Michigan

Baby down for a nap. Baby food steaming. laundry in the dryer. 

this equals bloggy time :)

Our month of traveling is sadly over. We got back last night from our trip to Michigan. Philip's sweet grandparents celebrated their 60th wedding anniversary and we had to be there to celebrate. 

We drove up on thursday and left monday morning. 

We had such a good time, as usual, with his Michigan family. They are all just so fun and so welcoming. 

We stayed with his grandparents at their house on Sherman Lake. It is so beautiful there. Thursday night people were trickling in so we ordered pizza and hung out. 

Friday we drove to the lake where Philip used to run up and down the sand dunes there. So him and Taylor raced, to which she pointed out that in ten years she will take her turn at beating him:) The water was freezing. but the beach was gorgeous. the sand fleas (or whatever those things were) were in full effect so we hung out close to the water:) That night they grilled out elk burgers, and I actually loved it! the meat was so lean and non greasy. My dad will be so proud:) 

Saturday Philip, Papa, and Uncle Curtis went to a car museum while Grandma, Melody, Ainsley and I hung out. Then Joy, Carol, Courtney and I went to get pedicures for the party that night:) Philip and Brian fished off the dock by the house. 

Philip won in quantity but Brian won in quality

The party was a success! the food was delicious and the tables were set up in a square so we could see all the family members, not just those you were sitting next to. It was a lovely way to celebrate a lovely couple. 

* I got one pic from the big night (see below). I was mad at myself and then remembered we have an almost 7 month old we were trying to get ready, feed dinner and keep happy throughout the 4 course meal:) hoping Joy and Danielle will send me some of their pics! *

tired girl

Sunday we went to Ted and Carol's and had so much fun. They made a big breakfast for everyone and then we played in the pool. We all went one direction around and made a 'whirlpool' which brought back fond memories for me. My cousins and I used to do this in my Grandma's pool. Then you 'REVERSE!' and try to walk against the current. it is so funny. 

While Ainsley napped we played Bocce Ball. 

That night his grandma made the traditional family ham loaf, which I had never had (but heard so much about) and fell in love with. I can't wait to try my hand at making it here! 

We were sad to leave. Philip and I truly enjoyed spending time up there. It was so special to have Ainsley get to spend time with family she doesn't get to see often. and to see Papa crawl on the floor over to her and play with her. and to have her cousins (both big and little) play with her.

 It means so much to us when people love our baby. 

morning play time with papa

yes she has her paci a lot. it was a rough week for her!! :)

The drive back was not Ainsley's finest hours, but who can blame her. Philip and I were over being in the car too and we weren't strapped into a car seat! 

how she rides/plays in the car

Philip and I were both so bummed last night talking about him going back to work. We have loved being a family of 3 that has done everything together the past few weeks. Philip and I have gotten closer and he has gotten to know Ainsley so much better by being able to just be around her and her daily activities. And I have loved having him there, not just to help me with her, but to enjoy her with me. and for me to enjoy him. 

We are so thankful that he works so hard for our family, but miss him a lot when he's not here. 

Looking forward to our next trip to Michigan, when hopefully the mosquitos won't love us as much and there will be lemon dessert every night of the week ;) 

Game On

Alright folks, it's time. I've been putting it off long enough. I even hoped maybe the problem would fix itself. But it's not going anywhere and something has to done. this baby weight is going to come off! 15 lbs by Christmas. That is my goal.  I am using my trusty ol' app 'My Fitness Pal' to count my calories and exercise. 

I used this before our wedding and lost some serious weight. I'm not saying it will be as easy as it was 4 years ago. But me staying home more has equaled me snacking more. I need to make myself count every little thing I eat. and track it. even that one little twizzler that was sitting on the counter.  For my birthday I asked hubs to get me a jawbone. (click on link to read about how awesome it is).  The features of this handy little bracelet are going to be saved for another blog, once I have more time to play with it. Because today I got an early birthday present! 

I love things like this that help you know your body better. I am super excited about it.  So, game on. time to shed these pounds and flab. :) __________________________________________________________________________ In honor of the adventure of losing weight, I will share a yummy healthy recipe I made for dinner tonight.  Easy Healthy Baked Chicken  2-3 boneless skinless chicken breast 1/2-3/4 cup chicken broth 1/4 tsp onion powder or onion flakes 1/4 tsp garlic salt salt pepper 1. preheat over to 350 2. rinse and pat chicken dry.  3. spray a small baking dish with spray.  4. sprinkle chicken with onion, garlic salt, salt and pepper.  5. add chicken broth. 6. cook 25-30 minutes or until no longer pink. Best part: 141 calories/chicken breast!  We weren't expecting much, since it is a 'healthy' dinner. But we both really liked it! it had great flavor. We dipped the chicken into the broth mixture and ate it 'au jus' style. yumm.  And if you aren't counting calories, toast some thick bread and dip it in the cooked broth.  Happy Baking:) and of course some pictures of our little princess

loves being pulled around in a diaper box

chillin

hangin with GG

this new thing she does- clasps her hands together in excitement. so cute! 

Marathon Beach Trip

You never know what to expect on your baby's first trip to the beach (and her first airplane ride). 

But let me just tell you, Ainsley was a total rock star. 

Last week we went to Marathon, FL for a week vacation. We asked my parents if they would come because we knew having two extra sets of hands with a six month old would be needed! They happily obliged:) 

Ainsley did good on her first flights (it was direct from lex to ftlauderdale thank goodness). Everyone was so complimentary about her! Luckily, we sat in front of the same sweet couple on both flights (down and then back) so when Ainsley's ear bothered her landing in Lexington they were so helpful and nice :) other than that she did great! And even got a pair of wings from the flight attendant for her first flight:) 

We had to drive about 3 hours from the Ft Lauderdale airport to Marathon, which put us to our resort around 1am Monday night. Philip and my dad had their first dive Tuesday morning at 730am. Yikes that was early for them:) My dad completed his open water certification though! And the last 2 dives the 3 of us were able to dive together and enjoy the beautiful reefs and ocean. I loved being able to share that with my dad, and I know he enjoyed it too. Diving is something that Philip and I love doing together.

my favorite fish- trunk fish!

I was so nervous about diving because of my motion sickness. I know how sick I can get and I know how it can ruin the day for me (flashback to Hawaii). I am happy to report that the patches and meds got me through 4 dives with no sickness! (Dad did 6 and Philip did 8).The current was so awful on the first dive that I was about to throw the towel in. Philip and I were swimming hard for what seemed like forever and kept getting farther and farther from the boat. Finally we just had to surface and let the boat come to us. but boy were we tired (philip much more so than me, he dragged me at surface for a while). The last day Philip went by himself because Dad's ear was bothering him and I opted to just hang out on the beach. I am so glad I didn't go. There were 5-6 foot waves, Philip said everyone but him and the captain were puking, visibility was awful and the current rough. and P got stung by a jelly fish multiple times. he said it was a good experience for him but not a great dive. 

Above water was just as much, if not more, fun for us. Our resort was beautiful and perfect for Ainsley. The pool had a walk-in ramp with shade. and the ocean had a little cove she could walk in as well. And we couldn't have asked for better weather.

philip and dad playing in pool

right outside our door

beach chairs in the water-- soo nice

first time in the ocean! 

Our townhouse was right on the ocean and about a minute walk to the pool. The montior almost reached to the pool but not quite. dangit! it did however reach to the putt putt green which made it nice for the adults to play at night:)

We used trusty ol' trip advisor to find our dinner spots at night. And again, it didn't let us down. We ate some delicious food, which is Philip's favorite part of vacation.

bags of sugar and water that are supposed to repel flies. my dad thinks its nonsense. 

 

 

 

 

the wooden spoon for breakfast

before/after

 

'breakfast' from the Cuban restaurant across the street 

Philip's second favorite part of vacation is the balcony. Sitting out there at night, having a glass of wine and talking about our day. We try to get a balcony wherever we go. We even had one in snowy switzerland!

Thursday was mine and Philip's "dating anniversary". 5 years since our first date on 8-08-08. So mom and dad watched ainsley while we went to a fancy dinner date at the 'Butterfly Cafe'.

he brought me a flower:)

On one of our dives I asked our instructor, Nick, if he had ever seen a seahorse. It is the one thing we have never seen and the one thing at the top of my 'to find' list every dive. He said to scour sea grass with a net and you could probably find one there. So Philip bought us each a net and we set out to find our sea horse. No luck:( but we will keep trying!

And of course it's not a vacation without some go-carting :) Philip and my dad were constantly knocking each other and spinning each other around while I happily toodled around unscathed:)

 

Philip pointing out he was "number one"

Also on this trip I learned my husband is part spider monkey.

 

 

fresh coconut and coconut milk is not as tasty as you would think/hope

It was a very relaxing trip. and a good transition to what vacationing means for us now:) Philip and I are used to doing whatever we want wherever the wind takes us on vacation. Clearly things are much different with a baby. But in an oh-so-much-fun-different.

first bath in the sink!  

 

 

seahorse monogrammed beach towel <3 

naked and worn out. 

 

 

banging on the coconut philip got her 

 

 

 

 

 

Ainsley is still recovering from her week of sun, sand and playing.
Our other child is also recovering from his week at 'camp' at For Paws. He comes back always looking so skinny!!!