Oh Hi!

Good morning, everyone! We went on a vacation to Clearwater, FL last week, and I can’t wait to share all about it. In this post I’ll be recapping our general travels and everything that all encompassed with our 11 month old, Quinn. I’ll also chat about our first evening in the Sunshine State and share some yummy food!

The night before we left we soaked up our time with Moose. He was going to be safe and happy at his Aunt Marie’s, but this would be the longest we had ever been away from him. It ended up being really tough for all of us! Even Quinn woke up the first morning and giggled when she thought she saw Moose at the end of our bed- but it was just a suitcase :(. Needless to say, being reunited with Moose was a huge highlight returning from this wonderful trip ☺️.

Gigi and Gordie graciously offered to take us to the airport at the wee hours of the morning. We left the house around 530 AM. Packing for this trip took extra organization and planning given we were away for six nights, and we were flying.

I tried not to overpack and planned out most days’ outfits for both me and Quinn. I usually just throw everything in a suitcase under the weight limit and call it a day, but not this time. It was nice traveling somewhere warm since we didn’t have a lot of bulky items to pack, minus a go-to sweatshirt for cooler evenings.

The big question mark going into this trip was how to travel with breast milk. Each airline has a policy, so I looked up the one we’d be flying and followed accordingly. I found this cooler, packed it with two big ice packs and put the breast milk in. I packed about 20 oz that I pumped specifically extra for this trip (about 1-2 oz a day for the last few weeks). The cooler worked just well enough for our 11ish hour travel day, but the milk was just starting to defrost by the time I took it out. If you get this cooler, make sure you use some good ice packs and multiple of them!

We ended up packing two suitcases, the cooler and had a carry-on mini suitcase. The carry-on contained extra outfits, shoes, toys, bathing suits and essentials in case luggage got lost/delayed.

Also! Some airlines don’t consider a diaper bag a carry on, so that was nice!

First things first. You can guess what that is! While at Starbucks, I grabbed a fruit pouch for Quinn along with an oatmeal. She wanted nothing to do with the oatmeal but slurped down the fruit pouch.

She conked back out before our first leg of the trip, so we just did circles on foot around the Cleveland airport until it was time to board. We boarded last to give her as much time to sleep as possible.

And here we go!!!

After her nap, she had a LOT of energy for the first two hour stretch of the flight. We were already exhausted by the time of our layover 😅. We brought along some toys for the airplane. This little window spinner worked for about 2 minutes 🤪. Nothing occupied this girl more than the back safety inserts in the plane and a plastic water bottle.

We were nervous the loud, rumbling take off would scare her, but she was all smiles as the plane started moving and gliding into the air.

She slept the second leg of the trip which was much more chill and allowed me time to watch the Love Is Blind finale!

We landed, got our luggage and headed out to our rental without a hitch….until we encountered our biggest foe of the entire trip. Dun-dun-dunnnnnn. I thought assembling the stroller was one of the greatest challenges our marriage had faced yet- but we hadn’t come face to face with a rental car seat! We saw all these other parents carrying their car seats through the airport, and we are 1000% doing that next time. It took us a good 40 mins to figure the foreign contraption installation out. I was also getting hangry which didn’t help the situation 🥴. Quinn was a trooper though – she barely fussed which helped tremendously in that somewhat stressful moment. DJ figured it out and turns out all my ideas were probably just delaying success with the darn thing 🤪.

Once we were on our way into Clearwater, we felt a huge sense of relief. There was bumper to bumper traffic for a festival, so the usual 30 minute drive took us a good hour.

But we made it!!!

We stayed at Sandpearl Resort. The service was wonderful, even before we got there. I called a couple weeks prior to the trip because I hoped to have meals delivered for Quinn from Little Spoon since I was worried there wouldn’t be enough for her to eat at restaurants that wasn’t loaded with dairy/sodium/etc. The hotel made it seem like it was absolutely no big deal, and they made sure we were all set and comfortable the minute we arrived. They also acted like it was no big deal storing my breast milk in their chef freezer. They promised it would be stored among the “best seafood and steaks around” 😄. I don’t know why but that statement made me giggle- just envisioning my milk next to a bunch of lobster, I suppose!

One of my favorite parts of the room is it had a Nespresso machine!! I was so WRONG about Nespresso! I think I just never tried the right pods for me- because the ones they had in the room I became quickly obsessed with. I am kicking myself for ever returning the one I had 🥲.

The views out our room were so peaceful. I don’t usually care much for a view on vacations- I figure you’ll be out and about in what you’d be seeing, so why pay extra to view it from afar? But waking up to this (which wasn’t even considered one of their rooms with a great view), may have opened my eyes quite literally to the bliss of a beautiful view. Basically the moral of the story is my mind was changed a lot on this trip, hah!

Back to Little Spoon- I’ve never tried this service out before but figured it’d be a good time to give it a go! They make organic, nutritious meals that are appropriate for baby led weaning and chock full of creativity and flavor (I actually usually finished Quinn’s meals when she didn’t- they were good!).

Here are the meals loaded into our fridge! I opted for 14 meals for the 6 night stay, and it was just the right amount. She finished her last meal the night before we left. We just took them heated up to restaurants with us or gave them to her in the room (the resort brought us up a high chair).

We also did an Instacart Order from a nearby grocery store to stock up on diapers/wipes, random snacks, Serenity Kids and other fruit/veggie pouches, teether crackers, almond yogurt, peanut butter, nut pod coffee creamer and sunscreen. We tried to avoid packing things we could just stock up on once we arrived, and that worked well!

We took turns getting ready for our dinner out and then hit the main drag in Clearwater on foot. I dressed Quinn in a dress from Cozumel from her Grammy and Grampy who were flying in that evening to join us for some of our vacation!

Practicing our waving 🥰.

Being on this main strip energized me immediately!! I love being out and about in any city we’re visiting. I had a moment of thinking “Wow, we’re actually doing it!! We’re on vacation with our girl!”. It felt like a fusion of our life of travel prior to Quinnie to our life with her. And it was the BEST of all worlds!! 🥰

Someone else didn’t quite feel as energized as their mom; Quinn decided it was an excellent time for a nap. I was relieved she fell asleep though- it was a long travel day & she was taking in a lot of newness!

We caught a glimpse of the festival happening – an easy target to spot given the Ferris wheel.

At the end of the main strip is a building that houses multiple restaurants and shops. On the rooftop was our destination: Marina Cantina.

This place was a whole vibe. From the live music under delicate string lights, to the tables with crystal clear views of the pier to the fantastic presentation of the dishes to the warm, amicable infectious mood of the patrons- it was the best kick-off to our vacation!

My mom and Pete arrived a little after us but just on time to get orders in. We started with their chips, salsa, queso and guac trio (naturally). I wanted to dive into that queso so badly- soon enough hopefully! A couple more weeks till we trial dairy again!

The salsa and guac I had was extra good. Fresh as all get out!

I brought Quinn a Little Spoon meal with beans, corn and chicken. I also gave her some of the yummy guac.

I ordered a virgin spicy margarita that was sooo tasty!

Quinn spending time with Grammy before the food arrived 🥰.

Time for more food!!! Get a load of this cornbread 😍

My mom and I split the ever so tasty Spanish octopus dish and the kale salad. I was craving something light and refreshing after a travel day, and this meal hit the spot! (Still, no Spanish octopus compares to what I had at Marco Prime).

Three generations 🥰.

Taking full advantage of having family around to take family pics!

After dinner, we were all ready to turn in after the long, yet beautiful, day.

Once Quinn was asleep I quietly unpacked/organized everything: I felt wired and didn’t love the idea of going to sleep with our suitcases exploded everywhere. I don’t usually unpack for short trips, but I definitely do for the ones that are closer to a week. I finally slipped into bed around 10 pm, giddy thinking about the week ahead!

Questions for you:

– Do you usually unpack your suitcase on trips?

– If you had to choose between guac, salsa and queso, which would you choose? Sorry to even put that hypothetical in your mind!

<3,

Mackenzie

Hey hey!! I have been chipping away at this post for the past year, and even then, I realize if I try to sum up all my first year mom thoughts, we’d be here all day- so I’ll just share a few! Warning: this is total stream of consciousness and is about to be all over the place!

Overall: I have never felt more sure and secure in a purpose in my life. I LOVE being Quinn’s mom. It’s also an emotional rollercoaster- it’s a real trip how many conflicting emotions can exist so strongly at once- joy, unimaginable love, guilt, fear, bliss, concern, self-doubt, gratitude, exhaustion- the list goes on!!

Body image: So this topic is an interesting one. I think “bounce back” culture is absolutely ridiculous (how is it even a thing?!), and I put zero pressure on myself to look a certain way or to be a certain weight after having Quinn. Weight is actually quite arbitrary for me personally too- I don’t think I’ve talked about this, but to even have a chance at pregnancy, I had to gain about 15/20 lbs. So while getting back to “pre-pregnancy” weight happened pretty quickly and naturally for me, my pre-pregnancy weight was higher than my usual weight for a long time prior to that. I wasn’t my healthiest at that prior weight, so I have no desire to go back to it. I’m just really grateful to my body for carrying and growing my girl, birthing her and then sustaining her post birth. I just want to focus on being my healthiest for Quinn (which for me does not equate to my thinnest), so I can be energized, strong and a good role model for her.

Body recovery: I learned recovery extends far beyond that 6 week checkup mark!

Identity: I have heard people say they lose their identity often as a mom. I definitely can see how people can say that with the total redirection of energy and focus on another human in a way you’ve never experienced. However, I personally want to shift that common narrative to seeing it as my identity has been expanded, enriched. Being Quinn’s mom, as you are likely well aware, is a massive part of my identity. And while the attention I once gave elsewhere may be shortened, I still have tried to foster those other parts of myself. Going into year #2, I think those slivers of time devoted to hobbies, friendships, exercise, time with DJ etc. will change too as Quinn’s needs change. The part of my identity that I want to nourish and foster most is my faith. I haven’t prioritized spending time in prayer, reading the Bible or attending Church like I used to. That is definitely going to be a big priority for our family entering into this next year!

Sleep: I didn’t realize how babies are all different in terms of sleep! I felt initially like a failure given Quinn wasn’t a traditionally “good sleeper”, but I’ve learned the idea of this aspirational perfect sleeping baby is more of a societal (and somewhat unnatural) expectation, and is many times pure luck (especially early on). Plus she had reflux pretty bad which I think was the root of her sleep issues for a bit. Anyway, I now know the fact that she doesn’t sleep through the night is totally ok, and she will get there when it’s right for her. I’m here for those cuddles and night feeds as long as she needs. While writing this, I’m oddly getting some great sleep even with the wake-ups because I often go to sleep not long after she does (I’m usually asleep by 9 pm and up at 6 am). In the beginning though, I realized how important sleep was when I was screening borderline for postpartum depression going on pretty much 1-2 hours until we made some changes to our sleep situation that I believe saved me/us.

Breastfeeding: I joke that in the miracle that is pregnancy, birth, and breastfeeding, my one gripe about it all is I have never been hungrier and never have had less time to eat 😅. Forget pregnancy, this breastfeeding hunger is UNREAL. Overall, I’m grateful to have had a great experience breastfeeding, as I know everyone’s journey with that can be luck of the draw too with so many factors at play. And even though I have had a smooth ride overall, I have still shed tears while fighting with a pump that wouldn’t work and when we’ve had to dump/accidentally spilled milk (countless times) for one reason or another. Whoever said “don’t cry over spilled milk” surely never breastfed! Giving up dairy and soy has been pretty tough due to Quinn’s intolerances (although we live in a time of excellent substitutions). I’d do it all over again for her, but I cannot wait to order a greasy, cheesy pizza again. DJ and I joke if she gives me attitude, I can pull the “I gave up cheese for you!” card. I say we joke, but I 100% know I will use that at some point 😄.

Mom guilt is really really intense. I’ve never experienced anything like it. It’s been a challenging but important journey in learning how to be gracious with myself as a mom and as a person. I’ve also experienced tons of consistent guilt over not being able to give Moose the same attention I did prior to Quinn being born. I’m still working on finding that balance.

I thought I was going to be a type A mom- with a strict schedule and such? I am definitely not as much as I expected, only about certain things. There’s not really any set schedule here right now; I just follow her cues as the day goes.

As much of a homebody I am, it’s so important for both me and Quinn to get out of the house to elevate our moods! Mainly getting outside at least once a day for a walk has made a huge difference.

I’m convinced we have a black hole in our home that eats up all the Pacis. Where do they all go?!

I realize how easy it could be to compare milestones/ways of parenting, etc. I have learned to just be entirely focused on doing what is best for our family and tuning out the white noise. I listen to my maternal instinct more than I expected; it’s a powerful thing and sometimes “goes against the grain”, which I’ve made peace with, despite knowing others may judge my decisions.

Thank goodness for Google.

But also….Google is the WORST 🙃.

Trial and error is the name of the game!

Pretty much every cliche I have heard about parenting is true.

The whole mom brain thing is very real 🥴.

I’m terrified of anything ever happening to Quinn, but I know I can’t keep her in bubble wrap. I gotta give that one to God any time that general sense of worry sets in.

DJ and I started dating when we were 15/16 years old. Now venturing into this season of parenthood together, I’ve seen a whole new “why” behind God bringing us together as a couple. I am so grateful for the way he balances me out, calms me down and is my true support every single day. The way we have prioritized our relationship has shifted- it isn’t many date nights or spontaneous trips out of town right now. Yet I’ve grown so deeply in my respect and awe of him as a Dad and partner. He’s been the definition of supportive in every way. We’ve also faced new challenges in this season of parenthood. DJ is not a fighter, but I can be- so in my moments of low patience and exhaustion, I’m really working on not getting worked up, especially in front of Quinn. I want to maintain respectful conversation about frustrations without it coming out in my tone of voice or getting visibly angry- so this is something I’m working on.

This has been the richest, most beautiful, joyful year, despite the difficult moments. I’m doing my best to hold onto every second, but it’s true they do go by fast. I asked another mom recently-“Everyone says to enjoy every minute because it goes by fast, and I am trying to, but how do I actively make sure I’m treasuring it all?”. And she gave the best advice – she just said “just make a lot of memories”. I loved that, so simple, true and actionable. Being present & making memories is going to be central to how I approach Year #2 (and the rest of #1!).

As I’ve heard said before, my heart is now outside my chest, in the form of a soon-to-be walking, adventurous, curious, giggling, chunky legged, happy, teething machine- and I am so honored God chose me and DJ to be her parents ❤️.

Goood morning!!! How are you all doing? I am currently sitting in the parking lot at work with a couple extra mins to spare before clocking in. I realized quite a bit has happened over the last couple weeks. I’m looking forward to reliving it all through this little blog capsule ☺️.

March 8th I traded out my usual bowl of oatmeal for a bowl of Special K Vanilla Almond cereal with blueberries and blackberries. Sometimes ya just want a good ol’ bowl of cereal!

Quinn has started crawling around with toys in her mouth like Moose. When I picked her up from daycare one day the teacher said, “She’s over there being a puppy” as I see Quinn scurrying about with a toy dangling from her mouth. 😂

She also briefly went through a phase that week where she refused to use a spoon. I considered it could double as a sensory activity as I allowed her to eat a bowl of oatmeal directly off the tray?! 😄 Thankfully she’s using spoons again, but that sure was a messy little phase!

That day I remember being a little rough. Quinn was still in her fussy phase (going through a leap, so it was to be expected), but I needed to get us out of the house STAT, usually the sure-fire way to lift both our spirits. We had a couple groceries on the list, so I used that as the excuse to go to Giant Eagle Market District. This is a fun grocery store that has all the groceries you can want along with delicious freshly made meals for purchase and a great sushi station!

“No photos pls”.

This tomato jerky caught my attention! It’s basically sun-dried tomatoes re-marketed as tomato “jerky”, but I love sun-dried tomatoes, so I very much enjoyed them!

I was feeling good having us out and about, but then things took a quick turn after I loaded the groceries in the car. As I was pulling out of my parking spot I heard a “clunk” and realized part of my bumper had fallen off (this is a couple days after the spare tire fell off the car in front of me, bounced and hit my bumper). When my car was initially hit, I thought the damage was minimal since I was able to pop the bumper back in, but as I saw majority of my bumper hanging off the car in the grocery store parking lot I realized that was not the case. I very slowly and cautiously had to drive the car home. All of a sudden anxiety took over manifesting in an actual anxiety attack which has not happened in a very long time. It seemed somewhat out of the blue since I haven’t dealt with much anxiety at all lately, but I do think my body is going through big hormonal shifts with Quinn eating so many solids/drinking a bit less milk. Curious if any other moms noticed a hormonal swing around 10 months?

As soon as we made it home, I felt relieved. And both Quinn and I were in good moods after our time out of the house. We just played at her different play stations around the home. Even with Leap 7 being the booger that it was, this is still my favorite age yet! I have so much fun with my girl. Each day is a joy, seeing her grow and her personality flourish. We had a giggle fit together the other day, and it is one of the best memories of mine of all time!

That evening, I wasn’t in the mood to mess with dinner, so I thanked my past self for picking up a chicken at the Eagle. I served it with mashed potatoes and green beans to keep things easy. I really think rotisserie chicken doesn’t get the hype it deserves!

The next day we FaceTimed my Grandma and Grandpa in Traverse City right before Quinn’s nap while my mom was there visiting them! ❤️

I prepped for work that day. I give major major props to moms that work full time because it’s a LOT of prep. I make sure all pump parts are washed, packed and the pumps are charged. I then pack my lunch, DJ’s lunch and Quinn’s lunch. I also make sure scrubs are washed, and all bottles are labeled and ready for daycare. I don’t mind the prep, but I sometimes think about how much time work occupies when I’m not actually at work! It’ll be much simpler when I don’t have to pump or make bottles here soon. It’s been such a privilege to pump though, and I may miss it – I actually love my long lunch pump break. (I use the Willow for the other pump sessions, so I can continue working).

I try to double meals when making lunches. So I’ll make whatever I’m packing for lunch for dinner too. For Quinn, I made tempeh (she loves), green beans, kiwi and pinto beans. One tray for daycare and one for dinner!

For my lunch, I made a salad with tons of veggies, tempeh, hummus, baba ganoush and a balsamic/fattoush dressing on the side. For extra protein I packed a Good! brand protein bar and a parfait of oat based yogurt with two scoops of collagen powder and two scoops of chocolate PB2 (it makes it chocolatey & delishhh). For a salty snack, I packed sea salt Popcorners with a slice of smoked Gouda vegan cheese. And a couple squares of Hu dark chocolate to satisfy the afternoon sweet tooth!

Quinn is definitely finding interest with random objects around the house. She is particularly loving pots, pans and measuring cups. She won’t sit in her exersaucer anymore while I make breakfast, so I just plop her on the ground in the kitchen and hope she will find the pans sufficient entertainment, ha. Otherwise, I’ll give her a teether cracker or half a banana while I eat and prepare her breakfast.

March 11th I finally got around to Quinnie Q’s 10 month photo. We’ve long nixed trying to get her to lay flat in the crib for a cohesive pic with the earlier monthly photos; this girl is just too “busy” as her daycare teachers describe her, ha!

I have two big boxes of clothes she’s grown out of in her room, and sometimes Quinn passes the time by taking them out and throwing them on the floor, because why not?! 😄

That weekend was particularly chilly. Our March has been colder than February I’m pretty sure! We didn’t get in our family walk that weekend due to this, but we did spend some quality time with our family that evening at “The Farm”, Gigi and Gordie’s home 😊.

Me and my girl. 🥰

For dinner, Gordie grilled us up the last two steaks from the best-steak-I’ve-ever-had Snake River Farms gift for DJs bday! We also had JA’s salad, roasted asparagus and a baked potato. Hard to beat this combo!

For dessert, Gigi made a vegan pumpkin pie!!! You guys!!! I could have cried I was so excited to be able to eat some pumpkin pie again, and it was soo good!!! Of course, nothing tops Gigi’s own pumpkin pie, but this gave me my fix for sure!

On Sunday, we went to visit Mimi, our grandmother on DJ’s side and Quinn’s great-grandma 🥰. She had this ducky and balls of yarn for Quinn to play with- she was preoccupied for a long time with these!

Mimi has a lot of beautiful birds that come by to snack on her feeders. Quinn enjoyed watching them out the window. We saw a cardinal and woodpecker while there and identified some other unique birds too.

For dinner, I made Quinn mushrooms, zucchini and some beans.

The rest of the day was work prep!

At work on March 13th, a coworker suggested I take a warmed blanket to the pump room since I’m always chilly pumping. I took their advice, and it was the best decision! Perks of working in the hospital I suppose!

For dinner that evening, I kept it easy with leftovers of the steak, JA salad and Alexia sweet potato fries (I have been obsessed with these fries lately).

March 14th, I went to get my teeth cleaned. The dentist’s dog was there to greet guests, and she is the sweetest thing ❤️.

My dentist recommended upgrading my toothbrush to the Oral B power sensor electric toothbrush, and oh my goodness- it’s amazing!!!! Definitely worth the investment. I’m a little harsh on my gums when I brush, and this has a power sensor to let me know when I’m brushing too aggressively. It also has a bunch of other features, and it feels like I have a professional teeth cleaning every time I use it. I love this thing. The things us people nearing 30 get excited about 😂.

For lunch, I made Quinn a little meal of edamame, Japanese sweet potato and Brussels sprouts.

We then went to the store to ride around in the cart and try to knock things off the shelves 🤪.

Quinn loves to play in her nursery, so we spent a good portion of the afternoon up there. It’s also where I like to fold clothes since the dryer is right across the hall from her room. She gets a real kick out of me dramatically throwing all the clothes in her room out of the dryer prior to folding.

I also ordered an edible finger painting kit for Quinn that we whipped out that afternoon! I just sprawled out the blank side of wrapping paper on our kitchen floor and let her go to town with it. It didn’t hold her attention for long but was still fun, and we have a lot more to still use in the future!

For dinner that evening, I made some salmon to go over greens with the JA salad and some fattoush dressing.

March 15th I took us to Nervous Dog to start the morning!

I decided to change things up and get a matcha latte that morning! I don’t know why I forget this is on the menu. It’s so delicious.

Quinn really enjoys flipping through this sign language book. I think it’s because there are other babies in it, she loves any photos or books with other babies.

That afternoon Gigi came by to hang out with us! She captured this sweet pic of Quinnie 🥰.

Quinn is also starting to stand unassisted for a few seconds! It’s so exciting, and it’s just adorable how proud of herself she is whenever she does it.

For dinner that night we had Jovial pasta and roasted eggplant. For Quinn’s pasta, I just used unsalted tomato sauce mixed with Italian seasoning. I like to sneak in greens sometimes in the pasta sauce too.

March 16th I had my usual breakfast of oats, berries and PB.

For lunch, I introduced Quinn to peppers and added some shredded chicken, leftover eggplant and grapes. We are so close to 100 foods for her, I’m debating what her 100th should be! She hasn’t had corn on the cob yet, so maybe that would be fun?! We’re saving actual sweets for her smash cake on her bday.

A little walk with my love bug!

March 17th brings us to St. Paddy’s day! We still have outfits ready to go for every holiday from the shower last year!

These smiles! She now has 8 teeth. She always tries to grab my toothbrush out of my hand, so I got her her own little electric toothbrush. She loves this thing!

March 18th I started the day by making Quinn eggs, avocado, grapes, mandarin orange and toast. She did not eat one bite 🙃. But she did eat half a banana. Her fave.

After her first nap, we went to the mall to meet with the rest of our family for Easter Bunny photos!

She was fascinated by the Easter bunny, but a bit more unsure when I handed her over. They still captured this sweet photo before the whimpering began!

After the cousins met Mr. Bunny, we went to the nearby play area in the mall. I wish this mall was closer because Quinn had a ball! It’s fun seeing her with other kids like this too- we get glimpses at daycare, but this was a treat! This girl is a social butterfly.

Continuing to work on standing unassisted! Small but mighty.

Chillin’ with Gigi!

Amy was in town, and Quinn could not have been more thrilled. Now we just need to convince Aunt Amy to move back!!!

After the mall, we went to CoreLife to grab some lunch to go. I tried one of their menu items instead of the usual build your own bowl: the tofu sriracha ginger salad. I feel like I could eat this every day! It was soo good. I never think to put fresh ginger in my salads, but it’s a great addition! Oh and I forgot how good sriracha is. I need to restock at home.

That evening we went to The Farm for a cookout with the fam! Love this pic of Quinn with her Grandpa 🥰.

I’m kicking myself for not getting any foods pics because it was all so tasty. We always have the best burgers when we’re there- I think they’re Walburgers?

It was so much fun having Amy and her boyfriend, Chris, in town! I hope they come back soon.

For Quinn’s dinner that evening, I made her ground turkey with lentils and green beans that we took with us to The Farm.

She waved around her green beans proudly to everyone, it was adorable. So proud of her green beans 😄.

Sunday, March 19th, we had another fun family filled day! My heart was full after this weekend. We celebrated our nephew, Ender’s, third birthday.

And how amazing is this cake?! My sister in law MADE this!!! We all say she could open a bakery if she wanted. She made the cookies below too. I mean, just incredible!!

It was a vegan cake and sooooo tasty. I was blown away! I actually dreamt about the cake last night, yes it was that good! 😋

A sweet pic of Ender opening gifts supervised by cousin Quinn and friend James 🥰. Quinn was all over the wrapping paper!

We all enjoyed Dewey’s pizza (they have excellent vegan options!), and Quinn had a little of the leftover Turkey, sweet potatoes and asparagus (cut up before she ate it) for her lunch. It was a bit messier than anticipated, whoops!

And you know how much this girl hates the car- well guess who fell asleep in the car on the way home?! This has only happened a couple times ever.

This post is plenty long, so I’ll wrap here. We have some exciting travel coming up- a Florida vacation and possibly a trip to Chicago in the summer! If you have any baby travel tips please send my way 🙂 (especially for the plane!).

Questions for you:

– Do you prefer cake or cupcakes? I’m team cake, but still enjoy cupcakes.

– Anyone watching the fourth season of Love is Blind? I think it’s one of the best seasons yet!

<3,

Mackenzie

Good morning, everyone! I hope you all are having a nice week. I have a little time before my shift starts to chip away at this post.

January 28th we started the weekend with some cuddles with Moose ❤️.

That morning I switched out my usual bowl of oatmeal for a little egg burrito. Something about the weekends make me crave egg for breakfast.

That afternoon we went to my nephew, Jack’s, final basketball game of the season. They won and all received trophies at the end. It was so sweet! Here’s a a pic after a change and feed.

That evening I was able to soak up cuddles with Moose while Quinn climbed all over the baby-proofed living room. She is so much more steady now pulling herself up and cruising than she was even a couple weeks ago. I don’t feel like I have to hover right next to her every time she pulls herself up on something in fear of a fall forward or back.