The Music Man

For Christmas, my dad and I purchased tickets to the Music Man for me and my mom to attend!  We both were surprised how quickly February came, but we were so excited that the day had arrived!

We grabbed lunch at Belle Epicurean, a small Parisian bakery, and then went to the theater.  We were AMAZED when we arrived at our seats.  I knew we had purchased good seats (thanks, Black Friday special!) but actually sitting in them and seeing how close we were to the stage was awesome.

 

Things just got better from there.  Once the show started, I realized that I knew almost every song from the musical/movie!  Apparently I watched it more than I had thought growing up, and all of the songs just came back to me.  It was great!

 

I also picked up this shirt for Ben (although it won't fit him for awhile)!  I also decided that if Ben wants to join band or drama one day, I will be MORE than supportive :)

 

 

 

Thanks for the fun afternoon, mom!  XOXO

Me/Ben

The Ingles in 1973 (ish)

Check out this amazing photo of Greg's parents and sister we found in his baby book!!! Adorable!

Lately (in photos)

Here are some of the photos that haven't made it to the blog yet:

 

Ben seems very confused when I turn the iPhone camera around on him.  Like, WHO is that baby staring at me?  And why is he so beautiful?

 

On the ferry - such a beautiful day!

 

Petting the kitty

 

Going on his weekly garbage can ride

 

Climbing into his wagon, only to kind of get stuck back there.

 

Hoods

 

"Boo"!

 

Nutella waffles

 

Addict

 

 

THIS is Ben's "OMG I'm having so much fun" face.

 

 

 

Very into his play food these days.

 

 

 

Superbowl Sunday!

 

Texting

 

Modeling the new couch

Meal Planning: Week of February 11th

Review of last week: 

• Mexican Spirals - delicious as usual.
• I absolutely loved the quinoa and sweet potato chili.  My mom made it for me while she was watching Ben on Monday, and since Greg wasn't a big fan of it, I was able to enjoy it all week for lunch.

• I didn't love the cod, but I think I strayed too far from the recipe to blame it on that.  I guess someone got a little too comfortable in thinking her cooking skills were at a higher level than they really are...
• The gyros were really good!  I was surprised, as when I made them I really wasn't in the mood for them, but they were a hit!

Menu for the week:

I think I will make another batch of the Quinoa and Sweet Potato Chili for lunch this week.  It kept really well for several days and was the perfect, warm, mid-day meal.  Yum.

Monday: Spinach and cheese ravioli (Costco), chicken sausage and salad.

Tuesday: Pan-Seared Steak with roasted sweet potatoes and arugula salad.

Wednesday: HH with Jamie (rescheduled from last week).  Greg and Ben will probably have some chicken and cheese raviolis (Costco).

Thursday - Valentine's Day!  Boboli pizza - Pesto/Alfredo sauce with chicken sausage and veggies.  I'm hoping to make something adorable like this with the sausage (or maybe I'll add heart shaped red bell peppers)!

Friday: Crock Pot Honey Sesame Chicken and brown rice.  I'll run home during lunch to get this started in the crock pot since it only needs to cook for 3-4 hours.

On the JUICE!

 

So, I bought a juicer.  And I LOVE IT.  And while this may turn into one of those things that I use a lot at first (as in every day, sometimes twice), I realize that it may not get as much use in the months/years to come.  Time will tell....

 

But for now, it's pretty amazing.  I bought it as part of my evil plan to sneak more nutrition into Ben's (and Greg's) day.  I watched the documentary Fat, Sick and Nearly Dead (please watch it) a couple years ago after my friend Kristin told me about it and I learned a lot about nutrition and the benefits of juicing!  While I definitely do not plan to do a juice fast, I am hoping to incorporate healthy fruit and vegetable juice into our lives and leave the ultra-processed non-juice at the grocery store.

 

Shockingly, both of the boys are on board!  I will admit, I didn't love the beet juice I made (and neither did Ben).  But I made a green juice over the weekend - spinach, kale, apple, carrot, pineapple, celery - that was a hit with the whole family!  Once I have gathered a handful of recipes I love, I will post them :)

Best Day Ever?

I wish every day could be Saturday.  Especially one with zero commitments, where we can just get up and go do whatever sounds good in that moment!

We started our day with brunch at Portage Bay Cafe in Ballard.  I have always wanted to eat here, but never have taken the time to plan ahead and make a reservation.  We have tried to get in a few times, but at the last minute (and during a popular time) it can be a bit of a wait.  But on Friday, I called and made a 9:15 reservation - leaving us just enough time to eat, (color) drink coffee and get to the music class we had signed Ben up for at 10:15 down the road.  (I had the Oatmeal Cobbler French Toast, and it was heavenly).

 

The music class I signed Ben up for was at Gymboree.  Not all of the locations have the music option, so we did have to drive a ways to attend.  The first 20 minutes were great, and Ben really seemed to enjoy himself!  But after that, I think he was either over-stimulated or just over everyone sitting in a circle.  We let him wander around the room a bit, but towards the end he was crying and only allowing Greg to hold him.  (My attempts to bring him back into the circle to sing and dance were unsuccessful).  Another mom there told me that her daughter was the exact same way her first class, and while I am sure he would get used to it, it's not worth the commute I don't think.  We will try more things like this near home, though!  

 

 

When we got home, my new couch had arrived!!  (My mom was there to receive it as our delivery window was overlapping with music class).  Our living room is starting to look like a living room!

 

 

After Ben's nap, and after I went grocery shopping, the three of us headed to Bellevue for a trip to Total Wine and More!  It's basically a wine-Costco, and it's really amazing.

 

After visiting mommy's playground, we thought we should reward Ben with a trip to his kind of playground!  How beautiful is this park in Bellevue?

 

We went home to make pizza, drink wine, take baths, and relax.  I wish I could relive that day a few more times.

 

Happy Monday (womp womp)!