March Wrap-Up

I am going to take advantage of the fact that I just finished a marketing package AND my 40-week-old daughter seems to still be snoozing her way through a morning nap.  I actually have a few minutes to blog...amazing!

It has been a busy March for us thus far, filled with snow(?!?), new teeth, weird sleeping patterns, a busier work schedule and to compound all of that, we have decided to move to a new apartment when our lease is up the end of May.

End of May you say? How very Seuss of you, but really it's only 2 months away and time flies so quickly around here that I'm already starting to stress over everything that must be cleaned, packed, sorted and DONE in just 90 short days.

GAH!

I am over the moon about our new apartment though.  It is in the newest complex in our area, which means it is crazy-energy-efficient and in wonderful condition.  There's a pool (complete with kiddie pool for Baby Knives), a playground and a state of the art workout center (for Mommy and Daddy).  We never thought we'd be able to afford the place based on our budget and those pesky student loan payments, but shockingly enough they offered us a significant discount on monthly rent because my husband is in the healthcare industry.  They describe it as "giving back" to those who do so much for us in our doctor's offices and local hospitals.  I'm impressed.

Check out our new floorplan below (I can't help myself).  This new place has almost 200 square feet more than our current apartment and an open floorplan.  Not to mention, I can't stop gushing about the size of the kitchen and all the cabinet/counter space.  The most important thing to me, other than the kitchen, is that it is an open concept so Baby Knives can be playing in the living room and I can still see her while I'm in the kitchen.  It will make cooking and baking more fun again and it gives her so much more room to run around!

I haven't even told you the best news yet...we can PAINT!  No more sad apartment-white walls full of flat paint (which I might hate even more than olives *gasp*), we can actually add some color.  Of course I am now faced with way too many options for paint colors but I'm thinking of landing on a shade of gray for our living room and probably the master bedroom...but Baby Knives' room is a quandary.  How do you paint a little girl's room without making it look like an Easter egg?  I don't want to go dark and bold with the color but I despise pastels.  Sigh.  It's a conundrum.  Any and all suggestions will be accepted!

I know March isn't quite over yet.  We actually have a fabulous week planned because our dear friends Chris and Becks are coming to visit tomorrow.  I've known Becks since we were 9 years old and she is my oldest and dearest friend.  We don't get to see each other very often because she and her husband live in the UK (stupid Atlantic Ocean, why do you have to be so freaking vast?), so every visit is cherished.  Last time they were here Baby Knives was mostly a little lump who spit up and slept so I can't wait for them to see her smiling/rolling/crawling little self.

We will be celebrating Easter on Sunday, unfortunately not with our usual church service because my husband works in the medical field and has to work.  However, I plan to make a special little Easter dinner for us when he gets home and we'll give Baby Knives her first Easter basket complete with Jell-o Easter eggs.  It's not like she can eat candy yet!  Check out my Tasty Mess blog for details on the meal post-Easter.

In order to wrap up this somewhat lengthy and rambling post, I share with you a photo of the lovely springtime weather we're experiencing today.  Happy Spring!

Daddy Daughter Time

Is there really anything better than baby laughter?

It has been a wonderful couple of weeks with Baby Knives.  She finally stopped being so miserable cutting 4 teeth up top and has been back to her happy little self.  Plus, she's almost 9 months old and is really mobile and expressive these days.

Couldn't resist posting this video...this is how she and her daddy entertain themselves when I'm at work!

A Very Happy Birthday...

I love celebrating birthdays.  My own, of course, but definitely my family's birthdays.  My husband had his birthday last week and unfortunately the actually day of his birth was a lousy one.  A rough and long day at work followed by a frustrating band practice.  Is it just me, or should we all have our birthday's off and treat them like a national holiday?

Since we couldn't really celebrate his birthday on the actual day, we had festivities this past weekend.  Every year I cook him a special dinner and dessert, you can check out the foodie details here and we open presents.  This year was the first time Baby Knives has been around to celebrate a birthday with us and she enjoyed alternately eating the wrapping paper and the birthday cheesecake.

He got some great presents, including money toward his new guitar fund, a Walking Dead compendium he's been wanting and a fetching Doctor Who lunchbox ensemble.  Baby Knives kept it simple and made him a card with their photo on the front.

All in all, not a bad faux-birthday!

Earlier in the week, we were treated to a birthday dinner at our favorite local Irish Pub with his parents.  Baby Knives performed admirably and attempted to eat her "Mimi's" entire baked potato as well as her daddy's birthday dessert of Irish whiskey bread pudding.  Can you blame her?  She is an Irish Scottish baby after all...