deMars: Life on the East Coast

Tromping through the woods in 2012

2012-01-11T13:44:00.000-05:00

We've been enjoying a very mild winter in New York. We've gotten out for a couple of hikes over the past few weeks. This continues to be one of my favorite things to do. There is just something really special about being outdoors with the kids. Olivia is extremely determined and does a great job keeping up. I put together a little video for your viewing pleasure, a digital short, if you will :)

Holidays

2012-01-10T11:48:00.001-05:00

Nearly two months since my last post. Oops! The month of December was wonderful. We stayed home for Christmas, which meant that we decorated the house and got a tree. Gavin and Olivia are at such fun ages. They made the season sparkle. I think everyone feels excited when they pull out the lights and ornaments, but seeing a child's reaction ups the magic factor.

Early in the month, my parents came for a visit. It was so fun and nice to spend time with them. We mostly just hung out but did make a short trip to NYC before they flew back to Seattle. We strolled through Chelsea Market, walked across the Brooklyn Bridge, saw the tree at Rockefeller Center, and hung out at Central Park. It was a really fun time and I'm so glad that my parents were able to make the trip.

Hopefully, I will be better about keeping this blog updated over the coming months. Here is a photo recap of some of December's activities. Happy New Year!

Little man helped Daddy set up the tree

My little magic makers

Grandma and Grandpa with the kids down by the Hudson River

I love this picture of my parents on the Brooklyn Bridge

Always funny trying to get family pics...

With my babies at Central Park

Carriage ride through Central Park- $50 for 20 minutes but I will remember it forever.

Darling girl with her snowman

Sweet little man, taking a rest on the porch

I love the sparkle in Gavin's eyes as he prepares for Santa Claus

Olivia got a babydoll for Christmas- might as well been her only gift, as she carries it everywhere. Sweet.

The Day to Day

2011-11-16T10:52:00.001-05:00

Hello. Sometimes I forget to just check in and write about our day-to-day stuff. Things are going well this month. Gavin is loving school and has made lots of friends. He even has a girlfriend! Yet, her name changes nearly everyday so I'm not sure how serious things are. One day it's Lyla; the next day it's Angeline. He seems to get along with everyone and has such a joyful demeanor. His teachers told me that they think the world would be a much better place if everyone got to spend one hour with Gavin. I can't think of a better compliment than that. Of course, he saves some of his less pleasant behavior for after school.

Gavin is challenging our patience with back talk and not listening. Communicating with a four year old can be difficult. Many of our conversations go like this, "Gavin, you're not acting nice." "No, you're not acting nice." "Gavin, you need to say you're sorry to Olivia." "No, you need to say you're sorry." It can quickly develop into a downward spiral from there. Before I know it, I'm the one acting like a four year old. The worst part is when I just want to laugh but can't because I'm trying to be a good parent. I'm going to try a new method of dealing with this behavior. I feel like I'd be best to redirect his attention to something else and then later bring up why he needs to talk nicer or why he made me upset. These in the moment behavioral corrections are not working. We'll see... it's funny how many different articles are out there on the best form of discipline. Everyone has a theory and they pretty much all conflict. What I do know is that it's all normal and pretty much annoying! As the saying goes, it's a good thing kids are cute!

Speaking of cute, Olivia is sure coming out of her shell. She held back for quite a long time but now she's laughing and being silly. I don't know if it's just having more experience but she seems to be such an easy toddler. She is just happy! Of course, she absolutely destroys our house. That girl makes more messes than Gavin ever did. She is like pig pen- she makes a mess in one room and then moves on to the next before I've even gotten the first mess cleaned up. Such a trouble maker! Probably the cutest thing she has been doing lately is giving fist bumps. She gives a pound and says, "boom!" Crazy cute.

Adam has been busy. In October, he spent a week in Ecuador on a medical mission. I've asked him to write a blog post about it, so stay tuned. He also had to give an hour-long presentation at what they call grand rounds. It was in front of his whole department- 100+ people. Better him than me! I hate stuff like that. Anyhow, now that he's got that out of the way, he's working on finding a job in the Seattle area. He's got quite a few leads and is starting to send out resumes and explore opportunities. He's counting down the days to graduation. If all goes well, we'll be back in the northwest by early-to-mid summer.

I'm working on getting our house ready to put on the market. It's all tiny detail work. I'm freshening up paint and clearing out clutter. I'm not sure what to expect with the market but I'll do my best to make this house show as well as possible. This is a great house but it has plenty of old-home quirks. I look forward to having our next home be permanent. It gets exhausting working on a house, knowing that we're just going to move. I am going to miss this house quite a lot.

Well, that's all that's going on back here. Now, I better clean up all of Olivia's messes while she is napping or she won't have anything to do when she wakes up! :)

Halloween Superheroes

2011-11-08T12:21:00.002-05:00

Let me introduce to you the kids that keep our house safe from all things bad and evil:

Captain Dangerous

And his sidekick...

The Evil Genius

For Halloween, I decided to make capes for the kids because of Gavin's recent interest in superheroes. I found a pattern on Etsy and managed to do a pretty decent job making them! I am still very green when it comes to sewing and I didn't realize how hard it is to work with stretchy knit fabrics. But, I managed to get them done well before Halloween. It was pretty easy to put together the rest of their costumes, just needed a few accessories. Although Gavin loved his cape, he was a little bummed that he wasn't going to be Batman. Adam and I loved their originality but I've decided that next year I will just let him be whoever he wants. The last thing I want is a guilt trip when he's all grownup. It amazes me how much stuff like this can come back twenty years later!!!

Halloween night was a lot of fun. We weren't sure what Olivia would think. We thought she'd be too little to enjoy trick-or-treating. Boy, were we wrong! She strutted along from house to house, dragging her little pumpkin. Her walk is just too funny. We've taken to calling her "little miss thang." Everyone got a kick out of her "evil genius" cape. Gavin told everyone that he was Captain Dangerous and that he had a danger button. So, even though he wasn't the awesome Batman, he did own his character very well!

The best part of the superhero costume is that they will keep playing with them. I love watching them chase each other around the house, capes flying behind them. It was fun making them and I can't help thinking that I'm a pretty kick-ass mom! (Hey, there can be a lot of self-doubt or guilt as a parent, so you have to celebrate your successes!) Here are just a few more pics:

October in Maine

2011-10-17T11:29:00.004-04:00

Well, I managed to go an entire month without a blog post- sorry about that! I cannot believe how fast the days are flying by. We are having a wonderful fall season in the northeast. We are midway through October and we haven't had to turn the heat on! Normally we have already installed the plastic in the windows. I'm sure that the cold weather is right around the corner. But, in the meantime, we are soaking up the nice days!

Earlier this month we took a trip back up to Maine. We rented a big house with our friends and it was so much fun. I cannot even articulate how much the friendships we've made here have helped us get through this time away. We have a legitimate family here. They've helped us raise Gavin and now Olivia. We're just very lucky. And, on top of all that, we plan awesome vacations together! The house we found was amazing, right on a lake, with plenty of bedrooms and a game room. We are now in the midst of planning our winter trip, maybe to Lake Placid in the Adirondacks or to Vermont. These group trips are something we hope to continue throughout our lives.

Maine is called the vacation state, and for very good reason. I can't think of many places that are more relaxing. It's just beautiful there. I love the scenery with its rocky beaches and views of lighthouses. I love the bakeries and quaint shops. On this trip, we spent less time at the ocean and more time enjoying the lake we stayed on. Gavin got his first fishing pole and had a great time casting off the dock. He's at such a great age right now, able to do so many things. I took him out in a kayak with me and we paddled around on "adventures." It was a small glimpse into all the fun things to come. As much as I get sad thinking about my babies growing up, I am so excited about all the active things we'll be able to do as they get bigger. I could talk all day about how much I love vacationing throughout New England, but instead I will just share some photos. It was a really wonderful time.

Fort Constitution, Rye, NH with their buddy Lukas

Amazingly gorgeous day in Ogunquit. Liv and Gav loved splashing in the waves.

I just love this picture of them having an inside joke moment.

One of my favorite moments of our entire trip.

$4.98/lb baby!

Family. Friendship. Maine. Perfection.

Gavin and school

2011-09-16T09:17:00.001-04:00

I have been meaning to update this blog for weeks, but life has gotten so busy! Gavin started prekindergarten last week, which has been a bit of a roller coaster. It's been a huge adjustment for all of us as we learn our new routine. Gavin has been home with me full-time for the past two years, so going to school all day is huge. We've had some very emotional mornings, followed by some happy afternoons. The first day was the toughest for me. I had a very hard time keeping it together and not bawling my eyes out right in his classroom. But, now that we are almost done with week 2, I can see that it was the right decision to send him to school. He is making friends and staying active. We have been walking to and from school when it hasn't been raining. It's so nice to have that time before and after school to talk. He is a very funny kid. He wants to start bringing a garbage bag so we can pick up litter. In his words, "It is not nice to throw garbage on the ground." Al Gore better watch out; we have a little environmentalist in the making!

Gavin's teacher's name is Miss Gerwin. It's so cute to hear him talk about what she tells him. Last week, he came home and said, "Eyes on me (points to his eyes), mouth closed (points to his mouth), body still (folds his arms across his chest)." I think it's great that he is learning to listen to other adults and how to navigate a social environment. His class has 15 kids in total, which seems to be a good number. All the kids seem really nice, though Gavin knows none of their names. I told him he should make a point of learning names next week!

Gavin really enjoys having a lunch box. The lunch box is quite a big deal! We talk about what we are going to pack in it and he comes up with ideas. I'm actually impressed because he asked for carrot sticks one day and apple slices another. I'm trying to come up with some new ideas outside of the pb&j.

Olivia seems to miss him during the day, but enjoys having all the toys to herself. We have lots of time to snuggle and read books in the morning before her nap. I've been using her nap time to get some exercise and get things done around the house. When we pick Gavin up from school, Liv is always excited. She smiles and giggles at him. He always gives her a hug and tells her that he missed her. It is ridiculously cute.

So that is what life is like now that we have a little school kid. It's busy, but exciting. I miss him during the early part of the day, but it's so nice to have really quality time to just relax in the afternoons. I'm glad that I'm not working so I can pick him up at 2pm and know that I don't have anything else to do. It's great to see him become independent and hear all about the trials and tribulations of being 4! Here are a few of his school pictures.

He's got the essentials- a blanket and stuffed giraffe!

Trying to be brave and not cry on the first day.

Gavin Rocks Out His 4th Birthday!

2011-09-15T12:28:00.011-04:00

Gavin turned 4 last week! He had such a great day and was spoiled with tons of fun gifts! We picked him up from school and took him to Toys R Us to pick out his first bike. He chose this bright orange one and then picked out a Lightening McQueen helmet & bell. He's doing great with pedaling and learning how to brake. It's incredible to see how big he's getting. His look of pride is priceless as he yells out, "Ohhh, I'm getting the hang of it now!"

Gavin has many interests at this age. He loves dinosaurs and superheroes. He likes to paint and color. But, what seems to be a growing passion is his love of music. My parents and sisters got him a drum set and a guitar for his birthday. He has been entertaining us with his "jams." Yes, he calls them jams! Here is a video I put together which shows him rocking out and riding his new bike.

Oh, and p.s. - I will try to remember to take video horizontally with my iphone from now on so I don't end up with these skinny, vertical clips. Sorry about that...

Catching up with Olivia

2011-09-15T12:24:00.001-04:00

It's been a while since we chatted about Olivia. Liv is now 14 months old and becoming such a big girl! Over the last two months, she has started walking and talking! The walking was sort of a funny thing. She could do it right after she turned one year old, but was very hesitant. She would take a couple of steps and then immediately resume crawling. This went on for about a month. At 13 months, she started to go for it. Now, she's all over the place! We laugh because she has a drunken Charlie Chaplin style of walk- very much a toddler. I've included a video for your viewing pleasure.

Around the same time that she started walking, Livie started to talk! It completely took me by surprise one night when she handed me her plate after dinner and said, "all done!" It was so awesome! Then, about a week later, Adam was out playing basketball with Gavin and he was dribbling the ball with Liv. She bounced it a few times and said, "I did it!" Since then, she's said lots of other words, including keys, baby, hi, and bye bye. She loves to say, "I got it!" After I wipe her runny nose, she says, "That's better." It's just so crazy to me! Gavin didn't start talking until much, much later. I'm not sure if it's the girl thing or the sibling thing. Probably a bit of both.

Anyhow, that's what's new with our little gal. She is such a sweet girl. She's feisty and a bit of a diva. But, her baseline is just pure happiness. She gives us hugs, high fives, and perfect smiles. Here are a few pictures of Liv from the last couple of months.

Laundry Room Facelift

2011-08-19T12:50:00.010-04:00

I mentioned a while back that we were working on fixing up our laundry room. This house is nearly 112 years old, which makes it all kinds of "charming." However, the basement laundry room was beyond disgusting and not charming at all. It's pretty common for these old houses to have sketchy basements. When we were considering purchasing this house, it was definitely on the "con" list. Adam promised that we could make it nicer. So, three years later, we finally tackled this project. I will walk you through the before and after.

Floor was previously painted but it was chipping everywhere and just felt dirty. The washing machine had a rusty exterior.

Check out this freak-fest! The walls had paint chipping and some funky mold. To be fair, this photo was taken after I scraped a lot of the paint. It didn't look this bad, but close.

After I scraped the chipped paint and washed the walls with bleach and water, I painted everything with a pale blue exterior wall paint. I decided to paint the pipes so that it looked more finished. For the floor, we chose Rust-Oleum Epoxyshield Garage Floor Paint. It's awesome! It has a glossy finish and almost feels like linoleum. It's super durable and feels so clean. We replaced the washing machine, added some better lighting, and I sewed some curtains to cover up the freaky windows.

My mom suggested that we add a folding table to make it look more like a laundry room. We found a prefab counter top and Adam built a frame to support it. I love this folding table. It is so handy to just take the clothes right out of the dryer and have a place to fold everything.

Considering what we started out with, I am so pleased with the result! I think it will make a potential buyer feel better about the laundry room being in the basement. Now... on to the next project!

Mornings with Gavin

2011-08-15T11:49:00.000-04:00

My mornings generally begin in the same way. Gavin climbs into bed with me around 6:30am. He kisses me on the cheek and tells me I'm the best mom he's ever had. It's so sweet that I almost forgive him for waking me up so early. Occasionally, he'll fall back to sleep until 8am. More often, he'll play with his toys and mess with my face. Around 8:30, Olivia will wake up and we'll all make our way downstairs for breakfast. We're a lazy bunch in the mornings and it's pretty much perfect.

Gavin starts prekindergarten in less than a month. It's going be a huge change for all of us. The Albany school district offers prekindergarten spots based on a lottery. Gavin was selected this year and we decided to accept. It's full-time, which has been very hard for me to wrap my head around. At first, I was completely against it. He will just be turning 4- seems like a pretty big change for a little guy. Still, I registered him to hold our spot so I could think about it over the summer months. We have talked with Gavin about it and he is just so excited to start school. Over the past few months, he has really turned into a little boy. He has so much energy and seems like he will really excel in an environment with lots of activities. He is about as social as kids come. I'm fairly confident that he's going to love school.

Being a mom can be so conflicting. It's impossible to quantify the amount of love that I have for Gavin and part of me wants to keep him home so I can have him all to myself. Yet, I look at this little boy that I am raising and realize that I have done a great job with him. He is fun-loving, smart, and confident. Sending him to school will allow these traits to flourish and he'll develop skills that will prepare him for the rest of his life. The school is just a half mile from our house so we'll probably walk when the weather is warm. He'll be home at 2pm, which will give us plenty of time to go to the park afterwards or chat about his day over a snack. It's funny- he's actually been the one making me feel good about this, "Mom, I need to go to school. I want to make friends and learn my letters."

I'm looking forward to having some individual time with Liv. Gavin demands so much interaction that sometimes I feel like Liv isn't getting as much as she'd like. My plan is to drop Gavin off at school, take Olivia to the library for story-time or go for a walk. By late morning, she goes down for a pretty long nap. I should have a good couple of hours to myself which I plan to use for writing and tackling projects around the house in preparation to sell.We'll have lunch and then go pick up the G-unit. It'll be an adjustment but that's what life is, right? The beauty of our situation is that we can change it if we need to. If for some reason, school isn't working out- I can just pull him out. Still, I'm a little sad about all of this. It's really amazing how fast kids grow up. I don't see time slowing down, either. It's why I don't make Gavin go back to his room in the mornings. Before I know it, he'll be a teenager and I'll be wishing for the days when he tickled my ears with his Mr. Potato Head arms.

"My Father's Daughter" - cookbook review

2011-08-10T11:23:00.006-04:00

Say what you want about Gwyneth Paltrow; I am here to tell you that she just came out with a fantastic cookbook. She recently made the cover of Bon Appetit magazine which proved to be very controversial. I admit that even I wasn't thrilled to see her face on the magazine I anxiously await each month. I look forward to seeing what the cover recipe is and making that recipe. The sad little bowl of pasta she was holding was not exactly inspiring. It's a food magazine, after all. I follow Bon Appetit on facebook and enjoy reading all the comments. People were not happy about GP! But, several of the recipes in the magazine looked interesting and her new cookbook is getting rave reviews. Because amazon.com is way too easy to use, I ordered it. I just spent an hour reading it over morning coffee and am really impressed. As the editor of BA explained, for so many of us mealtime is about far more than the food. It's about togetherness, nourishment, family, and creating memories. Gwyneth has a reputation for being a celebrity health nut. She addresses this in her book, explaining that she is very concerned about what she puts in her body and the bodies of her children. She has struggled to find balance in all of this. I also find the current food environment hard to navigate. To be honest, I think I sort of shelter myself from the information that is out there so I can continue to enjoy food that is highly suspect.

I ordered My Father's Daughter: Delicious, Easy Recipes Celebrating Family & Togetherness after reading a few excerpts online. I can really identify with wanting to provide my family with healthy, but delicious food. I think it's a good idea to have some good vegetarian recipes in ones diet. But, by vegetarian, I don't mean a lame pasta with some vegetables tossed in. I want flavor! I want a recipe that leaves people at the end of the meal exclaiming, "Wow, I didn't even notice that was vegetarian!" I can tell that Gwyneth created several of her recipes with the same goal in mind. I also want my family to eat (and like) more vegetables. I am constantly trying to find recipes that will excite Adam, who seems to have a very limited palate for the veggies. I messed up with Gavin somewhere around age 2. I never committed to this goal of feeding him unprocessed food. Why on earth would he like Kraft mac & cheese over my delicious homemade goodness? Because I gave it to him- that's why. Now he just thinks all melted cheese should be soupy and orange. I'll own up to it. It's something we're working on. I am very excited about this new cookbook because Gwneth has lots of tips for cooking for and with her kids. I love the balance of vegetable and meat focused recipes. All of her vinaigrette recipes look simple and delicious, as do several of her soups. I plan on making her oven-roasted tomatoes this week and maybe her paella.

Anyhow, I have a bit of a cookbook obsession and they are not all created equal. I am glad to add this one to my collection. Even if you're not a GP fan, I think you'll like what she's done with her book. At the end of the day, a good cookbook is a good cookbook! Check it out!

Beautiful Montreal!

2011-08-02T11:47:00.000-04:00

Hello again. I think I mentioned that we spent Olivia's first birthday in the glorious city of Montreal. I have been meaning to get back here to tell you all about our trip. Julie was visiting and we wanted to take her somewhere exciting. Adam had not been up to Montreal before so we decided that would be a perfect destination. If you remember, I took a girls trip up there last fall. Visiting in the summer was a completely different experience. The city was alive and the weather was perfect. Montreal is very metropolitan- tons of great restaurants and shopping. I really love the area called Vieux Montreal- or "Old Montreal." I have read that this area is considered a tourist trap and maybe it is. I don't much care, though. As someone who would love to make annual trips to Paris, this area of Montreal really does satisfy that Parisian craving. The cobblestone streets and historical architecture are charming. The neighborhood is filled with bistros, creperies, pubs, and cute shops. We had a great time walking around and taking in the scenery. We enjoyed lunch and afternoon ice cream. After wandering Old Montreal, we decided to visit Parc Olympique- where we thoroughly enjoyed the botanical gardens. We got lucky and got there right around closing. We just had to wait until 6pm, which is when they stop manning the gates and you can enter without paying the $16 per person admission fee. We were quite excited about that! During the day, the admission fee grants you access to the insectarium and the biodome. Oddly, you cannot just pay a small fee to walk the grounds and see just the gardens. Anyhow, evening was an ideal time to visit because it felt like we had the park to ourselves and the temperature was lovely. The gardens are absolutely stunning. There is a great playground outside the insectarium that we all enjoyed. It was a short, but sweet, trip to Montreal. Here are the pics!

Montreal- makes Europe feel just a little bit closer!

Beautiful day to walk along the water!

Hanging out in Montreal with my "little" sister!

Birthday girl enjoying ice cream!

At Parc Olympique

Julie getting her zen on!

Gavin getting his zen on!

Having fun at the playground

Auntie helping the birthday girl take a sip of water!

Another classic Julie pose!

NYC with Julie-Bug

2011-07-22T13:18:00.007-04:00

My youngest sister Julie came for a visit earlier this month. We had a fantastic time. She and I started her visit off with a weekend trip to NYC. As I mentioned a few months ago, when my sister Sarah visited, Manhattan offers endless things to do. This was my ninth trip to the city and it was just as fun as my first visit. It's getting so much easier for me to navigate the city now- which is a major bonus. Julie didn't have too much on her agenda. She wanted to hang out in Central Park- eat good food, and just walk around different neighborhoods.

We chose a boutique hotel on the Upper West Side, Hotel Belleclaire. They were offering a pretty good summer deal, and I love boutique hotels. Hotel Belleclaire is in a perfect location- right near Central Park. It was an easy walk to Lincoln Center, where we enjoyed an al fresco lunch across the street at Josephina. We had hoped to score tickets to Shakespeare in the Park, but the line was ridiculous by the time we got there. Instead, we decided to head to Brooklyn and make the walk across the Brooklyn Bridge. It had been on my list of things to do for a while, and the weather was absolutely perfect. When we got to Brooklyn, we happened to pass a TKTS booth that had no line, so we spontaneously decided to buy discount tickets for an Off-Broadway show for that evening. I can't explain it, but that fueled our energy for walking the Brooklyn Bridge. It just felt like everything was going right! We were both in great, goofy moods!

After we made complete fools of ourselves on the bridge, we headed back up to our hotel and got ready for dinner and the show. We saw "Love, Loss, and What I Wore" at the Westside Theater. Conveniently, there was a really cute restaurant located right next door, called Elsewhere. We had a light dinner- with an appetizer of Lavender, Rosemary Popcorn, that I think we will both remember forever. It had a perfect combination of sweet and savory with a honey butter in addition to the herbs. It was fabulous- and I will be creating my own version. (I will share it with you, of course!)

The show was great- all about life, narrated through the clothes we wear. It wasn't necessarily what we expected, but we enjoyed it nonetheless. It is funny to think back on life's experiences and think about the fashion trends of the time. There is a particularly hilarious discussion about purses. After the show, we headed over to Serendipity for sundaes. The next few pictures will sum that up.

Haha, did Julie defeat the sundae or did the sundae defeat her? Maybe a little of both? The next day, we had brunch at Sarabeth's, which was phenomenal and I highly recommend. Afterwards, we just did a bunch of walking around before catching our train home. It was another fantastic trip to the city- full of great food and fun!

Life with Olivia at 12 months

2011-07-10T23:14:00.000-04:00

Olivia is one year old! We had a wonderful time celebrating her birthday in Montreal! Here is a birthday video to highlight her first year. Enjoy!

Sunday afternoon kayaking

2011-06-28T10:03:00.000-04:00

Last weekend, Adam and I were able to escape for a few hours to go kayaking. We rented kayaks, using a Living Social deal I purchased. It's funny- until I saw that coupon, it never occurred to me that we could just rent kayaks. We always talk about buying a couple of sea kayaks when we return to the northwest. I find it to be one of the most enjoyable activities. There is something about floating out on the water that immediately puts me at ease. It's also a great arm and back workout, so that's a bonus! We rented the boats at a place that's conveniently located right on the Mohawk River. We just had to walk them across the street and put them in the water. There was not much activity on the river that day, so it felt like Adam and I had it to ourselves (well, aside from some baby ducks, following their mama). It was just a perfect afternoon.

Girl Has Thyme

2011-06-23T16:44:00.001-04:00

I am so excited to tell you about my latest project. I have launched a gardening website, blog- whatever you'd like to call it. I have been thinking about pursuing writing for quite some time. It's one of those things that just sounds sort of silly, "I want to be a writer." I don't know why I think it's silly; obviously, many people are successful writers. I guess I felt that if I put myself out there, people would think I was taking myself too seriously, or something along those lines. Anyhow, I have been dabbling with this idea for a few years now. I just had no idea what I wanted to write about. I like writing about our day-trips and travels, but the problem with pursuing travel writing is- well, you have to actually travel! I have two small kids, which makes it hard to leave the house, let alone travel enough to keep the content fresh! It wasn't until a few weeks ago, when I was out watering my garden, that I thought, "I should write about this!" From that exact minute, I have had garden writing on the brain. With the help of an old friend, whom I reconnected with on facebook, I bought a domain name, web-hosting, and immediately dived in. Stacey Lawlis, if you are reading this- you are a complete wizard at all things technology.

My new website is: Girl Has Thyme. I'm still tweaking it, but it's nearly where I want it to be. I was going to wait to launch it until it was formatted perfectly, but given that we are nearing peak gardening season, I thought I'd just get it out there. Anyhow, I'm so excited about it! It's categorized in a manner that will make it easy for me to write often (hopefully daily during the busy garden months). From all that I have read, to become a writer- all you have to do is write. So that is what I'm going to do. I have no idea where it will take me, but I feel like I'm committing to a project that is truly representative of me. I hope you enjoy it- and then share it with everyone and anyone!

Oh, and don't worry- this blog isn't going anywhere. This will be where I share the personal stuff- how the kids are doing, day-trips, etc. But, if you want to know anything about my garden life and ramblings, you will need to check out my new website. I know, I know... that's a whole lot of Jenny. Hope you can handle it!

Life with Olivia at 11 months

2011-06-13T00:17:00.000-04:00

Unbelievable, right? We are quickly approaching Liv's first birthday, in which these monthly updates will come to a close. Don't worry- she plays a major role in the story that is the deMars family- so it won't be the last you hear of her. Anyhow, I hope these updates have helped you feel like you know Olivia- she's truly a girl worth knowing.

I really should title this post- Little Miss Foodie. Livie loves food! All food! She only has the two bottom teeth, but she can gum away at just about anything you put in front of her. In fact, she's starting to get pissed off if her food is too pureed. She also gets pissed off if she sees you eating and you're not sharing! She seems to be a bottomless pit. She can eat an entire pear, then an entire banana- and still want more! It's truly remarkable. In the mornings, I used to scramble up 4 eggs for Gavin, Livie, and me. Now- I have to scramble 5 because Liv puts down as much food as me! Keep in mind, she weighs just a little over 20 pounds! It's pretty ridiculous.

In terms of milestones, she's still just crawling like a mad woman. She is starting to test the waters of standing alone, but basically just falls down and resumes crawling. Now that the weather is warm, we spend most of our days outside. She doesn't love the swimming pool, but I think she'll start to like it as the summer progresses. We spend the late afternoons out on a blanket, under the maple trees. It's relaxing and fun to watch the kids snuggle and play with their toys. Of course, due to her obsession with eating- I have to watch her closely, as she is willing to eat grass, rocks, and the like.

Not too much else to add this month- she continues to overwhelm us with her cuteness and sweet nature. Here are a few pics from the last month.

Ok, what're we eatin' here?

Touring Washington D.C.

2011-06-06T23:32:00.287-04:00

Adam had some time off at the end of May, so we decided to drive down to Washington D.C. to visit our friends Melissa and Earl Ardales and do some sight-seeing. Melissa and Earl live in Alexandria, VA, which is about 20 minutes outside of D.C. I had been down a couple of times by myself and really enjoyed it, so I was excited for Adam to finally make the trip. It took us just under 7 hours to get down there, which is not bad considering the ages of our two little passengers. Melissa and Earl were amazing hosts and tour guides. Earl took us into the city on the first day, showing us Arlington National Cemetery, the neighborhood of Georgetown, and then down through the National Mall to see many of the memorials and also the White House. We spent the next day relaxing in Alexandria- the guys went golfing, while Melissa and I stayed home with the kids so they could get caught up on naps and playtime. That evening, us gals went out for a great dinner and then to my absolute favorite bar- PX, which I've written about before- genius cocktails. On Sunday, Melissa took us into D.C. to see the grounds of the Capitol (the visitor's center was closed). We then parted ways with Mel, and took the kids to the American History Museum and the Museum of Natural History. On our last day, Melissa and Earl kindly offered to watch the kids so that Adam and I could go check out a couple of other museums that are less kid-friendly. I really can't believe how much we were able to see in just a few days, particularly with two small kids. Even more, we still had a very relaxing time. We spent the evenings back at Melissa and Earl's home making dinner, and staying up talking after we put the kiddos to bed. It was really an enjoyable vacation.

I've been trying to decide how to write about our trip- so many pictures and details. I decided to just organize it in sort of a "notes" style. It's a city filled with history, memorials, museums, and a politically charged spirit and culture. All of these things move people on an individual level. I will say, I was amazed how different it is to relearn history as an adult, and then relate it to what is going on with current events. It is surprisingly emotional. Anyhow, here are the things I feel are worth mentioning.

Arlington National Cemetery:
There are many reasons people visit this cemetery. When Adam said he wanted to visit, I agreed, wanting to see JFK's grave, and other famous headstones. But, once we got there, what moved me most was the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier. We watched the Changing of the Guard ceremony, which takes place every 30 minutes- 365 days a year. Both Adam and I found it extremely emotional and poignant. I don't really care what your opinion is about any of our country's wars- past or present- I think it would be impossible to stand before this tomb and not be humbled by the sacrifice soldiers make on a daily basis. I felt saddened and proud. Mostly humbled. I don't know about you- but I take an awful lot for granted. If you are going to D.C. - I would argue that you are obligated to pay your respects by visiting Arlington National Cemetery.

Tomb of the Unknown Soldier

The Kennedy Gravesite

National Mall and Memorials:
There are countless memorials throughout D.C. - we walked the length of the National Mall, stopping at the Washington Monument, the World War II Memorial, the Vietnam Memorial, the Korean War Memorial, and the Lincoln Memorial. These are all awesome to see- I don't have anything particularly insightful to offer. However, the Vietnam Memorial will blow your mind, when you realize how many names are etched on the memorial.

World War II Memorial

Korean War Memorial

Walking through the National Mall towards the Washington Monument

White House- Clearly both Gavin and Olivia were impressed

Smithsonian American History Museum:

Keep in mind- we had the kids with us so we had a pretty brief tour. We even split up so Adam and I could go see exhibits that jumped out at us individually. For me, I loved the exhibit with all the inaugural gowns worn by the first ladies. I also enjoyed seeing the Julia Child exhibit and seeing how her kitchen was set up. There is also a great exhibit dedicated to the Star Spangled Banner, with the original flag, sewn by Betsy Ross.

Michelle Obama's Inaugural Gown

Smithsonian National Museum of Natural History:
One word: Dinosaurs. Gavin couldn't wait to go see the dinosaurs. I was way less enthused about going to this museum, but have to admit- it was pretty awesome! They have collections of skeletons of all sorts of species - from a little, tiny mouse, a turtle, an alligator, all the way up to a great whale. Gavin was so impressed with all of the skeletons that he almost forgot about the dinosaurs! We also saw the exhibit where the Hope Diamond is on display- have to admit, while pretty, it's way less cool than the skeletons!

Newseum:
One of the few privately owned museums in D.C., so it's not free. This was my second visit to the Newseum, but enjoyed it so much that I wanted Adam to see it. I find it fascinating to see how media has evolved and its importance in narrating history. There was an exhibit on Hurricane Katrina on display this time- really interesting to read about the journalists' experiences. Many had to choose whether to save someone's life or meet a deadline. I really cannot imagine having to capture stories while people are suffering right before your eyes. Yet, it was important to get the stories out- to make a plea for help and show the rest of the country what was going on.

United States Holocaust Memorial Museum:
Adam really wanted to visit this museum. I have to admit- I was not excited about it. We never go on dates- so selfishly, I thought- really- the holocaust museum? This is going to be depressing. Reluctantly, I agreed to go and I am so glad that I did. It seems weird to say this, but it's one of the best museums I have ever been to. I had no idea how little I knew about the holocaust. The museum is designed extremely well and walks you through the entire history. It's just unbelievable to me how fast Hitler was able to take control. Even more unbelievable is how easily he was able to convince people to commit such acts of hatred. I know that all of those statements seem extremely obvious, but I for whatever reason, just didn't have an accurate understanding of nazi propaganda. How could professors, doctors, and other highly educated people buy into this? Again, I'd put this museum on the list of places you must visit- probably before any of the others. It's a reminder of how easily people can become intolerant due to what seems to be an innate quality of blaming misfortune on others. Extremely powerful.

Ok, so there you have it- a novel about our trip to D.C. If you're still intrigued- here are some additional pictures from our visit with Melissa and Earl. Enjoy!

Look closely- Melissa and Gavin found a turtle in her back woods!

Olivia- good at being cute

Girls night out!

Exploring Providence, RI

2011-05-22T13:32:00.003-04:00

It's always hard to choose where to take someone when they come to visit. There are so many options throughout New England. When Sarah visited, we decided on Providence, RI. Providence is a little over three hours away from Albany. It is the capital of Rhode Island and is a really pretty city. The architecture is a great mixture of old and new. There are canals throughout the downtown area with a great riverwalk. It's home to the Rhode Island School of Design, Brown University, and also one of the campuses of Johnson Wales University. The city has rebranded itself the "creative capital." The city definitely has a hip vibe.

We got to Providence in the early afternoon and headed to the Roger Williams Zoo. Gavin is at the perfect age for going to the zoo and we thought it would be a great place for him to run around. The Roger Williams Zoo is one of the nation's oldest. While Gavin did enjoy it, I wouldn't put this on my list of "must sees" in Rhode Island. It was nice enough, just not the most exciting zoo or park.

After visiting the zoo, we headed downtown to get checked into our hotel. We then spent some time walking around downtown, shopping, and enjoying the views from the riverwalk before going to dinner. I had read about a restaurant/bar called The Red Fez in my latest copy of Yankee Magazine. It was said to specialize in gourmet comfort food. The restaurant was also mentioned in several blogs and articles online. When we arrived, we discovered that it's a very small restaurant with just a few tables and not necessarily family friendly. The lady who showed us to our table did not look happy to see us walk in with two small children. She gave me an absurd look when I asked if she had a highchair. We were kind of laughing about it as we settled in. Give me a break- just because we have kids does not mean we should have to settle for the likes of The Cheesecake Factory or Red Robin. This place had the cool vibe in full effect and Adam joked that it was too bad it was the one day that he wasn't wearing his black Misfits t-shirt. Instead, he was all prepped out in his short sleeved button down! But, once we convinced the waitress that our kids were well-behaved, she seemed to warm up to us. Adam and I ordered the Macaroni & Cheese with Chorizo. Sarah had the same, only without the chorizo. Gavin had a grilled cheese sandwich. And, little miss Liv had some red bliss mashed potatoes. The comfort food lived up to the high praise that I read about. I'd definitely recommend The Red Fez- just be sure you're cool enough to enter!

We spent the evening back at our hotel- Adam, Sarah, and Gavin went out and picked up dessert from a bakery. Olivia enjoyed the freedom to crawl around the hotel room and be crazy. The next morning, we had breakfast, did a little more shopping, drove through Brown's campus and then headed back to Albany. Here are a few pictures of our time spent in Providence. Enjoy!

Adam and Gavin, checking out the seals at Roger Williams Zoo

Livie Lou, scarfing on her garlic mashed...

Mmm... mac & cheese goodness

College Hill- Providence, RI

Sarah and the bakeries of Manhattan

2011-05-20T12:43:00.005-04:00

Last month, we were treated to a visit from my sister, Sarah. Adam had taken a few days off, which allowed us to leave the kids with him and take a short girls' trip to the city. New York is such an amazing city and every experience can be really different depending on who you go with. There really is something for everyone, and that "something" for Sarah, is bakeries. We basically just had an itinerary based all around food- and it was awesome!

We took the Amtrak to the city and once we got into Penn Station, we jumped on the subway and headed straight to Chelsea Market. Chelsea Market is below the Food Network studios, and it is amazing. There are tons of bakeries, specialty food and kitchen shops, and little eateries. We were in heaven! We started the visit off with a mini cupcake from Eleni's. Then we stopped for a grilled cheese sandwich at Lucy's Whey. The grilled cheese sandwich was delicious- made with a crisp bread, fresh mozzarella, a thin slice of ham, and a sun-dried tomato pesto. It was fabulous! I'm salivating just thinking about it, actually.

After exploring Chelsea, we walked over to Greenwich Village, in search of a bakery that we went to on our last visit. The only problem was - we had no idea what the name of it was or the address. Needless to say, we never found it. We did stumble upon Magnolia Bakery, though. Second cupcake, check.

We spent the rest of the afternoon shopping and then headed to our hotel to get ready for dinner. We decided to have dinner at an Italian restaurant on the Upper East Side, Bella Blu. It had a fun ambiance and the food was very good. To make room for dessert, we bummed around Time Square, laughing at all the tourist crap they sell. Finally, we had midnight dessert at Serendipity 3.

The next morning we headed down the East Village for breakfast at Clinton St Baking Company. As always, the food was fantastic and filling. Of course, we had to find room for doughnuts at Doughnut Plant, which was also featured on Throwdown with Bobby Flay. The guys there were really funny; after hearing that we were from the Seattle area, they brought up Top Pot Doughnut. They are convinced that theirs are better, of course. I have to say, I think Top Pot has the edge... but, I could be just as biased. Nostalgia is pretty powerful.

We had a great time in the city, but were absolutely exhausted by the end of our second day. I'm sure we walked off nearly all the calories we consumed. For sure, the highlight for me was that grilled cheese sandwich at Chelsea Market. Man, that was good!

Life with Olivia at 10 months

2011-05-19T19:48:00.003-04:00

Olivia is now a 10 month old, full of personality! I know that I say it again and again, but she is really such a joy to be around. She is just a complete sweetheart! Even when she is crying or being fussy, I melt when I hold her.

Livie still maintains her "evil genius" status, as she is a big troublemaker! We have to watch her closely because she is a speed crawler and seems to be drawn to whatever she shouldn't be into. That's most kids, though! Liv really gets a kick out of us catching her climbing stairs or getting into Max's water bowl. Her little grin is contagious.

Olivia is getting close to walking. She walks along the furniture but doesn't stand by herself yet. I am not sure if she is in much of a hurry, considering she gets around so easily with her mad crawling skills. She is now saying "Mama" and "Dada" pretty regularly, which is very sweet. She also waves "Hi" and I swear, she actually said "Hi" while waving once. The thing that cracks us up most is that Olivia nods her head in agreement. We are having a great time having conversations with her and getting her to nod. For example, "Livie, do you think the NBA playoffs are dragging on?" She will most definitely nod in agreement.

I have been making nearly all of her baby food, which I did not anticipate doing. It turns out that it is super easy and makes me feel great that I know what she is consuming. With the help of my Cuisenart food processor, I am whipping up all kinds of purees. My plan is to just ease out the pureeing, give her the same fruits and vegetables in a chunkier texture, and try to maintain a healthy palate into toddlerhood. I didn't do this with Gavin and am really struggling getting these foods into his diet. I'll keep you updated on this experiment.

Anyhow, things are good with Livie Lou. Obviously, we all adore her! Here are a few pictures from the past month. Enjoy!

A day at the park, Buckingham Lake

Trying to master the sippy cup- she much prefers you to just feed her a bottle... little diva!

At the tulip festival at Washington Park, Mother's Day 2011

This little face has cheered me up many times over the last week, and it will probably get her just about anything she wants out of life... at least from me!

Spring travels: Burlington, VT

2011-05-18T17:22:00.007-04:00

It has been pouring all week here. It is so frustrating because I have so many projects that require dry weather. I am painting our front porch, which is actually a much bigger job than I anticipated. It hasn't helped that the weather has been so unpredictable. I have the railings completed, but still have the pillars, ceiling, and floor left. We are also giving our laundry room a face lift. Laundry room is pretty generous- it's basically a dungeon with a washer and dryer in it. I have scraped the chipping paint and washed the walls with bleach and water. Now, everything must dry out so I can paint. So, while I wait for the weather to improve, I thought I'd take this time to catch up on this blog. I actually have many east coast stories to tell you about. Get ready for several posts in the next few days!

Adam had a few days off at the end of March. We decided to head up to Burlington, VT for a day trip. We had not been up to that part of Vermont before and had heard that Burlington was a fun town. It's also the home of Ben & Jerry's Ice Cream. We thought Gavin would enjoy that, so I punched Ben & Jerry's into the GPS and away we went. Now, hilariously enough, I did not type in the exact location of the factory- just Ben & Jerry's. Basically, that is like punching in "Starbucks" on a visit to Seattle, if you wanted to see the headquarters. I took some crap for that when we pulled up to an ordinary Ben & Jerry's store! Oh well, the location was right downtown, so we decided to go have some ice cream and walk around. The other funny part of this trip, it was absolutely freezing outside! So, we were all eating ice cream while wearing hats and gloves.

The popular area in Burlington is the Church Street Marketplace. It is a pedestrian-only, cobblestone street that is lined with shops and restaurants. I love visiting towns like these- fun atmosphere, and perfectly walkable. I wish we had prepared for the chilly weather and dressed warmer. We would have spent more time walking around. Burlington is surrounded by the Green Mountains and sits on the shores of Lake Champlain. Lake Champlain is one of the most beautiful lakes I have ever seen. It is just stunning. Come to think of it, Burlington reminds me a lot of Bellingham, WA.

Church Street

THE Ben & Jerry's (or the one that the GPS led us to :))

Lake Champlain, still iced over a bit in late March, 2011

After our stroll through the Church Street Marketplace, we headed over to the actual Ben &Jerry's factory for a tour. The factory is just outside of Burlington in the town of Waterbury. It was actually very interesting to learn about the history of Ben & Jerry. After taking a correspondence class in ice cream making, they opened up their first store in 1978. You can check out the highlighted link above to read how their story evolved. What impressed me most is their long-standing commitment to make their product in the most environmentally friendly way. This is extremely trendy right now, but from what I can tell, this has been important to this company from day one. It is why they do not sell their ice cream in larger sizes. They use fresh, local, and therefore more expensive, ingredients which drives the cost up. They sell their one pint containers of goodness at a specialty price, but really it's a specialty treat. Anyhow, I enjoy success stories like this one. Gavin mostly enjoyed the free samples. It was actually snowing when we got to the factory. I later read on their website that they offer guided snowshoe tours. That sounds like a blast! Might have to add that to next winter's adventures. Here are a few pictures we took at the factory. It was a rather touristy thing to do, but fun nonetheless. Enjoy!

Olivia and I bundled up outside the ice cream factory...

yum!

Loving Starsky

2011-05-14T11:52:00.001-04:00

We lost our beloved Starsky this week. An escape artist from birth, he finally met his match when he darted in front of a truck. It happened fast, and unfortunately, right in front of my and Gavin's eyes. He died on impact and did not suffer long. We are all heartbroken and miss him terribly.

We got Starsky in August of 2003. We had just closed on the purchase of our first home. Adam claims that we had an agreement to wait six months before getting a dog. He was not at all amused when I had him driving up Sedro Woolley to look at a litter of beagle puppies just two weeks after closing. We fought about it the whole way, even having to pull over so I could throw a massive tantrum. I sobbed and wailed, "I've always wanted a dog and couldn't have one when I was little! You can't tell me that I can't have a dog!" Adam didn't stand a chance. The puppies we went to look at were six weeks old and would be ready to go in a few weeks. However, we were looking for a black male pup and these pups were all light colored females. Wasn't it convenient that there were two little 9 week old male pups, both black- running around, cute as can be? Before Adam knew it, he was driving 20 minutes to the nearest ATM to get our $300. We came home with Starsky that very night.

He was a great dog from the beginning- so much personality. We tried to train Starsky, and he had the basics covered. He'd sit on command or lay down. But, ask him to shake or roll over- he'd look at you like, "you're kidding, right?" Beagles are funny dogs. They will love you unconditionally, but don't necessarily want to impress you. Starsky made his presence known at all times. He was pretty needy, which is why nine months after getting him, we came home with Max. Starsky and Max could not have been more different, yet they complimented each other perfectly. There was no question that Starsky was the alpha dog, but he let Max get his way almost all of the time. He loved the companionship so much that it was worth being pushed off the dog bed. He'd just let Max get comfortable, and squeeze in next to him. They were partners in crime, too. Starsky had the agility to grab food off of the counters that Max just does not have. I'm not sure how Max is handling the loss of his buddy. We can't tell if he is moping or just being himself. We are giving him lots of love and hope that he is ok.

Starsky was my first dog and I learned a lot about the less glamorous aspects of dog ownership. I now know more about canine anal glands than I ever would have imagined. Starsky had a chronic smell that led me to google, "my dog's butt stinks." That search informed me that Starsky had an anal gland issue which made him smell funky. So, after a few visits to the vet for relief at $20 a pop, Adam went on YouTube and learned how to take care of it himself. If that's not love, what is? We even had a family song for the event, "Defunk the butt, gotta defunk the butt." Not much funnier than hearing a three year old sing that along with his dad. This is a totally inappropriate paragraph for our dog's eulogy, but I felt we all could use a little comic relief.

This has been a hard week, but as Adam said, Starsky died happy. He loved nothing more than making an escape and running like hell. I can't count how many escapes he made in the eight years we had him. He loved to be chased. When we'd take him to the dog park, he always got a chase going. Somehow, he'd get 5 to 10 dogs to chase him all in a line. He'd be at the front, letting out his beagle howl, tail wagging at full speed. He was a punk, and he fit into this family perfectly. He loved this family and wanted nothing more than to be loved in return. He was sweet to our kids, even though he lost out on some attention when they came along. I hope that where ever he is now, he's got wide open spaces to run and also a nice, sunny space in a garden to nap, preferably a garden full of fresh, stinky compost. Goodbye, Starsky. We'll love you always.

A Garden for Gavin

2011-04-25T15:35:00.008-04:00

This year we decided that Gavin should have a garden of his very own. It's a 2ft square garden and he is extremely excited about it. We thought we'd share the highlights with you.

Gavin helped Adam drill the holes and put the frame together. He also chose the paint color and did much of the painting himself. "I want to do it by myself!"

This is a gnome that I received for my birthday one year. I decided he'd be the perfect watchman for Gavin's garden. His name is G-Gnome, courtesy of Adam. Sometimes, I look out the kitchen window and see Gavin talking to him.

Adding the dirt and compost

Raking the dirt and prepping it for planting

Gavin helped me start some seeds inside- he really enjoyed watching the pellets puff up when he added the water.

"Grow little plants, grow!"

Gavin, sitting and chatting with G-Gnome. He planted carrots and lettuce by seed. And, by planting, I mean he threw handfuls of each randomly in the dirt. He also decided he wanted sunflowers, so he planted two of those seeds near the back. Then, when we were out at the garden store, he picked out a strawberry plant. Yes, all of this is in that tiny space, but whatever! I'm trying not to be a control freak. It's his garden and should be a space for him to enjoy how we wants. After all, that's the whole point! Happy gardening season to you all!

Life with Olivia at 9 months

2011-04-17T17:21:00.000-04:00

The title of this post should really be, "No, no, Livie..." The little gal is 9 months old and is all kinds of trouble! She started crawling a few weeks ago and is all over the place- very speedy! Not only that, she pulls herself up to standing, tries to climb the stairs, and like most kids, is drawn to anything that she shouldn't be into. It's been fun, though.

Here are her recent stats:

Weight: 19lbs, 8.8 oz (62nd percentile)

Height: 29 inches (89th percentile)

I made a little video with highlights from her 9th month. We love our little Livie Lou! Enjoy!

Glad I didn't listen to the groundhog...

2011-04-10T20:20:00.000-04:00

I am so glad that I didn't listen to the groundhog. He was just flat out wrong- or as Conan O'Brien joked, maybe he froze to death and that is why he didn't see his shadow. Anyhow, contrary to the groundhog's prediction, spring has been taking its sweet time. The trees are still brown and the temperature is just now starting to warm. I have been cleaning up the gardens and ordering plants and bulbs from the nursery. I did plant out seeds for peas, spinach, lettuces, and carrots a week or two ago. These all love cool temperatures, so hopefully the seeds will germinate this week. It always makes me so happy to see those little sprouts pop up through the ground. Three years into vegetable gardening and it still seems magical.

A few weeks ago, I posted about forcing spring by bringing branches indoors to bloom early. This is my follow up post. It worked really well and I highly recommend doing this. It has been fun watching them come to life. I bought a large vase years ago and have never been able to find quite the right flowers to fill it. Branches are the perfect thing because they are more substantial. I chose a random collection of branches, but like how it looks. My favorite stems are from my climbing hydrangea- seem to be blooming better than it does outside!

Believe it or not, tomorrow is supposed to be 86 degrees- totally wacky. The following day's forecast shows a high of 61 degrees. Weird. Anyhow, until the outside comes to life, I continue to enjoy my forced spring. Or maybe with tomorrow's weather, we'll skip spring and run through the sprinkler... one never knows.

And the winner is...

2011-04-06T13:11:00.005-04:00

Action shot of Gavin choosing the winner...

Congratulations to Emily! She won the random drawing for a perfectly, imperfect gardening apron! Hopefully, Emily will be modeling it while tending to her rose bushes in North Bend. Enjoy! Special thanks to Gavin who administered the drawing, as well as photographing the final product!

I'm rocking a homemade gardening apron- would you like to rock one, too?

2011-03-25T20:00:00.094-04:00

It cracks me up how more and more domesticated I am becoming. It's very odd, yet cool in its own right. I think it is good for a person to have some hobbies. Furthermore, it's good for a person to have some skills. I love reading about what I would call a "throwback revolution." Young people are getting interested in small scale enterprise, local food, knitting, and basically living it up- old school. There is something awesome about baking your own bread, knitting your own hat, or watching vegetables grow right in your own yard. These types of simple things give me a strange sense of accomplishment, and really, just make my life more enjoyable.

A few years ago, Adam's mom got a new sewing machine and offered me her old one. I declined, replying, "What would I do with a sewing machine?!?" She laughed and told me that she'd save it for when I changed my mind. A couple of Halloween costumes (aka, hot glue gun disasters) later, I called her and asked for the machine. I have not done much sewing in my life. Before I got the machine, I think I'd only ever sewn scrunchies back in my tween years! I have now made several baby blankets, a slip cover for Gavin's dining room chair, and my favorite project so far- a gardening apron! When I spotted the project in a book that Adam's mom got me, I knew it was for me. First of all, totally useful to have a gardening apron. Second, I didn't need to stress out about sewing it perfectly, because it was just going to get dirty. And third, aprons are just sort of awesome. I love how it turned out! It's got plenty of flaws, but that's ok. Skills take time to develop. I've decided I will make another, in a very cool, lime green zebra print - and offer it up as a giveaway for you!

This really isn't a giveaway style blog, but what the hell! I need to practice my sewing and you want to rock one of these "Made by Jenny" gardening aprons. Why wouldn't you?!? Ok, a few of you may not. But, should you like to enter my little contest- here's how it works: simply comment what is your favorite plant. If you do not know how to comment, it's quite easy. Just hit comment and click the anonymous button if you do not have a google sign in. Just make sure you leave your name in the comment space- so I know who you are! I will select a winner, randomly on April 6th. Good luck!

You know you want one!

Kids

2011-03-19T23:46:00.002-04:00

I've been meaning to write a post all week. It's not a lack of material that kept me from posting, as I have several little projects keeping me busy. Yet, it wasn't a lack of time that kept me away either. I just had a really fun week with Gavin and Olivia. We didn't do anything spectacular, mostly just played and cuddled. They're both at really fun ages. Olivia started crawling on Wednesday. She pulled herself up to kneeling on Thursday. On Friday, she started babbling, "Mama!" It's not exactly an official "Mama". Her favorite phrase is, "yayayayaya!" If you say it back to her, she repeats it again, and gets really excited. I finally got her to mimic "mamamamama!" That's my girl! I'm just completely in love with her.

Gavin has changed so much in the last few months- he's a kid now. His language skills seem to advance daily, but it's his logic and how he interprets emotions that continue to surprise me. He offers opinions and is actually pretty helpful. The other day, I was trying to find something and was ranting about, all worked up. He stopped me and said, "Mom, I'm going to give you a hug now. It's okay; you'll find it. Just keep looking." It was so sweet. I felt sort of ridiculous that my three year old basically called me out for throwing a tantrum! He says things all day long that just crack me up. When I scolded Max for doing something, Gavin said, "Mom, that is not very nice. Max is very, really friendly to me. He's my beagle and my buddy." Age 3 has its unpleasant moments, but overall, Gav is becoming a very good friend of mine.

Anyhow, that's about all I have to say tonight. My kids are awesome and this post is for them.

Life with Olivia at 8 months

2011-03-09T15:30:00.002-05:00

Eight months have gone by since I first started writing about Livie Lou. She has been keeping us busy over the past month, as she's on the move! She quickly went from rolling to army crawling. Now she scoots herself all over the house. She hasn't figured out the coordination with moving her knees and arms, so she uses her upper body to pull herself around. It's funny how different kids are- Gavin was so hefty that he couldn't lift himself up like that. I don't think Gavin was really crawling until 11 months or so. Olivia has had a fire in her eyes from day one. She is ambitious and seems to feel that rest is overrated. I keep seeing pictures of friends with their newborns. They are all enjoying that really cuddly stage when babies just lay on your chest and snooze. Olivia has never done that! From the get-go, she was quickly nicknamed Little Miss Squirmy by our friends. We are convinced that she is going to be some kind of gymnast. I am a little scared for when she officially moves to crawling- she's going to be speedy!

Olivia is finally sleeping through most of the night. I'm no longer exhausted during the day. There were several months that were just so brutal, I barely remember them. Now, with rested eyes, I love to watch Olivia discovering the world. I know I have said this before, but she is really sweet natured. She is so happy and smiley. Speaking of smiles, she now has two bottom teeth and a third bottom tooth is cutting through. I have yet to capture her new grin on camera, but will post pictures once I do. It's funny because Adam has accused me of "calling tooth" for several months. I just kept assuming that she was teething and that is why she was up all night. Who wants to admit that their baby is really just insane?!? Anyhow, she really is teething now, and oddly enough, she seems calmer.

Here are a few photos. Enjoy!

Hazy Shade of Winter- a plumbing fail tale

2011-03-07T22:30:00.009-05:00

It's March 7th- I am so very tired of winter. I had hoped to keep a positive attitude throughout the remainder of this season, but Mother Nature has pushed me to the limit and beyond. Over the weekend, the temperature warmed to the mid-40s and our two feet of snow began to melt quickly. Then, it began to rain. Suddenly, the ground was just completely overwhelmed with water. The weather channel had issued several flood warnings, but we failed to consider how that might affect us. On Sunday morning, we discovered that our basement had collected 2-3 inches of water. We quickly got to work moving stuff off of the floor. It was a complete mess. We had so much stuff just thrown everywhere- cardboard packaging, tools, etc. The absolute worst part of the mess was a brand new bag of dog food that had the bottom fall out. I cannot even describe how vile wet dog food is after floating around a flooded basement. Man, Adam was so pissed when that bag busted open! It was just so frustrating! Stupidly, we still had cardboard moving boxes sitting directly on the basement floor. They contained all sorts of random memorabilia and items that you have no idea where to put in your house, but don't want to throw away. I had looked at those boxes several times over the last couple weeks, thinking, "I should really move those." Hindsight is 20/20, right? It was disappointing to throw some of our things away- we lost some wedding mementos, including our planner and guest book. But, as I told Adam, it could have been a lot worse. We are still married and have two happy and healthy kids- I'd say we can live without the wedding planner at this point! At the end of the day, what good is having stuff that you just keep in boxes anyway? It actually felt good to purge some of these things that were just taking up space.

It took us an hour or so just to get everything cleaned up so we could start working on trying to get the water out and figuring out what the problem was. After moving everything off the floor and salvaging what we could, Adam went and purchased a pump. It took a few hours for the water to drain, but we were feeling good that it was out. Then, it came back. At that point, we realized that we had a bigger problem. Our drainage system was clearly malfunctioning. We thought we had a sump pump, but in actuality, we have a sump pump hole. This house is so old that it's hard to figure out what's what when it comes to how it is plumbed. The groundwater was overwhelming our regular drain, which appeared to be very clogged. We couldn't figure out how to snake the drain. For that matter, we couldn't even figure out which drain to snake. There is one hole in our basement that holds an old drain pipe made out of terracotta! We had to continue pumping water out every few hours throughout the night because the hardware stores were closed and we couldn't get the tool we needed. Adam woke up super early today, rented a power snake and worked on the drain puzzle for a few hours, before we finally decided to call in the professionals. Enter Rooter Man. The guys from Rooter Man were nice and helped Adam better understand how things were set up. They cleared out giant tree roots that were growing into the drain, in addition to some other nastiness, of which I will spare you the details. So $350 later, things are draining and Adam has a plan to install a sump pump to take care of future excess groundwater. We just finished mopping the floor with bleach and water. It has been a rough couple of days.

After all this, you'd think, "well, winter is almost over." However- did I mention that we got 5-6 inches of snow and 1/4 inch of ice today!?! What's that saying- anything in excess is never a good thing? Shouldn't this count for weather? I am just over it and can no longer sugarcoat it. I don't want to go snowshoeing or build a snowman. I have been a really good sport during a very hard winter. I really hope that the groundhog is correct, and that spring is coming early. I also hope that spring does not include too many torrential downpours- at least until we get that sump pump working. Blech!

Two seasons at Peebles Island State Park

2011-02-28T11:58:00.003-05:00

Last summer, my sister Julie came to visit us before Olivia was born. We weren't able to do too much because I was so pregnant, but we did take her on several outings throughout upstate New York. On my due date, I decided we should go on a nature hike to try and get labor going. We went through my stack of day trip brochures and found one on Peebles Island State Park. It looked like it would be the perfect place for enjoying river views and having a picnic. It's also only about 20 minutes from Albany. The park is situated where the Mohawk River meets the Hudson and the scenery is spectacular. In July, the sun was really hot and the humidity was intense. We found a path down to the river so we could cool off. We discovered that it was actually really shallow, so Julie and Adam walked out quite a ways. Gavin and I watched, while throwing rocks into the water and soaking our feet. It was a great outing, but I had sort of forgotten about it until Adam mentioned it might be a great place for a winter hike.

Over the weekend, we got another foot of snow. This weather is starting to get depressing, but we made the most of it by getting outside. We decided to go check out Peebles Island again and invited our friend Toyin to join us. The views were even more impressive than our previous visit. The trees were heavily coated in fresh snow, which created archways to walk under. We have invited Toyin and her husband to join us out hiking many times this winter, but they have opted to enjoy the comfort of their heated home instead. I don't think Toyin expected it to be so beautiful. She said, "The next time you invite me to go hiking, and I say I'd rather stay in bed, please remind me of this day!" It was only a two hour hike, but I can say with confidence that it made all of our weekends. Sometimes you just have to leave your house to realize what all of the seasons have to offer. We now have two completely different memories of this park. I thought I'd include pictures from both hikes so you can see how much the landscape varies from season to season.

Peebles Island State Park, July 2010

Had to throw in a "big mama" photo- this was 5 days before Olivia was born

Julie and Adam wading in the river

Beautiful summer day

Peebles Island State Park, February 2011

Toyin and Gavin

Toyin making her way through the winter wonderland

Olivia is here! So much has changed since July!

Appreciating winter, while forcing spring

2011-02-24T13:41:00.004-05:00

Spring is a little less than a month out and I am getting anxious. While I really do enjoy winters in the northeast, by the end of February I am ready to be warm. I am more than ready to see color outside. We have had snow on the ground for nearly two months. It's no longer that pretty, fluffy snow. That snow has become crusty and covered in filth kicked up by cars and snowplows. I am ready for it to melt completely and for the trees to bloom. As March gets closer, I am beginning to make plans for my gardens. I have been flipping through magazines and drawing up plans. While I was reading last month's issue of Better Homes and Gardens, I came across a couple of ideas. (If you don't subscribe to this mag, it's a great deal at $5.99 for 12 issues- it is packed with great information and not very many ads) Anyhow, one of the ideas was to make bouquets from branches that have berries on them. The other idea was to force branches to bloom inside for an early spring. I decided to try both. I have been using foliage from shrubs to compliment summer bouquets for a while, but hadn't thought to make a "winter bouquet." I really like how mine turned out. It's very simple, but appropriate. I do not have many evergreen plants in my yard. The ones I have planted over the past two years are still too young to take clippings from. My guess is that my Pacific Northwest readers have plenty of excellent shrubs in their yards to create stunning winter bouquets. Still, my bouquet is very New England and makes me happy. *PS- Pottery Barn would probably charge $20 for a similar arrangement.

Meanwhile, I clipped branches from some of my favorite flowering shrubs and trees. The article instructs you to immediately put them in a pail of water. Then, place the branches in the shower and soak them for a few minutes. Then, you wrap the branches in plastic and move the bucket to a cool and dimly lit place (mine are in our fabulously rustic basement) until the buds swell. This step can take a few days to a few weeks. Once the buds are ready to pop, you put the branches in a big vase. We shall see... I am four days into this experiment and see only a couple of buds. I will follow up in a couple of weeks to let you know how it turns out! It's a fun way to get through this transitional period of exhausting winter and welcoming spring. We are going to get out for another winter hike over the weekend. Maybe I'll find some cool branches to bring home...

Cooperstown: A Visit to the Baseball Hall of Fame

2011-02-17T15:40:00.003-05:00

Last weekend we headed over to the town of Cooperstown to visit the Baseball Hall of Fame. Adam had it on his list of things to do and we live relatively nearby, so we decided to check it out. Cooperstown is about 90 minutes west of Albany, located at the foothills of the northern Catskill Mountains. It's a small town, population just over 2000. Its slogan is "big city excitement, with small town charm." I don't know about the big city excitement, but it definitely delivers small town charm. The buildings and houses are all beautiful colonials. There is one traffic light through Main Street and all of the shops and cafes are baseball themed. We had lunch at Double Day Cafe, which was actually a pretty good place for a burger and a beer (or a coke, or a glass of milk). After lunch, we walked over to the Hall of Fame. It is a really cool museum, and I'm not even a fan of baseball. After visiting and seeing all the memorabilia, I definitely have a greater appreciation for the tradition of the game. I especially enjoyed seeing the collection of uniforms- I just can't believe they wore knit sweaters originally. I know- leave it to me to pay attention to the clothing instead of the baseball statistics! Hey, just pointing out that there is something for everybody!

After visiting the museum, we made our way through a mini-blizzard to check out Glimmerglass State Park for some snowshoeing. It was a further drive than we anticipated, and by the time we arrived, both kids were asleep. Everybody knows- you never wake a sleeping baby and you definitely don't wake a little boy who tends to get carsick. So, we snapped a few pictures and drove home. It was another fun outing through Upstate NY. Cooperstown has their own baseball team that plays at the original Double Day Field- might be a fun thing to check out in the future. Here are some photos, enjoy!

Main Street, Cooperstown, NY

Outside the Hall of Fame

Covered Bridge at Glimmerglass State Park

Life with Olivia at 7 months

2011-02-09T12:15:00.000-05:00

Little miss is 7 months old now. Her hair is beginning to come in and we're debating whether she'll be blonde or brunette. We still can't tell what color eyes she has- they are very dark. Sometimes they look green and other times they look blue. Olivia is getting so big and is chattering like crazy. We have taken to calling her our evil genius. She has a way of causing trouble. She likes to pinch at our skin and seems to think it's funny that it hurts. When we try to catch her rolling around on video, she sits still. Yet, when nobody is looking, she'll roll over and destroy the puzzle that Gavin is working on.

She is still not sleeping very well. Some nights are better than others. Just when I think we're turning the corner, she'll have a night where she is up four times. It's frustrating. But, aside from the sleeping issues, she really is an easy baby. She has a playful personality and continues to wear a big grin on her face. Gavin loves to play with her. They have their own little games where he shows her all the toys and she grabs them from him. He can't wait for her to get bigger so she can play in his bedroom. There is something really sweet about witnessing their interactions.

Liv is starting to scoot herself around but isn't crawling. I have a feeling that once she attempts it, she'll get it. I'm starting to think about what we'll need to do to get this place babyproof again. Amazing how time flies. It doesn't seem that long ago that I was writing similar things about Gavin. We moved to Albany when Gavin was 9 months old - crazy to think that not only is he almost 3 1/2, but we have a 7 month old too! Here are a few pictures of our evil genius from the past month.

Hello Chicken- Let me cook you right! Review of Coriander Chicken and Fennel Tostadas

2011-02-08T10:29:00.004-05:00

Over the past weekend, I realized that I have been in a serious culinary rut. So, I decided to mix things up and start selecting three new recipes each week. This is not that difficult- you'd gasp if you saw how many magazines I subscribe to. I also have a ridiculous cookbook fetish and the list of food blogs I follow is constantly growing. It's just a matter of stepping outside my comfort zone and executing. Viva! Or whatever...

On Saturday, I selected my three recipes and made out my shopping list. I did not anticipate blogging about any of these recipes, just simply listing the successful ones to the sidebar on the right. However, tonight's recipe was worthy of a blog post. I found the recipe for Coriander Chicken Tostadas with Refried Beans and Grilled Fennel in January's issue of Bon Appetit. We love Mexican food around here so this one caught my attention. I am making an effort to bring more vegetables into our diet and thought this was an interesting use of fennel. The recipe comes from Sue Torres, owner of Suenos restaurant in Manhattan. In the introduction to the recipe, she makes a commentary about how people constantly overcook chicken breasts in fear of salmonella. I am guilty of this, so I decided to follow her instructions and use an instant read thermometer, cooking the chicken to exactly 165 degrees. The result was moist and flavorful chicken. I had respected my chicken by not drying it out! It's amazing how the simplest adjustment to method can take one's cooking up several notches.

Now, to the specifics of the recipe- the flavor combination of the coriander rubbed chicken, the pinto bean puree with cumin and chipotle peppers, and the grilled fennel is subtly addictive. Coriander* really is a lovely seasoning for chicken, as she states in the recipe. It would work nicely in a salad. I really wasn't sure how fennel was going to taste on a tostada, but it had a nice texture and mild sweetness. The meal took me about 45 minutes to prepare, which included me frying up corn tortillas to use for the tostada shells. We served them with shredded iceberg lettuce, cilantro sprigs, and a little sour cream. Adam added a little shredded cheese to his, but they honestly don't need it. I skipped the radishes, but might try them once gardening season rolls around. Anyhow, even if you don't want to try the recipe, click on the link and read her comments about cooking chicken- made a huge difference for me.

*I did not have coriander seeds, only ground coriander. It worked fine, but I suppose was lacking some texture that you'd get using crushed seeds.

Winter Walking

2011-01-31T13:39:00.022-05:00

Yesterday's snow adventure was just a simple walk along the Hudson River. We decided to check out Schodack Island State Park, which is about 15 miles from Albany. It was not the most exciting park for hiking, although it'd be a great place to cross country ski. Still, it was nice to get outside and stretch our legs. The trail was very flat and the scenery was pretty. Winter walking is so peaceful- very quiet, not at all crowded, and the very best way to clear your mind. I love seeing how the landscape changes. In the dead of winter, the trees are bare and the river is partly frozen. While on these walks, it almost feels like we're living in a different time. It's just simple beauty.

On our way to the park, we saw this icebreaker on the Hudson... had a cool video to show but had trouble uploading it.

Chilly Chili

2011-01-27T15:21:00.006-05:00

We are now over a month into winter and it is definitely cold here. Sunday night, the temperature was 19 degrees below zero! I'm not a big fan of that kind of cold. We have warmed up to the high 20s finally, which feels almost balmy. Because I love comfort food, this is my favorite season to cook. It's cozy and inviting. There are days when I never leave my house, except to maybe play with the kids outside. Instead, I like to curl up on my couch and go through cookbooks. My most recent purchase was the Clinton St. Baking Company Cookbook . This restaurant is located in the lower east side neighborhood of Manhattan. When my mom, Sarah, and Julie visited a while back, we walked quite a distance to get to this place and it was definitely worthwhile. Nearly two years later, I can remember what everyone ordered. My favorite was their award winning pancakes with maple butter, which Julie ordered. The restaurant has been featured on Throwdown with Bobby Flay, and luckily for all of us, they just released their cookbook. I purchased it for my mom for Christmas and then decided I needed a copy as well. I recently made an adaptation of their chili recipe. I only adapted it because I had already bought ingredients that didn't match up with the recipe exactly. The Clinton St recipe calls for ground turkey, chicken stock, crushed tomatoes, red bell pepper, and chipotle. Instead, I used ground beef, beef stock, whole tomatoes, and added chili beans in addition to the kidney beans. The recipe could easily be made vegetarian by using vegetable stock, more tomatoes, corn, and more bean variety, such as black beans. It's pretty spicy and warmed us all up after an afternoon of sledding. Enjoy!

Chilly Chili, adapted from Clinton St. Baking Co.

Ingredients:
Olive oil
1 medium onion, diced
3 medium carrots, diced
3 stalks celery, diced
3 cloves garlic, minced
1lb ground beef
2 cups beef stock
1 28oz can whole plum tomatoes
2 cans chili beans, with ranchero sauce
1 can dark red kidney beans, drained and rinsed
1 1/2 T chili powder
1/2 T garlic powder
1/2 T dried oregano
1/2 T cumin
1/2 tsp thyme
1/2 tsp red pepper flakes
2 bay leaves
2 shakes tabasco
1/2 T kosher salt
1/4 T black pepper

Method: Brown meat, until nearly cooked through, drain the fat. Add 1 tablespoon olive oil and the vegetables and cook until soft, about 5 minutes. Add spices, stock, tomatoes (which I crush a little by hand), and beans. Bring to a boil, cover, and simmer on medium low for an hour.

Nor'easter Fun

2011-01-18T22:39:00.005-05:00

The east coast has been getting hammered with storms this month. We have had nearly 2 feet of snow, maybe more. I'm not a very good judge of snow measurement. Anyhow, we have a lot! It has required a lot of shoveling and a lot of ice melt. But, for the most part, we are really enjoying ourselves. I put together a little video that captures all that we've been up to. It was interesting making this little movie because I spent quite some time looking for a song that conveyed the spirit of winter. Well, aside from holiday carols, most winter songs are extremely depressing. I finally found one that seemed fitting...

Warning: video might convince you to visit Albany in the winter.

Life with Olivia at 6 months

2011-01-10T15:28:00.000-05:00

Olivia is now six months old and an absolute joy. She is one happy girl, always smiling! She still wants to be held or interacted with most times, but she is enjoying her jumperoo and other toys. I had forgotten how fun this age is- personality is in full effect. We are all enjoying getting to know her and figuring out what makes her laugh or smile.

She has been a mama's girl from day 1, but has really taken to Adam over the last month. She gets so excited when he gets home from work and if he doesn't come say hello immediately, she gets mad! It's very cute. Olivia is fascinated by Gavin and also her beagles. It's so fun to watch her take everything in. We just love our little gal!

Here are her 6 month stats and a few of my favorite pictures from the last month:
Weight: 17 lbs, 12 oz (75th percentile)
Height: 26.8 inches (76th percentile)
Sleeping Habits: Still up twice at night, but getting better.
Developmental skills: Sitting up supported and for short amounts of time without support. Rolling. Eating bananas and squash. Yum!

Winter in Albany

2011-01-09T22:58:00.003-05:00

After traveling to the Pacific Northwest for the holidays, we are now settled back in Albany. Adam is back at work and the kids and I are getting back into our routine. January has welcomed us with six inches of snow. I absolutely love it. It is beautiful! Once the trees lose their leaves, our landscape turns drab. The snow just brightens it up. If it's going to be cold, we might as well have snow. Adam does not agree, as he hates shoveling. It's supposed to stay cold here, and another storm is heading our way on Wednesday. The only challenge is that because the temperature stays below freezing, the snow never melts. If we get too many storms, it becomes difficult to figure out where to put the snow from our driveway. In related news, Gavin was tossing Buzz Lightyear around in the snow and Buzz lost his hand. His hand is now buried somewhere in the backyard and could easily remain there until late March.

Adam is on a 24hr shift today. I just put the kids to bed after a fairly relaxing day. We played in the snow for a while and sat out on the porch. Every now and then, I start to freak out that they are growing too quickly. Gavin is so needy right now and even says, "Mommy, I need you, a lot." He puts up such a fight about bedtime and begs me not to leave his room. I have to remind myself that he will not always feel this way. Before I know it, he'll be kicking me out of his room, or pinning up a sign that says, "Keep out!" So, when he asks me to sing one more song or tell him one more story, I do it. He is manipulating me, but that's ok. At least he's not trying to borrow my car yet!

Well, that is about all that is going on. I sometimes struggle with what to write on here. But, I always come back to this blog's original purpose- to stay in touch and post consistently. So there you have it. I understand that the west coast is supposed to get some snow as well... enjoy it. Happy winter!

December musings... Cheers to a Happy New Year!

2010-12-20T16:27:00.002-05:00

Hello again. Does it seem like this month has flown by for anyone else? I cannot believe that this month and year are so rapidly coming to an end. This will likely be my last post of the year. We are gearing up to visit our families over the holidays. As we close the chapter that is 2010, I have a few things to reflect on. First, I was miserable at accomplishing my resolutions from last year. I did not learn to knit cables, nor did I learn to cross country ski. I did join a book club online, but never went to a meeting! I did, however, take up snowshoeing. And, let's not forget- I did create human life! Ha! Resolutions - you've got nothing on me!

This month also marked an important milestone for Adam and me- our 10 year wedding anniversary. We can't help but feel awesome about that. Marriages get thrown away pretty easily anymore. Life throws curveballs and people change. I am so happy with the life that we have created together. It's truly great. Now with two little sidekicks, I imagine our next decade will be that much more interesting!

Finally, with January right around the corner, all of the magazines I subscribe to are sending their New Year's editions. The theme seems to be about happiness; how to be happy. January 1st- the official reset button: we evaluate our lives and make changes where we see fit. It seems funny to me that we all struggle with finding contentment. I seem to write an overly reflective post almost quarterly... Is it really that hard to just be happy? Apparently so, because I have 4 magazines in front of me that are dealing with this very question! I have been drawing my own conclusion over the past couple of years and it's simply that we should try and direct our energy to the people and things that we love. Unfortunately, everyday stressers can fuzzy up this point. So, for the sake of the happiness project- here are my 2011 resolutions that I think will make me enjoy life just a little bit more!

1. Run a 10k - (I'm too much of a chicken to write, "half-marathon")
2. Grow pumpkins in the garden
3. Learn a *successful* method for making gnocchi
4. Eat a more seasonal diet- which means embracing unfamiliar produce
5. Practice more patience, and maybe a little yoga too

Happy Holidays to you and yours!

Life with Olivia at 5 months

2010-12-09T10:24:00.000-05:00

Olivia is now 5 months old. Time continues to pass quickly. Yet, somehow, it feels like she has been in our family for much longer. It's becoming easier for me to fathom leaving the house with both kids by myself. We are still in the stage where we have to pack up the diaper bag with all the necessities. It's even more work now that the weather is cold. Big coats, hats, and mittens are required. But before I know it, the hats will come off and I will be back to just tucking a couple of diapers and a little baggie of wipes into my purse. I will be yelling at the kids to stop fighting in the back seat. So, for now, we enjoy our little peanut girl as a 5 month old.

She has gotten so much stronger. We have added an exersaucer and a Baby Jumperoo to the living room. Nothing like huge pieces of baby paraphernalia to give your home that extra something! Do you remember that post I wrote when we first moved here, about The Pottery Barn colliding with Toys R Us? What a joke! It's just crazytown here. And really, no amount of wicker baskets can save us! I do my best to keep things tidy, but to be honest, I don't even care anymore. I just want my kids to be happy and not crying. So, bounce away little girl! It's nice that she has things to entertain herself. And I have my Real Simple magazine to escape to... an organized world that seems very far away at the moment.

Over the last month, not much has changed with Liv. She continues to smile a lot and her giggles are more frequent. Gavin loves to make her laugh. It's nice that he loves her so much. When she cries, he says, "It's ok, Yidia. You're alright." It's so funny that he pronounces her name, "Yidia." I love to pick out funky outfits for her and give her a little style. Adam likes to tell her about how he intends to make her a tomboy. She is really cute with Adam, kind of flirty. When he smiles at her, she smiles but looks away really quickly, burying her face in my shoulder.

She now weighs 16 pounds and is getting all chunky. I like it when babies have a little bulk to them. She seems a lot less breakable now. I can carry her around on my hip, which makes things a little easier. Her sleeping patterns continue to be ridiculous and I don't see much point in discussing them. It is what it is. I know that she will give me 8 hours of sleep someday... when, I really don't know.

We are really looking forward to our trip home later this month. Can't wait to introduce her to family and friends. Until then, here are a couple of pictures.

Dressed up for a Thanksgiving party with friends

This rice cereal is still gross, even if you did add applesauce to it!

Christmas in the City

2010-12-06T13:36:00.003-05:00

New York City is exciting. It's a city that once you visit, you crave it. Last Monday, I woke up and felt that a weekend visit was in order. Adam agreed and we decided we'd take the kids to see Santa at Macys on 34th Street. Why not, right? You gotta do it! We had not been to the city during the holiday season and it was something we had on our list to do before we head back to the west coast. We knew it would be crowded and somewhat chaotic, but it's New York- 100% worth it.

Because we were just doing a day trip, we knew we could only have a couple of things on our itinerary. We wanted to see Santa and the tree at Rockefeller Center. It takes us forever to get out of the house for a day outing- two hours, exactly. By the time we got to the city, it was 1pm. We headed straight to Macys, and waited in line for an hour and a half. They organized it really well, so the line kept moving and made the time pass fairly quickly. Gavin was a bit of a pill, to be expected. It's a lot to ask of a little man. Once we got to Santaland, it proved to be worth the wait. There were beautiful displays set up with trains and snowmen. Signs that displayed the magic of the season, "Believe" and "Make a Wish." Gavin was a little unsure about Santa. He thought that Santa would give him his requested presents right then. He just couldn't understand why Santa wasn't handing over Zurg and Hammy (more Toy Story characters).

After visiting Santa, we headed out and walked up to Rockefeller Center. I have never seen the city streets so packed with people. It was a little crazy. But, as I read in an article, you have to just embrace the crowds and take in the holiday spirit or you will have a miserable time. Olivia was content in her stroller and Gavin was a trooper, walking all those blocks! The city looks beautiful with all the lights. The Rockefeller Christmas tree is stunning. The window displays at the department stores are truly spectacular. We took in the scene and then had dinner before heading home. It was a really fun day. I don't really know if Gavin will remember it, and Olivia certainly won't. But, as a parent and someone who just loves New York City, it was a special way to start off the holidays.

Grafton Lakes State Park

2010-12-02T12:21:00.003-05:00

I have never thought of myself as a great outdoors type of gal. But, over the last couple of years, I have really taken to it. I find myself craving nature. I don't think this will graduate to any type of extreme sport. I don't see myself as a future rock climber or anything hardcore. I don't even think I could handle camping for more than a couple of nights. I like showers and beds. Give me a pleasant nature walk, any day.

Last Saturday, I was itching to get outside. I had been wanting to check out another state park, so we decided to head over to Grafton Lakes State Park. It's about a 30 minute drive from Albany, located on a forested mountain ridge between the Taconic and Hudson valleys. There are 5 ponds and 25 miles of trails to explore. It was a really cold day, particularly with the windchill. Fortunately, there was some elevation-which means evergreen trees, to block the wind. It actually started to snow a little while we were out.

Gavin is getting a little better about keeping up with us. He gets sidetracked easily so we didn't put much of a dent into those 25 miles of trails! Honestly, it's just nice to see him enjoy being outside. He loves to pick up things along the way, rocks and pinecones. He'll find branches to pick up and throw into the water. I can't wait until Olivia is able to run along with him. For now, she rides along in the baby carrier, tucked into Daddy's coat. We all had a fun time and look forward to visiting again with our snowshoes!

Long Pond, Grafton Lakes State Park

Walking along, singing Christmas carols

Olivia is in there somewhere, snug as a bug

Negotiating how many rocks can be thrown into the pond, before we get going on our hike

By the end, Gavin needed to be carried out. I am pretty sure he's going to be bigger than me by the time he's 5!

The resilient Buzz Lightyear, a medical marvel

2010-12-01T12:12:00.001-05:00

As I have mentioned, Gavin is obsessed with Toy Story. He takes Buzz and Woody with him everywhere. Many times we tell him that he can only take one- so sometimes Buzz joins us at the store, and later, Woody will join us at the park. It's much like the movie, in that Gavin usually chooses Buzz. He likes to take him out on the front porch, where he throws him over the railing and then runs to retrieve him. He isn't exactly gentle with these toys.

About two months ago, Gavin was throwing Buzz around the kitchen and his leg fell off. It was tragic. We made a trip to the store and replaced him. However, Buzz 2 has been thrown around even more than the Buzz 1. So, when Buzz 2 lost his leg recently, Adam pulled out some of his procedural skills and Buzz underwent a hip replacement.

Buzz, being prepped for surgery

But first, a hug to wish him well. This was actually a very serious ordeal for Gavin.

Mommy needed to hug him too, for added measure.

The leg

The hip socket

The pin

The super glue- what all hip replacements depend on.

Buzz, post-op. He is indeed ready to go to infinity and beyond!

It should be mentioned that since this surgery, Buzz has undergone 3 back surgeries. Gavin is very happy that his daddy is a doctor. In his words, "It's ok Buzz, Daddy is a doctor. He'll fix your back again!"

Max, the Culinary Beagle

2010-11-19T11:48:00.004-05:00

Our youngest beagle Max, has never been a thin dog. He is barrel chested and stout. In hindsight, we really should have named him Wilbur. When he is sleeping, his belly hangs to the side and he truly does resemble a pig. They say that beagles are one of the more food-obsessed breeds, which is why it is recommended to only feed them dog food and no table scraps. We have been very good about this, but nonetheless, Max struggles with his weight. Although we joke, he really is a sweet dog. His love of food has led him to become my kitchen companion.

When we lived in Seattle, our house was set up differently, with the family room downstairs. We kept the beagles down there and they were not allowed in the kitchen. When we moved to Albany, the rules had to change because our house has a completely different floor plan. Now, the beagles basically have full range of the house. They are older now and better behaved, so this hasn't been too big of an issue. Because they are now allowed in the kitchen, Max has taken to watching me cook every meal. He stands by my feet the entire time. It used to drive me insane, and sometimes still does. But, it is also sort of endearing. I refer to him as my useless sous chef. I am sure that he is just waiting for me to drop something, and occasionally I do. But, to his frequent disappointment, I mostly drop chopped onions.

Lately, we have been making up stories to tell to Gavin at bedtime. He loves stories about Buzz and the Toy Story gang. But, he also loves stories about Starsky and Max. I often tell him stories about Max, the culinary beagle. I think these up while I am making dinner. I sometimes imagine Max narrating my cooking, like Alton Brown narrates Iron Chef. "Hmm... not sure what she's going to do with that fennel bulb." Or, taking on an Emerilesque quality, "Oh yeah, babe- more butter!" I imagine if Max could make himself a gourmet meal, it would involve a ribeye, blue cheese, and a loaded baked potato (with bacon, of course.) The stories often involve Max whipping up pancakes in the middle of the night, or convincing Starsky to make a trip to Five Guys for a burger, in which case, they ride skateboards. It's become a fun exercise and Gavin makes up some funny stories himself. Here is a picture of Max, our culinary beagle. I've been thinking that I should get him a collar that says, "Bon Appetit!"

Life with Olivia at 4 months

2010-11-11T11:45:00.003-05:00

We just returned from Olivia's 4 month checkup. Amazing that it's been 4 months already. I finally feel like I have a bit of a grasp on life with two kids. The basic rule of thumb is to have a "just roll with it" attitude. Children are just completely unpredictable. Things that worked with Gavin, don't work with Olivia. But, one thing is true with every child: they grow up fast. I have to constantly remind myself of this fact. When I find myself getting frustrated about not getting things done around the house, I will take the kids out on the front porch. It's gotten colder, but we snuggle on the porch swing with a blanket and it seems to calm us all down. It's these moments that make me feel lucky. Where else would I rather be? Certainly not cleaning the house. Porch swings are therapeutic.

Olivia is getting so big. She has such a sweet nature about her. All she really wants is to be held and talked to. When I am not holding her, she watches me and when we make eye contact, she gives me a great big smile. She has a great smile- the kind of smile that starts with her eyes. Without talking, she says, "Hi Mom! It's me!" We love her.

She continues to be a bit of a night owl, but I'm beginning to call her bluff. She goes to bed around 8pm and wakes up for a feeding around midnight. She wakes up around 3am, but I'm letting her fuss through that one. She seems to be a light sleeper and I'm trying to encourage her to fall back to sleep. The last couple of nights have been successful and I'm finally getting 6 solid hours of sleep. She wakes again around 6am for a feeding. From there, she'll sleep until 8am or 9am. After the last few months, I will take it!

Here are her current stats and a few pics from the past month:
Weight: 14lbs, 12oz (63rd percentile)
Length: 25.5 inches (81st percentile- lucky little thing)
Skills: rolling, giggling, smiling, and doing all things cute

Cuddled up in the beautiful quilt that her Grandma deMars made for her

Happy Girl!

Halloween Giraffe

Oh, yes she did!

I dare you not to love our little material girl...

An early visit from Stewie the Snowman

2010-11-09T15:22:00.003-05:00

It snowed here yesterday. Gavin noticed it first and ran to the window, "it's snowing!" Then, he ran right upstairs and got his snowboots out of his closet. He wanted to make a snowman. It was great to see that he remembered all of the fun we had last winter. He said, "let's go have fun!" I had to explain that there wasn't any snow on the ground yet and that it probably wouldn't stick. He was very disappointed, but settled on catching some snowflakes with his tongue and then coming inside to watch "Frosty" on dvd.

When he woke from his nap, he noticed that the snow actually did stick; there was about 2 inches on the ground. I told him that he could play outside once Adam got home. With that, Gavin grabbed my cell phone and said, "call daddy!" He got on the phone and told Adam that he wanted to play outside and make a snowman. Adam agreed, and once he came home, the two of them built a snowman in the dark. They decided to call him Stewie.

It's since warmed back up to the 50s. Stewie is still hanging on, but his charcoal facial features have fallen. He could use a little botox... We still have a lot of leaves to rake up and haven't yet put away our patio furniture. It will be good to have some warmer weather to finish up these chores. Yesterday was a good preview of what's to come. I actually really enjoy the winters here. We live super close to Adam's hospital so I don't have to worry about his commute. And, better yet, I don't have one! Winters with kids are joyous. Just watching Gavin's delight at seeing the snow was awesome. It reminded me of being a kid, hoping for school to be cancelled. It doesn't really matter how old you are; the first snowfall of the season is exciting! It's an excuse to abandon all to-do lists and just snuggle and play. Here are a few pictures of our first official snow day.

"Look, Mom! It's snowing!"

Adam and Gavin's "Stewie"

Gavin and Stewie

Girls Weekend in Montreal

2010-11-01T12:57:00.000-04:00

Last weekend, my girlfriends and I escaped to Montreal. We had planned to go somewhere for a girls weekend and waited to see where we could priceline the best hotel deal before deciding on a destination. We thought we were going to end up in Boston, but hotels were crazy expensive for some reason. So, we decided to drive a little bit further, and go to Montreal. I am so glad that we did, because it is an amazing city! It reminded me of Vancouver, and also of Paris. It is such a clean city, especially in contrast to Philadelphia. There is a great mix of old and new architecture. The food scene is fabulous. Shopping is plentiful. In summary, destination Montreal, equals, destination AWESOME!

I was a little uneasy about leaving Olivia, since she's still so little. I was less uneasy about leaving Gavin. (Future Gavin, please do not take offense. When you have a 3 year old someday, you'll completely understand.) Regardless, I knew I needed to take a break from my mommy role. I think it's infinitely important for parents to take some time for themselves. It's good for everyone- believe it or not, kids need a break from us too! I also think it's important to spend time with friends. Because we don't have family here, our friends have really stepped up to fill that void. I enjoyed being able to devote time to those friendships. It was great to be able to have conversations without pausing to change a diaper, or deal with a tantrum. It was wonderful to dress up for dinner, enjoy appetizers, and eat slowly. Girls weekends... simply rock. Of course, it's always great to come home to my babies and an equally awesome husband.

Here are a few photos of Montreal. I'm working on an article for albany.com about Montreal. I will post the link once it goes live.

The drive to Montreal is about 4 hours from Albany. It's a straight shot, north on I-87. It was beautiful in late October.

At a great restaurant in Old Montreal, called L'Appartement

Toyin, Fahmida, and Michelle- heading out for a day of shopping and sightseeing

Notre Dame- Old Montreal

Old Montreal- cobblestone streets, beautiful architecture, and brasseries

Shopping in Old Montreal

Gonna Fly Now... Philadelphia!

2010-10-19T23:34:00.009-04:00

We recently took a trip to Philadelphia. While we had a fun time, both Adam and I feel like we're all set with Philly. We just didn't enjoy it as much as Boston or New York City. Cities are a little tough with small kids- a lot of concrete and holding hands. I think we made the most of it, though. We saw Independence Hall, the Liberty Bell, Franklin Square, ate cheesesteaks, and took a walk along the Schuylkill River. And, of course, we saw the famous Rocky statue and stairs at the Philadelphia Museum of Art. We also took a side trip off to Valley Forge, but I'll save that for another post. Here is a little movie of our time in Philly!

Football and Soup- Sundays at Chez deMars

2010-10-14T13:17:00.007-04:00

Football Sundays at the deMars' house include: sweatpants as the dress code, two televisions in the living room, tons of fantasy football smack talk, and often, a pot of soup on the stove. This past weekend, I made White Bean Chicken Chili, and it was delicious. It is spicy and warms the belly. The best part is that it's ridiculously simple and won't require you to miss much of the football action. I don't know about you, but once I get parked on the couch in my sweatpants, it's hard to be motivated to do much else. I decided to share the recipe and hope you find that it suits your own lazy weekends just as well.

White Bean Chicken Chili, adapted from a recipe that I received from Chelea, who received it from Elizabeth, who has no idea where it came from before that...

Ingredients:
2 tbl olive oil
1.5 lbs chicken breasts, cubed
1 medium sweet onion, diced
2 cloves garlic, minced
2 cups chicken broth
3 cans cannellini beans, drained and rinsed
2 4oz cans chopped green chilis
1 tsp oregano
1 tsp salt
1/2 tsp black pepper
1 1/2 tsp ground cumin
1/2 tsp cayenne pepper
1 cup sour cream
1/2 cup whipping cream

Instruction: cube chicken into 1/2 inch pieces; heat olive oil in dutch oven or heavy bottomed pot; add chicken, onion, and garlic to the pot and saute on medium heat, until the chicken is cooked through, stirring often, making sure not to burn the garlic. When chicken is cooked, add chicken broth, beans, chilis, oregano, salt, pepper, cumin, and cayenne. Stir and bring to a boil. Once boiling, turn heat down to med low and simmer for 30 minutes. Add sour cream and whipping cream. Simmer for another 15 minutes or so. The dairy will cool the soup down, so you just want to make sure it's hot again before serving.

*Side note- this is fairly spicy. If you do not like a lot of heat, reduce the amount of cayenne.

Life with Olivia at 3 months

2010-10-06T11:43:00.002-04:00

Olivia will be 3 months old tomorrow. We will be celebrating in Philadelphia! Olivia has sure had an exciting life so far- several day trips throughout New York, a trip to Connecticut, and now Philly! I'm sure that when she is older, and has absolutely no recollection of any of these journeys, she'll enjoy reading about them and seeing pictures of herself posed in front of historical landmarks. I shake my own head in disbelief, that I have seen so much in the past couple of years. As much as I didn't want to leave Seattle, this has been an extremely cool experience. Life is really quite exciting- if you allow it to be.

Now, back to the star of my post, Olivia. Miss Liv has a cute personality. Her smile is adorable. Her pout is equally cute. She sticks her whole bottom lip out when she is upset. Gavin used to do the same thing. We laugh because she really demands attention. Some babies will just sit on your lap, content just to be held. Olivia wants to talk. She wants you to sing and play pat-a-cake. I had her sitting in her car seat yesterday, just hanging out on a blanket. Wouldn't you know, she kicked herself right out of it! Thankfully, I had her on the floor. My baby girl has one big attitude! And, I think it's gaining the respect of her big brother. Gavin thought it was so funny that she kicked herself out of her chair. He also likes to play pat-a-cake with her. The verse goes, "and throw it in the oven for baby and me! And Gavin!"

Little girl is still not even close to sleeping through the night. She is up at 10pm, 2am, 4am, then 6am... I call her my little bat. It's ok. I figured that we'd pay the price for how easy we had it with Gavin. We were too cocky. Anyhow, hopefully the sleeping situation will improve by next month...

Here are a few photos of Miss Olivia. Next post will be all about Philly!

Game day! Straight from the hawk nest!

Hanging with big bro in their footie jammies

Can you tell that this is our second baby?!?

As requested, Gavin's wise words...

2010-09-29T22:58:00.003-04:00

Life with a 3 year old is never dull, and certainly not quiet. In fact, there are times when I think my head might just explode from the lack of quiet. But, in those moments of craze, Gavin often comes through with some awesome comic relief. I wish you could see his expressions and hear his voice. But, since you can't, I thought I'd give you a taste of what our daily conversations are like.

On weather: "Oh, where'd the sun go?" This is a literal question. He stares up at the sky and looks for it. When it comes out from behind a cloud, "Oh, there it is! I found it!" When it starts to rain, "We gotta get out of here! We don't want to get all wet!"

When something goes wrong: "Oh no, whatcha to do"

Struggles with pronouns: "My hungin" (hungry) "My tired" "My hurt me"

Everything really: "That's really funny!" "Peanut butter is really nummy"

Great ideas: "I have a good idea; let's have waffles!" or "I have a really good idea!" (Sometimes he just says that, and runs off to execute)

I'd say that about 50% of our discussions evolve around the characters in Toy Story: "Buzz and Woody, save the day!" "Mom, you're Buzz Lightyear" "Mom, Buzz says 'to infinity and beyond'" "Mom, Where's Woody's hat?" Even Old MacDonald has a Buzz Lightyear on his farm... Try singing that verse, "With a to infinity and beyond here, and a to infinity and beyond there"

Some kids ask "Why?" Gavin asks, "What's that for?" Imagine being asked that 50 or so times a day...

... and if not being asked that, how about "whatchoo doing?" "Dad, whatchoo doing down there?" "Mom, whatchoo doing?" "Whatchoo doing?" "Whatchoo doing?" "What's that for?" "What's that for?" "Whatchoo doing?"

He is an absolute nut and I absolutely adore him. I love hearing what's on his mind. He's our little comic, our dictator, and our sweetheart. He is silly and forces us to act silly. I think it's good to see life from a kid's perspective. It simplifies things, and often, you'll find that it can be improved with just a scoop of really nummy peanut butter.

A visit to Fort Ticonderoga

2010-09-27T16:31:00.003-04:00

Adam's dad came for a visit last weekend. It was great for him to spend time with Gavin and to meet his newest granddaughter, Olivia. While he was here, we decided to take a day trip up to Fort Ticonderoga, which is near the border of New York and Vermont. The fort sits up on the hillside overlooking the southern portion of Lake Champlain. The views are absolutely gorgeous. We visited on a perfect day, lots of sunshine and a nice September breeze. The leaves were right on the cusp of changing colors, almost ready to make the handoff to fall. Randy took some great photographs; here are some of my favorites. Enjoy.

Fort Ticonderoga, originally named Fort Carillon, was built by the French military during the French & Indian War between 1754 and 1757. The British gained control of the fort in 1759. The fort's location was strategically valuable because it controlled a river portage that connects Lake George and Lake Champlain via the La Chute river. This affected who controlled the trade routes, causing early colonial disputes. In May of 1775, the Americans had their first victory at Fort Ticonderoga, when Benedict Arnold, Ethan Allen, and the Green Mountain Boys crossed Lake Champlain and made a surprise attack on the British garrison.

Breathtaking views of Lake Champlain.

When the fort was rebuilt and restored, well after the Revolution, the British government provided antique cannons. These were originally cast in England for use in the Revolutionary War, but the war ended before they were shipped.

These black cannons weigh over 1,800 lbs.

The original fort was recaptured by the British in 1777, which they abandoned once it was no longer of military value. The fort fell to ruins and people pillaged it for unused stone, metal, and other materials. The state of New York took ownership of the land in 1785 and later donated it to Columbia and Union colleges. In 1820, the colleges sold the property to William Ferris Pell, a businessman, horticulturalist, and preservationist. He built a summer home and estate, which he then opened as a hotel to serve tourists interested in seeing the ruins. A later generation of the Pell family rebuilt the fort, according to its original French design, and it opened to the public in 1909. The historic landmark is still run by the Pell family, who set up a foundation to operate it as a tourist attraction.

Gavin was in a grumpy mood while we were there. He really didn't want his picture taken, so Adam held his head up! Of course, maybe Gavin just didn't like the idea of being put inside a mortar cannon. It's a rare occasion when Adam is smiling in a photograph, so had to include this shot!

When the Pell family built their summer estate, they created a formal garden, called "King's Garden." It is stunning, with wrought iron gates and benches, a reflecting pool, bronze statues, and a gorgeous variety of flowers and perennials. Outside the formal garden, are the "discovery gardens." These include a vegetable garden, a greenhouse, and a really cute space for children. All of the gardens are impressive.

I absolutely love this picture. This was taken in the "sunflower house" of the children's garden and both kids were totally pissed off. Gavin has a look on his face that says, "get me the hell out of here!" Olivia is crying, "Mom, I'm too little to sit in a chair. Pick me up!" Oh well... it was a nice idea. At least this photo captures what was really going on!

Shake it lately?

2010-09-15T10:52:00.004-04:00

When I worked at the bank, there was a teller who would keep his iPod headphones in from the time he walked into the branch in the morning, right up until we opened. I made a comment to him one time and he responded that he felt life is better with a soundtrack. I remember thinking that was a pretty cool statement but haven't thought about it since... until this past week. One of my recent posts was about the ho-hum and monotony that I have been experiencing lately. It seems like life gets like that when it's filled with repetitive tasks like emptying the dishwasher, loading it, etc. One night last week, Adam was working late and I had to make two lasagnas and prepare things for Gavin's birthday party the next day. I was really frustrated because Olivia was crying and Gavin was being needy. I put some cartoons on for Gavin and set up Olivia in her carseat in the kitchen. I then got my iPod out, hooked it up to the Bose speaker, and hit shuffle. "Empire State of Mind" started playing and I picked Olivia up and started dancing around the kitchen. Gavin ran into the kitchen and joined in, saying, "I like this song!" We turned off the cartoons and proceeded to dance and cook. Gavin stayed in the kitchen all night with me and started playing with his little kitchen. When a good song came on, we would stop cooking and dance. It was... FUN!

When I walked downstairs this morning, I noticed a sink full of dishes and a dishwasher that needed to be emptied. I thought, "Here we go again..." and then I remembered our dance party from last week. I thought about my old friend Ryan's comment about life being better with a soundtrack. I hit "shuffle" and knocked out those morning chores. What a way to start the day! It inspired me to write this post and ask you, shake it lately? If not, I dare you to dance around your kitchen. At the very least, try turning off your t.v. and put on your favorite music instead. It will infinitely improve your day.

Life with Gavin at 3 years old

2010-09-12T22:17:00.008-04:00

The little man turned 3 on Wednesday. As the saying goes, time sure flies! Watching Gavin grow up has been the most amazing experience. While I have enjoyed all of his stages so far, age 3 is proving to be a lot of fun. He has reached the language explosion phase and that provides a lot of comic relief around here. I love hearing what he has to say- well, when it's not used for evil, aka whining! After all these years of listening to everyone else, he is now spouting off phrases and telling us how it is. The world according to Gavin is awesome to witness. He tells us what he likes and what he doesn't like. He notices the weather and tells us if it's raining or warm. He makes jokes and sings. His imagination is budding and he likes to pretend to cook us dinner and will ask us how we liked it. Sure, he's bossy and a bit of a dictator, but we're working through that and teaching him to be polite. I actually enjoy our negotiations, "One more cartoon, then bedtime, ok? (More like, OTAY!?)" Of course, my favorite phrase is, "Mom, I want to cuddle you." I am thoroughly enjoying Gavin's friendship right now. He is a good little buddy.

Here is a video of him being tickled by Adam. We call it- "No Tickle Me!" I don't think there is much better than hearing a little kid crack up. Enjoy!

Life with Olivia at 2 months

2010-09-12T11:19:00.001-04:00

Our little girl is 2 months old now. She is showing a lot more personality, lots of smiles and coos. I remember Angelina Jolie catching a lot of heat for making a comment that babies are just sort of blobs when they are first born. She meant that they don't really do much and it's not that interesting. I'm not a huge Angelina fan, but I do know what she was talking about. The first couple of months were filled with just taking care of Olivia's physical needs- feedings and diaper changes mostly. But somewhere around six or seven weeks, she started to take notice of us and reward us with her gorgeous smile. She smiles with her whole face, and even at 3am, it is irresistible. She makes lots of cooing sounds and some of them even sound like she's saying, "hi!" I am really enjoying our first conversations.

The sleeping thing is pretty inconsistent. Some nights, we get her to bed at 8pm; she'll sleep until 2am and then wake up every two or three hours from there. Other nights, she's up every hour or two from the get go. She doesn't require much during her wake-ups, just a quick feeding and then she's back to bed. I keep telling myself that she's only 9 weeks old, so I can't get too mad at her. If she weren't such a swaddle-buster, she'd sleep much better. She's very strong and can bust even the best of swaddles. Anyhow, we're not sleeping great around here, but that shouldn't come as too big of a shock with a new baby.

The postpartum thing has also been very inconsistent. I have been on quite an emotional roller coaster ride since Olivia was born. I don't remember feeling that way with Gavin, but lately my hormones have been pretty whacked out. Oddly enough, even with two kids clinging to you, motherhood can sometimes feel really lonely. I guess it's just that you're so busy taking care of everybody else, you have a really hard time finding where your own needs fit in. I pride myself on being a pretty together person, and hesitate even admitting that I have been struggling. Fortunately, I finally feel like I'm getting back to my old self and a sense of calm is returning. Hallelujah!

Now for some baby Liv 2 month stats:
Weight: 11lbs, 14oz (59th percentile)
Length: 23.5 inches (74th percentile)
Skills: rolling from tummy to back, holding head up, alertness, cooing and smiling
Room for improvement: sleeping at night (haha!)

Confessions of a stay-at-home mom...

2010-09-02T13:46:00.005-04:00

I don't have much to report on this week. Sometimes I have a great adventure to tell you about. Other times, a successful recipe, garden feat, or milestone reached by one of the kids. Then, there are times, like today, when things are very ho-hum and monotonous. I suppose it's good to keep it real, wouldn't want you to think that every day is a New England fairytale around here. The reality is- I'm the mother of two and married to a resident- I would hope that you'd know better anyhow! Both of these can be extremely challenging.

We are in for a busy month. Adam is working in the SICU (surgical intensive care unit) and that is kind of like walking around with a dark cloud over your head; the storm is inevitable. He is working nights this week, which makes life hard on all of us. He doesn't get any sleep and the patients he is in charge of are extremely volatile. By the time he gets home, he is exhausted and mentally drained. He is sleeping up in the loft during the days so I don't have to worry about keeping Gavin and Olivia quiet. Fortunately, he only has six shifts like that this month. But, he has a lot of call nights and will be pushing 80 hours each week- it's kind of a drag all around. We are having the struggle that many couples face when one parent is staying home with the kids and one is working. He is ready to zone out when he is home, and I am ready to chat and be stimulated by something other than Dora the Explorer. It's frustrating. By the time we have dinner, play with the kids, get them to bed- there is just not much time left. I might need to sign up for a class or something, otherwise, I might lose my mind. I love being with Gavin and Olivia during the day and feel really lucky that I have this time. But, there is something missing. Maybe it'll be better once the weather cools off and I can get back into the kitchen. I haven't been cooking much during this never-ending heat wave. Life is always much better when there is good food involved! Of course, it will also help when Miss Olivia starts to have a more predictable schedule! This too shall pass...

I'm ready for fall. It's my favorite season, especially since living in New York. The weather report says we have another day in the 90s and then it will start cooling off. Gavin and I worked out in the garden this morning. We pulled the cucumber plants that had died off and took care of some weeds. I have some more weeding to do and will then plant some more lettuce, greens, and carrots. While I enjoy gardening, I am ready for the season to wind down. I am excited for some fall hiking. Adam's dad is visiting later this month and we hope to take him somewhere fun. We are also planning an October vacation, either to Cape Cod or to Philadelphia and DC. Isn't it fun that we have both as options? These travels and day trips really help keep my spirit high. It's nice to have things to look forward to and offset the days where I'm feeling ho-hum and too much in my head. And, with that, it's time to get Gavin down for his nap and get this messy house cleaned up.

Summer of tomatoes: Homemade Marinara Sauce

2010-08-25T18:01:00.001-04:00

I haven't written many posts about my garden this year. Honestly, I haven't been spending as much time out there since Olivia was born. Fortunately, the work I put in early in the season has paid off and the garden has been producing nice results. I find it interesting to see how the difference in weather impacts how plants thrive from year to year. Last summer was much cooler and wet, which was great for growing snap peas and lettuce, but caused tomato blight. This summer has been long and hot- great for tomatoes and peppers, not so much for peas and lettuce. It might be the simple, little world I live in right now, but I find this fascinating. Anyhow, this has been the summer of tomatoes. I planted cherry, grape, and roma plum tomatoes up a trellis against our fence. These plants are unbelievable- nearly 7 feet tall! I also planted some larger varieties in the garden plot which have also produced a nice yield. Needless to say, I have more tomatoes than I can eat. So, I make sauce. It is very easy to do and makes me feel good not to waste tomatoes. I have been making this weekly and freezing the sauce we don't use. Once you make the basic marinara sauce, it can be easily adapted to make tomato cream sauce, puttanesca, or vodka sauce. Here is my very basic method and recipe. Feel free to play around with it, adding whichever ingredients you like!

Marinara Sauce:

2lbs fresh tomatoes
1 sweet onion, diced
4 cloves garlic, minced
2 tbs olive oil
3 sprigs fresh thyme
1/2 cup fresh chopped basil
kosher salt
black pepper

Add tomatoes to a boiling pot of water. Boil for about 30 seconds, remove with slotted spoon, and then place the tomatoes into a bowl of cold water. The skins will now peel off easily. After you remove the skins, quarter the tomatoes and remove the seeds. Give the tomatoes a rough chop, place to the side.

In a dutch oven or heavy bottom pot, saute onion in olive oil over medium heat for about 4-5 minutes, add garlic. Saute for 2 more minutes and then add tomatoes. Remove the thyme leaves from the sprigs and add to the pot, along with the chopped basil. Season with salt & pepper, according to your taste. Simmer on medium low for about 45 minutes, stirring occasionally, allowing the sauce to reduce to your liking.

Once the sauce has cooled, puree in a blender.

Yields about 2 cups of marinara sauce

Weekend trip to the Gold Coast of Connecticut

2010-08-19T21:46:00.005-04:00

Last week, I found myself craving the beach. Upstate New York is beautiful but I sometimes feel a bit land-locked. Sure, we have the Hudson River and some very nice lakes, but after spending most my life in Seattle, I miss that salty air. I suggested to Adam that we take a day trip to the coast of Connecticut and he agreed but thought we should just stay the night. With a quick visit to priceline.com, we had a reservation at the Marriott Hotel & Spa for just $60. I love that website and highly recommend it if you're looking for a hotel reservation. It's especially good for last minute bookings- I've used it four times and have always gotten nearly a 50% discount.

We left Albany on Saturday after Adam's morning round of golf and arrived in Connecticut around 3pm. We would have arrived sooner but little Gavin got carsick twice. That poor kid does not travel well by car. We have gotten used to it and pack plenty of clothes, towels, etc. As I said to Adam, what are our choices, deal with a puking kid or not go anywhere? My will to travel is strong enough to handle a little vomit! It just takes us a little longer to arrive at our destination.

We visited the area of Fairfield County in Connecticut. They call it the "gold coast" of Connecticut because of its very wealthy population. We stayed in Stamford, which is the most urban area in the county, about five miles from Greenwich. Greenwich is where many celebrities and socialites own homes, including the Giffords, Ron Howard, Mel Gibson, and many others. Yet, we didn't have any celebrity sightings while we were there. Adam was especially disappointed! We enjoyed driving through the neighborhoods and seeing the beautiful homes. Greenwich is a very cool town, low-key but has a swanky vibe. As much as I would have loved to sit outside at a bistro with a glass of wine, we had two little sidekicks with us and chose to spend our time at the beach.

After driving through town, we stumbled upon Greenwich Point Park. We got to the gate and were told that we needed to go to the civic center that sells one-day passes. So we had to drive back into town, find this little shack outside the civic center to purchase a pass. Apparently, Connecticut isn't the most welcoming bunch when it comes to visiting their parks. We were laughing at how stupid this seemed all the way back to the park. I mean, really, can't they just take our money at the gate? They seriously have someone work at the gate and turn people away? But, according to some blogs and websites I've read, they really don't want tourists. They don't need the revenue in swanky Fairfield County! But, I tell you what, this is one beautiful park! It's right on the Long Island Sound and looks across at the Manhattan skyline. There is a rocky beach with lots of trails for walking, biking, and running. We spent a good hour watching Gavin throw rocks and then drove to the other side of the park where there is a really nice sandy beach. We spent some time walking in the water and playing in the sand. It was so relaxing and a great trip with our kids.

We have now visited all of the New England states. We have seen a lot and there is still much to explore. I feel lucky to be able to take these mini-vacations on a whim. I'll admit, travel is different with two small children, but we really have a good time! Here are some pics!

Adam, Gav, and Olivia, looking for the best skipping rocks in Norwalk, CT

This little guy would rather throw rocks than pose for a pic with his mama, so I had to scoop him up!

My sweet girl

Gavin and his absolute favorite past-time

My two favorite guys at Greenwich Point Park

I blinked, and a month went by...

2010-08-11T17:05:00.007-04:00

Olivia has been with us for a month already! Adam and I say to each other, almost nightly, "How in the world do we have 2 kids?!?" It's definitely been an adjustment but we're starting to settle into a routine. Gavin is completely secure with his role and has started to help me take care of Olivia. He tells her to quiet down and sticks her binkie in her mouth when she cries! He likes to list off all of our names when we say we're about to go somewhere, "go to the store with Gavin, Daddy, and Mama!" With a little coaxing, he has added "Livia" at the end.

Olivia is proving that she is not only physically strong, but also very emotionally strong willed. The girl is a bit high maintenance! She likes to be held- pretty much all of the time! Adam joked that it's no wonder she was a week late coming out, she might as well still be inside of me because she clings to me so much. I wouldn't mind so much if this wasn't the hottest summer I've ever experienced! The humidity has been relentless. We have had only a handful of cool days- and by cool, I'd take 75 or 80. It's not been ideal weather for snuggling a newborn.

Sleeping has been going ok. She is pretty fussy in the evenings and I'm not sure if it's a mild case of colic or if it's just how she rolls. Between the hours of 4pm and 9pm, she makes her presence very known. We're pretty much convinced that it's not Olivia that is difficult, but that we were super spoiled with Gavin. Once we get Liv swaddled up, she tends to sleep anywhere between 2 and 5 hours at a time and she even once blessed us with 6 straight hours. All things considered, can't really complain too much.

As requested, here are some baby pics- it's hard to narrow them down but I did my best.

Tummy Time

Bathtime

Sweet little duck

Cute little bunny

Hanging out in her fairy crib

Kid Rooms

2010-08-11T14:21:00.003-04:00

I have been busy getting Olivia's room set up all girlie and proper for her. I had a whole, old-fashioned, blue and white theme planned but my mom took me to Potterybarn Kids while she was in town and we were welcomed into the pretty little world of pink! Once you have a little girl in your arms, fairies and princesses are very hard to resist. My mom spoiled us and purchased all of her crib bedding and it is really adorable. Here are photos of little Liv's room- it's pretty much complete, aside from finding an area rug and a bookshelf.

I found some inspiration while at the Potterybarn from things that I really couldn't justify spending money on. I found that shelf at Michaels for $8 and painted it pink. The letters for her name came from JoAnns. The lamp was inspired by a pink rose covered lampshade that was $100 for the shade alone. I couldn't find roses so I went with yellow flowers. I found the base at TJ Maxx. The things you can do with a hot glue gun and a little craftiness!

Fairy crib bedding and tulip wall decals...

The pictures on the other wall have animals and say "Imagine" "Wish" and "Believe"

Here is a closeup of the lampshade I made...

Before Olivia came along, we needed to move Gavin to a "big boy bed" because we needed the crib mattress. I found Gav a platform bed that is navy blue with three little drawers. He loves his dinosaur sheets and his latest past time, jumping off the bed.

"Cheese"

He was really happy that I washed his blankie today...

This is what Gavin does during "quiet time"

Grilled Mahi Mahi Tacos

2010-08-02T10:28:00.002-04:00

As much as I love summer and all of the fresh produce that is at hand, I have to admit that it's been hard to commit to cooking dinners regularly. Obviously, part of that is having been insanely pregnant at the beginning of summer and then being busy taking care of a new baby. But, really, I just can't get excited about food and meal planning. It's been a really hot summer which sort of suppresses the appetite and Adam and I find ourselves doing the whole, "I don't care, what do you want?" song and dance. Eventually, we just make PB&J sandwiches and go to bed. However, last week I decided I had to make something good and I remembered my mom mentioning fish tacos using frozen mahi mahi. I decided to give them a try and am so glad that I did. It's a great meal that takes very little time and is absolutely delicious. I didn't think to take a picture, so you'll have to use your imagination. Here is the recipe, enjoy!

Grilled Mahi Mahi Tacos, adapted from Bobby Flay

Ingredients:

- 1 pound mahi mahi

- 1/3 cup canola oil

- 2 limes, juiced (or 1 really juicy lime, if you're lucky enough to get one)

- 1 tablespoon chili powder

- 1 jalapeno, chopped

- 1/2 cup chopped cilantro leaves

- flour tortillas

Garnish with whatever fixings you like. Here is what we put in ours:

1 can black beans, drained and rinsed

salsa

sour cream

chopped cilantro leaves

diced avocado

Directions:

Prepare grill- will want a medium-high heat. Meanwhile, place fish in a shallow baking dish. In a bowl, whisk together, oil, lime juice, chili powder, jalapeno, and cilantro. Pour over the fish and let marinate for 20 minutes.

When grill is ready, remove fish from marinade and place onto grill. Grill for 4-5 minutes on the first side, flip and grill for another couple of minutes. Fish should be flakey but not dried out.

Place tortillas on the grill and grill for 20-30 seconds.

Serve!

Adventures in Chaos

2010-07-22T11:07:00.001-04:00

Olivia is two weeks old today. It sort of feels like the time went fast but also feels like she was born a long time ago. The past two weeks are almost a bit of a blur. Julie went home on Tuesday morning and I am officially flying solo with the kids during the day. So far, things are going pretty well. I have decided that I am just going to appreciate that my new life really is "adventures in chaos." I have to approach each day with an open mind and minimal expectations of getting much accomplished. I have already made a few observations on how to best function thus far- I thought I'd share them with you.

1. Get a morning shower while I have a chance- this is more important than 10 more minutes of sleep.

2. Embrace two cosmetics: mascara and lipgloss. The mascara does an ok job of making me look less tired. More importantly, the lipgloss diverts attention from my sleepy eyes by drawing attention downward! I realize that nobody is here to see me but when I catch a glimpse of myself in the mirror, I feel just a bit better!

3. Spend zero time on planning what to wear- there is a 95% chance I will be puked on or pooped on before noon. And, if those two things do not happen, there is still at least a 5% chance that Gavin will spray me down with the hose when we play outside. While on this subject, make sure to keep up on laundry as all 3 of us seem to change clothes at least twice a day.

4. Do at least one thing for myself each day. Whether that is watering my garden, writing this blog, reading a magazine- I have to maintain some form of balance. Adam encouraged me to go meet my friend for a glass of wine last night. I hesitated but realized that he too wants to make sure that I get out of the house and get a chance to be me and not just Gavin and Olivia's mommy.

5. Finally, when it feels like shit has really hit the fan- look at the picture below, sigh, and count my damn blessings!

Welcome Baby Girl Olivia!

2010-07-17T12:20:00.005-04:00

Well, after some dragged out anticipation, our baby girl arrived July 8, 2010. We named her Olivia Hudson deMars. Because she is our little NY baby, we decided to pay homage to the Hudson River Valley. We spend so much time tromping around this area that it only seemed appropriate. Years from now, we can tell her stories about her first years spent in New York. While she is still a tiny little thing, I can already see her in her own set of pink snowshoes.

So isn't it hilarious that I thought I was going to be so early with her and wound up going 5 days past my due date!?! In hindsight, I can also laugh at myself. The best part about her going so long is that she is such an easy baby so far. She is eating and sleeping like a champ! She did turn out to be sort of a big baby though. She weighed in at 8lbs, 8oz and measured 20.5 inches long. I had a long and brutal labor with her but she eventually arrived and immediately put a smile on my face. She is perfect and we are so much in love.

Gavin is adapting well. He is finally acknowledging her presence but I don't know that he actually understands that she is staying with us permanently. I think he'll be a good big brother. So far the funniest thing Gavin has done/said is help wipe her during a diaper change. He said, "oh, yuck! disgusting!" The next few months should be interesting.

My little sister Julie extended her stay and has been a big help. She leaves on Tuesday morning. My mom arrived a day before the birth which was nice. Having them here was great and I think helped Gavin cope. It's really hard to have our families and friends so far away. I will do my best to keep this blog updated with photos, videos, and stories so that it helps to close some of the distance.

Here are some photos of our past week. Enjoy!

"No more paparazzi please!"

Big brother and little sister... pretty darn cute!

My mom, Julie, and I had fun playing dress up with Olivia!

She got a little tired of it!

We took Olivia on her first day trip to Hudson, NY.

So far, life is going great as a family of four!

Hiking the Indian Ladder Trail

2010-07-02T10:09:00.002-04:00

Well, as I thought, I'm writing this post about our hike last week and not about our newest family member who is still just chillin'. My due date is tomorrow so hopefully it won't be too much longer. In the meantime, we are doing our best to show Julie a good time. Last Friday afternoon, we took her to Thacher Park to hike the Indian Ladder Trail.

Thacher Park is built around the Helderberg Escarpment, which consists of limestone cliffs that rise several hundred feet. It is believed to be the world's oldest, exposed limestone and many of the rock formations bear fossils. We did not start going to Thacher Park until late last year and by then the Indian Ladder Trail was closed. It is open from late-May until mid-October. I was going to wait until the baby was born to go check it out but I am frankly running out patience. The hike is not that challenging- more of a nature walk with some unsteady ground. The hike was about 2 miles round-trip and was really fun. The limestone cliffs are really impressive. Enjoy the photos!

Julie at the top of the Helderberg Escarpment

Adam and Julie at the top of the Indian Ladder Trail

Adam and Gavin descending the metal staircase that takes you about sixty feet below the cliffs

Limestone Cliffs

Trail leads you under 2 waterfalls

Julie posing underneath the cliffs

One of the fossils we found

Making our way through the trail

Little family photo- perhaps our last one as a family of three

Gavin had a great time and is turning out to be one adventurous little boy

June 25th- still pregnant!

2010-06-25T08:34:00.001-04:00

I am still so very pregnant. I know that I am not actually due until next Saturday but I am just so frustrated! Many people warned me that just because Gavin came 3 weeks early does not mean that this one will. But, WHY NOT?!?! I'm not terribly uncomfortable but am just sick of the anticipation. I am also freaking out that the baby is getting too big! When I went into the hospital a couple of weeks ago with false labor, or perhaps wishful thinking, the midwife who attended to me made a comment that the baby is really big. Really big, and by the way, you're not even close to going into real labor. Have fun growing your huge child! Seriously, I can see the headlines now, "Woman Births 20 Pound Sumo Wrestler." Clearly, I am freaking out.

My little sister Julie arrived on Wednesday. It has been nice to have her here and it's taken some of the stress away, knowing that she can be here with Gavin when I finally do go into labor. We haven't done too much considering my condition and not wanting to be too far away from the hospital. Adam will be home over the next few days so we're planning on taking a short hike tomorrow morning or maybe early this afternoon if it isn't too hot.

The humidity was pretty intense yesterday. We went for a short walk around the neighborhood and I swear that Max looked like he was going to die of heat stroke when we got home. That dog has major weight fluctuation. He gets fed the same amount every single day and does not get table scraps. It is the strangest thing. Anyhow, I don't think he can handle any more walks when the weather is above 80 degrees. I actually sprayed him down with the hose to cool his body temperature.

Oddly enough, until the past couple of days, I hadn't really thought much about what it's going to be like when the baby arrives. It's strange to think of bringing home a tiny little baby. I am so used to my big toddler. I'm excited and nervous. Do I have the patience to balance the needs of a newborn and also Gavin? I know that all of my concerns are completely normal. I just need things to happen so I can stop stressing myself out!

Well, not too much else to say. It's early still and everyone else is asleep. I think I will make blueberry muffins before it gets too hot to use the oven. Hopefully, my next post will be about our new baby. However, I have a feeling it will more than likely be about our hike!

No baby yet, but the garden looks great!

2010-06-17T12:57:00.004-04:00

So the kid has decided to hang out for a while longer. I guess that's ok, considering its due date is still 2 weeks away. In the meantime, I continue to tackle household projects and chores. My garden had been frustrating me with all the weeds so I finally decided to just tackle them. Fortunately, I had a lot of help from my little pal Gavin. I have a walking path around my garden that is lined with bricks so I found that if I just sat down, I could pull the weeds around me and then scoot over to the next brick. It was a bit ridiculous looking but it worked. Gavin emptied the bucket for me so I didn't have to keep getting up. He would sit next to me and point out the big weeds. We worked on this for two afternoons this week and then went out and bought some mulch to lay down to hopefully suppress future weeds from taking over. The garden looks really good right now. Amazing the difference a couple of weeks make. Everything is growing and I'm getting excited for fresh corn, zucchini, squash, tomatoes, basil, etc. We've been able to harvest lettuce and spinach for salads. I need to plant another square of lettuce so that we have some when the other salad fixings are ready. Apparently, gardening is somewhat like childbirth- just requires a little patience. Here are some updated photos - I had to capture it on film because I doubt it will stay so well-kept once the little one is here! I'm actually quite proud of myself. I was so worried that I wouldn't be able to tend to this project so late in my pregnancy.

Peas are growing up some white trellis. The lettuces, spinach, and mustard greens are all being harvested.

Here you can see my newly weeded walking path covered with black mulch. On the outside of the fence: rosemary, dill, columbine, and a bunch of mixed annuals that were planted by seed.

Another view of the vegetable garden and what I hope turns out to be a cutting garden. The annuals seem to have all taken but the plants are still small. Hopefully, we'll have lots of flowers in a month or two.

Green beans are starting to climb the teepee and the corn plants are nearly a foot tall. That side of the garden also has the cucumbers, peppers, a couple of tomato plants, zucchini, and a yellow summer squash.

Updated square foot garden shot. The grass needs to be mowed around it, but you can see that the grape tomatoes are really growing. I intend to build a strong trellis for them, but haven't gotten to it yet. Oh, and when I say that I intend to, I really mean, I intend to have Adam build me one :)

Close-up shot of the little basil plants, marigolds, and cilantro- all planted by seed. If you have not tried planting basil or cilantro by seed, I highly recommend it. I have never had much luck buying transplants of either of these two herbs. Last year, I had more basil and cilantro than I could use. Think fresh pesto and guacamole and get planting!

Maybe one of my last pregnancy posts- let's make it a rant!

2010-06-10T08:44:00.002-04:00

So I sit here after another terrible night of tossing and turning. I do not remember Gavin moving so much at night. This baby kicks all night long and shifts around as much as I do. I keep telling the kid that there is much more room to stretch outside my tummy. Come join us little one! I don't want to complain too much as this could very well be my last pregnancy. It really is an amazing experience to feel your baby move inside of you. Yet, I can't help complaining when I feel like my lungs are shoved up to my collar bone, causing me to be short of breath!

I have to admit, I'm getting quite a kick out of strangers feeling the need to share their own theory on what gender the baby is. I was at the grocery store last week and some lady told me that it is definitely a boy because my skin looks too good to be a girl. Really? I wonder if she goes up to people and says, "Your skin looks like crap, must be a girl!"

The checker at Target told me that she thought it was a girl for sure. You see, I'm carrying the baby really low- definitely means pink! Or, could it be that I'm nearly 37 weeks and the baby has dropped? Or- was it a boy when I was carrying the baby high and then it magically turned into a girl a couple of weeks ago? Mysterious, I tell you!

Theories are definitely better than touching. Fortunately, I think my facial expressions are pretty telling and when a stranger even considers pawing, my face must say, "Oh, hell no!" I have a big enough space bubble with people I'm comfortable with- I don't need some random lady's hands on my belly! I get that people are drawn to pregnant women and babies, but honestly, that's just inappropriate!

Well, there is not much else to rant about. We have the baby's room ready- we painted the walls a buttery yellow color and set up the crib. We hung a few pictures but are otherwise waiting to see if it's a boy or a girl before we buy any other decor. If it's a boy, I'd like to man it up for him a bit, with some navy blues and other bright colors. If it's a girl, I'm thinking blue and white floral bedding and accessories. Gavin is now in a twin sized bed, his big-boy-bed. He's very excited about that, especially his dinosaur sheets. I also got him another sheet set with animals reading books. I'm going to surprise him with those when he's having an emotional day when baby is taking all my attention. I have a few little things like that to help him cope and feel special. Anyhow, I will take pictures of both of their rooms after baby is born.

Who knows, my due date is still 3 weeks away. There could be some serious rants coming if baby takes that long to make its appearance. I've got it in my head that I have, at most, a week left. I was so lucky to skip this uncomfortable stage of pregnancy with Gavin. I really hope I'm not writing another pregnancy post in July! At the same time, as soon as the little one is here, that means I have to start taking care of 2 kids! Hmm... maybe baby should hang out a while longer...

The humble, yet complex, peanut butter cookie

2010-06-09T13:14:00.006-04:00

Those who know me well, know that I do not have much of a sweet tooth. When I do crave something sweet, I seek something that has a nice balance of savory. Honestly, my idea of a perfect dessert is a glass of red wine paired with a cheese plate. Yet, when I am pregnant, I just love sweets which has led me in search of the perfect peanut butter cookie. Peanut butter cookies have that salty/sweet combination that I look for in a snack. Otherwise, if the treat is too sweet, you find yourself doing the, "well, now I got the sweet, but now I need a bowl (bag) of chips to offset it" routine. That's just a calorie disaster waiting to happen! And, let's be honest- we've all done it!

So let's talk peanut butter cookies. I have never had a great recipe, often they end up too dry. I pulled out all of my cookbooks and started reviewing. I landed on American Brasserie, a great cookbook that I picked up a while ago. I love anything bistro or brasserie related. It reminds me of being in Paris or Italy, sitting outside at a little table with a bowl of onion soup, a salad with goat cheese crostini, or an espresso. Typically, these types of restaurants have limited menus focused on seasonal ingredients. The recipes are inspiring, yet not intimidating. Anyhow, this book has a recipe for peanut butter cookies that I decided to try. Here is the recipe, including their introduction, which is over half the reason I decided to try it.

Big Chewy Peanut Butter Cookies
from American Brasserie, Rick Tramonto and Gale Gand with Julie Moskin

People always say that peanut butter cookies are great for kids, but we suspect that grown-ups like them just as much. After all, this is a pretty serious cookie, with a salty-sweet flavor and crumbly richness that could even be called sophisticated.

Ingredients:
2 cups all-purpose flour
1/2 tsp baking soda
1/4 tsp salt
1 stick cold unsalted butter, cut into pieces
1 1/4 cups light brown sugar
1 1/4 cups granulated sugar
3 large eggs
2 tsp vanilla extract
1 cup chunky or creamy peanut butter (I used creamy)
1 cup chocolate chips (optional)

1) Preheat the oven to 350F. Lightly grease 2 baking sheets. *
2) Sift together the flour, baking soda, and salt.
3) In the bowl of a mixer, cream the butter until fluffy. Add the sugars and cream with the butter. The mixture will look a bit grainy. Add the eggs, vanilla, and peanut butter and beat until fluffy.
4) Mixing at low speed, slowly add the dry ingredients and mix just until combined. If using, mix in the chocolate chips by hand.
5) Drop by tablespoonfuls onto the baking sheets. Bake for 10 to 12 minutes, until golden brown.*
6) Let cool on wire racks and store in an airtight container.

* I use parchment paper so I don't have to grease the baking sheets, making for easy cleanup. I also used convection bake and lowered the temp to 325F. This made for a longer baking time- nearly 20 minutes.

I have made this recipe twice now. The first time, I just made them as instructed without chocolate chips. The cookies do not look like typical peanut butter cookies, where you roll balls and then flatten with a fork to make the criss cross pattern. They look more like a chocolate chip cookie. They tasted excellent, but it got me thinking, would they be different if I used the traditional method? What about adding chocolate chips? So, I gave it another go yesterday, using all 3 methods. After all, texture and appearance do make a difference to your sensory palate. Yet, I have to admit- all 3 were good. I'm still not completely sold on adding the chocolate chips. I feel like the peanut butter stands very well on its own and the chocolate is sort of a distraction. Rolling the dough and then flattening with the fork tines, gives the cookie its traditional appearance and I think more of an even outer layer, a little more crumble. The simple drop cookie method, is very chewy which has its own merit. My conclusion is to leave the recipe stand without adding chocolate chips. The next thing that needs to be tested is whether chunky peanut butter would be better... any guesses?

A preview of littlest deMars

2010-05-24T19:23:00.000-04:00

At just over 34 weeks along, baby is estimated to weigh 5 pounds and 9 ounces. It was hard to get a great photo because the baby was moving around like crazy and blocking its face with its arm, but here's a glimpse of the little one. It's supposed to be 94 degrees tomorrow- if you need to reach me, my head will likely be in the freezer!

Baby has a button nose and lots of hair. So that's why I keep getting heartburn!

You can see baby's eyelashes in the photo below. Technology is so cool!

A New England Love Affair

2010-05-10T11:54:00.002-04:00

We just returned from a trip up to southern Maine. We had the most amazing time and the landscape of New England tightened its grip on me. I was sitting on the beach in New Hampshire, watching Gavin and Adam skip rocks and I found myself thinking, "what more do I need?" Now, to my west coast friends and family, don't be concerned- you all have a tighter grip on me than living back east. I have to admit, though, if you weren't there, I could live in New England indefinitely. I've been thinking a lot about this and I've decided that our time back here is somewhat like a love affair. It's new, fun, and a little adventurous. We've spent the past two years approaching life more as a vacation (well, not entirely sure that Adam would agree, working as a resident and all). I think this has more to do with why I love living here than the actual location. Let's face it, the Pacific Northwest holds its own with an equally beautiful landscape and there are plenty of beaches with rocks to throw. Gavin wakes up every morning and asks, "Have fun?" While he continues to say this all day long and it can get a bit annoying, I think it's a great approach to living. Why shouldn't we all wake up and decide to have fun? So, when we do return to the Northwest, I plan to explore the area like I never have before. And with that, let me offer a little show and tell of our recent trip through New Hampshire and Maine. There are a lot of pictures, but then again, we had a lot of fun!

Our first stop was to Portsmouth, New Hampshire. We stumbled upon Fort Constitution, which is really awesome. This fort was used for several wars and it overlooks the ocean. We had a good time wandering through the secret passages.

The fort has a lighthouse and also these lookouts used for keeping watch for boats.

We found a great beach near Portsmouth and Gavin sat and threw rocks for an hour. Adam and I looked around for seashells and just simply enjoyed being near the ocean again.

We stayed in Ogunquit, ME

This area is Perkins Cove, located in Ogunquit. We had dinner at a little place across the bridge.

This is the beach in Ogunquit. The sand is perfect, but the water is very cold!

This bakery, Bread & Roses, will forever hold a special place in my heart. They serve the best Cinnamon Butter Puffs- it's a cross between an old fashioned doughnut and a muffin. They are moist, sweet, and savory. Basically, the perfect bite! We stopped here every morning to get coffee and treats.

We had fun looking for lighthouses. This one is in York, ME.

This was the first time that Gavin flew a kite. While he still preferred rock throwing, he did have fun!

We drove up to Portland, which is about 40 minutes north of Ogunquit. The town looked fun to walk through but Gavin didn't think shopping qualified as "having fun." We took a long walk down by the water on a promenade that was similar to the Burke Gilman Trail. It led to a public beach, yay rocks!

This is Portland Head Light, located in Cape Elizabeth. It was great because you could actually get up close to the lighthouse. Most of the others are located on islands and you can't get a very good view.

After seeing the lighthouse, we had lunch at the Lobster Shack Restaurant. Everything was very fresh and the view was amazing. The picnic tables are located above the cliffs, looking out onto the water. There were tons of lobster pots out, so we knew our lobster rolls would be top notch!

This photo doesn't do the food justice- we got fried whole belly clams which are a Maine specialty. They were delicious and the breading was not greasy or over the top. Gavin of course went for a cheeseburger!

We spent a day driving through a bunch of small beach towns, including the Kennebunks. Kennebunkport is where the Bush family has a huge compound that's been in their family since the 1800s. Don't worry, I resisted egging it! HAHA

Biddeford Pool, ME- another great place to throw rocks.

The last photo is of the footbridge that leads to the beach in Ogunquit. This really was a perfect family vacation. I can't wait to return. Maybe we'll head back up in the fall with our newest family member.

Happy Mother's Day: Lessons from my mom.

2010-05-09T18:03:00.000-04:00

Last year I wrote about how much I've enjoyed being a mother so far and how motherhood has changed me. This year I thought I'd write about how much my own mother has influenced my life. There are the obvious things that I got from her: a love of cooking, home decorating, and, of course, drinking wine! But the single greatest lesson I learned came at around age 17.

Teenaged daughters cannot be easy to raise. I was actually a pretty good kid, rarely caused trouble but I know that I handed out my share of hormonal drama. At 17, I remember being really depressed about not doing well on my SATs and was sure that I wasn't going to get accepted to college because of it. And, even if I did get accepted, I'd never be able to pay for it, etc. So, I was sulking on my bed when my mom came into my room and started on a rant. She told me that I was in charge of my own happiness and nobody was going to do it for me. I could stay in my bed and be depressed or I could do something about it. Her rant included phrases like, "Oh poor Jenny, the world is just so tough..." I remember being a little pissed that I wasn't getting more sympathy. I think the word "bitch" even came to mind. I'm sure she doesn't even remember this because she was probably dealing with raising three other daughters, 2 under the age of 5, and working full-time. Anyhow after a little more sulking, I managed to pull myself out of bed and she helped me get my college applications together. Years later, even after getting a college education, this little life lesson has made a bigger impact on my life.

It's pretty simple advice, really: you are in charge of your own happiness. I'm sure there are thousands of writings on this exact concept. Oddly enough, I've met plenty of people (many, much older than me) that just don't have a handle on this. It's often easier to be the victim of a situation than trying to find a solution. I had a hard time working as a manager because I was often viewed as unsympathetic. (Seriously, I had to take one of those personality tests as part of leadership training and I came across as very unsympathetic.) My mom raised me to have a strong sense of self and an equally strong work ethic. I just don't get people who lack either. I also don't get people who blame others for their own unhappiness. Sure, there are relationships that go sour and cause unhappiness. But, at the end of the day, it's up to us as individuals to make ourselves happy. We can't depend on someone else to make us happy. We need to make ourselves happy and then share that happiness with those we love. I love being married to Adam and he does make me happy. However, if I depended on him as my only source of happiness, let's just say- I don't like golf, NBA basketball, or poker that much.

So when I find myself getting bummed out, I do as my mom would- figure out if it's something big that requires me making significant life changes, or maybe I'm just in a funk and need to paint my bathroom blue, rearrange the furniture, or change the color of my hair. If all else fails, pour a glass of wine and snap out of it in the morning! Parenting isn't easy but I'm grateful for my mom's rant 15 years ago. I consider her to be pretty bad-ass, and can only hope that my kids say the same about me years from now. Happy Mother's Day Mom, love you!

April Showers, Bring May Flowers?

2010-04-27T09:11:00.001-04:00

Well, it's April 27th, and again I sit here without much to say. It's drizzly this morning and very dark. I woke up early because my back was throbbing so badly. I haven't been sleeping well. It's not even just the pure physical discomfort I'm experiencing, but the inability to turn my brain off. I used to have that problem when I was working full-time. I'd lay in bed thinking about loan files, if I'd returned a phone call, or what needed to be done to accomplish my monthly production goals. Now I am kept up with thoughts that are just ridiculous. I find myself awake at 1am, thinking about compost and where I should buy my perennials. I think about the fact that I should be sleeping because in a few weeks, I won't be getting much. That leads me to thinking about the baby and what I need to do to be prepared. Finally, I'll think- just count. I'll begin counting to myself and then realize I'm now thinking about why people count sheep. I mean, there are not any sheep to count. It's useless. Somewhere around 2am, I'll finally fall asleep.

As I mentioned, it's drizzly today. It's 8:30am and I had to turn on the lamps in the living room because of the lack of sunlight coming through the windows. Normally, Gavin is up by this hour. He's probably being kept asleep by the lulling noise of cars driving by on the wet pavement. Even the beagles are still in bed. They usually greet me downstairs, eagerly awaiting breakfast and to be let outside. Yet, there they lay, snuggled up together like puppies on a Hallmark card.

The spring rain is necessary though, as it works to green up the landscape. I planted quite a few vegetables out in my garden late last week. I have several growing inside and I can't wait to get them planted. They seem eager too as they grow towards the sunlight. I turn them daily so they don't grow sideways. I have drawn out plans for a cutting garden that is going to surround our patio- I bought seed packets of zinnias, larkspur, and other annuals. I'm not sure how they'll do but if it works out, it'll be $5.00 well spent. I normally don't want to spend money on annuals but this could be a good way to go. I love growing plants by seed. It's not the instant gratification that you get when buying transplants, but I like to watch the plants sprout up from nothing.

We are taking a vacation to Maine next week. We found a cottage to rent in Ogunquit, which is on the southern coast of Maine. I am so excited to see and smell the ocean. We're excited to have some time together as our little family of three before it expands. I plan on indulging in lobster rolls and New England chowder. It should be a fantastic getaway.

And, with that, I hear "Mama" being called out. Better run.

Hello Spring- my thoughts on life this week.

2010-04-15T15:24:00.003-04:00

Hi again. I have to admit that I'm only posting because I feel bad when I neglect writing for over a week. These impromptu posts wind up being somewhat of a rambling of thoughts, my apologies in advance. My little family has been battling colds and allergies, like many others I know. Adam seems to have it the worst, with a cough that keeps us both up all night. Fortunately, he started taking antibiotics yesterday and should start feeling better soon. My cold has been more annoying than anything else and it's just adding to my exhaustion. My body is telling me to slow down and rest, while my mind keeps adding to the to-do list. I'm having trouble reconciling the two.

I think one of my favorite things about living in the northeast is the obvious change in seasons. I love watching everything turn green after it was brown and bare for so long. All of our trees are flowering and the grass is coming alive. The birds have returned and even my detested squirrels have revived swagger in their tails. The beagles are happy to be outside for hours at a time. Even now, when I look outside, Starsky has a clear smile on his face.

I've been working on prepping my garden for planting. I'm glad that I did the heavy-lifting last year and just have to pull weeds and add some compost this year. I have started about 80 plants inside- they have all germinated but they are still very small. Next week, I will plant the lettuces, spinach, carrots, and peas outside. May 20th is the predicted last frost date, so I'll plant out the rest of my seeds and transplant my seedlings then. My mom recommended a book on square foot gardening by Mel Bartholomew. It really simplifies the entire concept of growing a vegetable garden, and, had I read it last year, it would have saved me a tremendous amount of work. I decided to test the method and Adam helped me build a small raised bed on the other side of the yard. Once I get the squares marked, I'll post some pictures. We still have some work to do, but our yard and gardens are starting to come together.

Meanwhile, the little tyke in my tummy is growing rapidly. I feel as though there is no additional space but it still has 10 or so weeks to go. If this one is on Gavin's timeline, he or she will arrive in just about 8 weeks. I'm excited to meet this little thing. (Is it weird to call a baby a thing?) We're going to start changing our guest room over to the baby's room and moving the guest room up to the loft. Yes, I've decided to rename our finished attic, "the loft." It sounds far more chic and once we get it all set up with an a/c unit, it'll be a nice place for our guests. Plus, they'll get a nice leg workout while they visit. Ha, now we can call it Canyon Ranch! Come, stay, enjoy upstate New York and leave with nicely toned quads! There is even a nice selection of yoga and pilates dvd workouts up there!

On that note, I'll end this rambling post. I hope you're all enjoying the beginnings of Spring.

Diannalynn's east coast visit...

2010-04-06T11:46:00.009-04:00

Adam's sister, Diannalynn, visited us over the past week. She brought her youngest son Spencer, who is just 10 months old. It was interesting to watch Gavin's interactions with the little guy and get a little preview of what life will be like in a few months. He definitely displayed typical emotions like jealousy and neediness, but also took on a protective role as well. We had to watch him closely because he also tried to beat up the little guy a few times. Even in the picture below, Gav looks guilty of something... Oh, we're in for some fun this summer!

Adam worked during the weekdays so DL and I went on some short outings last week. Mostly just took the boys for walks to the park or down by the Hudson River. Everything just takes 10 times as long with kids, 2 strollers, diaper bags, etc. The weather was beautiful, low-to-mid 70s- perfect for relaxing out on the front porch.

On Saturday, we all went to Boston for the day. Again, the weather was absolutely fabulous! I had never been to Boston on such a beautiful day. Previous visits have always been rainy or dreary. Boston Common was packed with people picnicking and sunning themselves. Spring always brings such great energy to any city or town. We did a lot of walking- this time we walked the entire Freedom Trail. We started at Boston Common and walked down through Fanueil Hall and Quincy Market, over to the North End, and then over the Charles River Bridge. Rather than turning around, we continued walking through Charlestown and then passed over to Cambridge. We walked along the Charles River and then walked over the Longfellow bridge. That led us through Beacon Hill, a fabulous neighborhood that I had not been to before. The sidewalks are all cobblestone and the storefronts maintain old-world charm, even the 7-Eleven looked upscale. After a little more walking, we made it back to Boston Common. I would guess we walked at least six miles, probably more. After returning to the car, we drove back over to Cambridge and had dinner, complete with chowdah. It was an absolutely perfect day.

Walking along the Charles River in Cambridge, MA

Neighborhood of Beacon Hill

Random shots of storefronts on Beacon St.

Yesterday, I took DL over to Berkshire County to experience small town New England. We started in Williamstown, home of Williams College. I had read about the Library of Rare Books where you could view original copies of the Declaration of Independence, the US Constitution, and Bill of Rights. They also have an impressive collection of first edition books. This turned out to be a hilarious little adventure.

We went over to Williams College, where the library was said to be located. There was a sign that stated that the library had moved to a temporary location while the original space was under construction. We got out our walking map and headed to the temporary building. Once we arrived, we saw a call box where you had to be buzzed in. Ok... this is sort of weird. The door opened and we walked down a hallway where a gentleman welcomed us with a puzzled look. Keep in mind, we were each pushing a stroller and this guy was probably thinking, "what do these two moms want?" We followed him into a small room where there was a lady behind the desk and they asked how they could help us. It was beyond awkward. Diannalynn said, sort of sheepishly, "I hear you have some great books." Then I explained that I had read that you could see the founding documents, such as the Declaration of Independence. I felt like we were in a scene of a Dan Brown novel, "I need to see the original copy of the Bill of Rights, STAT!" They informed us that during the 3 year remodel of the library, everything was in storage but the founding documents had been moved to the Clark Museum for display. The museum was, of course, closed on Mondays. They were very nice, but it really made for an awkward experience, yet funny. It still makes me giggle, even as I write this.

Outside one of the buildings at Williams College

New England architecture

We took a little break so the boys could play at the park before getting back into the car.

We walked around Williamstown a while longer and then drove over to North Adams, then through part of southern Vermont. We had a nice time driving along the winding roads. Well, Gavin didn't quite enjoy the winding roads. He got carsick as we arrived to Williamstown. He now owns sweats and a t-shirt with the Williams College logo. I knew I should have packed an extra outfit for him- total rookie mistake. Oh well... we had a nice day and met up with Adam for dinner back in Albany. I think we showed Diannalynn and Spencer a good time while they were here.