesn't overhang the wall as it appears there).  It's so comfy and gives us a little more seating.  I can't wait to get our tables build, buy decor, and hang curtains now!  This place is finally coming together!  About time since we only have 4 months until Baby Obie arrives!

This weekend, I also took quite a few belly photos.  I feel like it's really out there now.  No hiding this preggo belly!  Vino even got some cuddles in with her brother.  

My belly is growing so much in fact, that my t-shirts are a little snug and stretch uncomfortably.    And this is why I have begun wearing Nick's shirts.  Size small t-shirts just aren't cutting it anymore!

Saturday night we had some friends over for game night.  We played Settlers of Catan (we bought the game and expansion pack over Christmas), Telestrations, and ate far too much food.  I also sipped on some non-alcoholic wine and pretended it was the real thing.  (Only 19 more weeks!)

Sunday late morning, we had a dog party.  Three of our neighbors brought over their dogs and we spent the next hour and a half wearing them out.  It was awesome to see three Vizslas together since they're not all that common.  Below you'll see a little game of Vizsla keep-away, led by Cayenne, followed by Riley and Vino)

As if the dogs weren't spoiled enough with the doggie playdate, I finally got Nick to agree to let the old couch, now moved to the loft, to be the one piece of furniture the dogs are allowed on.  I finally get to cuddle with my dogs somewhere else besides the floor!  Vino was all about it.  We didn't have to ask her twice to get up there.  Yadi, however, had to be pulled on the couch.  But most the time, not matter how much "come" we say, she refuses to get on the couch.  She might like to test her limits most days, but she really is a great dog that knows the rules. 

Sunday night, we had date night in and made dinner together (Mongolian beef with carrots, broccoli, green beans, onions, and red peppers over rice) and cuddled up on the new couch watching a movie.  Of course, picky ass Nick had to pick out everything except the beef and green beans.
This couch, because of it's giant ottoman when pushed in the corner, creates the perfect scenario for the ultimate cuddle session!  We watched "When the Game Stands Tall" and I really enjoyed it!

Monday, we woke up around 10am and oh.em.gee it felt so good to get that much sleep.  Little man was doing some serious gymnastics and Nick was able to feel him.  In fact, Baby Obie was kicking up a storm for 45 minutes straight.  We just laid in bed for those 45 minutes, Nick's hand on my belly, feeling this little guy having a blast in there.  I love being able to share this with Nick.  It's crazy to me that just one week ago, his kicks weren't hard enough for Nick to feel them and now not only can Nick feel them, but we can see our hands move from his strong kicks!

We took the lazy route the rest of the day and laid on the couch watching "Jersey Boys" (thank you Red Box for one buy, get one free!).  During the show, our attention whore Weim was so frustrated that we wouldn't pay attention to her, so she began throwing her ball at us.  And it landed right in our popcorn bowl.  Well, I guess we're done with that.  Thanks a lot asshole.

We ended the night with some cleaning.  And by we, I mean Nick because I can only work for 5 minutes at a time before my body tells me to sit down.

Also, being a homeowner sucks at times.  Saturday, I opened the dishwasher, apparently Hulk style, and pulled the dishwasher from the cabinets.  Not much, just at the top.  But anytime you opened it and pulled the drawers out, the entire thing tilted out of the cabinets.  Nick wasn't too happy with me so last night, he pulled the entire thing out, diagnosed what the hell happened (which was just lazy installation) and then fixed it.  Thank goodness for a handy husband!!!!

And then I ended the night in bed, reading about my 21st week of pregnancy, while watching Fresh Prince, making a to-do list for work.

Speaking of work, did I mention that I only have two days of work this week??? Because I do!  Thursday, I will be on a cruise ship with my husband, headed to the Bahamas!!!!!!!

Thanksgiving Weekend Recap

Monday...ugh!

Monday after four days off for the holiday...there aren't enough ughs in the world. 

I hope you all had a great Thanksgiving and holiday weekend!!!
I'm here to give you a Thanksgiving weekend recap.  Because I know you haven't read enough of those!

This was our first Thanksgiving away from family. Every year since I've been married and moved away from home, we've been able to go home for the holidays. This year, however, we decided to stay in Florida. After traveling home for my sister's wedding at the beginning of November and going home for Christmas (plus a baby on the way), we decided to save our money and stay put. 

I'll admit, it did suck not seeing family and it was strange, but we gathered together with a few other friends that didn't travel for Thanksgiving and we had a blast!! We ate, (they drank), we played games, we napped, we laughed. It was perfect!
We did some of my family's normal Thanksgiving traditions, like watching the Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade that morning while eating breakfast.  Let me also note that my husband, who very rarely drinks, poured himself a nice large glass of strawberry MOONSHINE to go with his pancakes!  Being with child, I had milk to accompany my M&M pancakes ;)

{We decided to snap this quick photo of our last Thanksgiving as a family of two! (Well, four if we don't want to hurt the fur babies feelings)}

The rest of the weekend was busy.  Friday we woke up and just lounged around the house. Somewhere around 12pm we decided we'd go check out the Black Friday sales. We went to the NEX (Navy Exchange, which is like a giant department store on base) and spent way too much time and possibly too much money. But we got Christmas gifts and some things we've been wanting for a while (ie. a Roomba. Yay!!) 

I'm sure it would have been a great day to snag some great deals on baby gear, but being only 14 weeks along, I haven't even begun thinking about, researching, or talking to others about what the heck a baby needs and likes. Thus we didn't pick up anything for little Baby Obie. 

Later that afternoon, we went to the Northeast Florida Mizzou Alumni Chapter's Tiger Watch Party to watch our boys beat Arkansas to win the SEC East title, which sends them to the SEC Championship for the second year in a row (and only their third in the SEC after all the haters said (and still say) that we can't hang with the big boys).

Saturday we decided to hit up the furniture store. We have a two story house with a loft right as you come up the stairs. That loft is empty (and by empty I mean no furniture but a few unpacked boxes...from moving in 14 months ago). We said that once we had a baby, we'd make the loft baby central. You know, all the toys and baby gadgets and gear and whatnot. It makes sense so we don't junk up our main living area and the nursery is upstairs too. Our plan is to add a television (and small entertainment center) and a couch. So off we went to find a couch. We were going to hold off until much closer to Baby Obie's due date, but when we saw the sales this weekend, we decided to go look. And I'm glad we did.  We saw a couch we loved at Ashley Furniture, but ended up buying it yesterday at the NEX because it was literally 56% of the cost of Ashley's and no tax. So we now have a couch on the way. It'll be the new couch for our main living room and the current couch will go upstairs in the loft. 

That night we headed back over to our friends house and played Donkey.  If you haven't ever played, find your nearest friend with a pool table, YouTube videos of how to play, and go play!  You will not regret it.  You can also make it a drinking game if you so desire (you have to drink between your turns).  I thought I'd pass out from exhaustion after seeing how winded everyone else was getting, but I was able to play!  While I still feel sleepy a lot and stairs still kick my ass, playing Donkey made me realize I'm slowly getting my energy back so I think I'm going to ease back into my workouts and runs!  I'm pretty stoked about that!
After Donkey had us pretty worn out and hot, we decided to transition to Settlers of Catan, a game I just learned this weekend and love!

And now here I am, on my way to work (well about to be). Yuck. I love long weekends but hate that I really had zero time to rest and relax this entire weekend. We were gone from our house for the majority of it. When we were home, we were sleeping or cooking. I just want a day to lay on my couch and do nothing. Or decorate for Christmas. That's my Thanksgiving weekend tradition and it didn't even happen :( I wish I could say it would happen this weekend, but it won't because I'll be out of town for work. I need life to slow down!!!

How was your Thanksgiving?  
Did you get to spend it with family?
What are some of your Thanksgiving traditions?
Or do you go completely untraditional when it comes to the meal and other things?
Did you brave the crowds for Black Friday?

Celebrating an Anniversary & Fall Fun!!

Happy Monday y'all!!!  I haven't done a weekend recap in quite a while.  I know, you've all missed them.  In all seriousness, I know only my parents and a few friends truly care how I spent my weekend.  I really do these recaps for myself.  I love looking back each year and seeing what I did.  It's my like my online scrapbook.  Which becomes a real scrapbook because there's an awesome site where you can turn your blog into a book!

But now I'm rambling.

This weekend was rather busy.  The last few weekends we haven't done too much because either Nick's been working, I've been feeling crappy, or we've just had too much to do around the house.

Friday, after I arrived home from physical therapy (more on that in another post), I showered and we went out to celebrate our engagement anniversary.  Friday marked 5 years since Nicholas flew into St. Louis (I had no idea he was there), sent me to a spa to get a massage and manicure (while he showed up at my parents house to ask for their blessing), then sent me all over St. Louis on a scavenger hunt to places that had significance to us before finding him, on one knee.  (Followed by dinner at Ruth's Chris then off to see Phantom of the Opera and the next day, a hot air balloon ride at sunset).  It was seriously one of the best days of my life!  We usually celebrate each year, nothing big or fancy, but just a way of recognizing that this day is still important to us.  We went out to dinner and then headed next door to see Gone Girl (sooooo good!!!  I'm normally disappointed in books turned movie but I really loved it!  Although bitty be CRAZY!  So much creepier watching it!).

Afterwards we just came home and snuggled up in bed reminiscing about this day five years ago.  We love to relive these old moments, talking about the thoughts and emotions running through us at that time.  And who doesn't love going to sleep with happy thoughts??

Saturday we decided to engage in some fall fun.  It definitely didn't feel like fall at 90 degrees and sweating our butts off, but if you wait for fall weather to do fall things here in Florida, you'll be picking rotting pumpkins in December.  So off to the "farm" we went!!! We arrived and walked around to see what all they had going on.  There were so many various games, lots of food, a pumpkin patch, animals to pet, horse back rides, a hayride, corn maze, etc.

We hopped on the hayride and rode over to the corn maze.  This was the design for this year at Conner's A-Maize-Ing Acres

via

The maze wasn't too difficult and I think that's because the corn wasn't very high.  It was a little easy to just glance over the corn stalks and see what direction you needed to take and which was a dead end.  None the less, we had a lot of fun!  (Other than sweating off about 10 pounds).

Afterwards we headed over to the pumpkin patch and picked out our pumpkins.  We don't yet know what we'll be carving, which made choosing the right pumpkin a little difficult.  I just randomly picked a medium sized pumpkin and Nick chose a one a little bit larger.  I forgot take photos there so we snapped a quick photo before hopping in the car.

The rest of the evening was spent at home, unfortunately watching our Redbirds lose Game 1 of the NLCS to the Giants.

(clearly taken at the start of the game when I was still happy)

Sunday was just a productive day around the house.  We did laundry, cleaned and organized the dining room, did some work in the garage, pulled our fall decor out of the attic and I got a very small start on the fall decorating.  Unfortunately I leave tomorrow to go out of town for work so I won't be getting to do more decorating until next weekend.  But this shall do for now.  At least anyone who comes to the door will think we've got it together.  But if they come further than the entryway, they'll realize this is all I've done.

The evening ended with a walk because Yadi is fat (we've been saying this for a while, but the vet confirmed it...in nicer terms.  But that's a post for another day) and we met the cutest little 7 month old German Shorthaired Pointer!!!  The woman saw our little pointer pack (we were walking with our neighbor and her Vizsla) and she came out.  We're definitely want to plan a puppy play date soon!

Now the evening is winding down as I'm fully packed for my trip, we just consumed a delicious dinner (that I didn't cook, which is a win), and we're currently watching our Cardinals.  They're winning 2-0 right now so let's hope we can keep this lead!

Sisters Love and Goodbyes

Why can't weekends be longer? Two days just isn't enough. Especially when they're spent visiting family.


A few days ago, Nicholas and I randomly decided we were going to go visit my sister, Leah, and her fiancé, Kyle.
It was bittersweet because this is the last time we'll see them before they move. (They move mid-June and our weekends are booked until then. Hence why we decided to go this weekend). I was spoiled having my sister only two hours away the two years we were in Pensacola. And now with us in Jax, they're only five hours away. Being away from my family is so incredibly hard for me, but having them close made it a little easier. 
But now, I won't have that. They're moving back to the Midwest. Kyle is being stationed at Ft. Riley in Kansas. They'll now be like every other family member whom we only see a few times a year. And I hate that.

Don't get me wrong, I'm thankful I've had her so close the past few years. We weren't always close when we were little (read: we hated each other) but when we entered our teenage years, we grew closer. Our three year difference didn't seem so drastic, and I stopped viewing her as that annoying little sister and instead as a best friend. And we've only grow closer over the years.

It doesn't hurt that our husbands have this weird bromance going on. They love sports, the St. Louis Cardinals, geek out all night long on video games, and they're both helicopter pilots (Kyle is an apache pilot in the Army.)

It was also bittersweet because while our girls had a blast, it'll be the last time they get to play like this for a very long time. Maybe ever.   Leah and Kyle have two female dogs and they're all four the best of friends. Yadi and Vino do not play and wrestle with anyone else like they do these two. It's adorable, comical, and sometimes annoying with the nonstop movement. But now, they'll only see each other at Christmas and my parents house is not as accommodating without a fenced yard for these four morons to run around together. Nonetheless, they were happy to see each other and had a blast. I mean, this was Yadi when she realized where we were going. Despite not being to their house since September, when we were about a mile away, she shot up and completely freaked out because she knew where she was and who she was about to see. 


We spent the weekend just hanging out and having fun. Leah and I ventured out Saturday for lunch at Cactus Flower, one of my favorite restaurants back in Florida.  When I heard she had one in Dothan, Alabama, I was all over it. 

After lunch, we headed to various stores to shop for decor for her wedding reception and also bridal shower necessities. (Her wedding is back home in St. Louis in November and I'm the MOH).  And I couldn't come to Dothan and not get Gigi's Cupcakes!  Seriously, look at this amazingness!!!

These were our selections:  Chocolate Turtle, Red Velvet, Triple Chocolate Torte, and Chocolate Chip Cookie Dough!!!


Upon arriving home, we grilled out and then headed to the drive-in theater. I haven't done this since I was single digit age. But it was only $7 for TWO movies!!! How can you beat that?? So we headed there, with Nick pimping out, braving the storms, and saw first "A Million Ways to Die in the West" followed by "Neighbors". Both were a bit of a letdown. But it was a great experience!!!

Sunday was just a day to lounge around, make more definite plans for Leah's shower, and take some photos. They wanted family photos but Zoey was more interested in hunting for cats so it didn't go over well. I then took some of them in front of their house, their first house together. And some normal photos that clearly didn't turn out too normal.

And then they began being their normal weird selves and I continued to take photos

And I took a photographer as an excuse to some of us instead of timer and wireless remote photos. We got a few decent ones.

Then we said goodbye and it sucked. I'll see them both in June when I go home, which happens to be when they'll be stopping by for a few days on their way to Kansas. But it's sad knowing they aren't a short drive away, and these fun weekends with just the four of us, (six including the girls), won't exist anymore. I've greatly appreciated them the past few years but damn! I'm upset they've come to an end. Missing family is seriously the hardest part of this damn lifestyle.  I'm going to try to focus on the fact that I HAVE an amazing sister to miss so much and that she's found an equally amazing guy that we truly consider a brother.  All I have to say, Thank goodness for technology!!!!!


What did you all spend your weekends doing?  Anyone take a little weekend getaway as well?
For those that live away from family, how to cope best with the distance and homesickness??