Happy Anniversary

Happy Anniversary to my one and only.  You are my partner in crime, my shoulder to lean on, the calm to my crazy, and the best daddy our baby could ever ask for.  I can't wait for all of our adventures to come, and am comforted to know that you'll be by my side as we continue this journey together.  
Love you, love you.

photos by angela&evan

Weeknight Baking: Chocolate Chip Cookie Bars

Last week, my friend brought us dinner accompanied by this delicious dessert.  My husband and I promptly devoured two of the bars literally seconds after she left, and yes, I'm being serious... And then we proceeded to polish off the rest by early evening.  So when there were no more bars to be had, I decided an easy solution was - to make more!  I'd never had chocolate chip cookie bars previously, but my world has been rocked and I'm sure this scrumptious dessert will soon be a staple in our house!

image/realmomskitchen

Dinner Last Night: Quinoa Chicken Chili

Another dinner with baby success!  While we've gotten quite used to the steady stream of meals delivered to us by friends and family post baby, we do have off-nights where we're responsible for our own dinner (after all leftovers only last for so long, right?). Anyway, last night being one of our dinner "off-nights," I found this little number online and it was ridiculously easy and turned out delicious - slow cooker quinoa chicken chili.  Amazingly enough, I had all the ingredients already in the pantry so it didn't require another trip to the store (SCORE!).  

I think the crockpot is officially my new favorite kitchen appliance, a new mama's best friend.

10 Reasons Why I Love You

1. You are such a sweet and curious baby, always turning your side to side to soak up your surroundings, I always wonder, what are you thinking about?  You are usually wide eyed and alert when awake, pensively staring as you take it all in.

2. You love to stretch!  When you wake, you arch your back, slowly shrug your shoulders, and move your head gently from side to side.  This is followed by clenched fists as you reach your arms upward into the air, shoulders twisting from side to side.  Your stretching is often accompanied by a great big yawn, and you are most definitely your momma's daughter, not easy to rouse after a restful sleep.

3. You love sleeping with your arms above your head; arms up, elbows bent, head tilted to the side, as if you're a referee calling a touchdown.  While you enjoy your swaddle time, you almost always find a way to wrangle those arms free of that swaddle blanket to resume this comfy position.

4. You have the best facial expressions!  From sleepy to happy to quizzical to amused, we're doing our best to capture each and every expression in photographs.  We can already tell you're growing so big, we look back at pictures of you as a newborn and you look so tiny!

5. You have been a rockstar baby for visitors. When friends and family come over, you either coo sweetly or lounge contentedly in their lap, snoozing as they ooh and ahh over your sweet face.  It's as if you're saving your louder personality just for mom and dad :)

6. You are a snugglebug, we love how you're so eager to curl up and nestle your head into our shoulder or snuggle into your daddy's chest.  I love peeking down at you, as you rest your gentle head on my shoulder, and seeing your wide open mouth; content and fed, and happily asleep.

7. You love your changing pad - it's so funny, I would have never thought the diaper station would be a preferred location for a baby, but you're always happy and content to wiggle and lay there while we're rummaging through drawers or clamoring for wipes.  I think you like the vantage point, being able to lay comfortably and stare up, as you'd much prefer laying here your crib :)

8. Of all the pacifiers in the bunch, you much prefer your Detroit Tiger's pacifier to them all.  No Soothies, Nuks, or Wubbanubs for this baby - at least not yet.  Your dad thinks this is a good omen for his beloved sports team.

9. You have the cutest sleepy just-after-eating smile.  Your forehead crinkles up as you raise your eyebrows, and a slow sleepy smile spreads across your face.

10. You have changed our life forever.  We love you so much already Riley, and our hearts are growing with love for you every single day.

Quote of the Week


image/bloom

Cronut

Are post pregnancy cravings a real thing? Because if so, I am CAAA-RRRAVING a cronut!  FYI - for the uninformed, cronut = croissant + donut.  Doesn't that sound amazeballs?!  Made in limited quantities fresh daily at NYC's Dominiquie Ansel Bakery, these babies sell out like hotcakes.  Lines are rumored to form at 4:30 AM or earlier, wrapping Soho blocks in eager anticipation of these sugary puffs of perfection.  
And yes, well technically, I've never actually had a cronut before, (but that's besides the point), as they've already reached epic delectability in my imagination.  I'm totally living the cronut experience vicariously through Naomi's blog.  Next time I'm in New York (whenever that may be) this is definitely on my to-do list.
images/chocoas

Quote of the Week

Happy October to you too!

image via pinterest