Thanksgiving...a week later

Has it really been a week since Thanksgiving? I suppose it has, and it seems like it was just yesterday.

This year I put my best attempt forward at making the entire Thanksgiving dinner by myself, minus the rolls that my mom so thoughtfully made and carried on the plane with her. Thanks, mom! But, aside from the rolls, I did the whole shebang. I was about to comment about how pathetic I am for never having cooked an entire Thanksgiving dinner on my own, but then it dawned on me, that NOPE, that's not pathetic at all, that just means I've always had it with other people. But somehow, this year we were about to have a solo Thanksgiving, we're so cool! So, to avoid that lameness, I bribed my parents with my companion pass if they'd come out and visit us. My companion pass, a yummy Thanksgiving dinner, and a cute grandson to play with all they wanted..

My bribe worked.

With Thanksgiving out of the way, we ventured out to explore a few things in the city that we've yet to see, and yes, if you're wondering, my parents came with a list. They didn't want to get bored! :)

Martin Nature Reserve Park...

The Centennial Land Run Monument...

 Not part of the planned weekend, this little one getting his first tooth...

 We even ventured into the Stockyards for some tasty food at Cattleman's...

And, we even made time to go through the OKC Bombing Museum, which was really incredible, but oh so sad. Why are there so many lame people in this world?

Thanks mom and dad for coming to visit, you're welcome here anytime you'd like, especially when you demand your grandson from me in the morning so I can sleep in. Yes, come back anytime you'd like.

 

We love you! Xoxo

Getaway

We ventured over to St. Louis this past weekend, a little visit to our new stomping ground if you will. We wanted to see what we were getting ourselves into, and had high hopes that a visit to STL would make us all the more excited for our move next year. It did. Even if we cut our four day trip down to two. Don't let that fool you and make you believe we aren't excited for the road ahead. We had fun, but, after one day in the city, we realized we saw what we came to see, and decided we rather sleep in our own bed then spend another night in a hotel room. Preston agreed. So, yes, the day we arrived in the city, we turned around and headed right back home a few hours later. But it was worth the fourteen hours in the car. Most definitely.

We now know that our options consist of whether or not we want to live in the middle of corn fields, OR the city. And for some reason this is becoming a tricky question, although, I can't really figure out why since I'm a city girl through and through. Oh yes, I'm not the one who would have a long commute every day. I suppose these things need to be considered when finding a place to live. Corn fields or the city? Corn fields or the city? First world problems right here. Also, why do Air Force Bases, or any base for that matter, always have to be in the middle of nowhere, or the ghetto?!?!

In other news, in case you ever run into the same problem pricelining a hotel, like say you book your hotel in the wrong state, or, decide you want to cut your vacation short, rest assured, you CAN indeed cancel your hotel reservations, even if they say over and over again you can't. You can. I did.  Three hotel rooms booked. Three hotel rooms cancelled. So much for planning ahead. It's so much easy to fly by the seat of your pants instead.

Our Daily

This pretty much sums of PJ as of late:

Full of giggles...


And our little chatter box...

This little boy cracks me up, and I have a feeling the fun is just beginning.

Nutella Popcorn

This popcorn is made way too often in this household. I came up with this recipe a few months back, and, well, we're a little obsessed now. We try to limit how often we make it around here, but sometimes we just can't help ourselves. Naturally, it's eaten during stressful times, namely the presidential debates as of lately. So, of course, while we're sitting in front of the TV watching the votes come in, we're eating a little bit of heaven to ease our anxiety over this race for the White House.

If you're in need of a quick fix to curb your anxiety, too, try it out. 

I give you,  

Nutella Popcorn:

Ingredients:
2 bags popped popcorn
1 bag mini marshmellows
1/2 a stick of butter
1 cup nutella
1 cup butterscotch chips

Directions:
Pop popcorn and place in large bowl. Melt 1/2 stick butter with 1 bag of mini marshmallows. Once melted, add 1 cup of nutella and stir until fully incorporated into marshmallow mixture. Pour over popcorn and gently mix until nutella mixture covers popcorn, add butterscotch chips and mix. Enjoy

Side Note: This popcorn is also good if you replace the nutella with peanut butter, and the butterscotch chips with chocolate chips. But, in this household, the nutella concoction wins our vote every time.

I never said this was healthy, but it's SO worth the indulgence, promise!

Warning: This popcorn is addicting.

Half a Year

This little boy, this cute, chubby, happy little boy is six months old today. Yes, six! Half a year old already. It seems like just yesterday we were driving home from the hospital with him in the back seat, screaming the entire way. It was a long 10 minutes. I'm glad we're not doing that all over again. Little did we know, he was just preparing us for what the next three or four months would be like.  Crying, crying, and more crying.

But, here we are, six months later, and we survived the colic, the short naps, the constant need for bouncing, and all of the other hectiness that comes with a new baby and being first time parents. Yes, we survived, and I'd like to think we survived with flying colors. Flying I tell you.

This little boy has given us a run for our money, and I fear the "fun" has just begun. From the day he was born hes set the rule around here. He's stubborn, demanding at times, the most attentive little kid, and, if he doesn't want to do something, don't even think about making him do it, like napping. When the boy wants to nap, the boy is going to nap, but don't you dare think he's going to do it a second sooner.

He's full of personality that little one is, and I just love seeing him learn and grow every single day. Being a mom is kind of fabulous.

At six months old this little boy:
Talks up a storm.
Loves food of all kinds...are we surprised by this one? Just look at his thighs.
Sleeps  from 6:30ish-5:30ish, wakes up to eat, and falls back to sleep until 8.
Scoots around, mostly in circles.
Loves sticking out his tongue.
Loves laughing
Sits up like a champ.
Smiles whenever I walk into the room. He's a momma's boy in the making and I love it.
Loves to put any and everything in his mouth.
Loves being around other kids.
Takes two naps a day, a 45 minute morning nap, and an afternoon nap that can be anywhere from 45 minutes to three hours. We never know what we're going to get, but when we get those 3 hour naps, it's a little of heaven to my day.

I'm not sure how we lucked out with this little boy, but he sure makes us happy around here, and is always making us laugh. Six months into this whole parenting thing, and I think I'll keep the job, I kind of like it, and him for that matter.

Meet Me in St. Louis, Louis*

Three years ago I knew that coming to Oklahoma was only temporary. In fact, I wasn't too keen on coming here at all, but I knew my soon to be husband would be worth the less than ideal location, and anything is possible for a few years, right? Now, three years later, and of course I'm swallowing my words, and, dare I say, I'm getting sad thinking about leaving? Funny how that always happens.

After all, Oklahoma is where my new life as a married woman began.

It's where we owned our first home.

It's where I met some of my dearest friends.

And, it will always be a place I look back on with fondness, because it's where our little family began.

How can we not love Oklahoma just a little bit?

We're down to six months left of being Oklahomans. Six months. Half a year. And then we're gone. I'm having a hard time believing the end is really in sight.

And where would we be going after our Oklahoma adventure is over? That remained a mystery. For months and months that remained a mystery, as we sat and patiently waited for the Air Force to tell us our new destiny.

Well, as of Friday, the wait was finally over, and we were given our orders for where we'd be headed for twelve short months.

I don't know if it was shock, the fact that it was our 9th choice, or the fact that I thought for sure we'd be heading to the east coast in six more months, but on Friday afternoon, when John and I read where we'd be headed, I had to hold back the tears. We're going WHERE, is all I could say. Tell me this is a joke?! To say I was disappointed would be putting it lightly. And ok, maybe I cried...just a little. I was so sad. I had been dreaming of going back to the east coast since we put our requests in, and I had high high hopes that our second, or third, or fourth choice would have been honored. D.C. needed a Candrian back in it's presence, right?

Wrong.

Instead, St. Louis is where we'll be calling home for twelve months, until we're shipped off somewhere else for four years. Our fingers are crossed it's across the Atlantic!

Three days after finding out where we'll soon be calling home, and the anger and tears have thankfully disappeared and been replaced with excitement for the new adventure that lie ahead. I mean, this DOES look kind of pretty, right?

Sure it wasn't one of our top choices, and let's be honest, we're ready to be out of the mid-west, but we have no doubt this is where we're supposed to go, and good things will be in store for us. If nothing else, John got into the AEGD program he was hoping to get into, and that's all we were hoping for anyway, awesome location or not. So, whose to say St. Louis isn't an awesome location except me? After all, at least I'll have a Costco and Trader Joe's close by, and that's enough to be excited about right there. Not to mention there is a temple close by, direct flights to SLC, and professional sports teams to enjoy, that are apparently a religion around there, so they may not love that we're Giants fans. But that's neither here nor there. The few people I've talked to have done nothing but praise this city, and it makes me think, just maybe we're going to enjoy it after all.

Twelve months. One year. Starting August 2013, St. Louis, here we come!

* What's with me moving to places with musicals named after them? Meet me in St. Louis, anyone?