Good morning, friends!! This recap post is long overdue, but jam packed with much that’s been going on lately on our day to day. The end of June into July were a whirlwind! Mostly a good whirlwind, with a couple mini hiccups- but overall, I’m excited to take time to reflect on it all.

So we’re going back in time, when the storms were more sparse and an entire summer was still ahead of us- June 20th .

We had a big day of running errands, and Quinn was hamming it up at the grocery store. I adore seeing her personality come into full bloom- she has a goofy side that we adore (and fully encourage 🤪).

June 22nd I put together a breakfast platter for Quinn of yogurt with berries, a cheesy broccoli fritter and chia French toast.

We have been enjoying this Right Rice for meals lately. It’s made of 90% vegetables! Quinn doesn’t always eat it, but DJ and I love the stuff. We usually mix it with ghee, something else I’m obsessed with lately.

While getting ready for the move, I found this Polar Bear my Dad gifted to me one Easter. Quinn loves “Big Bear”, and it melts my heart watching her play with something from her Grandpa Gary 💕.

June 24th we had a local wedding for one of DJ’s coworkers! It was a beautiful wedding with good friends. So happy for them 😊. Quinn wasn’t able to sit through the whole ceremony, so I snuck out and met another mom and her daughter who had done the same. The nursery was open at the church, so we went in there and let them play. It worked out well and was sweet watching the girls play together! The reception after was on a golf course which was naturally so pretty!

This was the best pic I could get with my wiggle worm 😄.

“Let me play, Mom!”.

They had a donut cake, and let me tell you- those donuts were A+++! Perfectly fluffy and delishhhh.

June 25th we were able to start moving our stuff into our new home! We chipped away that week and the next as DJ made trips primarily in the evening.

We loaded up the kids, some boxes and set out to say hi to the new place! Moose and Quinn both take full advantage of the extra space both in and out of the house!

We have ponies that live behind us, and Quinn is obsessed! We have spent lots of time at the fence waving to them 🥰.

The owners before us left this adorable play house in the basement complete with an ice cream set. 🍦

In the afternoon, we went to Bow Wow Beach so Moose could run around and get some zoomies out.

For dinner, I made this yummy one pan balsamic chicken and asparagus.

Jumping into July! Our big Fourth of July recap can be found here.

July 6th we had a big day of packing! I know I’m biased, but I think I have a darn cute little helper 🥰.

We stopped by Krieger grocery store, and I grabbed this matcha latte bar. I really enjoyed it! Definitely has an “herby” flavor, but I found it tasty.

That afternoon, Quinn shared her afternoon snack with Grammy. I gave her some egg muffins, and funnily enough my mom was snacking on some hard boiled eggs too.

July 7th was our last evening in the townhouse. I expected to be much more emotional than I was, given how much had transpired since we moved in there; we got Moose, had Quinn, started new jobs and really just turned a new chapter in our lives. I think we were just so busy that day, that I never had time to reflect much. Although, I did have one moment standing in Quinn’s nearly empty nursery when I teared up. We will always reflect fondly on the sweet, sweet memories we made here.

July 8th was our moving day!! The move went generally smoothly, but our elliptical did break during it. It was an old elliptical that we bought used, so not a huge deal, but still a bummer!

Our first meal in our new home was none other than Piada! I got two meals because moving makes ya hungry. Plus I knew I’d be thrilled to have any leftovers. I had the avocado piada (amazing) and a create your own salad.

DJ was craving wings, and he got this massive delicious cookie from Its Just Wings!

July 9th we started the morning with a family walk. It is so much more convenient that we don’t have to drive somewhere to go on a walk and can just use the sidewalks in the neighborhood. We do short evening walks often too.

Unpacking fun! Found mom’s blue light blocking glasses 🤓.

July 9th we had a yummy dinner and spent some wonderful family time at The Farm 🥰.

One thing that did make this move a lot easier was using the frozen dishes that I’ve been stockpiling for a while. Every time I make food, I try to freeze a small portion of it so we can pull it out when groceries are limited. This saved on what would have been a lot of takeout that week!

July 10th we had the kale lasagna roll ups I made from the Feeding Littles cookbook. They froze and defrosted very well!

Run run run!

We put Quinn’s nugget in her little play area. Her play room is really meant more to be a dining room, but it works great to give her lots of space to be creative and spread out her toys.

That week since we had so much unpacking on top of work, I decided to drop off Quinn at daycare full time. She’s never done the full five days at daycare, but I thought maybe it would help her wean too with getting in a new routine. Well, that totally backfired!! She just wanted to comfort nurse more when she got home, which makes sense. I’ve found lots and lots of distractions, snacks and cuddles help somewhat, but this has been a challenge. It’s going more slowly than I anticipated, but she also probably needed the extra comfort given big changes like the move and advancing to the Senior Infant room. I know we’ll get there eventually! I’m very grateful for our journey to this point too, so it’s mixed emotions for me too.

That week, I found a stray fry in the backseat while deep cleaning the car. Does this *officially* make me a parent of a toddler? 🤪

Side note- if you have a dog and have a hard time getting the dog hair up from your car seats/mats or house furniture- this Uproot Cleaner is a must!!! It works like magic.

The evening of July 11th DJ had to work a little later than normal, but we had dinner via FaceTime with Grammy!

Ohh and random snack alert- these Lentil Turmeric Crackers are sooo good! DJ loves them too. They remind us of Fritos.

For dinner on July 12th, I made a chicken parmesan over red lentil pasta with a side of asparagus. Was a hit!

It was really tough for me to be away from Quinn that week, but the pics from daycare definitely helped 💕.

Quinn has been loving helping me with chores lately. She will grab a rag when I do and wipe off whatever is within her reach. It’s so stinking adorable. She loves using the broom and mop too, and will dump the dust pan into the trash. She also is eager to help me load the (safe) dishes into the dishwasher. This pic below was all her! I thought she did a darn good job!

July 14th we got the grass freshly mowed! There is so much we have to learn about maintaining a house and yard. I did deadhead the daisies though! Working in the yard is very therapeutic. I’d love to plant a little garden back there at some point.

July 15th Quinn colored while I cooked dinner. I just have to keep a very close eye that she doesn’t eat the crayons. She certainly has tried hah.

While unpacking, we found my baby blanket. I had to snag some pics of Quinn with it to send my mom!

July 16th we had my friend, Melissa’s, bridal shower! It was at J Bella in Strongsville- such a gorgeous restaurant! We enjoyed a delicious brunch with breakfast foods and fun games. It was my first time going to a full on organized even without DJ, but overall Quinn did so well!

How cute are these cookies!

That day was also our Moose’s 2 year old bday!! I can’t believe he’s two 😭. We gave him some ground beef to mix in with his kibble for dinner.

That afternoon, one of our neighbors stopped by with gorgeous (and delicious!) cupcakes that she made. It was so sweet of her and really nice to meet her! We’ve met both sides and feel lucky to have such great neighbors 😊.

And that brings us to when Sara visited!

July 21st, I made a salmon with sun-dried tomato and artichoke hearts with Right Rice.

That evening we went to Handel’s Ice Cream. This is my new favorite local ice cream shop! I tried the Graham Central Station per the recommendation of a reader here, Rebekah! Thank you so much because this is my new favorite ice cream flavor hands down 😍. Quinn was a BIG fan too.

Ok this is getting plenty long, so I’ll get a part 2 catch-up post hopefully soon!!

Questions for you:

– Are you over summer or hanging onto every last second? (I’m personally so ready for fall!)

– Any new fun snacks you’re enjoying lately?

<3,

Mackenzie