What a {Great!} Year

For the first time in about 5 years, I did not write a lengthy and detailed letter to enclose in our Christmas card. So many friends and family follow us online on FB or on here...but for the record, 2011 was one for the record books. This weekend, we watched several shows on TV with the "top lists of 2011"- whether it was news, sports plays, etc. It always seems that the events that transpired back in January, hardly feel like it happened this year. We often wonder, "where does time go?" And now with children, it seems to fly by even faster. Together, we reflected on what an amazing and blessed year we enjoyed. Here are some of our highlights...

• Jeremy's promotion to Area Manager
• Our relocation to the North Pole, {aka Minnesota}
• A fabulous trip to Maui, thanks to Jeremy's leadership and management skills
• Surviving the Tsunami Warning, while in Hawaii
• Our new home...which we love
• My new{er}car...which I love
• Many blessings of generous gifts for baby L from many family and friends, including new friends here
• A healthy pregnancy and perfect delivery of Miss L
• Loving life with Miss L

Instead of waiting to see "what's in store" for 2012...I am determined to make it a great year. We look forward to an upcoming vacation with some of my family, starting solid baby foods and making our own baby food, exploring the Twin Cities, getting {back} into shape and doing my best to provide a fabulous life of experiences and fun for Miss L.

From our family to yours - May you have a blessed, peaceful and healthy 2012~

Hello Again!

Dear blog...it's been a while. Too long, in my opinion. Between the busy days that surrounded Christmas and our time spent in Michigan, visiting family and friends, the blog has been neglected. Did I mention the days spent in Michigan were mostly spent in a home with nearly-dial-up internet service and next-to-nothing cell phone service? Not only was I unable to blog, but I couldn't check Facebook updates either. Sometimes it is nice to un-plug for a while and enjoy some R&R...but boy am I happy to be back in the world with technology.

I have so much to blog about as we celebrated Miss L's First Christmas, enjoyed a fondue feast on Christmas Eve, went to MI for 3 Christmas parties, enjoyed a playdate with friends and cherished the baptism of our baby girl.

I promise to share our fun times and stories in the coming days.

Favorite Holiday Movies

Last night we watched Home Alone (the original, dated 1990)...and I haven't laughed so hard in a long time. Although it's not a classic "holiday" movie, it does takes place at Christmas-time. This prompted a discussion on our favorite holiday movies. My list goes like this:

1. Elf - "Smiling is my favorite" - what can I say! :)
2. Christmas Vacation - Too many lines to quote, everyone LOL's all the way through!
3. The Holiday - hello Jude Law...and those little girls are darling with their accents (makes me want to send Miss L across the pond one summer to return speaking like that!)
4. Serendipity - because I do believe "everything happens for a reason," and yet that you control your own destiny.
5. Home Alone - yep, my cheeks hurt after watching it. Plus, it takes place in Chicago - which I call one of my homes.

It's so easy {a Grandma can do it}

Everyone knows just how technology-forward my husband is. It is "his thing." We all have "a thing" that we're into. (Although, I'm not sure what my "thing" is, yet.) His interest for the latest and greatest piece of electronics is fueled by a mind wired like an engineer...and by his perfectionism, which ultimately translates into a great quality of life for all 3 of us!

One of the most progressive pieces of technology in our home is our remote control to the various media in our Living Room. At first site, it appears to be a small tablet, approximately 4" square. It is made by Logitech, a brand that he has come to enjoy. The remote features a touch screen and uses macros that he programs to customize the functions, based on our components. (This is slightly Greek to me, but I'm thankful he self-taught himself this stuff)

This remote is often the butt of jokes by his family. I'm not sure why - maybe b/c it looks intimidating at first site, or maybe that they enjoy razzing him. However, when I go to their homes - they often have 3-4 different reomotes. You know the drill - one remote for the TV, one for sound and another for the dvd player or something else - and no one knows how to operate all 3. Well, my husband uses technology to make a posh life for his princess. With the touch of one button- I press "Play Blu Ray" button - it turns all of the settings on the TV, Audio, and PS3 Player to the correct ones and I just have to hit play. Or, if I want to listen to the Holly (Christmas) Station on satellite radio - I touch the "Listen to Sirius" button - then logos appear for my favorite radio stations- Holly, Alt Nation, Coffeehouse, and so on.

In fact, my mom (Miss L's Grandma), has raved about this remote - the ease of use recently when she stayed at our home while we were at work. I'm sure future babysitters will be equally elated by this technology.

Soo...if you are tired of handling numerous remotes to play your child's Baby Einstein dvd, or if you need a last minute gift for the techy in your life...consider one of the few options available by Logitech. Below are a couple of photos of our remote...and yes, my husband put a holiday-themed background photo on the screen. {See previous post about our love for the holidays!}

Really? Really?

Since the weather has been soo mild lately, we decided to take a little family walk yesterday...and THIS is what we discovered just a short walk way in a neighborhood or two over from ours. "WOW!!" That is all that could come out of my mouth when we turned a corner with the stroller and saw this site.

Now, I used to LOVE purple. It has long been my favorite color; now I'm leaning towards pink these days. Either way - I wouldn't dare paint my house this color! And to make matters even more intense - these people had a purple mail box, purple planter boxes and purple flower baskets.

Who actually thinks this looks nice? Honestly, people! I guess this is why neighborhoods have associations with rules and covenants, so your new neighbor doesn't move-in and dramatically decrease your home value.

So, Sad! Needless to say, we will be taking that route again...just to actually see what this crazy people look like! On a side note- love taking walks here - the smell of wood burning fireplaces - is intoxicating to me!

I Wish I Would've Known...

We didn't learn about the Pampers Gifts to Grow Rewards program until about 3 weeks ago. We learned from a fellow new mom about this program, which ultimately rewards you for purchasing pampers products.

So...once I received my first case of Pampers Swaddlers diapers shipped from Diapers.com (note: amazing deal on 232 swaddlers for $32.99 shipped!), I found the code for the Gifts to Grow program on each of the plastic packaging and entered them online, yielding about 200 points. Now the program has all kinds of items to redeem points for, such as shutterfly gift cards, etc.

Then, just this morning, I noticed the code on a package of bulk Pampers wipes. Unfortunately, we are down to our final pack in a bulk case we bought back in August. It saddens me to think that I missed out on all of these points thus far.

My suggestions:

• Purchase diapers on diapers.com (super cheap!)
• Sign-up for a Pampers Gifts to Grow rewards account
• Log the codes on the cases as soon as you receive the purchase, so that it's done and you don't need to worry about doing it mid-diaper change!

"I KNOW HIM"

Miss L had her first experience with Santa Claus yesterday. We made our reservation nearly a month ago, after learning about this "special Santa." The "Santa Experience" at the MOA- boasts a real traditional looking Santa. Instead of donning the big red suit and faux beard....this Santa is more of a "Kris Kringle" type. He is extremely interactive with the kids...now Miss L was a too young to appreciate this Santa, but I am certain future years will definitely yield lots of excitement.

Miss L woke up from her nap right before it was show time. This made for a not-so-interactive Santa experience. She did "good," just not totally herself. Of course, just 5 minutes after visiting with Santa, she was in great spirits. Below are a couple of photos from our camera, I will scan the professional photo in a bit.

Wendy's {Copycat} Chili

If you are a fan of Wendy's Chili, have I got a recipe for you. With our attempt at meal planning, we decided this Football Sunday would include some slow-cooked, simmering hot chili. Since we don't have a specific recipe in the family...we decided to find a mock recipe of Wendy's famous chili (we both love!). We have had great luck in the past making mock recipes of some of our favorites, such as Olive Garden Alfredo Sauce and Olive Garden Chicken Scampi...I'll have to post these later.

I say "we" a lot...because in this home, everything is a team effort. In this situation, it involved me researching the perfect recipe, grocery shopping, and then tending to Miss L, as I instructed Jeremy on what and how much of each ingredient to put in the big pot.

It turned out absolutely delicious and was VERY close to the real deal!

Here is a photo and the recipe below:

2 lb. ground beef, browned
29oz. can tomato sauce
29oz. can red kidney beans (with liquids)
29oz. can pinto beans (with liquids)
15oz. can diced tomatoes, (we processed them real fine)
1 c. diced onion
1/2 c. green chili (used one small can)
1/4 c. diced celery (approx. one stalk)
2 tsp. cumin
3 tbsp. chili powder
1 1/2 tsp. black pepper
2 tsp. salt
2 c. water

Add all ingredients to large pot. Bring to boil over low heat. Simmer for 2-3 hours, stirring every 15-30 minutes.

Enjoy!
(Add shredded cheddar, crackers, sour cream, etc...if you wish, but it really doesn't need it!) Freeze leftovers.

Ugly Christmas Sweater

Two stores, 90 minutes and Twenty dollars later...and Jeremy now owns an Ugly Christmas Sweater. And it is UGGGLYYY!

He wanted to wear one to work, in an effort to create buzz surrounding the upcoming large staff Christmas Party! So, off to the M-O-A we went...not coming home without a sweater. Good thing, we have the store, Ragstock, with "1000's of Ugly Christmas Sweaters" per their large banners at all 3 locations at MOA.

This beautiful sweater works well for the big guy because features a knit-in Christmas Tree (no embellishments to cheat the way to the ugliest sweater!)...also, it's a VEST, and Jeremy's staff has experienced Jeremy in a sweater vest on multiple occasions...lastly, it has a gray cell phone pocket on the left side of the vest - perfect for the crackberry!

He is such a great manager, getting into the spirit and having fun with his staff! Suffice it to say - it was a big hit and required an encore presentation the following week!

Happy Holidays!

Ho Ho Ho!

Santa has visited our home every year since we've been married, always in the middle of the night, filling our stockings and placing presents under the tree or anywhere they will fit (ie. my bicycle in our front foyer in Indy one xmas)...this year marks a new era of Santa. The kind of Santa that you have to set out a plate of cookies and milk for...and the kind that places shiny, red boxes from American Girl store under the tree, instead of pink, sparkly boxes from Victoria's Secret.

This year, since Miss L is a little too young to realize who this jolly big guy is...mommy and daddy have decided to take the reigns. We decided that we will each go out individually and shop for some special gifts from Santa to Miss L. Then, Christmas morning we can open each others gifts to Miss L and we all will have plenty of surprises. Knowing Jeremy, his creativity will be challenged and he will "out-gift" me, as he always does.
As far as my shopping list goes- we have less than 2 weeks until Christmas and I have to buy for Jeremy and the baby sitter. Not too bad. Now, just waiting for packages from Amazon.com to arrive to begin wrapping!

Ho Ho Ho!

Happy 4-Month Birthday!

We celebrated 4 months of life with Miss L last week. Every month gets more and more fun with her...in fact, every day is something new. She is giggling, rolling over in every direction and just a joy to be around.

On Tuesday of last week, Miss L had her traditional pediactric visit. Since the doc we had been seeing is on maternity leave, I made this appointment with one of the docs that checked her out in the hospital, Dr. Coch.

We very much enjoyed his visit while in the hospital; and this appointment solidified that we will be seeing him from here on out. As a doc at large ped. practice (25+ docs), he made us feel like his only patient...which was very comforting.

Doc is very pleased with the health of Miss L and all is well. Her stats are as follows:

• 11#, 2oz - 10th percentile
• 23 3/4" long - 25th percentile
• I forget her head measurement - also 25th percentile

Plus, we got 4 shots and the oral dose of the rotovirus. She did great- only a short period of "petite" screaming immediately after the shot...afterall, that is to be expected.

Helpful hints for other new parents:

• Bring Children's Tylenol with you and dispense at appointment while waiting for doc (as a proactive measure)
• Bring a bottle or prepared to nurse following the appointment, just in case; can be very comforting to little one

• Be observant of any post-shot fever -a temp higher than 101.5 degrees F for babies 3m and older