Music in the Square

Friday, August 30, 2013

Last night we did something really fun as a family.
We ventured out into the neighborhood and went to music in the square just a few blocks from our house. 


There was quite a crowd - I was really surprised.
The band was Drop Steady, a reggae group that is awesome!
We arrived during a break in their set so staked out a spot, and enjoyed a drink.
There are tents set up in the square that sell wine, beer, popcorn,
and some German goodies like giant pretzels and brats. 


Once the band started to play Noelle and daddy went a bit closer to dance with the other kiddos near the stage.
We had such a great time, it was hard to leave before they were finished. We stayed out past Nono's bedtime, but it was totally worth it. 


Our only regret is that we didn't do this sooner.
Every Thursday night during the summer this was going on (all different bands) only five blocks from our house.
How did we miss this? At least we made it to the last one...until next summer!

Cat and Dog vs. Baby

Wednesday, August 28, 2013

It's about time for an update on how the baby transition is going for the pets. Halas is doing relatively well. He's still pretty unsure about Noelle, does let her pet him (which ends up being more of a hit), but only for a minute. Winnie on the other hand is not doing well with the baby. Now that Noelle is so mobile Winnie is not a fan. Hopefully she'll come around with time, but for now we're very careful with baby and cat claws. Here are some photos so you can see what Noelle's been up to with Halas.

 Taking Halas to the park to run with friends.
This was earlier this spring before we moved and gained a back yard.
We don't make it to the park much anymore, but Halas goes outside a lot more now, and loves his new house.
Dad even put in some new grass for him to run and play on today!

 Noelle hasn't quite learned the difference between baby toys, and dog toys yet.
But, I guess when Halas is bringing his toys to her we should expect situations like this.
Unfortunately for Halas, Noelle doesn't know how to play fetch with him yet. 

 We spend many minutes a day like this. Halas on his bed, Noelle reaching up to him.
It involves lots of licking, but is good for Halas to be on "his turf" (kinda) and more comfortable when Noelle tries to get his attention.

 There are perks to Halas for Noelle being around ... people food!
I've had to cut back on this treat, but Halas knows his place when it's meal time for Nono - under her high chair!

All in all, I think it's worked our pretty well for both of them. 
And, maybe one day we'll have some pictures like this with Winnie too. Maybe.

Noelle's Ninth and Tenth Months

Monday, August 26, 2013

Well, these past two months have totally flown by. I can't even begin to explain all of the changes, and how much Noelle has grown. So, let's look at some pictures, shall we? I'll throw some captions in there, and hopefully things will start flooding back at me!

Noelle's 9th Month

 Father's Day. I love this little wrap dress. We didn't do anything particularly special for Father's Day.
We spent the day together (we only get one family day a week),
and walked through the outdoor mall in the suburbs. 

 First time in the shopping cart at Target - loved it. One of the last baths in her baby tub.
The big tub is so much more fun for Nono and all of her rubber duckies.
She gets so excited, and splashes constantly.

 Started sleeping on her belly, and weighed 18 lbs at her nine month check up.

 Swung in a swing for the first time, and enjoyed some potato chips while barbecuing with friends.

 Making friends with Halas, and standing all the time!

Noelle's 10th Month


 Showing Halas why he should be her BFF. She'll give him scraps, and share her toys.

 Patio dinner with mom and dad. We stayed out past her bedtime this night.
She was so good too. The patio was packed, and it was loud.
She nicely sat in our laps (no high chairs) until we finished, and headed home. 

 Playing with girlfriend Leena at Erica's baby shower. Finally they can actually (somewhat) play together!

 Computing and checking out her new walker. She couldn't use the walker yet at this point, but is a champ now. You can check out our weekend in review for the video!


 Lots of crawling and cruising along furniture.

 Enjoying watermelon at Great Aunt Pam's. This was a great day.
Dave's parents were in town, and so were both of his cousins who also live out of state.
We all gathered at Pam's house and enjoyed some delicious food, and relaxing by the lake.

It was a great two months. I can't believe that the summer is almost over - that is by date because if you go by the weather, we're far from the end. If we're lucky, maybe it will linger into October so we can have some backyard fun to celebrate baby girl's first birthday! Fingers crossed!

Weekend in Review

Sunday, August 25, 2013

Well, I certainly intended to post last week more than I did. I guess getting back into my blogging routine will take a bit more than just saying "I'm back." So here we are again with another weekend in review!

Our weekend started on Friday, playing with Halas in the yard, and prepping for some Bears pre-season football. We're bear crawling a lot these days.


On Saturday, since we're going into a week of 80+ temperatures, I decided it was time to shorten the straps on this romper. It's never fit right, and the hot forecast was the perfect motivator.


We kept the sewing machine warm and made a Halloween bow for a friend!


A Sunday selfie for Cammy. It must have been good luck ... keep reading!


Noelle all of a sudden decided to start walking with her walker. So much fun!


I started working on Noelle's birthday banner. This is a super easy project. Once I've finished, and figured out all of the tricks and my tips, I'll post about this one! 


And...Cammy got a hole in one!!! She rocks!!!


Happy weekend, ya'll. Talk so you soon!

Fish Tacos

Tuesday, August 20, 2013

A while back I decided to try my hand at fish tacos. They turned out great, are are husband approved! It's really simple, and a good option for a healthy, fast weeknight meal.


Ingredients:
Your favorite prepared fish fillets (I use the tortilla crusted tilapia from Costco)
Corn tortilla shells
Avocado


How To:
Prepare your coleslaw ingredients
I cook my fish in a hot skillet with EVOO
It's sort of a combo between sauteed and fried
The crust gets nice and crispy
Warm tortilla shells over burner on stove (monitor closely so not to burn)
Keep them wrapped in a cheese cloth towel until ready to serve
Mix all coleslaw ingredients
Slice avocado
Top two tortilla shells (so they don't tear) with fish, coleslaw and avocado


See, I told you this was easy! Literally, dinner is ready in about 30 minutes. You could add a side of rice, beans, chips and salsa, or any other side you like. Yum. I think this might be on our menu tomorrow!

Enjoy, friends!

Weekend in Review

Monday, August 19, 2013

And...we're back! After a week's vacation, and another week to adjust to being back home and on a "schedule" it's time for a blog update. I thought, why not pick up right where I typically would after the weekend? Time for another weekend in review!

Saturday was really nice. Haircut for mom, and a play date with Uncle Brian for Noelle. We all had lunch together afterwards, and then took naps (Noelle and me, Brian might have too, but I didn't ask). Then, we lounged around with Halas, did some laundry and waited anxiously for dad to get home from work.


On Sunday we enjoyed a relaxing morning with a couple quick trips to the store before bbqing with friends. It had been much too long, and we had so much to catch up on, I didn't even touch my phone to take some photos.


Hope ya'll have a good week. I'll be back soon with some fun vacation pics, recipes, and projects from my sewing machine - yes, sewing machine! Woo hoo!