Valentine's Picnic

For Valentine's day this year, I asked one of my new girlfriends if she would be interested in throwing a surprise lunch picnic for our husbands.  This is what we did...

We each made a map puzzle for our husbands and told them to open the envelope at 12:30pm the next day.

We set everything up right before the guys got to the park.  It was a beautiful day, perfect for a picnic.  My friend made these fancy basil pesto sandwiches for us and she even wrapped them up all cute with twine.  The little ones had fun running around on the field and blowing bubbles.  Ethan had the best lunch of his life: bread, crackers and dip with corn in it (he luuuurvs corn), grapes (Oh my goodness, graaapes!), and juice (gasp!).  He was practically in heaven.  And to top it all off, he ate a strudel all by himself for dessert.  Rest assured we brushed his teeth super thoroughly tonight :)

We should definitely go on picnics more often.  Happy Valentine's Day!

Christmas Tree Lot

My heart was filled with sadness all weekend long after the shooting in Newtown, Connecticut.  I ache for the parents of the children at Sandy Hook elementary.  I cannot imagine the pain of the parents who won't get to see their children grow up, and also those who will have to face the challenge of helping their kids grow up with such a horrifying experience in their past.  At moments like this, when I'm again reminded how fragile life is, I force myself to stop and to re-focus on what really matters in life.  My family is what matters to me.  When I look at these pictures of Ethan, I see some good in the world.  I hope that you, whoever you are who is reading my blog today, will have a wonderful Christmas and be able to feel Christ's love and to see the good in this world.

A Surprise Scavenger Hunt

If I had to rate how boring a person I am on a scale from 1 to 10 with 10 being dull as dishwater, I would give myself a seven.  I'm giving myself three points on being a fun person because there are times, though rare, when I am spontaneous and fun and this is one of those times...

While I was showering one morning, I had this great idea to give Jake a surprise scavenger hunt.  I have lots of great ideas when I'm in the shower, who knows why, but that's irrelevant.  So Ethan and I got everything ready that day and taped clue #1 plus a short explanation on the garage door for Jake to find when he comes home from work.

One of the clues was written on Ethan's diaper.  It was the hardest one for Jake to find.  He knew that it had to do with diapers so he looked through all of our changing stations, places where we stock extra diapers, and even in my diaper bag but he couldn't find anything!  Finally I held Ethan right in front of his face and it clicked.  I don't remember laughing that hard for a long time :)

Like Father Like Son

I know a guy and he's a catch but he's married to me so that's too bad for you unless you're his employer.  A while ago Jake was sent on a business trip far away (think 16+ hours plane ride).  He booked an economy flight knowing full well that he could've gotten a business seat.  Afterwards, his boss asked him if he had bought a business ticket and said to him "I would if I were you."  And I, being concerned about his comfort, asked him why the heck did he not book business class and to this he replied "I want to save money for the company."  Where do you find such an honest employee, I ask you.  You might think him a fool but I am glad to have married such a man.  Guys like him are pretty hard to come by these days I'd say.

On the side note, I'm sure you're aware what a nerd my husband is.  He got a Leatherman when we were first married and carried it everywhere with him.  Think Dwight.  Sigh...  It's kind of annoying but I have to admit that it does come in handy sometimes.  Think pregnant me trying desperately to get into a bag of chips.  Anyway, it was time for an upgrade and the day the new Leatherman came in the mail, the mini was thrilled.  I think he was hoping for a hand-me-down?  No such luck.  Sorry baby.  Maybe mommy will let you carry a knife on your belt when you turn thirty if you so choose to be a nerd.

Tortellini with Spinach Tomato Sauce

Did you know that if you view my blog on Safari that the pictures will look a hundred times better?  I don't know why.  Jake tried to explain it to me one time but all the technical words seemed to have gotten all jumbled up together and I don't quite understand it.  So I'll just credit Apple's ingenious engineering and design.

This week marks the sixth anniversary of Jake and I being together.  I can't believe that we started dating six years ago!  I sometimes like to read through old emails between Jake and me and I always laugh out loud when I read the very first email he has ever sent me.  It goes like this...

Right now I am sitting across from you in the library [...] I want to tell you that [...] I am glad that you are my friend.  I know you will do well on your economy tests.  Just study hard and don't worry too much.  I'm praying for you.  Talk to you later.

Hahahahaha!  I hope you're laughing as well.  He was a goofball, but I'm glad that I married him because a lot of wonderful things would never have come into my life if I didn't.  Ethan would be one of those; this recipe would be another :)  This is rather easy and quick to make.  Nothing fancy.  The original recipe calls for one cup of chopped spinach.  I followed the recipe when we made this the first time and you had to use a microscope to find the poor shrunken spinach.  Since Jake and I both really enjoy spinach I usually just pour a whole package of baby spinach (you can find it in the packaged salad section in the store) into the the saucepan.

{ Tortellini with Spinach Tomato Sauce }

Adapted from allrecipe.com

1 (16 ounce) package cheese tortellini

1 (14.5 ounce) can diced tomatoes with garlic and onion

5 cups chopped fresh spinach

1/2 teaspoon salt

1/4 teaspoon pepper

1 1/2 teaspoons dried basil

1 teaspoon minced garlic

2 tablespoons all-purpose flour

3/4 cup milk

3/4 cup heavy cream

1/4 cup grated Parmesan cheese

Bring a large pot of water to boil. Add the tortellini, and cook until tender, about 10 minutes.

While you get the tortellini going, combine the tomatoes, spinach, salt, pepper, basil and garlic in a large saucepan over medium heat. Cook and stir until the mixture begins to bubble.

In a medium bowl, whisk together the flour, milk and cream. Stir this mixture into the saucepan along with the Parmesan cheese. Heat through, then reduce heat to low, and simmer until thick, about 2 minutes.

Drain the tortellini, but do not rinse, then pour them into the saucepan with the sauce. Stir to coat, and serve.

Happy Anniversary to Us

Four years ago I married the love of my life.  The love of my life has, unfortunately, been on a business trip  and won't be back until tomorrow morning so he missed it just by half a day and was not here to celebrate with me.  It was a yoyo kinda anniversary; you know, as in You're On Your Own.  I thought that I would be lonely and miserable but it turned out to be better than I had imagined.  The mini and I had a pretty good day.  He seemed to know that his mama needed some extra loving today so he was kissing me randomly all day long.  It sure was sweet.

Before you read any further, I would like you to humor me and click here to go to a youtube video and play this song called A Thousand Years by Christina Perri and then come back here to finish reading this post while you're listening to the song (Don't forget to skip the stupid ad!).  It will just make the rest of this post sound a little more romantic.  Thank you for your cooperation.

I know a lot of wives say that they have the best husband in the world, but I know that they are all lying because I know the best husband in the world and believe it or not he is married to me.  Do you believe in matches made in heaven?  I didn't.  Not until I met Jake anyway.  He is perfect for me in so many ways; he completes me.  We got more than two complete sets of encyclopedia full of marriage advice when we were engaged and a few pieces of them got stuck with me.  One of them was from our religion professor.  He said that other than loving our spouse, we have to love our marriage as well.  I didn't quite understand him at the time but I do now, and I do love our marriage.  Sometimes Jake is not my favorite person in the world.  It doesn't happen often, not very often at all, but it has happened before.  The love that I had for our marriage helped smooth things out.  We worked through the hard times and grew closer to each other.

I'm not sure how he still loves me after witnessing the ugliest, the most unpleasant, and the weakest part of me.  But he does.  And he cares for me like no one else: always putting my comfort in front of his own.  He strives to make me happy.  No one has ever done that for me and it makes me feel pretty darn special when all a person wants is for me to be happy.  Sometimes he makes me feel like the only reason for me to be created was to be his wife and to walk through life with him, to have and to hold from the day we were married, for better, for worse, for richer, for poorer, in sickness and in health, to love and to cherish for eternity.

It was a little bit sad that Jake wasn't in town but at least I had Ethan with me, and he is one of the many highlights in Jake and my marriage so it wan't all bad.

Here is what we did, only if you're interested:

Just thought you wouldn't want to miss this.  

Ethan sleeping last night.  

He started in the middle of the bed and then rolled and rolled and finally rolled onto the pillow.

I had to sit in a chair right next to the bed because I was terrified that he would roll off.

We woke up and read lots and lots of books in bed.

Can you tell that I had pushed the crib right next to the bed 

AND 

put the bumper on the outside of the crib?

Yup, I'm that kind of mom.

And then I checked my email.

I opened one from Kate.  You might know her too.  Her last name is Spade.

And she said that she was holding a surprise sale.

So I texted my sweet husband and he told me to "make [my] pick" for our anniversary gift.

There are no sexier words than when your husband tells you to "make your pick".

So, it came down to these two:

They are both hot pink.

It took me all day but I finally picked the wallet.

I got realistic when I tried to imagine how many diapers I could stuff into the purse...

And then we picked out some more books to read and I demanded a kiss while we were at it.

We decided to go to the store and while I was getting the diaper bag ready,

I noticed that it was suspiciously quiet in the house

and found E on the kitchen floor stuffing ginger cookies into his mouth.

We went to Trader Joe's.

And I got me some pretty flowers.

It's a pink anniversary.  Can you tell yet?

I spy a sleeping baby.

Such an angel.  Handsome like his daddy.

p.s. Thank you Jake for giving me such a beautiful baby.

And then we had lunch, but not before we say our prayer.

Ethan learned to "pray" about a month ago and this is what he does:

he pulls a serious face, crosses his arms, and tilts his head back.

I'm thinking that maybe he was actually trying to bow his head?

Or maybe he's looking up at heaven.

Just a guess.

Have you ever had these tiny grapes?  They are SO sweet!

E loves them.

After a nap, we had snack:

crackers with tomato basil hummus, manchego, and pineapples.

And to end the day, we had dinner.

Ethan said the prayer for us.

Thank you for reading.

I hope you had a wonderful day too!

A Different Kind of Love

It didn't take long for me to realize that Jake and I love Ethan differently.  So different, in fact, that when Ethan was first born I mistook his love for our new son as indifference, which led to pointless heartbreak.  Thankfully, I was wrong.  I was wrong, wrong, wrong, and wronger I couldn't have been. I love Ethan by giving him kisses shower, by admiring his elbow dimples and fat toes and that unruly blond hair, by taking one million instagram photos of him, and by constantly proclaiming his unbearable cuteness.  Jake loves Ethan with quiet observation, with a firm hug, with those three feet throws or four feet drops, and with his famous Simba lift.  There is no sweeter moments than watching the man you love snuggle your giggly baby and seeing the joy that radiates from both of their faces.