we are boring hosts

GranE and Batman drove out last weekend for a little visit. As soon as I heard them come to the door on Friday evening, I started asking Mae, "Who's at the door? Mae, do you hear someone you know?? Whose voice is that?" She hesitantly stepped around the corner and spotted Batman. Then she screeched with excitement and RAN down the hallway to greet them.

Overall, it was a pretty quiet weekend. It's hard to get much done under threat of a blizzard and with a baby that sleeps for 3 hours right during the middle of the day! Friday evening we walked to the park for some slide time while Dan cooked dinner.

Saturday morning I went out for a long run, which passed near our house around the half-way mark. Dan tracked my progress on his phone and bundled up the family to come cheer for me on their way to the nearby coffee shop. That little glimpse of them got me through a very challenging run! Mae got a cookie as a reward for being such a good sport about riding in the stroller.

We had a relaxing Saturday afternoon where almost everyone snoozed for a little while. Lazy Saturdays are the best!

We went out for a very enjoyable (but not very relaxing dinner) where Mae insisted on exploring the entire (thankfully almost empty) restaurant while I scarfed down a cheeseburger. She ate a decent dinner of pizza and orange slices from the bar. We finished the evening all snuggled up on the couch watching "Finding Dory" on Netflix! (Or, Finding "Doh-Dee," as Mae says.)

Sunday morning, we went to brunch at our neighbor's house. Mae is a little bit obsessed with their cats and stalked them all around the house. We had another quiet afternoon and a tasty dinner cooked at home. Thanks for spending a nice relaxing weekend with us, GranE and Batman!

sockhead hat

Here's a long overdue post on a project I finished back in December! This is the Sockhead Slouch Hat, made from yarn I bought at last year's Kentucky Wool Festival! This self-striping skein was hand-dyed by Rock and String Creations in the very vibrant colorway called Aura.

I intended to make a pair of socks, but was inspired by my friend Kathy's sockhead hat. She used another Rock and String colorway called "Zombies Walk at Midnight," which is striped but also has random splatters of red mixed in with the stripes. I would describe it as secretly gory, which amuses me to no end.

After finishing this hat, I wondered how often I would wear this casual/slouchy style. Fortunately, I'm very delayed in writing this post and can honestly say this hat has gotten LOTS of wear. It helps that we've had a fairly snowy winter! Project details on my Ravelry page.

Last week, Mae and I bundled up and went outside to enjoy a first-day-of-spring blizzard! We built a big snowman in the front yard, and I asked Mae what she wanted to name him. She thought for a moment and then babbled something long and complicated, ending in the word "Eyeball." I asked, "Eyeball?? Are you sure you want to name him Eyeball?!?!" She grinned and responded, "Eyeball." We spent the next 10 minutes trying to catch our breath amidst some serious giggle fits. Meet Eyeball!

the best st. patrick's day

I think the Maid of Honor said it best during her speech this weekend: "There are two great places to spend St. Patrick's Day. The first is Ireland. The second is the University of Notre Dame!"

Dan and I had been looking forward to this weekend since the save-the-date arrived from my friend Erin and her fiancé Matt several months ago. Friday afternoon, we dropped Mae off with Grandma and Grandpa. They brought Mae along with them on Saturday morning, so Dan and I had a whole evening to ourselves. We met Julie and Dave for dinner before heading to campus for the beginning of the wedding festivities: a welcome party at a venue called Seven on 9 in the new stadium building, which had superb views of the football field.

Saturday morning, I woke up early for a long run. I circled the lakes with Lauren and Zach before venturing off-campus to explore the St. Joseph River Trail. I got back to our room with just enough time to shower and get dressed before my parents and Mae arrived. We were fortunate to have a 2-room suite for the weekend, which was SUPER helpful with a toddler. She was able to nap/sleep in the bedroom while we hung out in the sitting room. (Funny story: When I called to book my room for the wedding, they accidentally put me in the bride's suite for the same price as a regular room. When they realized their mistake, they moved me to the only-slightly-less extravagant executive suite, while honoring the original rate. Guess I had some luck o' the Irish this weekend!)

After a quick lunch in the room, we walked to the Basilica for the wedding. Believe it or not, this was my first time to attend a wedding at Notre Dame! The ceremony was beautiful (as expected), and Mae was mostly well behaved (a pleasant surprise). I kept her occupied with M&Ms for a while until she wanted to wander, and Grandma took her to the back of the church. There she tried to eat a half-eaten red M&M from the floor. Grandma quickly snatched it away, just before realizing it was actually a live ladybug. Good catch, Grandma!

From the church, we walked to the steps of the main building for a group photo. A bagpiper entertained us while we waited for the wedding party and photographer to join us. Mae LOVED the bagpiper. Every time he stopped playing, she asked "Mo'? Mo'? Mo' bagpipe??"

Kelsey returned from her spring break just in time to babysit Mae for the evening! They enjoyed a walk around campus and some room-service pizza while Dan, Mom, Dad, and I danced our little hearts out at the reception. I had so much fun spending time with my high school friends, especially the ones who are scattered to further parts of the country!

Sunday morning, we enjoyed a quick brunch with my friends in the hotel before driving back home. Can't wait to see everyone again soon!

brown house

It's been 2.5 weeks and I think we're finally getting back on our feet after one of the busiest weeks we've ever had. Here's a quick run-down of the highlights.

Friday, February 23: Our official move day
9 am: Three movers arrive to deal with all the big stuff that we haven't been able to move ourselves over the last 5 weeks. They mention that they have another move scheduled later in the day, so I'm optimistic that they'll be done mid-afternoon and Dan and I get some work done at the new house before picking Mae up from day care. I head straight to the new house after dropping her off to clean the floors before they get covered by furniture.
11 am: One of the movers quits and goes to spend the rest of the day sulking in the truck. My confidence in a mid-afternoon end time is waning.
Noon: Dan calls me to let me know there's water backing up in the basement of the old house... one last hurrah from our plumbing.
4 pm: Movers finish loading the truck. Plumber finishes draining the basement. I finish calculating how much this day is going to cost and then promptly block the number from my mind.
5 pm: I leave to pick up Mae from day care and try to think of something to do with her until the move is over. Time to wander around the grocery store for an hour.
8 pm: Movers finally finish unloading everything. We celebrate with fish sandwiches and a hot dog for Mae (she's a heathen and doesn't observe Lenten Fridays).

Saturday, February 24: First day in the new house
1:23 am: Archie is born!
7 am: I casually run 13 miles like it ain't no thang. Remember when that was the culmination of months of hard work for me? Now I'm only half way to my goal!
10 am: Dan heads off to the movies for Day 1 of the Oscar Best Picture Showcase, leaving me to entertain (and keep safe) a toddler amidst a mountain of cardboard boxes surrounded by un-babyproofed electrical outlets.
11 am: Problem solved: Chick-fil-a play area to the rescue!
1 pm: I say a little prayer that Mae takes a good nap for me despite the fact that sunlight is streaming in her bedroom window. I had grand plans of having her room entirely put together before move day (paint, curtains, rug, decorations, etc), and those things still aren't completely done! I only managed to paint the ceiling and walls.
8 pm: Dan decides that 4 movies wasn't quite enough for one day, so he sticks around the theater and buys a ticket for "Black Panther."

Sunday, February 25: Guess we didn't learn our lessons
Dan texts me this picture of my old photo album documenting our move to our old house in 2012.

We've accumulated a bit more stuff (and an additional family member) in the last 6 years.

Wednesday, February 28: One last visit to the old house
Goodbye, stained glass window. Goodbye, Nolan tree. Good riddance, basement.

Thursday, March 1: D-Day
Oh, you thought move day was D-day? Uh-uh, nope. I've been training for a day like this my WHOLE LIFE.
8 am: I drop Mae off at day care. There is no room for a toddler in today's schedule.
9 am: Closing for our old house. We've been going back every night since move day to collect stuff like the sandbox that got left behind by the movers. Every night... more and more junk packed into the Mazda and then unpacked at the new house. We bring a box of celebratory donuts to the closing. No one else wants one. I eat two.
11 am: I arrive at work, hopped up on donuts and adrenaline. I have a big review today. I mean "Big" as in, "I've-been-working-towards-this-for-over-a-year Big."
Noon: I head to the review early and eat the free catered lunch... chicken cordon bleu with plain rice. It tastes like airplane food... my favorite! (Yes, really.)
1 pm: Presentation begins.
2 pm: And just like that... it's over. Time for a celebratory drink!

Mae handled this crazy week pretty well (with just a few more "hold me" requests than usual). She is adjusting well to life in "brown house," as she calls it. I think it helps that she has her own playroom just off the kitchen! Plus, we are super close to the park, and there is a cat next door that we can follow all over the yard while saying "meow. meow. meow."

meet archie!

My newest nephew has arrived! Christopher and Emily welcomed Archer James to their family on Saturday, February 24th at 1:23 a.m. They are home, healthy, and happy, and Oliver is adjusting to life as a big brother.

We were super busy this week, scrambling to get our old house empty and clean for closing on Thursday morning, preparing for my big review at work on Thursday afternoon, and organizing stuff in our new house. (I'll share more on that craziness in another post). We are finally getting a chance to relax now, so Mae and I spent the weekend at Grandma and Grandpa's house while Dan spent all Saturday at the movie theater watching five of the Oscar Best Picture nominees.

Friday evening, we got to meet Archie! I hardly heard a peep out of him all night as he just wanted to snuggle and eat. He cuddled me for a long while while mom prepared dinner.

I look super tired in that photo, but I made up for all the lost sleep this week by sleeping until 11 a.m. on Saturday! Mom and I got to do a little home decor shopping during Mae's afternoon nap before Christopher, Emily, Oliver, and Archer came over again for the evening. We let Mae get a little closer to Archer this time (after applying a hefty glob of sanitizer to her germy little hands). Oliver was very proud to show off his little brother!

Mae even got a chance to hold the "BAY-BEEEE," though she seemed a bit apprehensive and didn't know where to put her hands.

We enjoyed our short visit very much... visiting family, meeting my new nephew, and sleeping in all adds up to a great weekend!