4 Things...

...I am diggin' of late:

1) Grey's Anatomy
The most recent episodes have been good. Really good. And they needed to be or I was going to give it up altogether. I am hoping it will continue in its redemptive streak because it used to be such good TV drama--I mean seasons 1 and 2 are pretty amazing (and I own them on DVD if anyone wants to borrow them...and then discuss the fated love of Meredith and Derrick).

2) Harmon's
My new favorite luxury--curb-side pick-up. For some reason my grocery days the past few weeks have continually coincided with lovely spring blizzards. I usually shop with the little girls while Bentley is at school so that makes things easier but loading and unloading 2 children and all my groceries in the snow is no fun. So, I love Harmons for saving me that hassle. Oh, and they have incredible costumer service if one happens to drop her wedding ring down a cooling grate in the strawberry display over in produce. I hear they will help out right away and dismantle the thing to retreive it while she continues to shop...

3) No knead bread
My mother-in-law gave me the homemade recipe for this bread which tastes just like the yummy European style loaves they sell at the grocery store. We had some last night and it really is tasty. I am going to make some for tomorrow's dinner but start on it tonight since it takes about 14 hours to rise. I'll post the recipe if things work out right :)

4) This SNL skit
Watch it--it's so ugly you will be crying. Anything with Justin Timberlake in kitten heels and a leotard is bound to be funny...

Partying in Vegas

Surprise #2 and #3:

Getting settled in our hotel room

Lounging at the pool

After meeting up with the Allen family, we walked across the street to The Venetian for dinner at Grand Lux to celebrate both Ben's birthday and mine. When little Max was ready to head home to bed, Ben took off with him and we took Heidi back to our room to be our babysitter for the night.

Posing on the catwalk outside the LOVE theater
(on the way to dinner to avoid the crowds later in the night)

Dinner at Grand Lux

Olivia and her aunt Heidi

And then we were off to see LOVE...and what else is there to say except that I loved it! Such fun and familiar music, crazy costumes and set designs, incredible acrobatics and daredevil tricks, and of course some beautiful and artistic choreography. For those of you who know the show, my favorite songs/performances included the vibrant show opener to Get Back, Octopus's Garden, Something, and Here Comes the Sun. It is such a fabulous show and I have been wanting to see it for ages--my hubby must really know me well to gift me such an amazing surprise!

What a fun weekend! I am sad that we are already home but it was fun to see my kids this evening and take them to dinner at Settebello--one of our favorite spots downtown. So far it feels pretty good being 30 :)

Surprise!

I am catching a flight to Las Vegas in a few hours courtesy of my darling hubby and my impending 30th birthday!! Joseph, Olivia and I are heading south for the next 2 days while the kids go to Nanny's house. That is all I know so far. I have been informed that 2 more surprises await. I am so excited to feel the warm sun and see my little sis--Viva Las Vegas!

(the image is what I found inside "surprise envelope #1" last night...)

Mommies

While Bentley was at preschool today, Cares and I played "mommies and babies." Of course most of my "play" time was done with Olivia while Caroline bathed and dressed her baby dolls, and took one of them to visit the "doctor" (her black puppy) upstairs by the pool table. It was so much fun to watch her and listen to her as she mothered her babies. At one point she was washing her doll's head over and over and saying "you just have so much poop in your hair!"

It was a delightful morning with my 2 girls.

Just a Case of...

...mastitis--the arch enemy of nursing mothers. So so lame, but at least I got on antibiotics quickly and things are already feeling a little bit better. I think I am personally keeping my neighborhood pharmacy in business this month!

On Friday afternoon I was getting ready for a date night with my hubby and the kids were hanging out in the bathroom with me:

Bentley: Mom, what are you doing?
Me: Putting on some make-up.
Bentley: Why do you wear it?
Me: So I can look pretty for Daddy.
Bentley: But you already look pretty.

500 gold stars for Bentley. He made my day and I couldn't help but squeeze that little guy in a tight hug and shower him with kisses. Come to think of it, Joseph should get on that bandwagon too :)

Park Playdate

The kids and I met up with almost all of my sisters-in-law yesterday for a big cousin playdate:

Cares and Bea holding hands (my daughter is loving the big sis idea--even with little cousins!)

Tillie laughing over bubble time

Hmmmm, can you guess which child had way too late of a night and woke up grumpy?!

He did have some happier moments too...

All the "little" grandkids
(minus the babies who were sound asleep...we didn't want to disturb them :)

**Note to self: horizontal stripes on a postpartum body do not work...on the belly nor the top half
(man--the "ladies" are really out of control! Why do I always forget how much breastfeeding changes them?)

1 Month Old

...and still a very sleepy girl. If only she would sleep for longer stretches during the night--oh, how I wish! But other than that she has been quite an easy and content little baby. I love her in this pic--she is such a cuddle bear.

**well fancy that--after writing this post, miss Olivia decided to eat at 9:30 pm and then I didn't hear from her again until 2:30 am. She is such an obedient baby :)