Get Cooking

There's nothing like a good home cooked meal to lift your spirits. Not that my spirits are in desperate need of lifting, but a tasty meal never hurts. I'm on a quest to find some good summer recipes to combat the Arizona heat. I just cooked some fantastic meatball-stuffed spaghetti squash, but let's be honest, having the oven on in 100 degree temperatures isn't the best of ideas.

If you're not hungry now,

you might be after looking at these images.

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spaghetti squash stuffed with meatballs

sesame breaded chicken wraps with sriracha sauce

mexican soup with chicken topped with avocado

Let's be real here...

Soup isn't a great idea in the summer heat either.

Anyone have some good summer weather

recipes that they are willing to share?

Life with a One Year Old

I literally just sat down (butt just hit the chair) to work on a post after months of absence. Chase was (note the past tense) napping, and I figured I had a good 30 minutes to spill a few thoughts. Isn't that the struggle of a mom right there?

Finding time to complete the most simple of tasks like brushing teeth, getting dressed, doing the laundry, or writing a blog post isn't always the easiest thing. I'm not complaining. Just telling the truth. Every time I think to myself "oh, I have at least 30 minutes", life laughs in my face and our son cuts his nap short. Ha! Like I'm the one in control here. Life with a one year old. It's always an adventure. You never know what each hour, or even minute, is going to throw at you.

In the spirit of running out of time and trying to get to a waking baby before the screaming begins, here is a photo dump of our life lately.

overlooking downtown Phoenix atop South Mountain

"I'm 1 year old, and I'll throw my cup if I want to..."

Mother's Day

Mother's Day with my boys

this boy and his car.....

action shot... forget trying to get this boy to hold still for a second

I swear if I ever have a few minutes to spare, I'll share some deeper thoughts one of these days. Until then, I'll be picking up trucks and dishing out pieces of bananas and raisins for snacks.

Happy Tuesday!

Snapshots From Arizona

Well... I haven't posted anything on this blog since last year. That doesn't seem that far behind us, but it really is when things have changed so drastically since then. Last October we still lived in Florida. A little over 4 months later, and we're living in Arizona with a baby who is getting dangerously close to being a one year old. I had no idea that time could pass so quickly.

I just wanted to share a few glimpses of our life lately. If you follow me on Instagram, then you may have already seen a few of these snapshots.

Who knew that piping hot drinks would be so popular in the desert? I am pleasantly surprised by the amount of choices we have when it comes to local coffee.  I'm excited to try this coffee from Press Coffee Roasters.

more local Phoenix coffee:

Cartel Coffee Lab :: Bergie's Coffee :: HG Roastery

Our little one has recently taken a liking to books. Maybe he is his mother's son after all. Don't mind the Christmas book. He loves the Little Blue Truck books and his puppet finger books. Oh, and don't forget anything involving puppies!

Since moving to Arizona, I'm really enjoying our selection of grocery stores. I've been cooking quite a bit. Breakfast is my favorite meal of the day! There's nothing like a good breakfast burrito to start the day off right. Now if only we had some Durango Diner green chili to top off this meal. Darn!

We have an almost-one-year-old. I think I might cry! He's growing and changing every single day. It just blows my mind. Every day I remind myself to enjoy every single little thing, because I won't get these moments back. Lately this little one enjoys being outside, feeding the ducks, pushing dining room chairs all over the house, and eating cantaloupe.

Surprise! More food. I told you breakfast was my favorite. We recently moved into a rental house, and the kitchen is much bigger than necessary. I'm loving it. I've been getting a little OCD with organizing, and I finally fixed our spice jar situation with these free printable labels and these spice jars from World Market.

Moving across the country again has been a hectic thing, but we're slowly getting settled into our rental house. The living room is coming together nicely, and I finally purchased the reclaimed wood coffee table I'd been stalking at West Elm for quite some time. The coffee table "really tied the room together". (Any Big Lebowski fans out there?) It's fun decorating a new space, but boy do we still need quite a few things. I think settling in will be a slow process.

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So that's our life lately. Lots of food, enjoying our baby boy, and some furniture shopping.

Happy Thursday!

Reminiscing About Years Past

Where has the time gone?!

photo by Raychel Armstrong | if you need a photographer in Orlando, she is great!

Today I found myself reading through some of my old blog posts, and boy did some of them make me feel a little nostalgic. My husband and I have experienced so much change in the past few years, and we're bound to have quite a bit more change in the next year. We just had a baby for goodness sake. That will bring endless change into one's life. Welcoming change has often been a struggle of mine, and I'm always working on accepting it.

Even though there are times I miss certain aspects (living in Denver, for one) of our life, I wouldn't change where we're at now for anything. I am so thankful that my husband has a flying job that allows him to be home every night. That's almost unheard of in aviation. I also wouldn't change the fact that we have a sweet baby boy. Yeah, traveling isn't as easy as it used to be, but some day we get to share our favorite places with our curious little man. That's pretty exciting!

Chase and daddy in Winter Park, FL

This old post made me remember how much I love to fly...

although it's a less peaceful experience with a squirming baby in your lap. Ha!

Travel & Airline Perks

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I obviously really need to read this post over and over again...

At Home in the Journey

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Sometimes we just need to be grateful for the little things...

Calm After the Storm

After reading some of these old posts, I can't believe how much life has changed. I find comfort in knowing that others have experienced big changes in life too. There are some great blogs out there that remind of just that.

I can't imagine picking up and moving overseas like Tara from A Brew of Blessings.

Lauren shares life's transitions on her blog Siddathornton.

Have you experienced big changes in life?

What were they?

Mom Realizations

If you're new in this neighborhood, I have been absent for a little while recently. One can never be fully prepared for how time consuming it will be to take care of a baby. Wow. Motherhood has been pretty amazing and exhausting all at the same time. No complaints here though. I love my husband and our boy more than I ever thought possible!

our good friend Raychel Armstrong took this picture

if you're looking for a photographer in Central Florida... she's your gal

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Becoming a mom makes certain things, like poop and puke, a part of daily life. I never thought some things, like car seat safety and pediatrician choices, would matter so much. I'm also surprised by how many things have fallen off of the radar for me too. I now understand how you can set food in a clothing store and only want to buy things for someone else. (Never thought that one would happen). I also now understand the importance of where we live, because education opportunities and cultural experiences will stem from that.

You can read all of the books out there, but none will ever prepare you for real life with a baby. It's sort of like college to the workforce. No amount of homework or reading will ever prepare you for a real life situation that calls for an executive decision with a baby in mind. At any given moment, all you can do is your best.

The most expensive and luxurious baby gear won't make you a better parent. It will just make your bank account smaller. As much as I want to give our baby the best, I also realize that he doesn't know the difference between brands. Choose your battles wisely. Splurge where it's necessary, and save where it's not. There are so many choices out there, and you don't need (even though you will want them) all of the baby things.

Mom instinct is a real thing. Growing up I was never much of a babysitter, and I'm an only child. Babies have always been such a foreign concept for me. I never much, if any, time taking care of a little one. However, when you have your own, you just know what to do. I'm amazed by this quite often. All I want to do is love on our baby, and I'm shocked at how quickly you're able to learn how to diaper and bathe a little person. You can't really mess it up too badly.

Speaking of messing things up, you'll learn to forgive yourself more easily. There just isn't enough hours in the day to do it all. Don't stress out over it, because you're doing one of the most important jobs. If I tried doing everything the way I did pre-baby, I'd be headed straight down the highway to nervous breakdown city! Prioritizing is your new hobby. Again, choose your battles wisely. Holding the baby wins out over straightening up the kitchen.

You'll never feel more grateful towards your own parents. This parenting thing can be tough, and from the sounds of it little worries turn into bigger ones over the years. No wonder my parents have gray hairs, ha! Seriously though, when I feel like crying over the thought of something bad happening to our baby, I realize the love that my parents have for me. I have a whole new appreciation for the roller coaster of emotions that parents are capable of experiencing. Whew!

I wouldn't change any of this for the world.

My husband and I are in it for the long haul now. :-)

5 Month Catch Up

Our little one is already 5 months old. How on earth did that happen?! It seems like he just grew up overnight. Let me tell you, we've learned a lot in 5 months. He's teaching us new things each and every day. Mostly we've learned about how much love we have for this tiny human being.

2 months -----> 5 months

just like that

Last time I posted, our little one was just 3 months old. I shared some of our favorite must have baby gear items. Some of those opinions have changed a bit over the past couple of months. We still like both carriers but use the Ergo carrier more than the K'tan. The co-sleeper bassinet was also outgrown more quickly than we would have liked. We ended up moving him to his crib around 3 months, because we felt he needed the extra room. You live and you learn.

3 Months

+ first time rolling from back to tummy (see picture above)

+ you started sleeping in your own crib & on your tummy... talk about parental anxiety!

+ laughing and smiling are a couple of your favorite things

+ you roll onto your tummy but get "stuck" there since you don't roll the other way yet

4 Months

+ you have discovered your feet... they're fun to grab onto

+ peekaboo is one of the funnest games ever

+ blowing raspberries is a new discovery

+ you love anything with buttons, and you love to push those buttons

+ light up toys are a favorite as well

5 Months

+ you touch, grab, and feel everything

+ when we call your name, you definitely know we're talking to you

+ you are drawn to the littlest of details... like zippers on bags, buttons, and tags on items

+ we swear you're getting teeth... you are a drool monster and chew on everything!

+ you are starting to get your knees under you, and we think you will crawl in no time

+ eskimo kisses are fun... and mom is taking advantage of your love for those for now

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We can't believe how time has flown!

Speaking of flying, you have already taken two trips on an airplane.

That's a post for another time though.

I can't believe how much more fulfilled our lives have been these past 5 months.

Every day is a new adventure.

We love you, Chase!