Category: Weekly Recap

All the Sweet Things! Family, Friends, & Food

Published on by Mackenzie25 Comments

Hey all! It is a gorgeous Saturday morning here (although who knows what it will be when I actually get around to publishing this!). Anyway, this weather made me want to get out of bed extra early to get things done- starting with this post 🙂 This is another big ol’ recap post.

March 15th Mr. Moose and I went on a walk on one of my days off. It was a beautiful day, so we were able to roll down the window so he could stick his head out.

March 16th I went for my first run outside! My runs are much slower than usual these days, I did 3 miles in about 32 minutes, but it felt glorious getting cardio outdoors.

March 18th I had an OB appt. at 3:30 pm. I spent the rest of the day cleaning the house and getting ready for my mom & sis to come spend the weekend with us!

I also stopped by The West Side Bakery to pick up some birthday treats for my mom since her birthday was the following week & we had plans to celebrate early that Saturday.

DJ stopped by CoreLife to pick us up some dinner. It’s pretty much become tradition to get CoreLife after OB appts, unless baby vetoes it with another craving.

Moose had a little food coma after his dinner.

My mom arrived later that evening. As she unpacked, we just caught up and chit-chatted until it was time to hit the hay.

The morning of March 19th was a very special morning! My sister-in-law, Renee, got engaged! Family all arrived to a park that had special meaning to the couple right on Lake Erie. We all gathered around to witness the memorable moment. I’m convinced it was one of the most beautiful, heartfelt, thoughtful proposals ever. There was not a dry eye!

We could not be happier for them!

That afternoon my mom and I read books on the couch with Moose snuggled up between us. I continued to read through Newborn 101– which when all was said and done, I had about 18 pages of notes I took on the book in a Word document, lol.

My sister, Halston, arrived that afternoon (woohoo! I hadn’t seen her in far too long). For my mom’s bday celebration, we debated going out to eat or staying in, and the resounding agreement was ordering in sounded best. We ordered Aladdin’s, one of my mom’s favorite restaurants in town (& to be fair, we all love it), for her birthday.

My mom introduced me to their Mujadara Plate with lentils and brown rice topped with lebanese salata and fried onions- this is easily my new favorite menu item!! Also if you ever order Aladdin’s, you must get extra sides of their hot sauce. It is some of our favorite hot sauce and goes so well on all the food.

After dinner, I pulled out the desserts I had picked up from West Side Bakery. My mom has been eating mostly plant-based lately, so I opted for some delicious vegan treats (the tiramisu was the winner!), along with a regular cheesecake.

And serendipitously, Rachel’s mom, who bakes the best carrot cake in the world, stopped by that afternoon and surprised us with one!! This is Halston’s favorite too- and I wish I could have recorded her reaction when I told her we had the famous carrot cake in our house when she arrived a couple hours later. We made a good dent in this that evening!Delicious as ever. Oh great, now I have a craving for it again, hah!

Time to celebrate this one!! Easy to do 🙂

With our dessert, my mom opened gifts and then we played the game Chameleon- it’s a fun one! It’s funny because as a kid/growing up I really did not enjoy organized games like this, but as an adult I just love ’em.

The morning of March 20th, I put out a spread of toppings for a big-batch of a steel cut oatmeal recipe I had made for the weekend. We all added our toppings and then topped it off with honey or maple syrup- so yummy and nutritious! I ate this through the rest of the week.

That afternoon was the shower!

On the evening of March 21st, we picked up CoreLife again so my mom could experience it this time.

March 22nd, my mom’s flight out of Cleveland was cancelled. Selfishly, we were not upset one bit because it meant more time together. I spent the day writing Thank Yous and getting other things done around the house while my mom worked from our house. We dropped Moose off at Marie’s that day. He was one happy boy because his best friend, Oliver, was there.

Marie always tells us how inseparable they are and that Moose will even cry once Oliver gets picked up 🥺. They have the best time together. She sent me this in the morning, and it cracked us up.

He is one happy boy when he gets to play with his friends! She sent us this sweet picture of him too.That evening, my mom spoiled us with an awesome dinner of ribs, corn and homemade mac n’ cheese made in the Instapot. I have got to learn to use the Instapot because this was so stinking good.

This is probably a totally individualized preference, but I think a little green onion in mac n’ cheese is a game changer! SO good. Also I LOVE ribs. Who knew.

March 23rd, I expected to be called into work, but surprisingly didn’t- so I spent the day putting away gifts and organizing the nursery. I have to share this adorable gift from my sister-in-law, Maura, and niece, Kate, that I think is so beyond creative & generous! They gifted an outfit for each holiday along with a book for that season along with a sports specific one with an Orioles onesie (DJ’s favorite baseball team). How fun is this?!? Even the months match up with when she will be able to fit into everything. Genius.

Somehow the weekend snuck back up on us, and after work on Friday March 25th, we had our friends from college, Catherine and Devin, over for the weekend with their adorable two year old son, Levi.

They arrived around dinner time on Friday. Since I was at work all day, I didn’t have time to whip up anything up, but we door dashed some Burntwood Tavern– always a solid option.

For dessert, I made some chocolate chip cookies we all munched on while we caught up late into the evening. The four of us hadn’t been all together since 2015!! And it was soooo good to finally meet Levi!

The next day, we got breakfast from one of our favorite diners, Garretts Mill, and then headed out to the RainForest at Cleveland Zoo.

It was a very snowy day, so stayed in the warm RainForest and didn’t venture into the actual zoo. The RainForest was a great call by DJ who suggested we go- we will definitely be bringing our girl here in the future!

Levi LOVES monkeys- so when we got around to the monkey and gorillas exhibit, he was particularly enamored.

My heart just melted watching these three!

That evening we went to my MIL and Gordie’s who graciously hosted us all for dinner. We enjoyed a delicious dinner from Tre Belle. Ender, our nephew, was there too- and he’s around the same age as Levi, so it was adorable watching the two of them parallel play. After dinner, the kids (including Moose) were fascinated by the deer out the window.

For breakfast on March 27th, I pulled out whatever we had in the cupboard for breakfast and made some Kodiak cakes.

We had an easy going morning, watching Sing 2, and then before they left we said we stopped to get Cane’s for lunch. They had never had it, and we wanted to make sure they experienced its goodness!

We said our goodbyes from Cane’s and promised we wouldn’t let nearly as much time pass again before we all get together. It helps we live on the same side of the country now!

On March 28th, we woke up to this. WHAT IS THIS MADNESS. Remember in mid/late February that I thought spring was well on its way? Ha-ha.

On a bright note, that day I did baby girl’s first loads of laundry! The washing and hanging up process took nearly the whole evening, but it was so worth it when it was all finished up 🤗. We won’t have to buy anything for baby girl for a long time!!

This is so random, but the next day while driving I saw this sign and just thought to myself McDonald’s is trying to pull a Jesus. Gave myself a little chuckle.

DJ returned home that evening with the first piece of clothing he picked out himself for our girl <3. I had to document.

On March 31st, I had a breastfeeding course for three hours in the evening. I was in my peak third-trimester exhaustion at this point, and accidentally fell asleep during the class- whoops! I joke that Moose took notes for me.

And this is getting awfully long, so I’ll wrap it up here as we move into April 💐.

Thanks for reading and tolerating my rambles!

Questions for you! 

  • Does your pet have a “best friend” (besides you, of course 😉).
  • Now that I’m very into chicken fingers as a main pregnancy craving- who do you think has the best chicken fingers?!

<3,

Mackenzie

Cravings, Baked Goods & A Trip to TC!

Published on by Mackenzie25 Comments

Hey everyone!! I figured I would do a hodge-podge type post of all the miscellaneous happenings from the end of February into March. I have quite the random spread for you today!

The evening of February 18th, I had to have my (pregnancy safe) sushi fix. I got all fully cooked sushi that were made fresh that day (one is vegetable and the rest are various California rolls with cooked crab). It really hit the spot.

My whole pregnancy I thought I would want sushi (mainly the raw stuff) after delivery as my first big meal- but I think that’s changed!! I have wanted nothing more than a big ol’ deli sandwich with tons of meat and cheese from Jimmy John’s. I told Deej he’s on JJ duty- Priorities, priorities!

Saturday, February 19th, was a very productive day for both of us. We got a lot done around the house and work-related stuff accomplished too. Moose caught up on enough sleep for the three, well technically four ;)), of us.

That day, I was craving some Panera. I got their green goddess salad as well as their turkey chili and added some cheese on top. This was all soo good! I also live for those baguettes.

Side note: We were having a discussion with a group of friends the other day, and a lot of people apparently don’t like Panera in general! I didn’t know this was a possibly commonly felt sentiment? I do think it can be overpriced, but I also think the food is pretty good/it has good options when you need something quick. Curious your thoughts on it!

Sunday, February 20th, we went to our nephew’s basketball game.

It was adorable watching this age group play! He did really well too- lotsa assists and even had a basket! He was so selfless with the ball. He made us all proud, but especially his Uncle DJ who played through college.

That afternoon we took Moose for a walk before getting back to the work grind.

Monday, February 21st, I woke up feeling a bit under the weather with a cold. After a day of tomato soup & grilled cheese I felt a little better. I feel like I really turned the corner a few days later.

I tried to get outside for some fresh air that week and keep up with my walks. I remember on this walk in particular it felt like spring really may be approaching! It was a tad warmer than usual, the snow was melting into the side of the sidewalks, and the sun was out in all its glory. Could it be we survived our first Ohio winter since being back? (Spoiler alert: Despite my naïveté optimism, we still had a couple months of winter left considering it just snowed a few days ago in April, loll).

February 22nd, I received a Babylist box for creating a registry. I loved using Babylist because you can add anything from any store on it.

I was impressed with all the little samples of things that came in here- bottles, belly butter, diapers, lotion, fridababy products, a Burt’s Bees newborn onesie, coupons and even more I’m sure I’m forgetting!

February 24th we took off on our Charleston trip documented here, here and here 🙂

March 3rd, I had a hair appointment scheduled at Agape Organic Salon and Spa. I drove a little further since this place uses all organic products and no harsh chemicals. I hadn’t had my hair touched up since August 2021, so it was time. (Of course, I made sure with my OB it truly was safe before going).  The stylist did a great job- she did as little as possible just to blend some of the balayage and stayed away from my scalp. I was shocked how I didn’t smell any fumes while she did my hair compared to the usual stuff used. The final result was super subtle, natural, blended & exactly what I was hoping for. Thinking I can probably go another six months at least without getting it done again!

March 4th, we ordered Piada Italian Street Food for dinner. DJ always gets their carbonara which is incredible, and this time he got it with their hot fried chicken. He also tried their lobster bisque which was yummy too. (Can you tell I sampled a little bit of everything he ordered?). I was craving veggies, so I got the create your own salad with a side of their basil pesto and green harissa. Also, a must order every time is the parmesan piada stick. It’s so goood. And their brownies are deliciously dense & fudgy too!

March 5th, we ran errands around town. We took Moose man with us because we knew all the driving would likely make him tired, and a tired Moose is a good Moose 😉

That day, we did have a bit of a scare. Baby girl was active enough in the morning (she met her kick count, but maybe wasn’t as active as usual- although she does have the occasional quieter day). That afternoon, DJ and I went on a long walk enjoying the beautiful day, and when we got back from the walk I didn’t feel her move hardly at all for a couple hours except for a bout of hiccups. I started to panic when all the normal tricks to get her to move weren’t working. I called my OB, and he said the hiccups were reassuring, but to do kick counts again and come in if she didn’t meet them. We were due to babysit my niece and nephew around that time, so we zipped over their house, and I filled in my sister-in-law on what was going on. She gave me some orange juice she had on hand, and I started the new round of kick counts. I knew DJ could hold down the fort if I needed to go to triage. Thankfully after about 20/30 mins, she started moving again, she met her kicks, and my niece even got to feel her move ❤️. It was so scary, but I was/am so relieved she is ok! The next few days after that she was more active than ever, so I think she was just resting up.

Once I was reassured all was ok, I was able to really enjoy and be present for that time with Kate and Will <3. We missed Jack, but he was busy at the Monsters Game representing the Boy Scouts on the rink during halftime!

We had the best time with them!

On Sunday, March 6th, I drove to Medina for a maternity shoot that was more intimate, focused on documenting my pregnant belly <3. This was one of the greatest experiences, and I highly encourage any pregnant momma to do it! I felt really empowered during the shoot, and I will absolutely treasure these pictures forever! Shout out to my photographer, Rachael, who made me so comfortable and knew just how to capture this special time.

That evening was gorgeous, so we took Moose out for a walk taking advantage of every second of daylight.

By this point in the day, I was ravenous. DJ had already enjoyed some leftovers for dinner, but I was ready to chow down on something specific- gyros. I wanted the usual lamb gyro, but the veggie one looked delicious too- so naturally I ordered both… and a side of jojos. It was all so good. 

I had a little leftover the next day, so at least I got two meals out of being indecisive, hah.

March 8th, I started meal prepping for the postpartum period. I try to make one crockpot meal to freeze per week. So far I have about six in the freezer. If you have any freezable meals that you love, please send them my way!

March 8th and 9th, Moose and I got lotsa walking in!

Here is post-walk with his sleepy head on the pregnancy pillow.

The afternoon of March 9th I got an exciting delivery! Allie over at Living My Full Life has an awesome blog and Etsy shop, Braid Bakery.  When I saw she was selling the most eye-catching Easter chocolate covered Oreos, I had to get some. When I was checking out, I also threw in some gluten free brownies and she generously gifted some of her granola.

We were blown away by how good this all was! She is so incredibly talented!

That afternoon, I met up with my friend, Kaitlyn, in downtown Hudson at the cutest little coffee shop, Heartwood Coffee Roasters.

It was a gorgeous afternoon, even if a little chilly, so I grabbed some hot tea, and we ventured back outside to walk around downtown Hudson. Also, I have to come back here to try some of these baked goods! I have my eye on those croissants.

The walk was filled with lots of sunshine and wonderful, soul-fueling conversation 💕.

I worked on Thursday and then headed out on Friday, March 11th, to Traverse City to see my grandparents. I almost missed my connection due to my first flight being significantly delayed, and I had my first Braxton Hicks contraction while trying to speed walk/sprint to the gate- no fun! But I made it!

Anyway, I wish DJ could have joined, but unfortunately it was tough to schedule with work. It had been wayyy too long since I’d seen my grandparents, and I knew this was probably my last weekend I could travel while pregnant. They are living in a new residential home that is just perfect for them, and I was excited to see it in person. And I was also thrilled, of course, to see them in person and for them to see me pregnant 💕.

It was so wonderful to be reunited. They were so sweet with the baby and talked to her a lot through the weekend.

That evening they gave me a tour of the building, we played a couple rounds of pool and had dinner in the beautiful dining room.

They both are way better at pool than I am and easily beat me, haha.

When I left later that evening, I realized I could probably eat a whole other dinner after the long day of travel! I ended up going to Poppycocks (a family and local favorite) to pick up some food and took it back to the hotel with me (usually I’d stay with my Aunt & Uncle, but they were on a road trip).

I couldn’t believe how much of an appetite I still had- I chowed down on some pita, a roasted veggie platter, hummus and bread while watching an episode of Married at First Sight. It really hit the spot! Also that show is nuts, and I love it.

I returned to my G & Gs in the morning for breakfast bright and early. It was such a yummy breakfast, and we felt fueled up for the day.

After breakfast, my Grandpa and I dueled off in several rounds of pool. And of course, he won most of them.

We had lunch in the dining room and then drove to the mall. I thought it would be so special for them to help me pick out a couple outfits for baby girl 💕.

It was so adorable watching them dote over the clothes and take their time making a decision of what they wanted for their great-granddaughter <3. Makes me all emotional just thinking about it!

They settled on these adorable gems below! My grandma chose the pink set and my grandpa chose the overalls and sweatshirt. He said they both spoke him, so of course, we had to get both 🙂

I can’t wait for them to see her in these outfits!

We did some grocery shopping in the afternoon and then got ready for dinner.

That evening, we had plans to go out on the town! We had reservations at Artisan located inside the Delamar Hotel on the water in downtown TC.

We had an early reservation, so it was fairly empty when we arrived, but it filled up quickly! The interior was stunning.

Artisan is a fairly new restaurant (I believe late summer/fall of 2021), and my G & G had never been.  They kept saying how amazed they were with the renovations since they’d last been, and they even ran into a couple friends.

We started out with some hearty and delish bread & butter.

And I managed to sneak in a photo of these two cuties!!

To our delight, it was actually restaurant week- so we were able to try a bunch of menu items at a great price.

For starters, we enjoyed this brilliant presentation of roasted crudités with hummus, pomegranate, and kale pistou.

My G & G both tried some of the butternut squash bisque and didn’t leave a drop behind.

For our mains, I had their roasted chicken which was beyond good.

They both had their steak for restaurant week & raved about how great all the food was.

Oh, but it didn’t stop there. Included in the restaurant week menu was dessert! We tried two- the butterscotch bread pudding & salted caramel cheesecake.

I think the pictures speak to just how delicious these desserts were!

After dinner, we said our goodbyes (which was soo difficult), and then I had my flight out early that next morning. It was a short trip, but one chock full of amazing memories with them!

My grandma also sent us home with some sweet cards <3.

On the plane ride home I read as much as possible out of Newborn 101. I know there is no real way to truly prepare to be a parent, and you have to be able to be flexible, but reading and absorbing some info gives me a touch of confidence having a general framework to work within. This book is also full of awesome tips & suggestions!

I couldn’t wait to see Mr. Moose and DJ, but I already missed my grandparents so much. And that wraps up through March 13th!

Thanks for reading, and next up I’ll share about the baby shower!

<3,

Mackenzie

Our Babymoon to Charleston Part One!

Published on by Mackenzie30 Comments

Oh, am I ever excited to have a little time this morning to document the first part of our Babymoon to Charleston! It was wonderful in every way. DJ had never been to Charleston, and I only went once when I was very young (so I barely remember it). We packed as much as possible into our couple of days there, and they were two days we will not forget!

For those that are wondering “what the heck is a babymoon?”… basically it’s a little trip or vacation the future mom and dad take before baby is here. Think honeymoon, but pre-baby!

On February 24th, I met DJ at his work and then we drove to Cleveland airport. We made it through security with plenty of time for dinner. We stopped at Great Lakes Brewing Co. I ordered a salad and their shrimp tacos (which were good, but only a sneak peak to the real goodness of seafood we were about to experience), and DJ ordered a burger.

With full stomachs, we were fueled for the late evening. We were worried about our flight getting cancelled because of the weather, but luckily everything went ok, we made our layover, and made it to Charleston around 12:30 AM.

We loaded up our rental car and headed out to Wentworth Mansion, the charming, dreamy location we’d be staying for the weekend. When looking up places to stay in Charleston, I stumbled across Wentworth Mansion’s Babymoon package. I didn’t even know this was a thing hotels offered! Of course, when I saw that I knew we’d have to do it. There are a few other hotels in Charleston that have babymoon packages too, but we were so drawn to the historic, quintessential Charleston feel with the mansion- and we’d never stayed in a mansion like that before. All about a unique experience!

Even in the dark, we were taken aback by the beauty of the mansion.

We walked into a spectacular open lobby bookended by beautiful stained glass doors. To the right was a winding staircase and several hallways leading to the parlor, day room, and other rooms tucked within the mansion.We were greeted with true southern hospitality, were given our room keys and headed up to get unpacked and get some sleep. We would do more exploring of the mansion in the day light.

When we walked into our room, we were greeted by a lovely, storybook type room with light classical music playing, sparkling grape juice and chocolate covered strawberries. The babymoon package was off to a great start!

 

We also had a package of these benne wafers waiting for us, which we also saw sold at just about every shop we passed that weekend. These are popular for good reason- they are sweet, nutty and delicious. I love them with a little coffee or just on their own. Here’s the history of the benne wafer if you’re interested.

One of our favorite parts about getting away and staying in a hotel is getting a hotel breakfast room service. There’s just something about it! February 25th, I woke up ravenous, surprise surprise. I was craving something cold & fruity, so I had their yogurt bowl and their pastry basket. DJ enjoyed their sweet potato pancakes & helped me out with some of those yummy cinnamon rolls.

As the light came through the long curtains in the sun room, we enjoyed our breakfast in bed. Everything tasted amazing. The decaf coffee was even so yummy. We were particularly impressed with how darn good the pastries were. I had a bite of DJ’s pancakes too which were really good sweet potato pancakes; the sweet potato flavor was nice and subtle and the pancakes were griddled just right.

We headed out to get our day started. A couple’s massage was included in the babymoon package with a prenatal massage specifically for the momma-to-be, so we walked through the back doors of the mansion and across the courtyard to their spa. If you do this package, make sure to book your massage right away because they fill up fast!

For the massage, they have a little donut to prop up the mom’s baby belly. It was a luxurious massage and a great start to the day!

We headed back through the courtyard to get ready for the day.

Once dressed and ready to head out, we were able to finally see the dazzling mansion from the front entrance for the first time and in the daylight!

Priority #1: Get a really good lobster roll. I did a, probably excessive, amount of research looking for the best lobster roll in Charleston. There are probably three places that contend for the “top”, and 167 Bar Raw Oyster Bar was within walking distance and at the top of most lists. We walked through the city and put our name in. It was going to be about a two hour wait (and they don’t take reservations) , so I was grateful we had a hearty breakfast.

To kill the time, we reversed our schedule and walked out to some spots I had planned for us to explore after lunch.

Just walking through Charleston is so much fun. There is a little bit of history everywhere you look and even just building-gazing is fun with all the different architecture and gorgeous churches that draw your attention from practically every corner.

We first walked to rainbow row to see the homes here. It actually reminded us a little of painted ladies in SF!

We grabbed some pics out on Rainbow Row, and someone graciously offered to take our picture- never will turn that down!

Oh, and our weather was beautiful- high 70s and sunny!! We really lucked out. Next up was Waterfront Park.

There is nothing more calming than being by or in water, in my opinion. I love it so much, and I just remember feeling so relaxed as we walked around the pier.

And you know I had to get a bump pic whenever I had the chance!

We walked down the pier a little ways, and I probably was over-excited when we spotted the famous Charleston Pineapple fountain. Pineapples are seen everywhere in Charleston as a symbol of hospitality!

On this side of the pier, there are wooden swings staggered throughout these little pavilions. We couldn’t find one that was open, but I think it’d be so nice to just relax on one of those if you find yourself at Waterfront Park.

Since those were the two big spots I had planned for the afternoon (Rainbow Row and Waterfront Park), we had a little time to kill still before getting back to 167. We just walked around, stopped in little boutiques and enjoyed the stellar (and quite foreign!) sunshine.

This cute little Gelato shop caught my attention with their adorable pink chairs and tables outside, but even more so- the advertisement for Dutch mini pancakes beckoned us inside.

I would love to come back here to try their gelato sometime, because it looked mighty tasty.

These mini Dutch pancakes were so good. We had them with maple syrup and honey- and oh myyy. So sweet, so delicious.

As good as they were, I was admittedly a tiny bit queasy after and my body was screaming, “need real food NOW!”.

And I will leave ya on the edge of your seat to see if we finally did get those lobster rolls!

Thanks for reading 🙂

<3,

Mackenzie

Our Valentine’s Day, Super Bowl Sunday & A Nursery Sneak Peak!

Published on by Mackenzie18 Comments

Wanna know something embarrassing? When typing the title for this post, I had to Google if Super Bowl was one or two words. Clearly, I do not know my sports, hah.

Hiking right into our February!

On Tuesday February 1st, our sweet Moose man got neutered. He handled it like a champ- he didn’t seem to be in any pain through the whole recovery (I’m sure the meds around the clock helped) & we never even had to use his cone to prevent him from licking at his stitches. We were so proud of him!

I worked it out with my job that I could work early in the week before he got neutered and then the weekend when DJ was home, so we had someone with him through recovery. I did not bank on him having so much energy right away (that evening!). Without being able to take him on a walk to get said energy out, I knew we would need lots of distractions. Cooped up high-energy pup + not allowed to go on walks, run or jump + I need to get things done = must invest in distractions!

I stopped by Pet Supplies Plus to stock up on new toys and bones for Moose. He wanted nothing to do with the fake bones, so I ended up returning them the same day and getting the real bones in place. He goes crazy for these!

I had to run to an OB appointment on February 2nd for my glucose tolerance test. People have horror stories about the taste/their reactions to the drink, but it tasted like flat Hi-C to me 🤷🏼‍♀️. I was so very nervous going into it, but thankfully I did pass. I turned on the Furbo and watched Moose while I was gone to make sure he didn’t lick at his stitches. He didn’t at all – I was very proud of him! The rest of the day was shopping around for the nursery, publishing a blog post and knocking out miscellaneous to-dos. And of course, we had the occasional Moose potty breaks, which he was thrilled about because it meant time to enjoy the snow.

I also had my first of several childbirth courses that evening. I wasn’t sure after taking an OB clinical rotation how much new info there would be, but it’s just so different when you’re going through the learning for yourself & your own baby. I had these courses once a week for 2.5 hours through all of February and have found them very beneficial! I’m delivering at the hospital where I work, so if I go into labor while at work I can just walk downstairs. We joke I’ll just deliver on my lunch break, ha.

After Church, Sunday February 6th, we ordered Panera for lunch. I was having a major craving for their grilled mac n’cheese. You haven’t lived until you’ve tried this! I also am obsessed with their green goddess cobb salad. YUM.

It was just a lazy Sunday afternoon for the Moose.

Monday February 7th I noticed I had finally popped with a noticeable bump! I had to document. (Don’t mind the dirty mirror, I really oughta clean that, hah).

That evening we went to my younger sister-in-law’s basketball game! Love watching her play.

That week we were surprised at work with this sweet cake.

My 26th week of pregnancy, I started noticing I felt very “first-trimestery”, minus the nausea- thank goodness! Some of the fatigue started coming back along with the intense cravings for certain foods (and similar foods that I craved the first trimester!). The craving of February 9th was a veggie sub with avocado and provolone from Subway. I know people either hate Subway or tolerate it- I am probably one of the few that actually crave it, lol.

My sweet tooth was acting up that week, so I was extra excited about the delivery of Baked by Melissa cupcakes from my mom-in-law for Valentine’s Day! These are always soo good. 

February 10th, it was somewhat tolerable out temperature wise, so I took Moose on a walk in the afternoon. The craving on this day was Thai food – specifically red curry with crab rangoons from Papaya Salad. I usually order Thai at about an 8 on the 1-10 spicy scale, but this time I ordered a 6 because I don’t want baby to be uncomfortable from the insane heat I enjoy. I missed the 8 though, lol. I also stumbled upon Topo Chico at the Walgreens near here and nearly squealed with glee since I haven’t had it since we lived in Texas. I love this sparkling water so darn much & it was so nice to have with the Thai. DJ had their Pad Thai which he loved too.

On February 11th, the cravings continued. All day at work all I could think about was Indian food. As soon as I got in the car after clocking out, I put in an order for us at Jaipur Junction. It was all tasty as can be, as usual from here!

February 12th, we celebrated Valentine’s Day a couple days early! We went to the very elegant La Vetta.

We were seated next to this gorgeous fireplace and started with some of their focaccia and oil. I mean do they know they way to my heart or what.

We started with a couple of appetizers- the calamari with pesto, marinated olives and mozzarella balls. The combination of everything was really great together.

They also brought out these parmesan truffle fries complimentary since they made extra. We were not about to turn them down, and they were deelish!

I was really craving some veggies, so I also ordered their chop salad with all kinds of veggies, avocado, sunflower seeds and a flavorful Italian dressing. It was so refreshing and delicious. For my main, I had their grouper (I think it was grouper, I remember it was a white fish that was deemed safe in pregnancy, haha). It was really tasty & cooked to perfection.

For dessert we shared the panna cotta with lightly candied fruit and basil – which was, without a doubt, the star of the show. We have really had luck with our dessert orders lately! From the peanut butter bomb to the key lime pie and now this…Ohio knows how to do dessert!

It was a wonderful evening with my Valentine! Once home, we watched about 10 minutes of Succession before I conked out. At least I gave it a valient effort.  

February 13th, I met with my friend Melissa and her boyfriend at Yours Truly in Valley View for breakfast. I hadn’t seen them since my sister’s wedding!!

We came at the right time because within about 20 mins of us being seated the place was jam packed.

We had some good breakfast eats, lots of laughs, great conversation and then exchanged bday gifts. They soooo sweetly and thoughtfully got these stinkin’ adorable clothes for baby girl and a Momma Bear sweatshirt for me. I get emotional just writing about it all over again! Also that sweatshirt is so cozy, I could live in it.

I drove back home and stopped at Walmart on the way to grab some various cheese and crackers to make a little Sunday cheeseboard. Felt appropriate given that it was Super Bowl (two words) Sunday.

I didn’t eat the deli meat portions, but I was obsessed with the cheeses. Can’t get enough cheese these days.

Since I wanted the Bengals to win, I wore their colors and a leopard hairtie. I know they are technically Tigers, but Leopards are at least- also felines?

We went to a couple Super Bowl parties that night- it was a particularly beautiful evening as we drove around.

How cute are these football brownies my mom-in-law made? Also, they were some of the best tasting brownies I have ever had!

February 14th, actual Valentine’s Day, DJ sweetly got me these gorgeous flowers <3. I love Valentine’s day for an excuse to turn up the cheese, so I got him a pack of Mike’s Hot Honey (His favorite to put on pizza) & told him he’s my hot honey- heheheh.

Wednesday the 16th, I had a delivery of some dresses from Pink Blush Maternity! They are a little pricy (although do run good deals), so I stuck to investing in only a couple- one for the baby shower and one for our baby moon.

That same day, the wallpaper for the crib wall went up in the nursery! Woohooo! We still have a ways to go in here, but I was too eager to share even before it’s finished up.

Thank you for reading & I hope y’all have a wonderful rest of your week!

Question for you:

– How has February treated ya so far?

-Feelings about spicy honey on pizza? Have ya tried?

<3,

Mackenzie

Our January Part 2: A Weekend with my Mom & Pete & Lotsa Local Eats!

Published on by Mackenzie19 Comments

Happy almost weekend!!

Jumping right into Part 2 of January!…Moose just keeps growing and growing.

And so does baby girl- her kicks are powerful as ever. I absolutely cherish every single movement <3

Moose man wasn’t feeling quite himself starting on Sunday, January 23rd. He didn’t have his normal energy, and when he started refusing his food we knew something was up.

I didn’t have any days off until later in the week, and neither did DJ to take him to the vet, so we did the chicken and rice routine for a couple days to see how he’d do. We also didn’t want to take him to the normal dog daycare since there are so many dogs, so we frantically reached out to a dog sitter, Marie, on Rover who we had chatted with before. She is amazing to work  with, knows dogs well and agreed to take Moose for the days we worked that week to make sure he was rested and cared for. We felt extremely relieved knowing he was in good hands and would get the rest he needed.

On January 24th, I woke up to this spectacular sunrise before work.

We had another intense snowfall while I was at work that day. I was worried I wouldn’t be able to drive my car home, so DJ met me at work and sussed out the situation. He said the roads were good enough, so he drove my car in front of me very slowly, while I trailed with his truck. We picked up Moose on the way home, and he was a little better, but still not 100%. We decided to give it one more day to see if he would fully recover since he was seeming more himself.

On Tuesday, the 25th, he was still not himself all the way and was still occasionally refusing food. I didn’t love the idea of not getting him checked out for another couple days and couldn’t gauge how urgent this was, so we called Vet ERs in the area to see if he could come in. We were cited wait times from 2-8 hours, and it was already 9:30 pm. We decided to do a virtual ER vet visit through Vet Triage for a flat rate of $50 just to see if we were ok to wait until Thursday to take him in. It was amazing service. The vet walked us through a step-by-step physical exam of Moose, asked us a bunch of questions and reassured us he was well enough to wait to go to the vet when I had off. He sent a follow up report with OTC meds to help Moose, tips and tricks to stimulate his appetite and warning signs to look for. It was the BEST service, and I highly recommend!!

A little more about Rover, we are so grateful we found this service! Marie sends a “Rover card” after each visit to let us know how everything went along with tons of pictures throughout the day!

Wednesday, January 26th, Moose really turned the corner and even played a bunch with the other dogs there. Here is the Rover card from that day:

On Thursday, January 27th, Moose was back to near 100%. I still took him into the vet to be safe- they didn’t find anything concerning, said his stool looked fine and he should continue to recover. Whew, what a week for our little guy. So so relieved he’s ok!

I spent the rest of the day cleaning the house, getting groceries and knocking out other things on the to-do list before my mom and Pete arrived on Friday! We hadn’t seen them since early August  (before I was even pregnant!), so to say I missed them would be an understatement.

Friday, January 28th, they flew in around noon. I met up with them and my Grandma Violet at Olive Garden for lunch. Nothing like OG’s never ending soup, salad and breadsticks!! I’d been craving this meal, so it really hit the spot.

It was so good to catch up with them all.

I headed back to the house to get some things done for work in the afternoon, and then they joined me after a few hours. They were so excited to finally meet Moose after the countless pictures and videos I have sent them, and I was able to give them a little tour of the townhouse.

In the evening, we went to The Rail near DJ’s work for dinner. I haven’t been here since we moved back, but it’s such a great local spot.

We started with these smoked gouda mac and cheese bites which were to die for and delicious, perfectly crisp brussels.

While they are primarily a burger spot, I have been on a massive salad kick lately and couldn’t resist their mandarin chicken salad. It was oh so yummy.

They also have some of the best shakes. DJ ordered a chocolate one with his burger and fries, so I was happy to steal a few sips.

Pete’s bday was on the 23rd, so for a little belated bday dessert after dinner, we stopped by to get his favorite baked goods in town from Gasoline Alley (which, fun fact, happens to be owned by Rachel’s extended family).

Pete particularly loves their Carrot Cake, Hummingbird Cake and double whipped cheesecake. They were out of the cheesecake, so we had their regular cheesecake which was still very good. My favorite of the three was actually the hummingbird cake – mmmm mmmm!

They also brought the sweetest gifts for baby girl. I teared up reading the words in the picture frame. 

My mom found this book, On the Night you Were Born, and it is so special. I highly recommend it you are looking for a wonderful baby book.

I have been reading various stories to baby girl every day since around 23 weeks. Each night my mom and Pete were here, either I or my mom read to her. My mom even got to feel baby kick over the weekend, which was so awesome <3

On the morning of Saturday, January 29th, my mom and I started the day with a session at Orange Theory.

Before leaving, my mom soaked up some Moose cuddles with her coffee. Can you tell she lives in Texas with the way she is bundled.. indoors? LOL! 
Orange theory was so fun, although I had to do it a bit modified. While pregnant, I can’t push myself like I usually do and have to pay close attention to make sure my heart rate doesn’t get too high, but it was still a great workout. I can’t wait to go back to it regularly eventually!

Pete and my mom told us to save up some projects for when they were here, and they helped us big time! While at Orange Theory, Pete worked on getting the crib assembled 💕. He did it so quickly & it makes me so happy every time I peak in the nursery seeing it there! He also measured for the wallpaper in the nursery and fixed our water tank to the guest room. My mom later helped me make some decorating decisions and scour the internet for the perfect pot for our snake plant, so it was a very productive weekend around the house! 

For lunch, I made sure to have the famous Five Star Hotdogs on hand for Pete- they are some of his favorite and they’re local. My mom whipped up the hot dogs in a cast iron pan for the guys, and she and I had some salad and yogurt. I can’t get enough of the greens lately!!! I’ve wanted salads at least once if not twice a day.

(Not pictured- all the hot dog fixin’s!).

After lunch, we went to a matinee of Redeeming Love. Redeeming Love is probably my favorite novel to date. When I saw the movie was coming to theaters while my mom and Pete were here, I knew we had to get it on the schedule! My mom actually recommended the book to me, and it’s one of her favorites as well.

I don’t think I had a dry eye for the whole two hours and 14 minutes. The movie had horrible critic reviews, but I’m telling you- this was so well done, and I loved how closely it mirrored the book. Were there cheesy moments? Sure there were, but it was still very good- I highly recommend. Actually funny note about said cheese- I mentioned later that day that I thought my “cheese-detection-meter” broke when I became pregnant. Everything just makes me emotional, and I tend to lean that something is sweet and moving rather than eye-roll cheesy. My mom said to be prepared that with having a baby it will now stay broken forever, lol!!

After the movie, we came back home, got ready for dinner and then headed out to Butcher and Sprout, a place DJ and I have had our eye on since moving here.

They have such a fun mocktail menu. I had their Lima Libre with La Croix, lime juice and soda water- this was so delicious and refreshing with a citrusy tang I was craving.

We started with an order of their truffle tots with shaved parmesan. They were delish! I do have to say the smoked gouda mac n’cheese bites still took the cake for best appetizer of the weekend, but these were certainly tasty.

Now in usual mom-daughter style, my mom and I chose two dishes to split. Since baby girl calls the shots these days, it’s always entertaining to see what she’ll have a hankerin’ for. And this night, it was a BLT. I don’t know that I have ever ordered a BLT off a menu in my life, but out of everything on the menu, that is what stood out to me!

My mom loves a BLT too, so it worked out. It was so good and exactly what I was hoping for. We also split their upstream burger with wild caught salmon, green cilantro, housemade slaw and sriracha aioli on a ginger butter banh mi bun. Also fantastic!!

The guys took a page out of our book & split their Nashville Hot Chicken Sandwich and surf-and-turf burger, which they raved about.

I had to make sure to grab a pic with everyone before the weekend snuck by!

Sunday morning we were up bright and early to get to the 8:30 AM service at church.

This was our first time going to this specific church, and a new friend I met through blogging welcomed us so warmly to the service. After a great service (that I’m pretty sure baby had hiccups during!), we went to Blue Door Cafe, easily the best brunch spot in town.

We put our name on the wait list, and thankfully only had about a 30 min wait. It can be over two hours if you go during the rush, so we were happy with 30 mins!

Once seated, our stomachs growled while looking over the menu.

Since I have been weirdly obsessed with cottage cheese for the last few months, I couldn’t resist their whipped cottage cheese as a little starter. This was light, sweet and delicious and paired perfectly with their banana bread- which we all agreed was the best banana bread we have ever had.

DJ had their monte criso crepe with imported leoncini rosemary ham, melted comte gruyere, ohio maple syrup, & ohio maple dijon, which did not last long!

I opted for their avocado toast, which was not your average avocado toast. It was served with the most incredible multigrain toast, perfectly cooked eggs and a hearty serving of ripe avocado.

I can’t remember in particular what Pete had, but I know he loved it and ate every bite!

And my mom actually ordered my typical go-to, their egg white croissant with sundried tomato, avocado and egg whites on a croissant like you’ve never tasted before!

After a brunch to remember, we came home with full stomachs and sleepy eyes. I had the usual Sunday to-do list to knock out before the start of the work week. DJ had some work to do as well. While we worked on our respective projects, we had football playing in the background. My mom and Pete kept offering to help, but it made me so happy to see them comfortably relaxing in our living room, so I insisted they take the day to relax. For the countless number of times I have vegged on their couch having a relaxing Sunday afternoon, it made me smile to see them doing the same here.

Later that afternoon, we were all surprised we somehow found our appetites again after such a big brunch. I made a cheese and cracker tray for us to enjoy with the game for a pre-dinner snack.

For dinner, the guys had pizza and my mom and I had salads – real chicken for me while she enjoyed some vegan chicken on hers. And of course, I mixed cottage cheese mixed in. 

Then it was bright and early wake up calls on Monday January 31st– 3:30 AM for my mom and Pete to get to the airport and 4:30 AM for me to get to work. It was such a great and memorable weekend <3.

I, DJ and Moose (and baby girl too!) miss them tons already!!

Question for you:

  • What’s the best brunch spot in your town?

<3,

Mackenzie

Our January Part 1: Anatomy Ultrasound, Birthday Festivities & Snow Days!

Published on by Mackenzie14 Comments

Hey hey!! How are you?! I am writing you from Alaska, oh wait, I mean Ohio- but these days, who would know the difference?

I have been really eager to share about our last few weeks, and finally, I have a free day to sit and write. January was seemingly extra busy, but all good busy. But I may need to take a nap midway through writing this post- we’ll see!

On New Year’s Day, we took our Moose for a walk on the normal trail.

The rest of the weekend was spent prepping for work, getting the house in order after the holidays, grocery shopping, meal prepping and working on the baby registry! I found a helpful registry checklist through Etsy that I used as a guide. I tried to add an item or two a day until the list was complete. I found myself researching everything, so it took a lot longer than I expected, but it was still a lot of fun.

January 4th was one of my favorite days of the month! We had our anatomy scan and got to see our baby girl.

I had no idea they were going to do a 4D ultrasound, so seeing her this clearly was absolutely amazing <3.

There were no concerns found on the anatomy scan, and she is growing right on target! I was more nervous walking into this appointment than others knowing what it all entailed, so I felt extremely relieved, thankful and elated after the healthy report.

DJ and I celebrated the wonderful appointment & seeing our little one by grabbing lunch at Core Life after.

The rest of the week was filled with work, making meals, sneaking in workouts where possible and Moose cuddles.

On Saturday the 8th, we started with Moose’s training school in the morning. The rest of the day was getting the house in order and knocking out things on the to-do list.

In the evening, we went to Papa Joe’s lacomini’s to have dinner with one of DJ’s best friends from growing up and his fiancé. It was a great time!

On January 9th, we took Moose on a walk and then went to my younger sister-in-law’s birthday party in the afternoon. It was a lovely time with family as usual!

When we got home, we both had some stuff left to do for work the next day. It has been one of those months where work has definitely come home with us, but it won’t always be like this.

That week was mostly just the normal grind, but my birthday was on the 13th. I returned home to some sweet gifts and a gorgeous cake from my mom-in-law and Gordie along with the most beautiful flowers from DJ <3. Even though I worked most of the day and figured it would feel like any other day, the evening was so special- reading cards, enjoying some birthday cake and convincing DJ to start Joe Millionaire with me. That show is so entertaining!

Friday the 14th I had off work, and I chipped away on getting our guest room livable for when my mom and Pete came to visit at the end of the month.

That evening, I met up with Rachel at Cantine in Broadview Heights for a girl’s night out doubled as a birthday dinner.

I loved the vibe of this place and can’t wait to go back because the food was so good.

I thought the way they brought my sparkling water out was too fun with the lime and straw. Rach tried their pretty blueberry basil lemonade.

Now this food!!! We tried their arancini di riso. This reminded us both of mozzarella sticks, and they were insanely good! 
I was starving and actually ordered two main dishes. Eating for two and all that? Hah. I had their cantine pizza and roasted chicken. I cannot tell you the last time I ordered chicken at a restaurant, lol, but oh man was it delicious. The pizza was so yummy too.

To top it all off, they brought me out a complimentary dessert since Rachel told them it was my birthday. I savored this raspberry cheesecake!

So fun we can celebrate each other’s bdays in person now that we live so close!

Saturday we had Moose’s training again and then Stanley Steemer came to clean our carpets that afternoon. I had tried every natural cleaning solution under the sun it seemed and still couldn’t quite get the odor out of the carpet from Moose’s early days of frequent accidents. Stanley Steemer uses non-toxic chemicals to clean and DJ saw a billboard for a significant discount- so it was a no brainer to hire them. It was great service & nearly eliminated the odor!

And while I usually don’t go out of my way to celebrate my birthday over multiple days, the festivities continued! I used my birthday this year as an excuse for a date night with Deej. We went to Ken Stewart’s Grille in Akron. 

We had some dishes that were great and others that were just ok- I want to highlight the ones that stood out!

First up was their wild mushroom toast with truffle cream which was out of this world. A must try if you ever find yourself here.

DJ made a great choice in ordering their wedge salad -I tried a bite and see why it’s considered one of their famous menu items.

Now, the star of the show, contender for one of the best desserts we’ve ever had, was their peanut butter bomb served with a par-baked peanut butter cookie, hot fudge and housemade vanilla ice cream. The combo of the gooey peanut butter cookies with the creamiest ice cream and chocolate was unreal. We will definitely be back for this!

January 16th, we soaked up one of the last normal walks we would have for a while unbeknownst to us due to crazy weather on the horizon! The rest of the day was spent meal prepping and planning for the week and reviewing procedures/protocols for work.

A little more about my job- I love it so much. I feel incredibly grateful to be working in this role. I am currently working on a presurgical unit, so in a nutshell, I get patients ready for surgery. Due to the way the surgical schedule works, I can start my shifts anywhere between 5:30 AM-10 AM and I finish up between 2:30 pm and 6:30 pm. I love the schedule, especially on days I get off around 2:30/3 pm. It is an adjustment getting up between 4:30-5 am on many of the days (especially since I can’t drink copious amounts of coffee to compensate), but it has definitely gotten easier since I began. I just can’t imagine having done it in the first trimester of pregnancy, so I’m really thankful the timing worked out the way it did. Life looks sooo different than I would have anticipated this time last year, but I could not be happier. I really think this is one of those times where God knew what was best for me, even though it’s different than what I originally imagined for myself.

January 17th, we had a massive snow storm hit. I woke up realizing I wouldn’t be able to get my car out of the garage to go to work. Toto, I’ve a feeling we’re not in Texas anymore. I ran back up the stairs in a panic waking DJ and Moose up. DJ didn’t have to go into work that day since it was MLK day, so I was able to use his truck to weather the storm. I wouldn’t have made it into work without him that morning- he quickly wiped off the windows and helped dig me out enough to get going in the truck, which he had put into high four wheel drive. I made it to work feeling super safe in the truck with about 3 mins to spare, but the roads were not pretty. I thank God for protecting me and baby girl on that drive. Thankfully on the way home, the roads were much better. That evening DJ spent a long time shoveling our driveway too so I could get my car out next time I needed it. He’s the best.

Hope y’all are staying safe out there!

On Wednesday January 19th, the weather was relatively warm, so I took Moose out to the trail. I actually ended up taking my coat off because I was working up a sweat in the balmy 40-something degree weather trudging through the snow. lol.

Since we had the snowy trail to ourselves, I let Moose loose- and he went nuts! He LOVED frolicking around in the snow. I’m not sure I’ve ever seen him so excited to jump around and explore.

 

 

When Moose crashed after playing in all the snow, I took advantage of the quiet time to plan our Baby Moon to Charleston, SC. It’s kind of special I was planning our Baby Moon on this day in particular because January 19th was our dating anniversary, marking 12 years total of us being together!

We went to one of my younger sister-in-law’s basketball games that evening. She did awesome, and the team came home with a win. DJ’s college basketball coach and his wife were there too, so it was really good to catch up with them.

That Saturday, January 22nd, Moose mayyy have dropped out of puppy school. Well to be more accurate, his parents dropped him out. We decided he was trained well enough to function in society… and we really wanted our Saturday mornings back, lol!

That morning, we ran some errands and then met with my mom-in-law and Gordie at Garretts Mill Diner for breakfast. This is easily one of our favorite breakfast spots around! I love their omelettes & they have some of the best thin, tasty griddled pancakes. DJ and I both prefer thinner pancakes over the fluffy ones- curious what y’all prefer more!

That afternoon our nursery chair was delivered! Now that I have the registry done, finished the guest room and most of the rest of the house, I am starting to chip away at the nursery, and oh my goodness, it’s so much fun. I can’t wait for it to be done! <3. When I wrap up these last few projects around the house I’ll do a little home tour.

In the evening, Rachel stopped by with her pup Trotter to meet Moose. She is going to house sit when we go on our Baby Moon later this month, so we wanted to make sure they would do well on Moose’s “territory”. He wasn’t territorial at all & loved playing with Trotter.

That evening, I had a major frosty and french fry craving. I improvised by making a dragon fruit smoothie bowl and some Ore-Ida french fries (the best french fries to make at home, can I get an Amen?). We watched an episode of Joe Millionaire (DJ fully invested at this point, although he may deny it if you ask) and then called it a night!

I will wrap it up here with a part 2 coming soon!! Off to take my nap now 🙂

Questions for you!

  • How has the start to your year been?
  • What is your preference- thin or fluffy pancakes?

<3,

Mackenzie

Our Christmas & New Year’s Eve 2021!

Published on by Mackenzie34 Comments

Hello hello!!! Phewww, anyone else exhausted? I don’t think I have quite the stamina I did pre-pregnancy, lol. I hope you all had the most wonderful time with loved ones over the holidays and are having a very Happy New Year!

This was a very special Christmas with us living in Ohio for the first time in a decade.

DJ got off work a little early on December 23rd, so we did a quick little date night out to Core Life Eatery. I was ravenous and added just about everything possible to my salad.

We had quite a bit to get done preparing for Christmas during the day on Christmas Eve, but we  snuck in a lovely family walk with Moose in the afternoon.

His recent thing on walks is he loves to run around and scale these boulders along the trail. It’s amazing how agile and graceful he has become seemingly overnight.  

That evening I felt like I sort of could see a bump through my clothes for the first time! I know it probably was a still questionable – “did she eats too many tacos tonight or is she pregnant?”, but I was still soaking it up!

We went to a lovely Christmas Eve service filled with worship and scripture reading. We did have to bow out a bit early because I got super nauseated out of nowhere. As soon as I got something in my stomach I felt much better. Usually how it goes.

That evening we had the most wonderful Christmas Eve meal at my mom-in-law and Gordie’s home. They even made the end portion of the prime rib well done for me so I could have a few pieces <3 Now, that’s love- intentionally overcooking that high quality of meat! And oh my, was it tasty. Yes, I’m still ALL about the meat!!

After seconds, and probably thirds, we sat around enjoying our desserts and chatting away! It was so nice.

On Christmas Day, I woke up a little early to get some walking in and then we gathered up our gifts, our Moose, and we hit the road!

First stop was my mom-in-law and Gordie’s for brunch. I was craving a quiche something fierce when I woke up (probably because she usually makes them on Christmas, and they are always delicious!). When I walked in and saw them on the counter, I was so happy I could cry. It sounds dramatic, but let me tell you- it is the truth. I had my fair share of those tasty quiches and some of the rest of the yummy spread.

After brunch, we opened up gifts with the fam (watching the kids open their gifts was so much fun! It’s exciting to think next year our girl will be joining in on the fun with her cousins <3).

Moose also had a ball tearing into all the wrapping paper.

He even got his own stocking this year! He is one spoiled pup by his grandparents.

LOL I love these bones. They also got him a Mr. Bill toy Moose is obsessed with. He carries it around the house with him, and we’ll hear a random, “Oh Nooooo!” from Mr. Bill every once in a while. 😂

And of course, we had to get a Christmas picture!

That evening we went to my Dad-in-law’s and had a yummy Christmas dinner, opened gifts (Yes, Moose too!), ate the most insanely good cake bites from Daisy Cakes for dessert and soaked up all the family time!

On Sunday, Halston and Kevin came over in the morning so we could prepare our side dishes for the family get together on my Dad’s side of the fam that afternoon. We made a corn elote, simple fajita veggies and a bean dip. We then dropped Moose off at Bow Wow and headed to my brother and sister-in-law’s for a Mexican fiesta!

When they suggested tacos as our meal, I was all about it. Tacos have been one of my main cravings in the second trimester. I had about three of what’s pictured below.

After our food settled, DJ and Kevin played various sports with Jack around the house while my sister and I read some books with Kate. Then we opened gifts with them and Will when he woke up from his nap. It brings me such joy to see how excited they get with every gift.

When we got home later that evening we opened some gifts with my mom and Pete over Facetime! Even Moose got a package of goodies and toys addressed to “Mr. Moose”, like I said- spoiled by all his grandparents! He’s been loving it all. Anyway, it was so good to “see” them, but I still missed them tons these holidays. They’ll be here in January though, so we’re counting down the days.

The whole weekend created some very treasured memories <3

Monday December 27th, Moose captured in this picture how we all felt. He also is a big fan of the pregnancy pillow.

December 29th I hit a wall. I stayed in bed from 1 pm to about 5 pm. I finally was able to get out of bed in time to get some dinner, but even after that I was ready to hit the hay again.

December 30th, DJ and I both took COVID tests given we both were just not feeling 100%, thankfully they were both negative. I think we were just a bit worn out! That day I did wake up feeling better after the prior day of rest.

I went to Nervous Dog cafe in the late morning and wrote our Christmas Thank-Yous while sipping on a decaf cafe au lait. It was so nice! In the afternoon, I took Moose for a walk and then tackled more on the ol’ to-do list in the afternoon.

December 31st, DJ and I set aside New Year’s Eve for a date night. We haven’t had a lot of time together lately, so this was much needed! We found a reservation availability at Rosewood Grill in Hudson, a restaurant we have never been to but looked amazing.

When we got out of the car, we walked up to this beautifully lit wonderland with a gorgeous firepit leading into the restaurant. Inside was spectacularly decorated for Christmas as well!

Our reservation was at 8:45 pm, so we were ravenous by the time we arrived! We started with the spinach dip appetizer. It was absolutely incredible spinach dip.

I also was craving some greens so I had their local greens salad, which was so refreshing and served with the most delicious honey dressing.

For our mains, I had the scallops and shrimp risotto, and DJ ordered a filet. Both were phenomenal.We tried a side of the lobster risotto- holy moly this was insanely good.

For dessert, DJ had their crème brûlée. I wish I was a crème brûlée fan, but I always like it better in theory than when I actually eat it. DJ loved it though!

I had their key lime cheesecake, which was truly some of the best cheesecake I’ve had in my life. 

We did not have a bad bite of food the whole time we were there, and we will definitely have to return for another special occasion! It was a winner.

We went home and watched about 20 minutes of Succession before falling asleep at 1030, we did not even sniff midnight 😂

I am feeling so overwhelmed with gratitude for these special memories 💕 I can’t wait for this year to come!

Questions for you: 

  • How were your holidays?
  • What are you looking forward to this year?

<3,

Mackenzie

In that Christmas Spirit & A Bumpdate <3

Published on by Mackenzie22 Comments

Good morning, friends! How are you doing? I am writing from a Nervous Dog in chilly Ohio- well, chilly at the moment. It’s supposed to get to 38 degrees F  later, and in my book that’s exciting because that’s still over 30 and feasible to take Moose for a walk!

Anyway, recapping some of our time in December. This has been one unforgettable month.

We have continued our walks with Moose where the weather allows. We have been very lucky as this has been most days! I have grown to actually love these cooler walks. There is something so calming about it. Maybe it’s a type of cryotherapy, hah. DJ said it’s the highlight of his week too when we go as a family on Saturdays and Sundays.

We have started letting him off leash as much as possible (when no one/no bikers are around). He does so well & it is the cutest thing seeing how excited he gets when that leash is off. He is his happiest running around and exploring.

There is one biker on the trail who passes us frequently, and a couple weeks ago he said “HI MOOOSE!” as he zipped passed. I must say “Stay Moose” enough as he passes that he learned Moose’s name haha. A couple days ago he stopped his bike and played with Moose for a little bit. It was adorable! Moose makes friends wherever he goes.

This vid also cracks me up. I was working on my laptop, and I looked over and he was chewing on my scarf. He looked so frantic & guilty when I caught him, lol. (We do let him have that old running shoe as a chew toy, we recently took the laces out though just to be safe).

On December 4th, I went to Rachel’s to see her new home and have a cookie baking night! I also got to meet her new pup, Trotter, who is the most adorable golden retriever. I can’t believe I didn’t get a picture- next time!! I know Trotter and Moose would be best of friends, I can’t wait for them to meet. She also made me the most refreshing and yummy lemon rosemary mocktail, and we sipped away while we chatted, ate some cheese and crackers and baked Christmas cookies!

We mayyy have burnt both batches on the bottom, but they actually still tasted pretty good (well the tops anyway, hah).

After making our cookies, we watched Love Hard. It was adorable and gave me my once a year Hallmark-type movie fix: cheesy, predictable and made me cry happy tears. The tears mayyy have been a bit amplified by the hormones. (Also I didn’t understand the title Love Hard– but someone said it is a combination of Love Actually and Die Hard and that makes a lot of sense!).

The whole night got me majorly in the Christmas spirit and it was SO GOOD to see Rach.

Feeling festive, I decided that weekend was the best time to get some decorations up. We didn’t get a tree this year with Moose being sure to destroy it, so on December 5th we put up our mini tree from last year and decorated our bamboo ladder with Christmas lights. It is the perfect amount of cozy needed this time of year! Next year, you best believe we are getting back on that real-tree routine, especially with baby here <3

For lunch almost every day for the last few weeks, I have some form of tacos. Ever since we had them at our family get together a few weeks ago, I cannot get enough. So far I have made chickpea tacos, veggie tacos, egg tacos (a lot of these), and my favorite so far were the bison tacos. I usually add a dash of various taco spices, whatever the main filling is mixed with steamed spinach, peppers/onions and then top with whole milk chobani yogurt, cheese, avocado and tabasco over a cassava tortilla or lettuce wraps. YUM. CANNOT get enough!

This was the week before I started my new job, and I wanted to take full advantage of getting ready for Christmas. I spent December 6th and 7th baking away. I made a list of what I wanted to make, ran to the store and then baked both days away while listening to Christmas music. It was magical!

Think Paul Hollywood would approve of that roll? Lol. When I cut it, I exclaimed excitedly to DJ “I see a swirl!!!”. I know it probably could be (a lot) neater, but it was my first time making a Swiss roll from scratch! It was so much fun and rewarding. Plus it tasted pretty good (the important part). I think I still prefer the Swiss rolls with some chocolate, but for raspberry lovers, this was pretty darn delish.

Here is the line up of all the rest of recipes I used, and my personal review of each:

Buckeyes: Very good! My mom-in-law said easily some of the best she’s had and they were DJ’s favorite too. I did omit the brown sugar in the recipe because I didn’t want them to be too gritty.

Gingerbread Cookies: I love gingerbread cookies, and I thought this recipe was really good. I don’t like them too crunchy, these were nice and soft.

Saltine Cracker Toffee: I added pistachios on top and truly had a hard time not eating half the batch. SO addictive. I did have to do this batch over though because my chocolate morsels didn’t melt on the first batch. I recommend using true melting chocolate, melting it a little beforehand and then spreading on the saltines.

Grinch Snowball Cookies: I don’t love snowballs, but if you do, you’ll probably like these. I mainly made them for a pop of color.

Lemon Butter Cookies: This was my personal favorite, and I think I’ll have to make them every year from now on. I added about double lemon zest that the recipe calls for, and I highly recommend doing that if you make this recipe. Never can have enough zest!

Coconut Macaroons: Super easy and tasty if you love coconut.

Peanut butter blossoms: Yummy, classic. I think I did under-bake them a little bit this time from leaving the fridge too long pre-rolled. I also prefer the Reese’s PB cups in the middle of the PB blossom rather than the Hersey’s Kiss, but that’s totally a personal preference!

One my baking days, I dropped off Moose at Camp Bow Wow. It’s good socialization for him, and it would have been tough to do all that baking with him around (especially because his new favorite thing is counter surfing, and so far all the tricks we’ve heard to get him to stop haven’t worked). Anyway, when I picked him up, he was pretty tired both days, and I was tired from baking, so we took a quick nap before I got to prepping for dinner.

On December 9th, I met with my mom-in-law, sister-in-law and nephew, Ender, at Michael’s AM.

I’ve craved this breakfast since we went here. I had a veggie omelette with a side of grits (I had to get them when I saw them on the menu!) and a side of rye toast. We also all tried one of their waffles which was maybe one of the best waffles I’ve had. I want to take DJ back to try it very soon to have this whole meal again round 2!

Even better than the food was the conversation- I feel like we could have chatted there all day!

On December 10th, Moose got in a nice long walk with lots of room to roam and we played catch with a stick until he got tired enough to lay down in the sun. He loves his sun bathing.

On December 11th, Moose started 1st Grade! After him doing so well on the first day, we went through the Dunkin’ Donuts drive-through and got him a pup cup while I got a decaf coffee with oat milk & DJ grabbed a breakfast sandwich.

That evening, we had DJ’s work Christmas party. It was so much fun & I adore his coworkers. He works with an awesome group of people. I’ve only met them a couple times, but I feel like they’re already friends. We did a white elephant exchange and actually really lucked out with getting a dog toy & treats. This Santa toy is easily Moose’s favorite at the moment!

December 12th, I met up with my brother, SIL, niece and nephews, my sister, Andi, and her mom who flew in from Colorado!

We went to a place that holds a lot of sentimental value for us all- Luna’s. My dad used to take us here often growing up and we all love their food. The minute I walked in, the scent of the diner brought back a rush of memories. This is the type of place that has regulars and the nicest staff.

The best part was being back there all together and sharing this special place with my niece and nephews <3

My brother put these sunglasses on Will- how stinking cute is he!!!

My niece, Kate, started another tradition we used to do – jelly stacking. Did anyone else do this at diners growing up? She did this so quickly – we were all very impressed with her skills!

Once you become a pro at the jelly stacking, the next level is stacking the creamers. I think our record was 11 creamers high or something, but I’m sure Kate will pass that up soon 🙂

For food, I had their skillet. Ohhh I love a skillet. All those hashbrowns, peppers, eggs, cheese- yumm. This was deeeelish.Family picture! Just missed Kevin & Halston <3 We will see them next week though 🙂

After breakfast, we headed to our cousins for the annual Peppernut cookie baking! This is a very special cookie in our family that we have made for generations. The original name for them are Pfeffernüsse, with German origins.

It was so much fun because my nephew, Jack, and niece, Kate, are now old enough to partake in the baking fun!

It was so so special showing them how to roll the dough and do the cut outs, and then my sister Andi did the decoration station with them. Very treasured memories <3

That afternoon, I was prepping for starting my job the next day and DJ was working away on his laptop too. DJ got up to go upstairs for something, and when I walked into the living room, Moose was investigating his laptop. I was cracking up joking he was trading company secrets.

Well, I shouldn’t have laughed too hard, because not long after he did the same thing to me! I am actually convinced he may have just been buying Christmas gifts for himself or my mom joked that maybe he was trying to order Uber Eats.

December 13th I started my new job! Let’s chat job stuff for a second. I had heard from friends how difficult it can be to secure a nurse practitioner job fresh out of school, and it has been. At a certain point I started doing some reflecting. I saw so many nursing roles open and far fewer NP. After a lot of thought, prayer and conversation- I decided to start applying for nursing jobs. I just got a job in the hospital in an area I can learn new skills and continue to grow as a nurse! I feel at peace and excited about it. I have loved the orientation so far and am grateful to work with/for such an incredible team and hospital. It’s not the path I had originally envisioned maybe a year ago, and it doesn’t mean I’ll never work as an NP, but I’m committed to this role and don’t have a timeline or anything set for myself at the moment. This role will be so perfect throughout pregnancy and after baby is born too- it’s very flexible and allows me to not take work home with me.  I’m just going to soak up this direction for all its worth, aim to be the best nurse I can be for my patients and trust God has a plan for this path and all future paths!

On December 16th, my pregnancy pillow came in! I AM OBSESSED. I tried another pillow that smelled a little like chemicals, so I tried to find one that was considered to be made with non-toxic materials. When I stumbled across this one, I had to try it out, especially because the reviews raved about it. This thing is so comfortable and is made with only clean fabrics. It’s a little pricier than what I would have preferred to spend, but it really is worth every single penny.

On December 22nd, I put the final touches on my gift wrapping! I love doing this every year. I usually will lock myself away in a room, put on a TV show and get to work! Something about gift wrapping is so therapeutic.

I also just had to share this- my neck was killin’ me in this moment, but Moose was so comfortable I didn’t want to make him move. He is the cuddliest dog I think I’ve ever known. I hope he is forever my 80-90 lb. lapdog. (That’s what is estimated he will be when he’s full grown).

Aaand finally!!! I have a bumpdate (a bump update)! I have hardly been showing at all, and finally at 19 weeks, I feel like I see a bump. My mom didn’t really show until 7 months, so I think I may be following in her genetic footsteps.

I did start to feel flutters around 18 weeks, I think I also have felt maybe one solid kick from baby girl 💕 It’s one of the most amazing and miraculous experiences.

I hope you have the most Merry Christmas, Happy Holidays & a Happy New Year! Sending so much love to all of you as we move into 2022.

Questions for you: 

  • Do you have a special family Christmas cookie?
  • What are some of your favorite holiday traditions?
  • How has your holiday season been so far?

<3,

Mackenzie

November Recap!

Published on by Mackenzie39 Comments

I can’t believe it- with this post I am actually pretty much caught up to present day!

On November 4th, I woke up to this most tranquil view of frost beautifully covering the ground.

I can’t even make it a few sentences in without a pic of Moose. He really has taken over this blog, huh?

The little nugget sometimes stands by the fridge hoping we will open it to give him a piece of chicken. Lol. He’s obsessed with the stuff.

On November 5th,  I went to breakfast with my MIL and SIL at Valley Cafe. I had been here once when I lived here, but it had a total makeover on the inside and was unrecognizable.How stinking cute is this.

Some of the food has a cajun flair. It was a good breakfast-there are several menu items I want to try, so I can’t wait to go back!After breakfast, we walked around Home Goods. I haven’t been there in far too long! I love that place. It was productive too, I found a beautiful little marble cake stand for a great price & grabbed some dark chocolate covered almonds at the checkout.

That afternoon I took Moose on our standard walk. I love this little alley way that has tall ledges on one side and a hilly forest and ravine on the other.

November 6th was one of my favorite days in recent memory! We started by going out on a family walk, admired the holiday decor in nearby neighborhoods and then on our way home stopped by Grabham’s candies.

I’d passed this place so many times, I couldn’t wait to finally go in and check it out!

There were so many amazing options! We ordered a box full of various treats. It was all absolutely delicious, but by far, the salted caramels were the star of the show. Next time, I think I may just get a big box of those. They’re reasonably priced too.

In the afternoon, we went to Chick-fil-A, drove around the city and just enjoyed the beautiful day. In the evening I made a meal of creamed spinach, scallops, brown rice and rolls. It was a great day together. DJ’s job is pretty time-intensive right now, so I really treasure this time with him.

That weekend we also stopped into Jubilee Donuts. I was craving donuts somethin’ fierce! How cute is this fall theme. My favorite was the maple cream stick and Boston cream donut.

I dedicated the afternoon to Christmas shopping while snuggling with Moose and having The Great British Bake Off playing in the background. I really enjoy the hunt of shopping for gifts, and with the supply chain concerns I decided to get a jump start on it. It was a wonderfully cozy afternoon.

November 9th, I took Moose to a new trail further away, Lock 29. It was such a gorgeous day, and we both relished walking a new path. I was happy to see Christmas decorations were already going up in the little downtown Peninsula area!

November 10th, I woke up with some french toast with yogurt and berries on top. I may need to make this for lunch now.

That week was a big one of interviews for jobs.

November 11th, while walking our familiar route, I was amazed at how the leaves covered the path seemingly overnight. It transformed it into a lovely golden trail.

That day I was craving pizza. Jet’s Pizza is easily my favorite chain pizza, it reminds me quite a bit of Via 313!

I tried the veggie cauliflower crust and pineapple four corner. The cauliflower crust was good (for cauliflower crust), but next to the four corner crust, it could not hold a candle. I know pineapple pizza is a bit controversial, but it’s probably my favorite pizza.

The weekend of November 13th was the first snow of the year!

Moose loved it and wanted to frolic around in it!

Also, I just have to include these pictures of him and this empty yogurt container. We discovered he loves yogurt (his favorite only second to chicken), so we give him the containers when we pretty much empty them out. He walks around with a yogurt-covered nose after- it’s adorable!

This week I took Moose to Camp Bow Wow, a doggy daycare. He had an “interview” and everything- he did well & is allowed to attend there, lol. The idea of an “interview” for dogs cracks me up. We were proud of him for doing so well his first day. I only left him there a few hours to see how he’d do, and I didn’t want him to think we’d abandoned him. Since I’m starting a new job soon, this will be so perfect for him. He just met the age of being able to attend, so the timing worked out beautifully.

While Moose was at Camp Bow Wow, I went for a wonderful run outside. It was a beautiful day, 50-something in November!! I also got so much done around the house & it was weird not having to look over my shoulder every five seconds to make sure Moose wasn’t getting into something. It was an exciting taste of freedom, but I missed Moose horribly by the end of the three hours and couldn’t wait to pick him up.

On November 19th, I let Moose off the leash on the trail for the first time since there was no one around. He had an absolute blast playing fetch with a stick he found (or keep away, however you look at it!).

The evening of November 20th, we went to Leo’s Italian Social in downtown Cuyahoga Falls with my mom-in-law and Gordie. I think I have a new favorite restaurant in town!! The whole downtown Cuyahoga Falls area is really cute- we have a lot to explore there.

We tried their calamari and cauliflower for appetizers- both delish! For my main I had their zucchini shrimp pasta. There’s a lot on their menu I’d like to try, but it’s going to be tough for me to order anything other than this any time we go! If it couldn’t get any better, their tiramisu was some of the best I have ever tried. I’m going to crave that stuff!

On the morning of November 21st, I couldn’t get Blue Door Cafe off my mind. They had a super long wait since we tried to go right around the rush, but they had the option for takeout- fine by me! Their egg white omelette is one of my favorites- it is served over a perfected croissant with sundried tomatoes and avocado. YUM.

Later that afternoon I met with my friend Kylie for some coffee at my absolute favorite coffee shop around called Nervous Dog Coffee Bar. It was wonderful to catch up as always!

November 24th I witnessed one of the most beautiful sunrises I’ve seen here yet.

That whole day was a big cooking day for Thanksgiving. I LOVE my full days of cooking. This year, I made my cranberry pistachio quinoa stuffed acorn squash, vegan maple brussels sprouts and bacon maple brussels along with a homemade apple crumb. The apple pie was back-up Marie Callender’s in case the apple crumb didn’t turn out, but thankfully it was a hit! I have some apples left over and am genuinely considering making another this week- definitely give that recipe a go if you love apple crisp. Served with some ice cream and caramel sauce- yuuum!

For Thanksgiving day, we spent the whole day with family eating delicious food- does it really get better than that? Only thing that would have made it better is if my SIL, Amy, was in town- but she’ll be here for Christmas, and I cannot waitttt.

My sister-in-law, Renee, made these cookies below and we could not get over how professional they looked!! Also, they tasted as good as they looked- easily some of the best sugar cookies I’ve ever had.

Another star of the show every year is my mom-in-law’s pumpkin pie. This is one of my favorite desserts of all time, and I look forward to it every year! It was good as ever!

November 26th was my MIL’s bday, and I was extremely grateful we were finally around to celebrate in person!

More of our family drove in from Chicago and from around town. It was one of the best evenings- just all of us being together for the first time in years, meeting our niece, celebrating my mom-in-law while enjoying the best variety of pizzas from Tre Belle, birthday cake and a pumpkin bundt cake from Nothing Bunt Cakes (have y’all tried that place?!, so delicious!).

Featured in the picture below is the very delicious vegan pizza, but I also tried their asparagus pizza and the street corn pizza with truffle honey- I gotta say the street corn took the cake! Anything with truffle, amirite?!

Saturday November 27th we took Moose on a nice long walk in his cool new winter jacket. I thought he would fight us on wearing it, but he did well with it on!

After our walk, we zipped over to Nervous Dog for something to warm us up. Love that place.

That evening we went to my SIL’s basketball game. She and her team killed it!!

On November 28th, we started the day with some delicious protein pancakes. Side note- I know it would stress me out if I saw only that much syrup left for a whole stack of pancakes, but don’t worry, I had back up 😉

That day, the family surprised my dad-in-law for his birthday. We had tacos for lunch with fresh veggies, which really was a nice contrast to the Thanksgiving leftovers we’d been enjoying for a few days. It was a lovely afternoon. While we were away, we dropped Moose off at Camp Bow Wow. When we picked him up he was so tired that he fell asleep in my hand as we were driving home.

November 30th I was having a hankerin’ for a big salad with lots of veggies – best place to get said salad? CoreLife Eatery! I especially love they have falafel as an option to add-in.

And finally, we are in December! But also- how?! Where did this year go? Does anyone else feel like 2020 was the longest year ever, and then 2021 was a blink of an eye?

Anyway, December 1st, I was super in the mood to cook/bake something challenging. We have been on a real Great British Bake Off kick, I even got DJ hooked. He caught glimpses of a few episodes and before I knew it, I turned on an episode and he said, “I’ve actually already seen this one!”. LOL.

Back to the baking challenge. I looked at the ingredients we needed to use up in the fridge: sharp cheddar cheese (I accidentally ordered it in bulk), granny smith apples (I accidentally ordered two bags), and lots of butter (yeah, got too much of that too). I found this recipe that fit the ticket from Williams Sonoma: Savory Apple Tart with Cheddar, Onions and Thyme. Mine doesn’t look nearly as pretty as their picture, but it tasted great! I wasn’t sure what to expect with cheese and apples together, but it really somehow worked. I had DJ do a good Paul Hollywood tasting of it. He took a bite then gave me a handshake 😊. He’s kind because it definitely didn’t deserve a handshake off appearance alone- but we did enjoy it. This made me so excited to start the holiday baking!

And we are nearly caught up! I have a couple more things to share coming up – but I’ll just give that a post of its own.

Question for you! 

  • Pineapple on pizza: yay or nay?

<3,

Mackenzie

Date Night & Moose’s Graduation from Kindergarten!

Published on by Mackenzie22 Comments

Goood morning! I hope you all had the most wonderful Thanksgiving and weekend <3 Right now, it’s sprinkling snow outside, which I love to see! I don’t love driving in it, but I’m cozied inside and enjoying the sight of the gingerly falling flakes out the window.

On October 2nd, DJ and I had our first date night out since we moved back. We still never celebrated our anniversary since I was sick during our plans & DJ’s birthday was the next week- so we called this a two-in-one, or three-in-one, if you count just getting a date night in! Since it had been so long, we decided to go all out! We went to 1929 Grille at Firestone Country Club. The view out the window was so relaxing. As much as we love our Moose, it felt nice to have a little break for a quiet dinner out. At home while eating dinner, we have to watch him the whole time and are often up letting him outside throughout the meal.

We started out with a pretzel fondue that I will not soon forget! I crave this and would go back for this appetizer alone!

For DJ’s main dish, he tried their gnocchi- which was easily the best gnocchi I’ve ever tasted. I stole my fair share.

I was so hungry, so I ordered their vegetable & five grain salad (which I forgot to take a picture of because I was so eager to dig in) & the salmon. Both were absolutely fantastic. I actually loved the vegetable & five grain salad so much, I’d happily just have that alone as my meal (with the pretzel appetizer, of course).

For dessert, we could not resist trying two: The apple cobbler and their crunchy cream pie. Wow, I don’t even know which was my favorite. Their cream pie is “legendary” and for good reason, but that apple cobbler is also some of the best I’ve tried. Everything we ate that night was next level good. We went home after and gave Moose all the cuddles.

Saturday evenings have become our family movie night. We try to squeeze in a movie or an episode of a show (right now, it’s Succession).

On October 3rd, the Pet Supplies Plus in town (where Moose does his obedience school) had a “lock-in” for the pups. They shut down the store in the evening and let the dogs have free rein, running around and playing, for a couple hours.

Moose had a blast. Here is him with his best friend, Leo. Leo also comes to Wednesday puppy social hour, and when the two of them are together, they’re pretty inseparable.

Also! A little update on Moose and his walks. He despised going on walks for the first few weeks we had him. We were lucky to do a small walk down the road and back. Now, he loves them and gets so excited when I grab the leash. We’re still working on him not pulling the leash though- so if you have any tips for that, I’m all ears!

DJ’s bday was October 6th. Per his request, we ordered in Buffalo Wild Wings, and I made his favorite dessert, dirt pudding. We had plans to celebrate over the weekend more with family!

For dinner on October 7th, we ordered Piada Italian Street Food. DJ had the carbonara, and I had the power bowl. Not pictured, but a must try, is their parmesan piada stick, so so good.

Here’s a picture of a sleeping Moose, just because. I recognize I am probably being that person who talks far too often about their dog, but I really cannot help myself!

I took this picture below to document the first notes of fall. Autumn around here has a very distinct scent and feel about it, and I was thrilled when summer started transitioning into that. We were lucky to have such a long summer this year, especially as we personally ease back into the cold- but I was ecstatic when I felt fall in the air!

Over the weekend and that Monday, we celebrated DJ and his twin sister’s birthday along with his Grandma’s bday. It was so wonderful to see everyone!

October 16th, we had a nice lazy Saturday morning.

That evening we heard a knock on the door around dinner time. We had no idea who it could be. We opened the door and found this on our step!

My sister-in-law and her friends “boo’ed” us! Have you heard of this before? I hadn’t until I learned about it from them. Basically, you leave a Halloween gift at someone’s door anonymously. While most days getting “boo’ed” may not sound like a treat, this certainly was- they even included toys for Moose!

October 17th, I spotted this spectacular sunrise. I just love the different morning skies around here.

Later that day we went on a hike at Kendall Hills with Moose man.

Then it was back to applying for jobs on Monday. I’ll give an update on all that soon!

That week we took our usual walks. Moose wanted to show off the cool leaves he found on our walking path 🙂

And just some fall spam for ya!

I think Moose may be tired of photos, lol.

October 30th, Moose graduated from his first level of obedience school (I just call it kindergarten). He had to “test” out, and he did! We were so proud!!! <3 He starts first grade in a few weeks.

On Halloween, October 31st, we drove over to my in-law’s for dinner & to see our nephew take off for trick-or-treating. He was the cutest Jack-Jack from the Incredibles <3. Also, it’s the cutest thing when he says, “MOOOSE!”. Speaking of, Moose was a Lion for Halloween, you can catch pics of that here! 🙂

DJ took this picture as we were getting out of the car, and it cracks me up because Moose looks so annoyed. He’s like, “Dad, help, mom is smothering me again”.

And I’ll leave you with this picture from one of Moose’s Wednesday puppy social hours. 

Question for you: 

  • What’s your TV show lately?

<3,

Mackenzie