Good morning! Man oh man how did I get so far behind again? I have oh so much to share and record from the last few months!

April 23rd after getting back from vacation we went to brunch at Nomz at Northside District in Akron. We’ve been to this vegan friendly joint once before and loved it!

They have an expansive menu for everyone with tons of dairy-free options and alternatives. I was craving an indulgent cheesy, breakfast sandwich, and they had my fix! This toasted bagel included f’acon (fake bacon), vegan Just egg, a homemade vegan green onion cream cheese (I need the recipe!) and a vegan cheddar cheese. Gosh this was so good.

I was particularly hungry that morning since we went later in the day after church, so I also got a Masala salad with romaine, spinach, cumin carrots, cucumber salata, mint, lentils and naan croutons with masala dressing.

While waiting on our food, we walked around the interior shops where local vendors display their creative goods.

April 24th we started the day playing in the nursery and just getting the house back in order after the previous week’s vacation.

After a couple work days and the same ol’, same ol’ I had another full day with my little chica on April 27th.

We’ve been all about playing with non-toy toys lately. The pots and pans rock-band was a real hit for a few days.

Grocery shopping time!

I spotted these Wilde Protein Chips on an end cap and decided to give them a try. I reached for the BBQ, but Quinn got her hands on the salt and vinegar and didn’t want to let go, so I figured we’d just try both. I actually liked the salt and vinegar flavor best, so I’m glad she “chose” them lol.

That afternoon we went on a little date to Subway to use up a giftcard!

I’d already fed Quinn lunch at home, but I did bring along a pouch and gave her some tomatoes for a snack so we could eat together.

Side note- you guys may see the teether cracker in the above photo? We stopped giving those to her entirely because we learned they have a history of being high in lead and arsenic. When I tell you – I spiraled when I learned this….. spiraled with a capital S! We’ve been giving them to her since 6 months. I talked to her nurse practitioner, and while they tested her for lead at her one year (and it was all good), they didn’t recommend testing for arsenic at this time. She did refer me to this helpful article I thought I’d share here too. The main conclusion is variety is the spice of life. Hence, I’m focusing on giving her a variety of foods each day, trying new nutritious recipes as much as time allows and not stressing every detail. (Easier said than done!).

Dinner was some easy chicken tacos with avocado and lots of hot sauce on Siete chickpea tortillas.

I just adore this pic ❤️

Time for the weekend! April 29th we went to Mustard Seed in highland square for lunch after our morning walk. I haven’t been here since 2018 I think?! I forgot how much I love this cafe! The modern, health conscious eatery is located upstairs in the Mustard Seed Grocery store.

I had their “award winning” beet burger . It was pretty good.. But I’ve had other options on their menu I’d probably order instead next time.

We also got chicken, fruit and brought along some other eats for Quinn to enjoy too.

I had to try their vegan brownie! The flavor was excellent, but I’d take a normal, dense fudgy brownie over it any day 😉

April 30th, I made Quinn some pancakes for breakfast with eggs, oats, baking powder and banana. I make them a little different every time, so some batches are better than others.

Hmmmm what’s wrong with this pic? This girl loves playing in Moose’s crate. She may spend more time in it than he does 😅.

These walks are so simple but a highlight of our week and weekend. It’s the most uninterrupted stretch of time DJ and I get to chat. We try to time them up with Quinn’s naps too- she has her best naps in the carrier outside. Plus Moose is one happy camper when he gets some off leash roaming.

For dinner, I made a half baked harvest Thai dish for dinner with added shrimp- very tasty as all those recipes are!

We’ve been all about the bubbles lately !

Gigi stopped by on May 4th to drop off our new house key and a bottle of champagne! We don’t move yet for a few weeks (the sellers are renting back the house from us right now until July so they can find somewhere to live). I don’t know that it’s really hit me we will be doing a big move so soon. I’m focused on one day at a time right now, so I figure we will deal with the details of the move when it’s here. We are very excited and ready though!

What will I do when she outgrows the carrier? I love these nap walks so much!

I’ve been using the Feeding Littles cookbook lately trying to make meals that feed all of us and are toddler friendly! I also freeze a small portion of the meals so on busy days I can pull from a freezer stash. This day, I made these salmon cakes below paired with a vegan avocado aioli. They were decent and packed with healthy fats.

My mom and Pete arrived late on Friday night after we were asleep, so we saw them first thing in the morning on May 6th, Quinn’s bday. I grabbed Quinn’s final first year milestone photo- 12 months 🥹.

Grammy and Grampy soaked up their time with Quinnie, we opened her birthday gifts from them over breakfast and then ran errands together.

To downtown Cuyahoga Falls we go! First things first- coffee!

We stopped at Asterik Coffee Bar on Front Street. My mom raved about their house made chai (I had a sip, and it was delish!), and I had an oat milk au lait. We also all sampled their scone. I don’t really love scones as much as I think I’m going to like them when I see them displayed in the pastry case. I want to like them, but I think I’d rather have biscotti or a muffin!

We walked around downtown for a bit enjoying the beautiful day then stopped at Grandpa Joe’s Candy Shop to get some rock candy for Quinn’s sweets bar.

Oddly this store is extremely explicit- I’m glad Quinn can’t read yet hah. We were confused who the target audience of this candy shop was? Certainly not kids! *Dramatically clutches pearls*.

We stopped into a couple boutiques before heading home to finish prepping for the party.

Aunt Hally arrived that evening straight from a trip to Europe!

May 7th was Quinn’s birthday party. I recapped the day in my last post 😊 🐝.

Fast forward to right after the party- my sister walked Quinn around the grounds while we loaded the cars back up.

When taking this picture, I told Hal she looked like she was Samara in the Ring, lol.

After we returned home, we gave one more go with the smash cake in her high chair (that was a flop), so then I plopped her in my lap and whet her appetite with a tomato (one of her favorite foods). We then tried to give her some cupcake, but she wanted nothing to do with it. Tomatoes and beans were all she wanted 🤷🏼‍♀️. DJ and I both have a big sweet tooth so not sure where she gets this aversion to sugar 😄.

We then changed Quinn into some comfy clothes and then all gathered in her nursery to start opening up some gifts.

She also really started walking independently this day 🥹.

My fam took over so I could get ready for bed.

When I walked back in my girl was crawling toward me like this 😂. She had a look of “Mom, can you believeeee them?”.

It was an unforgettable weekend. After my mom, Pete and Halston left the next day I was really down in the dumps for a couple days. I always feel like that after any big event really. Does that happen to you all too?

Thanks for reading! I’ll catch up more on the next post- hopefully posted sometime this year hah!

Questions for you:

– What’s your favorite coffee shop pastry?

– Do you feel down in the dumps for a couple days after big events?

<3,

Mackenzie