Missing "his" girls!

 

 

 

While I'm sure Callie has enjoyed having a little "vacation" from watching Ben every Wednesday and Friday, we all sure have missed seeing one another so regularly!  This afternoon, Ben and I met them for coffee and a short playdate and it was so great to catch up!

The girls, particularly Mira, seemed really excited to see Ben and immediately gave him hugs - LOTS of hugs :)  Callie read them all a story, too!  See you ladies in a couple weeks!

Stitch Fix - Again

Alright, I think it's safe to say that I really like this company.  This is my third "fix", (I forgot to document the second one, I kept 2 things) and now I think I am all set in the clothing department for the Fall/Winter season.

Thanks to those of you that used my referral link - I got to use my credit towards this purchase!  (And even better, it sounds like you have enjoyed adding to your wardrobes, too)!  I decided to keep all 5 items this time around, so I got an additional 25% off my order. 

 

Probably my favorite item they have sent so far! 

(Can you tell how much I like it, haha - cheese).

 

Stripes + Blazer!

 

Fun Fall dress, perfect for tights and boots OR with nude pumps. 

(Rachel, let me know when you want to go out as twinsies).

 

 

Chunky sweater

 

 

Handlebar hand bag.  It comes with a shoulder strap, too. 

 

Clean Freak

 

Start 'em young!

Visit from Grandma Ingle

 

 

 

 

Grandma Ingle is here to visit us this month!  She arrived back on October 6th and will stay until November 3rd, and we again are feeling so incredibly spoiled by all of her love and hard work!

It really has been the most perfect timing to have her here so soon after moving into the new house.  While I had felt pretty good about getting most of our stuff unpacked, I had a LOT of organizing left to do, a lot of things left to sort through, and a lot of projects to do and items to buy that I did not even anticipate needing to attend to so soon.

It has been such a gift having Marcia stay with us.  We have (again) not had to think about cooking meals, shopping for groceries, tending to the yard, or cleaning the house.  I don't have to juggle Ben in the mornings while getting ready for work, and at the end of the day when Greg and I want to sit on the couch for 5 minutes without one of us getting up to make sure Ben isn't getting into anything, Marcia is happy to let us relax while she plays with him!

 

Helping grandma with laundry

My house is rarely this clean, my kitchen is not often this well stocked, and you would not believe how much butter we have consumed in all of the delicious meals and baked goods she has made. 

I'm a little embarrassed at how easily I have become accustomed to her essentially waiting on us hand and foot.  Last night, this happened:

Me (lazy on the couch, wearing the new slippers and wrapped in the new blanket she bought me): Hey Marcia....do we still have any ice-cream?

Marcia (cleaning up the kitchen after making us home made lasagna): We sure do, sweetie - can I make you a root beer float?

Me: Yes, please!

I mean, really. 

I keep reminding Greg that reality is going to hit us hard in a couple weeks when we are back to having to fend for ourselves, but we sure are all enjoying her company immensely!

Cute

Ben is starting to do some really cute things.  I mean, he has always been doing cute things, but the stuff lately is unprovoked and entirely because HE wants to/feels like it/can.

This morning, he woke up from his nap and started to clap his hands in his crib.  I watched him doing it for at least 30 seconds on the monitor  ADORABLE.

31

I typically am not very into making a big deal out of my birthday each year.  For the past several years (the last two excepted), I chose to plan a vacation that overlapped my big day (or was close enough to it that I considered it our "celebration"):

 

Birthday 2007 (26) - Came back from our wedding/honeymoon 1 day before my birthday!

 

 

Birthday 2008 (27) - Cruise to Mexico -

Spent 1 day in San Diego and 1 day at Disneyland!

 

 

Birthday 2009 (28) - Trip to Cabo!

 



 

My 29th birthday was spent in WA doing various things with friends (shopping, a trip to the Seattle Art Museum, and dinner out with Greg).  My 30th was spent with my boys - brunch, a bath for Ben, and a quiet night in.

 

This year, I had the opportunity to celebrate my birthday several times!  Last Monday, my mom came over to visit me and brought me my birthday gift (gift cards, YES!). 

 

On Tuesday, my "actual" birthday, Ben gave me his gift - sleeping in LATE on a work from home day.

 

 

 

My mother-in-law Marcia (here to visit - and deserving of a special post all it's own) made me french toast for breakfast!  She also gave me a beautiful ring!  My friend Steph and her little boy Mason came over to visit that afternoon, and I got Mason to giggle for the first time ever - an amazing gift!

 

 

 

When Greg got home, the four of us went out for some margaritas and Mexican food!  A great day!

 

On Thursday, I met my best friend Lisa for dinner and some much-needed catch up at Serafina.

 

Today, my entire office took me out to lunch! 

 

 

Horribly blurry picture taken by our waiter

 

But this past weekend was the planned celebration.  An activity I had been longing to do since my pregnancy:  A day of wine tasting (and a day for stocking up on wine) with Greg in Woodinville!

 

We started off with lunch (flat bread pizza) at Novelty Hill Januik and our first wine tasting of the day. 

 

 

 

We then moved on to Woodhouse Wine Estates:

 

 

And from there, we visited Matthews Estate, Darby Winery, DeLille Cellars, Airfield Estates, Canon de Sol, um....would you understand if I can't quite remember if we visited anywhere else?

 

We had a GREAT time! The plan was to buy a bottle from each winery that waived the tasting fee with a purchase, which worked out wonderfully! We now have a nice supply of mostly red wine waiting for us to enjoy throughout the winter!

 

 

We finished with dinner at Purple Cafe and were home early....where I proceeded to nap on the couch before going to bed! 

 

The best (or worst?) part about day drinking is that one tends to suffer at night without ruining the entire next day :) All I know is that it's been a while since I have had a glass or two too many, and it was a fun way to let loose before returning to the responsibilities of mommy-hood.

 

So, who wants to come over for a glass? 

Give him a hand!