ready for the weekend!

Happy happy FRIDAY! I'm so ready for the weekend! We've been sick all week with a bad stomach bug, and the girls are still not any better. I think that we are going to take things easy for the next couple day and hope that they feel better soon. 

The past couple of days have been overcast and rainy. We had a little snow this morning that is turning to rain now. 

I think that despite feeling under the weather we are going to have to venture out the store to grab a couple of things. The girls are both sleeping right now, so here's to hoping that they wake up feeling a little less miserable

On a brighter note, the kiddos crashed early last night and Adam was working, so I settled in and watched Mary Poppins Returns, with Emily Blunt. It was really good! Basically a newer version of the original Mary Poppins with a few minor changes to the storyline.

Dinner tonight is a new experiment. I'm making venison meat hand pies. They have b.b.q. sauce, ground venison, carrots, potatoes, onion, and are wrapped in pastry dough. I'll let you know how they turn out.

Have a wonderful weekend! 

St. Patrick's Day Weekend

We had a lovely weekend. Friday Adri started to be able to walk around a little, we went to the doctor's, had a confirmation that she tested positive for Lyme Disease, and she started taking the antibiotic. Our friends, Julie and Chad came and spent the day with us and we all explored our town together. 

Saturday Piper got sick with a stomach bug/fever/throwing up thing and we took the day easy, only going out to wash some laundry and grab some food. 

Sunday everyone was feeling much better (Adri walking, Piper no longer sick) and Adam went to work (he works Sundays, Mondays, Thursdays, and Fridays) and the girlies and I celebrated St. Patrick's Day with a corned beef dinner. 

Yesterday, right when we thought that everything was back to normal (well, as normal as it gets around here), Adri got the stomach bug. She spent all last night throwing up with a fever. 

So much for everyone better. 

I'm hoping that it's also only going to last the 24 hours, like Piper's and she'll be better soon. 

In the meantime, it's all the fluids for Adri Rose and cups of coffee for mama ;) 

To think I was hoping that this week would be a quiet one after last week. 

Have a great Tuesday, and here's to hoping it's less full of sick children than mine! 

Piper Mae 18 Months Old

My tiny baby turned a year and a half this past March 3rd. I feel like 18 months is one of the "big" transitions, along with 6 and 12 months. Piper is definitely not little anymore (however much she may feel so to me). 

+She is feisty, sweet, funny, and has the most adorable angel face. 

+She's starting to talk a lot more! She has the cutest little baby voice (like Adri) and it's really sweet. 

+She feeds herself and likes to try and feed everyone else as well. 

+She loves to sing, dance around, and her love for Baby Shark borders on obsession. 

+She also loves tub time, reading books, and being outside (despite freezing temperatures). 

She's down to one nap a day, around 12, and that only lasts for about an hour or so. The upside is that she sleeps a solid 12 hours a night! 

With Adri in and out of all the doctor's offices, the ER, and Urgent Care last week little Miss Piper was a trooper. I had her with me the bulk of the time and she was so big. Especially during our 7 hour visit to the Emergency Room. 

We are big fans of Piper Mae. She seems so small to me, even though I was already pregnant with her when Adri was this age. It might be because she's still such a clingy little thing. She's still as attached to me as ever and is the sweetest little snuggle bug. 

In this past month, she has really changed. I know it's that another growth milestone has been reached and it's really showing. She's more active, communicating more, and becoming (just a little bit) more independent. 

Piper Mae, we love you so! 

other plans

I had great plans for getting back on track with blogging this week. An 18-month update for Piper Mae, a recipe, and some new house photos.

Well, it seems life had other plans (as it often does). If you saw my Instagram you'll have already seen how Adri has been having trouble with her knee since Sunday night. It's not trauma related (she didn't hit or twist it) and it's swollen and she can't walk on it. Poor thing.

We went to Urgent Care on Tuesday (once I realized it wasn't getting any better), and they sent us over to the ER. We ended up spending over 7 hours at the ER (LONGEST day EVER), and they took X-Rays and did blood work. At the end of it all nobody still had any idea what was wrong. So we were sent home to make an appointment with the orthopedic doctor. 

Adri was a trooper (Piper too (I had both kids)), although she kinda lost it about the blood being drawn (she's never had blood drawn before). 

So Adri still can't walk, her knee is STILL swollen, and we have an appointment tomorrow to try and find out what is going on. All the blood work came back negative for infection, but they had to send out for the Lyme test (I'm thinking that there's a good chance it's Lyme Disease), and we are waiting on the results from that.

So there was our week, in a nutshell. That, and me lugging around the cutest little lame 40 lb child ;) 

Adam has off for the next few days and then he starts his new (and permanent) work schedule next week.

We are continuing to get settled in, and make things home. A little wrench was thrown in the works by the lame leg, but we are still having fun, staying busy, and hoping for some results tomorrow (at our Orthopedics appointment).

Have a great Thursday!

new home, new schedule, new routine.

Happy Monday! Is anyone else feeling hard-hitting effects of DLS? The upside was that my kiddos slept until 7:00 am this morning (YAY!), however, the downside is Adri was awake until 9:30 last night. Sigh. 

Okay, moving on. This move has been a bigger adjustment that I thought it would be at first. Yes, we are settling in, but we still don't really have our routine back. Adam having a new work schedule is probably the main reason for that. It's taking me some time to get used to him being gone in the evenings. 

I took the girls and went to CT to visit the family this past weekend. Adri had a blast (as usual) and we got to enjoy some lovely weather on Saturday).

This morning I'm drinking coffee and planning out my day. We need to get some groceries, and I think we'll try to visit the library and get our new cards. We've been missing our weekly trips there! 

It's gray and overcast, which means it'll probably snow (it's only ever not sunny here on rainy and snowy days). We had a pretty big snowfall yesterday and I barely made it home (I drove back in the morning). Once we hit Vermont all the plowing stopped and the last 15 miles were completely unplowed. However, we did end up making it, safe and sound.

The photos below are from our weekend, snowy, and full of fun.

Have a lovely Monday!

recent favorite amazon purchases

It's no secret that I love Amazon. Over the years I've found some amazing deals, and there's nothing that can beat placing an order and getting an item only a day later. It's the best.
With the move and all our adjusting to new stores and a new area, it's been especially nice to have our good old familiar online shopping place, Amazon, still at the ready, only a click away.
Here are some Amazon finds/purchase that I've been using and loving lately.

White noise machine.

I didn't buy this (although it did come from Amazon), but won it in a giveaway. We have this in Adri's room and it's the best ever. It has made the whole room/house transition so much easier with having this running in the background at night. New place, but still the same sounds for her.

DNA Kit.

I talked about how I was going to get this for Adam's birthday and I did! He still has to get the test results, but I'm already looking forward to getting my own. Also, this kit was one of the more "affordable" (read: under $100) kits that they sell. Perfect price point for me ;)

Baby Gate. 

No, we don't have stairs anymore, yes, we still need our trusty baby gate to keep Piper the Busy corraled. I've tried so many baby gates and this one is my favorite.

The Grace of Enough.

I know I talked about Haley's book back when I bought and read it last year. But I feel that it deserves another mention. Only because it was so helpful as we downsized in preparation for our move. We had to fit a 2400 sq ft house into a 26 ft moving truck and travel almost 200 miles, and unpack in a much smaller house. It was a challenge, but we did it!

Booster Seat.

Before moving we gave away our highchair. The decision was made for a few reasons, #1, Piper hated using it and wanted to sit at the table like Adri, #2, it was big and bulky, and #3 it was old. We got it used and it made its way through both kiddos. I bought this a booster seat and it does a great job, keeps the Pipes happy, and is also super easy to clean.

My Little Pony Chutes and Ladders. 

Adri is really into playing board games now and I've been teaching her this one. She loves My Little Pony, so it's a pretty big hit.

Metal Fish Tank Stand. 

Another random purchase. The hutch that we had my 45-gallon fish tank on (that was in the kitchen) finally saw the end and we decided to get a real tank stand. This one was so easy to put together, and believe it or not, incredibly sturdy.

Poldark.

Okay, this is not really something to "use" but it's on Amazon, so it made the cut. I just recently started watching the show (I've read a few of the books and years ago watched the 1975 version, so I'm already very familiar with is) and I have to say I love it (along with everyone else). The casting is perfect, the filming is good, I love the costumes, and the music and scenery are SO peaceful.
*side note for all you Poldark lovers. Scent Pop Candles just released a Poldark collection! They look incredible. 

settling in

 
Hello, hello! I feel like it has been a lifetime since I've been on here! Somewhere between packing, unpacking, setting up power, internet, forwarding mail, and exploring our new town I simply lost time for blogging. However, I'm back now and although my posting may be sporadic still for a little while, I'm slowly finding my routine, day by day.

The main reason things have been so out of whack is that Adam has had off work for the past two weeks. Having him home every day has been a huge adjustment and our regular daily patterns disappeared. He's starting his new job Monday though, and we are all looking forward "normal" life again.
We love our new town! We've ventured out each day and have begun to get our bearings. We are right across the river from New Hampshire (hello, no sales tax!) and have ducked in out of the state a bit as well.

The girls are settling in. They both love our new home and, to be honest, I think that they actually like living in a smaller space. We end up spending way more time together, and it is pretty cozy.

I still have mountains of books to unpack, and finding homes for everything is a bit of a challenge, since this house has way less storage than our previous 2400 sq feet (it's about 1500, give or take). Despite all that though, we are making it home and we really do love living here so far.

I'm sure I'll be back with more of an update after the weekend, but for now, hello from Vermont! 

on this day

• Snow, everywhere I look. Piles and piles of icy whiteness, the aftermath of our latest Winter storm.

• Hot coffee, with creamer, steaming in my cup beside me.

• Two small wee ones, playing with dinosaurs on the living room floor, while Daniel Tiger plays in the t.v in the background.

• Eggs and bread sitting on the kitchen counter, waiting to be made into Toad in a Hole for breakfast.

• Laundry in a heap in the playroom, where it has been dumped for the past two days. I've been procrastinating on folding it. 

• Boxes stack around me. I've come to hate moving with a passion and can't wait for the end of the month and to be settled in our new place. 

• A doctor's appointment scheduled for later today, that I have serious doubts that we'll make it to, seeing we have all the aforementioned snow.

• Freezing leftover pasta sauce from last night's dinner. To be used for pizza at some later date.

• Placing a hold for the first season of Dr. Quinn, Medicine Woman at the library. I had forgotten how much I love that show.

• Planning dinner, and I have no ideas. Maybe tuna in pita pockets? Something easy for this mid-week day.

I hope your Wednesday is a wonderful one!