Look Out World

We found out Thursday that we'll be welcoming a new little guy into our family in February.  We're super excited and now I can shop on the other side of the stores now too.  Steve's excited because the balance in the house will be restored.  I told him that Simon has always been on his side but he insists the furball doesn't count.

The funny thing is whenever we tell people the response is something like, "Ohhhhhh, well he definitely will keep you busy and you should get your rest now."  The tone is never in a good way either.  It's that you're-in-for-it-now kind of tone.  I don't think people are trying to make me nervous but it's starting to creep into my thinking.  It can't though!  It's just a little boy.  I know we have been extremely lucky with Ava who is a super sweet and good little girl but come on.  He's still our kiddo and he's going to be fun no matter how spunky and full of energy he is.  Let the little boy things start to invade our house!!  We're ready!

All Aboard!

We visited the Museum of Transportation yesterday with some friends.  It was a beautiful day and the kids had a blast walking through the cars and looking in them.  Ringing the bell on the train seemed to be a challenge that alluded us but I think the kids managed to forget about it after a while anyway.  Who doesn't love a good choo choo train?

Simple Pleasures

Sometimes I forget just how young Ava really is and how much she has yet to experience.  It's always the little things that she gets the biggest kick out of and I love watching her experience these things.  

Yesterday I made tomato soup and grilled cheese for the 2 of us for lunch.  It's not something that I make very often but the chill in the air makes me turn to soup a lot more often now.  I set it down in front of her and she immediately starts eating the soup and tells me she likes it.  This was her first time eating tomato soup which I had forgotten.  She then takes a few bites of her grilled cheese.  In the mean time, I had dipped my grilled cheese in my soup and taken a bite.  She looks at me and exclaims, "Mommy, what ARE you doing?"  I explained to her that it tasted good to dip my sandwich in the soup.  That was  it and she was off to becoming a dipping pro.  She giggled and giggled and giggled all through lunch as she dipped and ate her soup and grilled cheese.  It was like I had shared this grown up secret with her that she thought was so cool.  It's one of God's great blessings that I get to experience all these little firsts with her, even if it is just dipping a sandwich in soup.

Recipe: Blueberry Crumb Bars

I definitely had a case of the Mondays yesterday.  I'm coming down off a nasty sore throat but I still sound like a very sick frog.  I've also hit that point during pregnancy where my normal clothes don't fit.  As much as I love to shop, I don't enjoy buying maternity clothes that I will only wear for a few months.  I'm going to have to suck it up and go shopping soon.  Unfortunately, I'm not pregnant during the same time of year that I was with Ava so that means I have to buy some new clothes.  


Anywho, I made this dessert for my MIL's birthday celebration 2 weeks ago and it was a huge hit.  I served it warm with vanilla ice cream and it was more like a cobbler but then I had another piece (shhh! don't tell :o) the next morning cold with a cup of hot tea and that was very yummy too.  Go print out the recipe from Annie's Eats.  She also has variations using peaches and raspberries, too.  All of them sound very yummy.  Happy baking!

Gaining 20 lbs.

So when we headed to Georgia I was expecting nothing but good old southern cooking.  Well, that is one aspect of Savannah that I had entirely wrong.  Savannah is a college town, home to the Savannah College of Art and Design (SCAD).  The town is full of unique and amazing little places to grab a bite to eat.  I never expected to find French, South African, BBQ and ice cream that were all out of this world.  

 Zunzi's was a little hole in the wall that only did take out.  Steve and I ate there twice throughout the week and the other couple with us ate there 3 times.  Let's just say it was yummy.  The sandwiches were so original.  Steve had a salmon sandwich while Ava and I went for the chicken pictured above.  Ah.May.Zing.

Mrs. Wilkes' Boarding House was the traditional southern food I had been thinking of.  We waited for almost an hour to eat at a table full of people we didn't know but we had a great time.  There was fried chicken, meat loaf, pulled pork and every kind of side you could possibly want.  It was served family style on the table and they just kept the food coming.  We needed to be rolled out of that place we all ate so much!

Wiley's Championship BBQ definitely delivered as well.  I had a brisket sandwich that didn't even need sauce which I think is a sign of great BBQ.  Steve had one of their specials that day which was a smoked corned beef Reuben.  Since we got home he's been trying to figure out how to recreate that sandwich.  Ava had a little pulled pork slider that she porked down too :o)

River Street Sweets and Leopold's Ice Cream was our go to for something sweet.  River Street Sweets had pralines and caramels and brittles and anything else sweet you could possibly want.  Leopold's was an old fashioned ice cream parlor that had the creamiest ice cream I've had in a long time.

If you ever make it to the Savannah area I would recommend any and all of these great food spots.  

Next week will be back to normal as far as posts go.  I have a few recipes of my own to share as well.  I hope everyone has a great weekend.  We're hanging out with friends and family and playing our own Minute to Win It game.  Should be fun or very very entertaining at the least!

Hilton Head

We spent 2 sunny filled days on the beaches of Hilton Head and it was a perfect break from the walking of Savannah.  We have never been to Atlantic beaches only the Gulf so I was anxious to see the difference.  

I was pleasantly surprised by how nice and compact the sand was which made it super easy to walk on.  Ava loved sitting on the edge of the water and building drippy castles.  She sat for hours playing and building things in the sand.  Steve and I took turns playing with her in the sun and then relaxing under the shade of the umbrella.  There were plenty of things to discover and one day her friend Carter was there to play with her as well.  

We can't get enough of the beach.  Love. It.

Sunny Savannah

We traveled to Savannah for a week with our friends and their little one.  Savannah's a place I've wanted to visit for a while now and I somehow convinced the rest of the crew to come along too.  Steve kept asking me the weeks leading up to the trip, "So why are we going there anyway?"  I tried explaining that it's a city with a lot of history and it's really pretty but that didn't sound like a reason for us to drive 14 hours to get there in his mind.  He was game though and for that I was very appreciative.  I still don't think he knew what to expect until we got there.  

We stayed in a nice little apartment in the historic district which was right in the heart of everything.  We did lots of walking (in 90+ degree weather), had a great tour by Savannah Dan whose wearing the stylish suit and hat above, ate a ton of great food which will have it's own post later and relaxed.  Some of the highlights of Savannah were visiting the creepy yet beautiful Bonaventure Cemetery, touring the Owens-Thomas House, walking the riverfront, strolling the many streets and squares of this beautiful city and visiting Old Fort Jackson.  There were fountains for the kiddos to run through and lots of friendly people sitting out enjoying all that Savannah has to offer.  If you've ever thought of visiting, I can say that you definitely should.  Beautiful, southern city with lots of personality.