Six on Saturday

Whoops...time got away from me yesterday and I forgot my weekly Five on Friday. This week, to make up for it, I have a special post ...Six on Saturday. Here are six randoms happening with our family right now. 

One. 

My dad and his wife came to visit last week and left on Tuesday. We had a great time. It was their first visit to South Dakota and their first time meeting Jack. We got to spend some time together, they got to see the Black Hills, and I think we all had a really good visit. 

Two. 

Two days after my dad left, Aaron's parents came for a short visit. Their visit wasn't so much a trip to see us, but more of a "we need to find a place to rent so we can move out here at the end of then month" visit. I cannot believe we are going to have family living near us in a few weeks! This will be the first time in six years we'll have family closer to us than a 6 hour drive. It will be so nice. I am excited for Jack to grow up knowing his grandparents and getting to spend time with them. I think that's so important and I am thrilled they want to be such a big part of his life. Of our lives.

Three. 

Thursday we went to Summer Nights to visit Aaron. I know I've said it before, but I love Downtown Rapid City. I think they do such a good job of coordinating events and making it a great place to spend time with family and friends. This week they had the Budweiser Clydesdales so we checked them out. Those are some fancy, pampered horses! They even brought the Dalmatian from the commercials...so cute. 

Four. 

This Friday we have Jack's 9 month check up. Poor guy will be getting some more shots, but I'm excited to find out how much he weighs and how much taller he's gotten! He feels incredibly heavy and it will be nice to put a number to his weight! Since his last visit he's started crawling, standing, cruising, eating solids, and has gotten 3 teeth. Can't wait to show him off to the doctor and nurses!

Five. 

It's August now. That means I only have a few more weeks of summer left. Three to be exact. 18 days. That also means I am knee deep in textbooks and Pinteresting my little heart out for classroom ideas. I've been putting off working in my room and haven't really touched it much since June. I'm heading in there tomorrow, though, to unpack a few more boxes and straighten up a bit more. I'm. Not. Ready. 

Six. 

Aaron and I get to celebrate our six year anniversary next Saturday. Can't believe we've been married for six years and together for five before that. Lots to celebrate and be thankful for this year, so we'll have to plan something special for the evening. 

Right Now

I'm watching Masters of Sex. Such a great show!

I'm eating Veggie Straws. These things are the best guilt-free snack!

I'm reading Insurgent. Gotta finish the Divergent series before the summer ends. 

I'm wearing Champion athletic shorts from Target. Every. Day. They are so comfy!

I'm wishing it wasn't the end of July already! I can't believe my summer is nearly over. 

Jack's playing with his activity table like crazy. He loves that thing!

Jack's top teeth are coming in. He looks so darn cute. 

Jack's eating cheese, spaghetti, peaches, rice, and just about every flavor of Plum's food pouches. 

Jack's wearing cute little onesies from Carter's just about every day and they look adorable on him. 

Jack's enjoying bath time immensely. He loves to splash and play with his rubber duckies. He also has a set of water bugs that he loves to play with. 

Aaron's really busy at work. 

Aaron's enjoying having a lawn to cut on the weekends. 

Aaron's favorite meal is one of my recipes from Pinterest - my zesty baked wings. He even said they are as good as any wing he can get at BWW, which is saying a lot!

Aaron's parents are coming to visit today. Yay!

Five on Friday

This week I decided to do a little something different. Here's an "About Me" take on the usual Five on Friday.

One.
I'm originally from Michigan but moved to South Carolina in the first grade. I love, love, love the South. The history, the food, the warm winter weather. Buuuuut, I moved to the Midwest nine years ago and the Black Hills six years ago, and I am officially a fan. Never in a million years could I have imagined living in South Dakota, but here I am. People ask all the time how I ended up here, so here's the short version of that story: I met my hubs while we were working together in Columbia. About a year and a half later, he got accepted to the University of South Dakota School of Law and we decided to move. After graduation, he accepted a job in Rapid City and we moved here in 2008. So here we are, the three of us now, building our own lives in this still-somewhat-new city that we now call home. 

Two.
I am an avid reader and a book-buying addict. I have hundreds of books, many of which I haven't read yet. I have piles of books all over the house, all on a never-ending waiting list. One of my favorite books is To Kill a Mockingbird. The first book I read in its entirety in just one day was The Client; I stayed in bed all day on a Saturday when I was in middle school. I love the Harry Potter series so much and I try to read the series during my Christmas break every year. Harry Potter introduced me to the YA genre, which I love. I am a fan of Twilight (as horrible as the writing is), The Hunger Games, and the Divergent series. I am currently reading The Silkworm, by Robert Galbraith (aka J K Rowling).

Three.
I love to cook and there are fewer things I find more relaxing. I cook almost every night and I'm usually doing so with a nice glass of red wine. I constantly scroll through Pinterest to find new recipes and am ecstatic when I try one and it actually turns out as good as the blog promises. I cook a mean filet mignon, I can bake some pretty amazing chocolate chip cookies, and I love to use my Crock Pot to make a really delicious pot roast. In my opinion, which may be different from the hubs', the best thing I cook is a panko-crusted parmesan chicken from Martha Stewart. I top it with a Dijon butter sauce and usually pair it with twice baked potatoes. Come to think of it, it's been a really long time since I've made that; I'll have to add it to the menu pretty soon.

Four.
I am a second grade teacher and I love my job. Absolutely love it. It's hard, the paychecks aren't big, and I invest a lot of my own time and money into it, but I can't see myself doing anything else ever. This will be my first year teaching second grade, as I've taught first grade for the last few years. I am starting at a new school this year, so add to that the new grade and the usual new school year jitters - I am nervous! I really like the people I've met at my new school, though, and I think it will be a good change. One perk I'll enjoy this year is that it's only a five minute drive from our house (10 minutes if I stop at Starbucks first).

Five.

Being a mother is my calling. It's all I've ever wanted to be and it's everything I expected it to be, and more. I always thought I wanted a little girl so I could buy the frilly dresses and the tutus and the hair bows. In fact, I actually cried when I found out we were NOT having a girl (talk about awkward...that doctor was really squirming). But, I love. Love. My son. I cannot imagine being a mother to any other child. I love his smiles, his laughter, his squeals of delight. I love his cries and his screams of frustration. I love that he loves to roughhouse (as much as you can roughhouse with a 9 month old, anyway). I love it all. Would I like a little girl one day? Maybe. But in all honesty, what would give me the most joy is to have two little boys playing together in the backyard, building forts, digging for worms, terrorizing each other (and their parents). Maybe one day...

Stop Bragging About Your Kids

Really. Stop it. You know why? Because they know. Because I bragged about mine yesterday and do you want to know what happened? He clearly overheard and decided he was going to teach me a little lesson. That I was getting too comfortable with this motherhood thing. It went a little something like this:

Just before dinner, while talking on the phone-

Me: "Jack is doing so great with teething. I mean, he gets a little cranky during the day but he hasn't woken up during the night at all!"

Mother in Law: "I believe it. You've got such a sweet boy!" 

Me: "I do. He's the best! We're so lucky!" 

11 pm, just as I climb into bed and turn off the light-

Jack: "waaaaaaahhhhhhhhhhh!"

4:09 am, not a creature was stirring, except for-

Jack: "WAAAAAAHHHHHHHH!!!!!!!!!!!!!!"

You see, this is not the first time he has done this. In fact, I remember the last time I spoke to someone about how well Jack had been sleeping and how he hadn't woken during the night in months. What did he do THAT VERY NIGHT? Why, he woke up in the middle of it, of course. It's almost as if he knows that I'm on the brink of feeling like I've got a handle on everything; like I finally have it all figured out. And then he feels the need to show me just who is in charge here, and that indeed, I have nothing figured out. Absolutely nothing. 

So, as this has become a trend in the last 8 months, I can only imagine how the rest of our time together will go. I imagine it being something a little like this:

Me: "That Jack, he sure does love soccer. He's so talented and we sure do enjoy watching him play."

Jack: "Mom, I hate soccer. I want to play hockey."

Me: "I just love that girl Jack has been dating. She's such a sweetheart."
Jack: "Mom, I broke up with my girlfriend."

Me: "I'm so glad I have another Broncos fan in the house. I love watching the games on TV with Jack!"
Jack: "I like the Seahawks now."

And so on and so forth. This kid certainly keeps me on my toes, there's no doubt about that! So, until the next time he decides to turn the tables on me, I'll just enjoy these sweet moments and hope he doesn't decide he's not a cuddler any time soon.

 

Our Week in Pictures

Day One: good  morning!

Playtime

The first of many this week

Jack LOVES to chase the cats. The cats do not love it.

Loudest toy ever.

Jack loves to snuggle and watch the Today Show with me

Daredevil Jack, balancing on the very unsteady bouncer

Watching mommy get ready

Off to daycare after a battle to get him in the car seat

Bath time!

A story before bedtime

Day Two: playing while mom wakes up with the help of Matt and Savannah

Morning snuggles

This is my "I only napped for 30 minutes and mom thought she'd be able to take a shower AND dry her hair" face

Off to Target!

Never thought I'd be cool with him chewing on a Coach purse, but whatever keeps him quiet...

Trying to decide on this hat. I think it's a "no."

Mmmm, peas and brown rice

I had time to cook lunch! Yum, shrimp!

Jack stopping to watch Penny on the Big Bang Theory

Day Three: let's start by climbing on mommy

Daycare supplies

Spa certificate is ready to go

Snuggle time before we leave

"Wait, wait, wait, lemme show you this before we go"

Jack's at daycare and I'm going to read in bed!

 

I had a lovely massage, a relaxing afternoon, and now Jack's back and we're going to play hide-and-seek!

Banging toys on the wood floor

Almost night-night time

Time for bed

Day Four: dressed and ready

Second outing to Target this week

Our Citrus Lane box arrived with some really cool stuff!

Post-nap bed head

Summer Nights

Dining al fresco

Hangin with Aunt Amanda

 This is what you get at 7:45 when you feed your baby ice cream for the first time

Day Five: woke up in a great mood...ready for Daddy to come home!

Came down with a fever and wasn't really feeling up for being outside, but Mom thought it was a good idea since we had been cooped up inside all week!





 



Five on Friday

Thank goodness this week is over and I'll have my husband back tonight! Here are my five for the week:

One.
See above. Aaron comes back from Denver today. Hooray! Being a lawyer rarely takes him out of town on business, so I'm thankful I don't have to get used to trips like these. As most of you single mommas and mommas with husbands that go on out-of-town business trips know, taking care of a little one (not to mention multiple little ones) is NOT easy. Jack and I are both glad to have him back, although he'll be leaving again next week for an overnight trip to Pierre. I'm hoping that's the last trip he'll have to make for a while.

Two.
In the meantime, I have been keeping my eyes and ears open for things to do this weekend. There are a few things going on in the hills, including Spearfish's Festival in the Park. They'll have food and art vendors, children's activities, and live music. It's supposed to be a beautiful weekend, although Sunday is supposed to be H-O-T and humid at 96 degrees (yes, it gets that warm here in South Dakota), so if we go I think Saturday would be our best bet. Aaron and I have also been itching to go to Custer and try the burgers at Black Hills Burger and Bun. TripAdvisor recently awarded them as having the best burger in America. That's right, little old Custer, South Dakota is home to the best burger in America! Apparently, their Hot Granny is to die for, with jalapenos, cream cheese, and a sweet and spicy jalapeno sauce atop a beefy burger patty on a homemade bun. (I am in no way affiliated with Black Hills Burger and Bun and have not been compensated for an endorsement.) I am drooling as I type this and I'm anxious to give it a whirl. This is one of the reasons I love the hills; there are so many cool places and things to do that not only South Dakotans can appreciate, but visitors, as well. Do I enjoy being what I call "landlocked" (as in, 5 1/2 to 6 hours away from a major city)? No, but there so many things to see and do in the small towns around us, as well as in Rapid City, that it ALMOST makes up for it. Almost.

Three.
Next weekend my dad will be here with his wife. They have never been to the Black Hills before and have yet to meet Jack, so I'm anxious to show them around and spend some time relaxing and visiting with them.

Four.
Last night Jack and I hit up Summer Nights. I love that each and every Thursday we have a music festival downtown. When the weather is nice, a couple thousand people show up to meander around Main Street while listening to music, watching their kids play in bouncy castles, eating food truck delicacies, and sipping on an adult beverage or two. It's a nice way to get out of the house, meet up with friends, and enjoy the summer weather. Last night we met up with Amanda and Karissa, listened to an incredibly strange band, and grabbed ice cream from the sweet little ice cream place that just opened up. I chose Pistachio and was not disappointed...it was wonderful! I even shared a few bites with Jack, who (surprise!) loved it. I was okay with giving him a little taste, that is until we got home and he was still awake at 8 o'clock. That little stinker!

Five.
I suppose it's time I slowly begin to ease myself back into the professional world. I've had a pile of math and writing materials to read through that have been sitting on my nightstand all summer. I think it's about time to crack those babies open and start reading through them. I'm starting a little earlier than usual, but because I'll be teaching second grade next year instead of first, I have brand new standards and curriculum to learn. I'm still not ready to jump back into it, so I'll ease my way in, one toe at a time.

And there you have it, my Five for the week. I've been taking pictures of me and my cutie patootie and what we've been doing all week, so I'll be back tomorrow to share our week in pictures.