Let's catch up

Letter to hubby

Hubby went out of town and will be back tomorrow.  Baby Chuck missed him so much that he wrote him a letter:

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Dear Daddy,

I miss you.  Do you like my new Harry Potter scar?  Mommy, Charlie, and I had a good day today.  I kicked Charlie, took lots of naps with mom, and made lots of dirty diapers.  I can't wait till you come home.

Love, Baby Chuck

Lazy Sunday

What a lovely, lazy Sunday,

when breakfast is eaten for lunch,

and a long-awaited nap helps the afternoon to 

slip right by 

Meet my meat pie

Hubby introduced me to the meat pie, a delicious Australian goody, a couple of years back and my stomach  fell in love. Who wouldn't love this hearty meal of savory meat encased in a flaky crust, doused with ketchup, and served with buttery mashed potatoes and creamy sweet peas on the side?

Last night I attempted to recreate this Aussie treat and the combination of flavors brought hubby back home.

I may be out of a job soon...

Lately hubby has been teaching Baby Norris to drink from a bottle. (Isn't this surprising?  Who knew that babies could struggle with this?)  Although most of the milk initially ended up on baby's clothing, we never gave up.  After a week of experimenting and coaxing, Baby Norris finally finished a whole ounce of milk!

Baby Norris-  "Hmm, I could get used to this..."

Baby Norris- "Dad, can we do this again?"

Get psyched...

it's finally Friday!  I thought the weekend would never come.  We're definitely going to enjoy the outdoors before winter sneaks up on us again...

Excitement is clearly written all over Baby Norris's face.

6 years

"I love you, not only for what you are, but for what I am when I am with you."
~ Roy Croft

Hopefully one day we'll walk Baby Chuck Norris down that aisle.

Photo taken by our friend

Delivery room advice

Hubby's colleagues love sharing their delivery room horror stories experiences with us.  One colleague told him to make sure that my fingernails were clipped before we headed to the delivery room.  Hubby asked him why, and the man responded, "She's going to squeeze your arm so tightly and her nails will dig into your flesh."

Yikes. o____O 

(Btw, my nails are clipped, so my hands are ready!)

A guitar, a harmonica, a saw, and...a recorder?

This past Sunday hubby played the recorder during worship at our local church.  After hearing hubby play, one congregant commented, "It sounds like we're having church in Gondor."  Another church member (an older gentleman in his 70s) had this conversation with hubby:

Churchgoer:  

What instrument are you playing?  A sweet potato?

Hubby:  

Uh, sweet potato?  You mean an ocarina?  No, this is a recorder.

Churchgoer:  

I like the way it sounds.  Do you want to be in my band?  We go around and play for people in nursing homes. They don't have good memories.  Right now we have a guy that plays the harmonica, a guy that plays the saw, and I play the guitar.  

Hubby:  

Um, sure.

 

Perhaps Baby Chuck Norris and I will be the group's first set of groupies (below retirement age)? 

Clothing modification surgery

Ever since we purchased the sewing machine, hubby and I dreamed of sewing bow ties.  (Hubby loves wearing them to work, but they're so pricey to purchase!)  This weekend we visited the thrift store, found a tie, and transformed* it.

Did this ugly polyester tie know that it was destined for bow tie cuteness? 

*Please note:  I felt like a mad Frankenstein-like scientist.  Before this successful bow tie surgery two other patients died on our operating table.  RIP tie 1 and tie 2.  They were butchered in the name of fashion.   

Diaper bag

Hubby recently finished his latest sewing creation for Baby Chuck Norris.  Here's Charlie examining Hubby's creation for the first time. 

What is this thing?

A bag?  But it's too big for me to carry.

Ah, it's a perfect size for resting on.

Street performers

Every Thursday night local musicians, artists, and dancers perform downtown.  Today hubby and I took Charlie to enjoy the local sights and sounds.

I'm so proud of my two boys.  Hubby did a great job handling Charlie and Charlie was so well behaved.  It's a Holland miracle!

Feeling crabby?

A couple of weeks ago, hubby and I spotted a used travel changing pad at the thrift store.  It looked just like this one:

We didn't purchase it because it was a already stained.  But, the idea of using a cute patterned changing pad stayed with me.  So, when hubby bought a sewing machine, I suggested an idea for his first sewing project.  Here's how hubby sewed baby Chuck Norris's changing pad:
   

First, we picked out the fabric.

Then, hubby followed this blog's directions and sewed this pad.

"It's soft to the bum.  Four paws of approval."   

Eating into the new year

We celebrated hubby's birthday with a lot of yummy food.  

Here are some photos documenting our good eats:

Hubby's homemade bbq pulled pork with a basil and garlic potato salad - yum!

I used this recipe to bake hubby a birthday cake.

Chocolate icing + chocolate cake + raspberry filling = decadent eats

For dinner, we visited a nearby Ethiopian restaurant and scarfed down a plate of sour and spicy food (and then ordered two more side dishes- oh my!)

What a delicious way to celebrate hubby's birthday.

Somebody's turning a multiple of 11...

Like daddy

like doggie.

Isn't it funny how dog and owner start looking alike?

3223 reunion

During college I lived in a large rickety house with some great friends.  I always look back fondly on those days with my "3223 gals" because we laughed so much, shared so much, grew so much, and threw such great dinner parties.  With everyone now scattered to the four corners of the earth, it's always a special treat to meet up and share what's happening in each others' lives.  This year four of us are meeting in Philly and skyping another gal in Thailand.

Good-bye Michigan.  Hello Philly and gals!

I wonder what Hubby and Charlie will be up to while I'm gone...

       

Good morning!

Hubby and I made some yummy drinks to greet the day.

Strawberry smoothies

Coffee with foam art (Can you see the smiling face?)

 Have a wonderful day.

Mystery man

Yesterday hubby made grilled cheese sandwiches. 

Can you see a face in this piece of toast?  We see a man with a mustache.  It He It was yummy.

Here comes the sun

The sun finally made an appearance! Hubby celebrated the sunny day with this outfit:

A snazzy hat

A combo of green and yellow

And some white dancing shoes

hat- purchased in New Orleans
shirt- Old Navy sale
blazer- Banana Republic sale
bow tie- thrifted
shoes- thrifted