In like a lion....

Happy March!

Signs of Spring are slowly appearing. The snow is melting, the chipmunks run circles around the house, teasing Luna. Spring is on it's way; we can all feel it. And it feels gooooooood:). 

Yesterday was the year anniversary of the day that we found out I was pregnant. One year ago I found myself eagerly, yet cautiously breaking into my secret stash of pregnancy kits, assuming another let down.

But this time was different.

And for every blessed second of this past year, I feel forever grateful.

little bear

xoxo

Spring is on it's way...

Lately, he's taken to calling you Pumpkin Seed.

And you just think he's the coolest. He walks into the room and your face lights up and you're locked in. Completely & utterly smitten.

Like a little pumpkin seed, you're constantly growing. Thirteen weeks old and you're wearing clothes fit for a 6-month old. Your mama nearly cries every time she retires one of your cute little 0-3 month outfits to the basement.

With all of this growing & sleeping that you're doing now, come Spring, you'll be ready to party with the big boys and enjoy the great outdoors.

So for now, just get all of the sleeping in that you need because any day, we'll be outside planting vegetables, chasing pups and soaking up the sun. You just wait;).

xoxo

Happy Weekend

xoxo

settling in

Hello, December.

Thank you all for your well wishes and sweet comments on the arrival of Benjamin:). We're settling in with him, just in time for the cold front. The fireplace insert is running 24/7 and it's requiring a lot of extra work (and wood) to keep the house warm. But warm & toasty it is for the little guy, who, I have to say, all biases aside, is really a sweet & good little boy :).

We came home from the hospital in time for Thanksgiving. We had a quiet meal, which was a drastic change from our usual hosting of 25 family members:). This year, it was just the four of us, sitting by the fire, eating a (delicious!) pre-cooked turkey dinner from our local grocery store. It was relaxing and just what we needed after the hospital blur (but we do look forward to our tradition of football games and 25 stuffed bellies again next year...wait, make that 26 bellies).

Since Thanksgiving, we've been spending our time with Benjamin, staring at him, learning him and watching him take in this whole new world around him. I find myself often apologizing to him, ie. when it takes 20 minutes just to change his onesie 'honey, mama is new at this', or when I take his diaper off and forget to cover the stream of pee that soaks his chest 'mama's learning too, sweetie'. But all in all, it does seem that the past two weeks have made me a progressively better mama and he seems to be getting more patient and comfortable with both his mom & dad.

And seeing his dad with him just melts my heart. He gets this proud look. And this whole fatherhood thing seems to come quite easily for him. Another asset to add to the list of the reasons why I love him;).

And then there's the fourth (well, she would say she's the third). She has adjusted amazingly well. No adjustment at all, really. She seems to think that she is B's mama. I often spy her monitoring him while he naps. She sleeps near his moses basket, barks a bit sooner and louder when she hears outside noises. She protects him. It's really sweet. (But who am I kidding- this is no surprise;)).

So, happy December. I'm very much looking forward to my first real December in blogland:). I hope you are all enjoying this magical (and maybe a bit crazy;)) month. I look forward to basking in it all here with you:).

Thanks for stopping by.

xoxo

Today's Sweet Pleasures

Cucumber and tomato salad, with vegetables pulled fresh from our garden

The smell of apple crisp wafting from the oven

A cool breeze coming in through open windows

An afternoon nap with hubby & Luna

A pumpkin-scented candle
Laundry hanging out to dry on the clothes line

Peanut butter and pumpkin spice spread on whole grain toast

The name Benjamin- soon to belong to the little guy inside of me

Baby kicks tickling my belly

The anticipation of what September, my favorite month, will bring

Knowing that today is the first of a three-day weekend

Dinner and an outdoor fire with friends this evening

I hope your Saturday is full of sweet things:)

xoxo

France = Dessert?

Bonjour!

We've just returned from a week-long trip to France. Matt had to go for work and it coincided with our two-year wedding anniversary, so fortunately for me, I got to go on a little vay-cay:).

The trip started in the beautiful coastal village of Saint Malo and ended in Paris. I took over 200 photos throughout the week, so I thought that for my first France posting, I'd show you the sweeter side of our travels ;).

I have always had a sweet tooth and France is definitely the place to be when it comes to dessert:). And this girl indulged, to say the very least. I made it my mission to seek out the most delicious pastries and ice cream on a daily basis (sometimes thrice daily, terrible, I know). I have to say, being pregnant in France is not a good thing when it comes to sweet treats:).

And I don't know what it is, but desserts just seem to taste better in France. And on vacation. Coffee-flavored eclairs, strawberry ice-cream piled high on a waffle cone, raspberry macaroons sandwiching a scoop of sweet-pink sorbet. Even the coffee tasted sweeter.I left this trip feeling like I want to open a little French bakery of my own here in Massachusetts. 

Maybe when I retire :).

But until then, I'll continue to be an active connoisseur.

More France photos to follow. And happy summer:)

xoxo

rainy days to slow us down

Today it rained. And rained. And rained. It's still raining... a quiet, dark night kind of rain. This is the last weekend home before we leave for France, so there were many much-needed outdoor chores to be done, but thanks to mother nature, we ended up having a very sllllooooooow, nap-py kind of day. This is fine because I had quite an uncharacteristically busy work week, which found me in and out of Pittsburgh one day, in Connecticut the next and on endless teleconferences the last. Next week will be similar, so I welcomed this sleepy kind of day.

We were able to get our new cedar Adirondack chairs put together and sanded, though the rain prevented us from painting them. Nothing says relaxation to me like the sight of two Adirondack chairs, overlooking a fabulous view on a summer's weekend evening. With a nice glass of wine, though that will have to wait until next summer. We also spent a lot of time sleeping, grazing, watching the UK/ USA Worldcup game, and having quiet time with Luna (which basically consists of the three of us sitting on a floor in a circle, staring at each other, until Luna does something doggy-gross, that breaks the circle and causes us to go back to whatever we were doing prior:)).

Like I said, we have been grazing. And one of my favorite ways to eat is this very European-style way of eating. Eating light, hors d'oeuvresy type foods, fresh meats, cheeses, fruit, with crackers and different types of mustard-y dips. I could eat every meal like this, and I believe that I say those exact words every time we eat a meal like this:).

I've started reading 'The Middle Place', which I'm really enjoying. I've been meaning to read it for months now.

I wonder... what are you doing this weekend? Is it raining where you are? Enjoy the weekend :).

a weekend at home

We have nothing planned this glorious weekend. Nada. Zip. Noth-ing. And so far it's been absolutely fabulous:).

We started our Saturday morning with cheese & chive eggs; chives from the garden. There is nothing sweeter to me than eating fresh, delicious food out on our back deck on a sunny weekend morning with some jazzy tunes playing in the background.

Ms. Lu was given a bath- the first use of the outdoor shower this season. She wasn't as thrilled as I'd hoped, but she's now fluffy & clean, which means that mama is thrilled;). And I always love the way she looks when she's wet- so small and vulnerable:).

I've been doing a lot of gardening on the weekends, and today was no exception. We haven't been able to harvest anything yet, other than the chives, which grow like weeds, but things are looking good:).

Early Girl Tomatoes

Baby Persian Cukes (aka 'green fingers')

Super Sugar Snap Peas

Sweetie Baby Romaine Lettuce

This little dragonfly in the photo above chilled out on my chives to keep me company the whole time I was in the garden. He even let me get a close-up shot. In return, I gave him some chives:).

And this sweet little mama is one of my favorites. She (or one of her relatives?) stops by this nest every year to lay her eggs and send her little ones off into the world. I'm always amazed at the concentration and efforts that mama birds put into tending to their young. It's what they live for. She didn't even flinch when I took the photo.

I wish you all an enjoyable weekend, wherever you are.

xoxo

we're taking a trip.....

Happy Friday :).

We're not taking a trip to the beach, but this was the only photo I could find that seemed relevant :). Matt has to go to England and Norway for a few days. While we will miss him very, very much, Luna and I have decided to take this opportunity to spend some time in Connecticut with my family. Not to mention that we don't like staying home alone at night yet (don't get me wrong, Miss Luna is a fine watch dog.... she's just a bit friendlier than she should be:)).

It looks like the next few days in Connecticut will be sunny and in the 50's so we may stop by to visit the llamas across the street from my parents' home, have a few yummy homemade dinners with mom and dad, see the nephews, my brothers and sister-in-law and visit some close friends. All in all it should be a nice weekend, then soon enough, hubby will return and Luna and I can feel complete again ;).

What are your plans for the weekend? Whatever they may be, wherever you are, I hope you all have a lovely weekend. Oh, and don't forget to watch the Oscars :).

xoxo