Life Update

Oh goodness, the last couple of weeks have been a whirlwind!  I haven't really talked about this on my blog, but I am, once again, a student.  I am doing a MAT program.  It's a year long, super intense program that will end with a masters in teaching AND teaching certification.  

Because of this, life is looking a whole lot different around our house these days.  Jack started kindergarten and he then stays for aftercare four days a week.  Thankfully, he is loving both kindergarten and aftercare!  Gil goes to Jack's old daycare.  It's takes a tad bit more driving, but we just love it and are so glad that Gil is there.  Bech is doing his job but having to do a lot more parenting duties, like dinner, solo bedtimes, dropping off kids at daycare.

And I have the craziest schedule of all!  I am at my internship (it will be my student teaching spot next semester) M/W/F.  Tuesdays, I am in class from 8:30 until 7:30 at night (with about 2 hours of breaks in between).  Thursdays, I only have class from 4:30 - 7:30.  It's exhausting and insane!

But we are making it!  And it's fall (MY FAVORITE) so we will soon be doing all of the fun fall stuff on the weekends.

A couple of photographs to close this post out:

I snapped this picture tonight during Redeemer Kids.  Jack just adores these two older girls at church, and they are sweet to him.  Seriously, he is such a ladies man.  He already has a girl in his class sending him home with pictures and homemade books!

Bech took Jack and Gil to the dentist solo.  It was Gil's first visit and he did great!  Bech was so sweet and took pictures for me.  It is hard to not be sad missing these little things--dentist and well visits, school field trips--but it helps to have Bech keeping me in the loop.

The weekend before school started, we headed 2 1/2 hours down south to Brattleboro to visit the Lugos and help celebrate Ashley and Theo's birthdays.  We had a blast.  It was a fun and relaxed weekend--perfect ending before starting the craziest semester ever!

So that's why I've been MIA lately.  I have a blog post in the works with my August books...I'll get that up soon.

Trip Down South

We spent two weeks in early July back down South.  We got to go to the beach with Bech's family and stay in both Brookhaven in Jackson, so lots of family time!

We flew into Jackson and hopped in the car the next day to spend a long weekend at the Beach Club in Gulf Shores, Alabama.  Bech was able to come last minute so he flew into NOLA and drove over with his brother.  

Which means I flew by myself with both boys.  It was as bad as it sounds.  Actually, it really wasn't, but it definitely wasn't a fun experience.

We all had the best time at the beach!  Gil is a big beach fan, and Jack prefers the pool (mostly because he can practice his swim skills!).  They went to bed completely wiped out every night.

And of course they loved getting lots of time with grandparents, aunts, and uncles.

When we got back to Jackson, we spent the rest of the time back in forth between it and Brookhaven.

This is the first snow cone that has been only for Gil.  He only ate half of it (is he even my child???), but he sure is cute here.

Jack on the other hand ate his in 5 seconds then begged for some of mine.

Also that is an old soccer jersey from a team my brother coached.  Also known as Jack's favorite new shirt.  Forget designer duds, just give him jerseys.

Jack's favorite Brookhaven tradition is making donuts with my grandmother.  It's my great-grandmother's recipe, and my Nana has been making them for us since as long as I can remember.

One of my favorite Brookhaven traditions is spending as much time as possible on the front porch, at least when it's cool enough.  My parents live in a victorian house built in 1904 that has a large porch out front.  I drank coffee there every morning while the boys ran around.  And on this night, mom and I made drinks and listened to Anne Bogel's What Should I Read Next podcast (obsessed much?).

We were even able to visit with some cousins who drove in for the day.  Tricia and I both think Millie and Gil look alike, so it was fun to have them side by side!

Doc (my dad) took us all to a Mississippi Brave's game one night.

It was SO hot, but these boys loved it!  Gil would pump his arms up and down or clap every time something good happened in the game.  And Jack was so serious about it all.

I drove up one day to meet my bed friend Courtney, her husband, and her son for lunch at the Council House Cafe (where I had the best BLT of my life).  I loved getting to meet Baby Matthew for the first time!

I love this picture.  Just a snapshot of Gil trailing after my Nana while she waters the plants.  I was lucky enough to have a great grandmother until I was 14, and I love that my Nana and Papa are able to be a big part of my little boys' lives!

Jackson, MS, has the BEST children's museum.  Seriously, it's right up there with The Magic House in St. Louis.  We were able to go there our last day (our flight was late afternoon).

The museum had a visiting Thomas exhibit.  Jack loved it, and I was hoping we were rekindling our Thomas obsession.  So far, he hasn't pulled out the trains since getting home...Oh well, there's always Gil!

We had a quintessential last day in Jackson: Children's Museum, lunch at Beagle Bagle with Uncle Hunter and Nina (Bech's mom), and then popsicles at Deep South Pops with Uncle Blaise and Bella (my mom).  And when you are an extremely messy little boy, you have to eat your popsicle shirtless!

It was a great trip and we are already missing our family!  But we have over a month left of summer, so time to tackle our Vermont summer bucket list!

5 on Friday

This week has been crazy!  I have been tutoring a bunch in the afternoon and night, and next week, I will be tutoring even more.  But I love teaching, so it's a good crazy.

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For Mother's Day, we picked up some fresh herbs at our CSA and the local farmer's market as my gift.  I am growing basil, thyme, rosemary, parsley, and sun gold tomatoes.

I feel a little like Mary from A Secret Garden when she says, "Might I have a bit of earth?"  It's been several years since I grew herbs and I am loving it.  Every morning, I water my little plants and check for any new growth.

See, aren't my little plants nice looking?

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You might notice the basil in particular.  That plant is growing like crazy, and I am trying to find creative uses for it.

Yes, I know I can make pesto.  But here's the thing, we are going to get a ton of basil from our CSA this year.  I am going to be making and freezing batches of pesto all summer (I freeze pesto in a silicone mini-muffin pan and then pop the pesto out and store it in a ziplock bag in the freezer).  

Pinterest was somewhat helpful in this department (although at least half of the pins that popped up were pesto related).  Here's what we've eaten this week:

Zucchini Noodles with Creamy Avocado Pesto

Head's up, this doesn't make a ton (I didn't realize it when I made it).  Plus, it really should be a side to something else.  But it was yummy and a good excuse to buy a cheap spiralizer off of Amazon.

Basil Chimichurri

The recipe suggests serving this on a flank steak, which would have been yummy.  I cooked chicken in a cast iron pan, drizzled the chimichurri on top, and served it alongside roasted broccoli.   Bech and I were both fans, although I think it needed a little lemon zest.

Salmon with Avocado and Basil

This might be my favorite of the three!  I have always been scared of cooking fish.  For a while, I didn't like the taste, and then, even after I started liking the taste, I just was so unsure about my fish cooking skills.  But when I did the Focus T25 5 day fast track plan (just a 5 day meal plan you can use), fish was on the menu so I actually had to cook it.

The past month, I have been cooking fish a couple of times a week, and every time it has turned out really good.  In fact, that's what we are eating tonight.  I used the cooking tips in the recipe and the meal turned out really good!

Any amazing basil recipes to share?  As soon as tomatoes come in season here, I will be making lots of caprese, but I would love some more options!

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The children's church curriculum moves through the bible over the course of 3 years.  Right now, the kids just learned about David and Goliath.  Jack is obsessed with slingshots so Bech made him one.

If you know my husband at all, you know this is just how he is.  If he can build something himself, he will and it will be beautiful.  So Jack is the proud owner of his very own slingshot!

We took it to a nearby park to test it out (and not break any windows!).

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We had a great Memorial Day weekend here.  We went to several different parks and spent lots of time outdoors.  Our church had a cookout on Saturday at our favorite local park, Oakledge.  We love Oakledge Park because there is so much to do there!  The park has a playground area, lots of trees, an actual tree house, tennis courts (not that we use them), tons of green space, and it's on the water!  Jack even got in Lake Champlain this past weekend.

Gil LOVES music so he didn't stray too far from the guitar player.  

Also, those curls!

This picture just melts me.  I would love to say that it's an anomaly, that Jack really still looks like a little boy.  But, nope, it's pretty accurate.  Jack totally looks like a big kid!  And the older he gets, the more he looks like Bech.

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I mentioned two weeks ago that I wanted to get some pillows for our couch.  Well my latest ebates check came in so I went for it!  (which is a miracle in and of itself...I can be SO indecisive about purchases!) 

Ignore the bike in the background and the big cardboard box from Target.  What do you think?  

I love the bright colors.  For so long I had everything in brown tones, but I needed some color!  And I think the gray couch keeps it from being too crazy.

Alright, that's what is going on around here.  We have a fairly calm weekend planned--I'm babysitting for a friend tonight (babysit swapping is the way to go), Jack has his last swim lesson tomorrow, and we might hit up the farmer's market.  Nothing too big, but I'm sure we will be outside a bunch.

Have a wonderful weekend!

5 on Friday

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A little over a month ago, I won a Tula baby carrier in a raffle!

I have actually been interested in a Tula for a while.  A good friend has one and she loves it.  But I have an ergo (an older one but still in great condition) and couldn't really justify that amount. 

But then I won...so a brand new Tula for $12!

I got to pick my pattern and I went with the Shenandoah.  

Y'all, I am loving this carrier.  I am still glad I have my ergo, because I think it's better with smaller babies.  But this carrier is perfect for Gil.  It feels better on my back and it's easier to put on by myself.  I am officially a Tula fan!

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We made it all the way through the winter without any major sickness and then Jack got sick this week.  He just had a slight fever and was sort of mopey on Tuesday, so nothing big.

When Jack takes a nap during the day, you know he's not feeling well!

By Wednesday he was fine, but he hadn't been fever free for long enough, so we had another quiet day at home.  He enjoyed playing out back in his (Christmas) pjs.  Also, those pjs were a splurge and a bit more than I usually spend on pjs (which is not saying much because I'm a total cheapo).  We have gotten every penny worth from them.  Jack loves these pajamas SO much.

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Bech was home yesterday so I used the extra help and got some sewing done!

I have had this fabric since last fall and finally made some throw pillows.  I made two, but only had the insert on hand for one.  But I've got a craft store coupon so I'll grab another one this weekend.

I want to add some more pillows to our couch to go with this fabric.

I'm loving this one from Target.

Here's another fun option.

I just love the look of a gray couch (which we have) with lots of fun throw pillows in bright colors, like this:

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I also worked on some shorts for Gil.  Gil has an absurd amount of smocked bubbles and jon jons for the summer.  But Gil is SO messy when he's outside so I knew I needed some play clothes for the summer too.  I wanted something cheap (so I wouldn't be too upset when he got them dirty) but still cute.  I bought some fabric at the Cotton Patch in Bogue Chitto two years ago to make shorts for Jack and never got around to it.  So I pulled the fabric out and picked up some cheap striped shirts at Target.

Here he is modeling one of his new pair of shorts.  Also, that's the face he made when I told him I wanted to take a picture.  He's a cheeseball!

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We have a busy and fun weekend planned.  When the weather finally gets nice up here, life gets busy!  It's like we've all been bears, hibernating through the winter, and now we are just so excited to be outside and with other people again!

This afternoon, I'm going over to a friends house for a mom "happy hour."  We are drinking wine and cider and letting our kids run around their yard.  Perfection!

Tomorrow we have swim lessons, Jack's best school friends' birthday party (oh fine, she's his girlfriend, at least that's what they say), and then Saturday night is a cookout at a friends.  

On Sundays, we don't have church until 3 p.m. (the perks of being a church plant!), so I'm sure we will be at a park that morning!

Have a wonderful weekend!

Gil at 18 months

Yes, Gil is now almost 20 months.  I wanted to do this several weeks ago after his check up, but I didn't have great pics of him on the real camera.  Today I realized that who knows when I will actually take those pictures, so I will just use what I have!

swinging at Oakledge Park in late September

I love this little jacket.  Katy gave it to Jack when he was a baby.

October

At 15 months Gil was 21 lbs 4 oz (24%) and 31 1/2 inches (52%).  At 18 months (well really 19), Gil was 22 lbs 8 oz (22%) and 33 inches (58%).  He's still on the smaller size, but he's jumped up since that 5% at a year. 

picking pumpkins at Sam Mazzas, October

Gil found the coffee grinds in the trash, October

When he wears disposables, he can still fit in a 3 but you are almost in a 4.  He wears mostly 12 to 18 month clothes, but he has started wearing a couple of 18 to 24 month outfits.  They're a little big but they work.  And he has a few 12 month outfits that fit.  He wears a size 5 shoe.

At about 16 months, he dropped his morning nap.  He usually goes down for a nap at noon and will sleep anywhere from 1 1/2 to 2 1/2 hours (with random 3 hour naps every now and then).  He goes to bed at 7 and wakes up at 6 or 6:30.  He is still in the crib, but he has started climbing out.  I am hoping to make it until 2 with him in the crib, but we will see!

Gil as Hedwig, October

Gil is a big remote fan and used to regularly hide them, November

He is CONSTANTLY on the go.  I like to say that Gil hasn't figured out that he's still a baby.  In fact, we all say that to him a lot at home: "Gil, you're still a baby!"  He sits at the table, he drinks out of real cups sometimes, he wants to do EVERYthing big brother does.  He will only play with duplo legos if Jack is doing it.  He will climb everything.

opening presents in Brookhaven, December

modeling Baby Gap, December

He loves building things, just like his brother.  He also loves anything kitchen related.  I think I may get him a toy kitchen for his birthday.  He loves to play with our Melissa and Doug play food sets and with any spoons or bowls that he can get to in our kitchen.  And other than that, he really just wants to play with whatever brother is into.  Oh, and he loves to get into the trash and recycling.  Seriously.  It's a problem.

smiles for Ole Miss recruiting day, February

enjoying some warm weather at Dorset Park, March

It was about this time that Jack became obsessed with Thomas the train.  He hasn't really shown any leanings like that.  He does love his blanket and will carry it around like Linus.  And he loves his pacifier.  Jack used his until 23 months (because we took a trip to San Diego then and I wanted it for the plane ride).  We are flying to MS in August, so I think I will do the same, let Gil keep his paci for one last trip and then cut him off cold turkey.

Gil's first hushpuppy (he's a fan!), March

first Easter egg hunt, also a fan, March

Gil has such a different temperament than Jack.  Jack is just really chill.  He's super energetic, but emotion wise he's pretty easy.  Gil on the other hand is all over the place.  If he is happy, he is SO happy.  Oh, but if he's mad, watch out!  At least 2/3 of naps, he wakes up pretty grumpy from.  He will cry for at least 30 minutes, throwing himself on the floor.  Sometimes, he will beat his head on the floor (don't worry, I told my pediatrician, and he's not worried).  I think some of that is because he can't tell us what he wants and so he gets really frustrated.

celebrating free cone day, at home, April

playing like a big kid at Clemyjontri park, April

But he's also pretty compliant and obedient.  Let's hope that sticks!  He is very much a family kid, and it takes him a long time to warm up to others.  He loves loves loves cuddling, which melts my heart.

I just love this outfit, April

He's still not really talking.  He has said "mama" and "dada" and "jack," but he doesn't say them on a regular basis.  He does say "hot" and "more."  He also signs alot: milk, more, please, thank you, eat, brush teeth, take a bath, sorry, go to sleep, all done.

He's had a pretty healthy winter.  He had a cold and a little cough and then he had roseola.  His liver seems to be fine though, so that's good.  He does have pretty bad eczema.  We have learned how to be proactive with the steroid creme and the aquaphor.  It is already looking better in this warm weather, so I am thankful for that!

At the pottery coop potluck at UVM, May

Oh, Gilly man.  You are a mess, but you are our little mess!  We love you and we are so thankful you are ours.