Loving Lately

I haven't done a Loving Lately post in quite some time, so let's get to it!

• You know it's autumn when you see a bunch of squash, pumpkins and gourds at the grocery store! I can't even get over how much I love this. Josh thought I was a crazy person for taking pictures at the commissary, but they are so pretty, why wouldn't you take a picture?!
• Speaking of fall, it's been chilly around here! The kind of chilly that goes well with sweatshirts and cozy socks. It seems like the coolness has come a lot sooner this year than last year, and I couldn't be happier!
• We discovered a walking/biking trail near our house shortly after we moved off base, but it was only a couple of days ago that we took Cole out of his stroller and let him stretch his legs too. I don't think we'll ever get him to ride the whole time again. He loved running ahead of his dad, and seeing the goats, chickens, and ducks.
• I'm really going to miss this trail, it's a nice little walk. My Uncle Tim (love you!) so kindly pointed out, that I needn't fret, there are walking trails in America. I can't wait to get to New Mexico and find our new favorite trail!
• Cole. Well, I love him always, but lately he has been so funny. He's really into copying what he sees, especially from cartoons. 
• We watched "Cinderella" the other day, and when her stepsisters ripped her dress and leave, and she runs away crying he yelled "NOOO!" at the television and then pretended to cry, then looked back and me and smiled. I guess he wanted me to know that he wasn't really sad. 
• Thanks to Grandma and Grandpa Trout, Cole has some cool new Mickey Mouse pajamas (among the huge stack of new clothes). I put him in them this morning because it was chilly (they're long sleeved with fleece pants), and he started saying "Meeska, Mooska, Mickey Mouse."  He's never said that before. 
• I put Mickey Mouse Clubhouse on right after that and when Mickey came on the screen he looked at me and started pointing to his shirt with a big grin. 
• The episode we watched they were camping, so we made our own tent, Cole liked hanging out under it, I think it made him feel stealthy. 
• You should see him do the Hot Dog Dance. It's awesome.
•  He tucks his pal Dorian (a doll) in bed and gives him a bottle and then a kiss.
• It's almost time for us to move! I've enjoyed our time here in Germany, but the thought of seeing family and friends and the adventures in store for us at Holloman have made me ready to skedaddle. Soon enough! 

Loving Lately

Usually my Loving Lately posts are about different things I'm loving at the moment (and I'll share a few in a moment), but I thought I'd bring everyone up to speed on what Cole is loving right now too:

 ^Sorry for the terrible quality, these were taken on my phone.

• Dressing up. Thanks to Babe, Cole has some been having fun dressing up as Thor (with a cape), Buzz Lightyear, and Captain America! The second picture is Cole dressed as Thor, holding a sonic screwdriver, watching Star Trek. Three fandoms in one photo, my kid is so stinkin' cool!
• Drinking from a cup. He's been doing this for a couple of months now, but only recently has he started preferring his beverages in a big boy cup
• Eating sandwiches. I had been cutting his sandwiches so there were small pieces, and he's never been a big fan (he hates when his hands are dirty), I kind of wondered if it was the presentation and I'm so glad I didn't give up! 
• Mulan. It used to be Rapunzel, now we've moved on to Mulan. He is in love with her, but don't worry Ava, you're still his number 1 girl ;)
• Making lists. A boy after my own heart. 
• Chasing, feeding, hugging, giving treats to and barking at Nessa
• Smiling for pictures. This might actually fall under one of my loves, but my child is a total ham, and loves getting his picture taken. When I ask him to look at me, he'll look up from whatever he is doing and say "cheeee" and smile really big.
• Dancing. If there is music, there will be a dance party!
• Spinning in circles. Cole loves when I spin him around in circles and put him down, and has recently taken to spinning in circles really fast by himself, but only if he's wearing his footies pajamas.

As for my loves:

• The weather. It has been absolutely gorgeous. Today has been a little overcast, but it's still 53 degrees. I'm not complaining one bit!
• Our Easter decorations are on display. Christmas and Easter are my favorite holidays. Cole and I are working on more decor too!
• Corned beef and Brussels sprouts . Josh doesn't like corned beef, and neither does Cole. I did the sprouts this year instead of a whole cabbage, and I think that's the way I'll do it from now on, it was so much better!
• Spring cleaning. Sorry if you can't find anything when you get home from your deployment, Josh. Spring cleaning is happening hard core here.
• Kaufland. Germany friends, have you been here yet? I never even noticed the one connected to Toom in Landstuhl. I was on a mission for some canvas and thought I'd drop in, since Toom didn't have what I needed. Kaufland did. And so much more!
• Red jellybeans! Starburst, you are singing my love song.
• Lastly, my husband will be home in less than two months! More like a month and a few days. Getting close!

Loving Lately

Man, it has been a long while since I have done a Loving Lately. Let's begin!

To start, there has been a language explosion at my house. I love how much my son is talking right now! We take turns counting to three and then we both yell "GO!" That's his favorite part. Cole knows I have a monitor and can hear him when he's in his crib, so when he wakes up he'll say "heh-lllloooowww," repeatedly until I say hello back through the intercom, to which he responds with "HI!" and incoherent jabbering. This week I got him to say "cheese" for pictures, and the irony of that isn't lost on me.

Birds Nests! This little snack brings back so many memories for me, I just love them. I've wanted to make these bad boys for almost two weeks and now that I've made them, I wish I would've done it sooner. Also, I wish I would've purchased more milk, these are great with milk (or soymilk)! They are also dairy, and nut free.

Ingredients:
1 large can chow mein noodles
2 cups semi sweet chocolate chips (if you don't need it to be dairy-free, you can use milk)
3/4 cup sunbutter (or peanut butter if you don't need it to be peanut-free)
2 tablespoons confectioners' sugar (optional)

In a medium/large bowl, melt chocolate chips and sunbutter together in the microwave in 1 minute increments until smooth. Add the noodles, mix evenly until well coated. Drop large spoonful onto wax paper. Refrigerate at least an hour before serving, so nests can set. ENJOY!

If this deployment has taught me anything, it's that I watch a lot of television. I'm completely caught up with every show I've started since Josh left. I needed a new show, my beautiful friend Katie raves about Sherlock, so I finally watched it. All three seasons. In a week. To be fair, there are only three episodes per season, and in true BBC fashion, a Christmas special (this one is only like 7 or 8 minutes long, but for the people that have watched this show from the beginning, that had to be the best 7 or 8 minutes in two years). Gotta love the BBC. I thought Robert Downey Jr. did a pretty good job as Sherlock Holmes, but Benedict Cumberbatch absolutely knocks it out of the park. Don't get me started on Martin Freeman and his amazingness as Dr. John Watson. The chemistry between these two is ridiculous. Watch this show. 

One more thing...

Loving Lately

Wow, it's been a long time since my last Loving Lately post. It's been a long time in general since I've done a proper blog post-sorry about that. Life has been happening over here, big time.

Let's get started, shall we?! Josh has been gone for over a month, and I'm surprised to say that that first month actually went by pretty quick. Now, we are down to 137 days, or 19 weeks, OR 4 months and 16 days. Not that I'm counting or anything...

Apparently St. Nicholas Day was this past Friday. For whatever reason, I always think it's the 8th, not the 6th. Thank goodness St. Nicholas got our letter, explaining that we got our dates mixed up. Our shoes were set out and our dear friend made a special trip just for us! Cole loves his new steering wheel, but was more excited about the clementines! Nessa was pretty excited at the site of those happy little oranges too. We are big on fruit at our house.

Shortly after Josh left, I started watching Once Upon a Time. Do you watch it?! Oh my gosh, if you don't, you need to start. I'm completely caught up, and I must say, Hook is totally my favorite. First of all, Peter Pan was my favorite Disney movie growing up. I feel like I was already inclined to like him regardless, but wow. Just wow. He is nice to look at. Wow. :)

 I checked the mail earlier this week, and to my delighted surprise, I had a couple Christmas gifts from Josh! One of which, I thought was addressed to me, so I started to open it (it was a pretty generic box, i.e. not from Amazon) I looked inside to find the word Nikon on a box, and immediately shut the lid. Definitely wasn't supposed to see that! I messaged Josh to let him know, and he said I could go ahead and open it. Inside the box, I found a brand new lens for our camera! I can't wait to put it to good use! Best. Gift. Ever.

^normal lens

 ^super cool zoom lens!

Keep an eye out in the near future for my new favorite (and if I may add, accidental discovery) holiday cookie recipe!

Loving Lately

Let's get to it:

• Halloween movies. Since we'll be in Omaha for the majority of October, I don't know how much time we'll be able to devote to these great flicks. If we're able to squeeze them all in while we're home, then Halloween season is just a little bit longer for us, and I have zero issues with this!
• PUMPKIN MUFFINS. The first batch will be making their appearance this week and I am salivating over the idea already
• Frankenberry cereal. It is at our commissary! Little known (or maybe not) fact about me- Frankenberry cereal is my all-time favorite. It's only available around Halloween, which may be why I love this time of year so much. Excuse me while I grab a second bowl...
• Fall nails. I love dark nail polish and I happened to come across a new favorite from Essie called "wicked." It's a super dark red, almost black at first glance. I'm digging it.
• Pumpkin scented candles. Oh. Golly.
• Mail. I think I get more excited about getting mail now, then when I was a child. Especially care packages. And magazines. And letters. Really, if it has my name on it I'm probably jumping up and down with anticipation to see what it is. I think Josh knows this is one of my little joys in life, so he opens the unpleasant stuff, like bills. I married a great man! :)

Loving Lately a little late!

Wow, Mondays that have holidays always make me forget they are Mondays. Oops! Although it's a day late, here is what I've been Loving Lately:

• Four day weekends
• Toom (it's like a Home Depot or Lowe's) 
• The weather, it's been absolutely beautiful
• The new Ikea catalog we got in the mail
• Cole is officially a 15 month old, which he was by the last loving lately, but he hadn't had his wellness check-up yet, more on that tomorrow
• Josh and Cole playing on the playground
• DOUGHNUTS!
• 28 days until we are Omaha bound
• Travel planning, like most things I prepare for, I've already begun planning out luggage and what we need to bring. 
• Chicken noodle soup on the weekend

I've decided to start something new this month, I want to try doing a photo-a-day challenge! I don't know if I'll be posting everyday, or if I'll try posting once a week (Photo Friday anyone?!). Who wants to try it with me?!

Loving Lately

This past week and a half has been out of the norm for me. Josh was on TDY (temporary duty assignment or better yet a business trip). He got to go to Africa! How cool is that?! He got back yesterday, and Cole and I couldn't be happier.

Loving Lately list for this past week:

• Josh is back!
• The look on Cole's face when he saw that his daddy was back...PRICELESS!
• While Josh was gone, we were able to FaceTime
• Lot's of quality time with Cole
• Read A Study in Scarlet by Sir Arthur Conan Doyle
• Banana bread to go with the brisk August mornings we've been having, more on that soon!
• Waking up before Cole in the morning (he slept in BIG time)
• Josh brought back house gifts and jewelry!

Loving Lately

Let's get to it! This is what I've been loving lately:

• The little things my husband does because he cares, like when he:

• helps change diapers in the middle of the night, even when he has to work the next day
• starts a load of diapers after I've forgotten...again
• tears up when we have to be apart for a little while
• fills my car up with gas
• lets me know his flight went well
• asks how my day was
• knows the right words to calm me down when I'm being a crazy-head
• takes his dishes to the sink
• says "I love you" first
• My mom and dad let me go on an Old Navy shopping spree for autumn apparel-thank you again! The first picture is only a small selection of what I got-woo!
• Euro store finds: 1 mustard cardigan, 2 scarves, 1 large decorative pillow case < €20
• Mama/Coleden date nights, we watched Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone
• That my mom digs Pinterest too, you have no idea how long it took me to convince her of it's greatness
• When Nessa sleeps on Josh's pillow when he's gone, or after he get's up in the morning
• The way Cole looks after he eats pizza

Loving Lately

I hope everyone had a great weekend! On Saturday, Josh and I went on a mini road trip up to Spangdahlem for a baby shower honoring our friend Sarah (Josh hung out with Tim, he didn't want to come to the shower-weird). Sunday was spent grocery shopping, watching Tangled, giving Nessa a (slightly less than beautiful) haircut, and playing with a really cute little boy.

Now onto my weekly list of what I've been loving lately:

• Sunday's like yesterday
• Watching Cole walk backward (something he just learned this week)
• Nessa is finally starting to play with Cole
• Wedding talk with my sister-in-law (I love your programs, they're super cute Beth!)
• I got to wear sweatPANTS and jeans for the first time since May
• Cole turning the pages of his book (even when I'm not done reading)
• My newly acquired quilt, it's sort of shabby chic and the lady I bought it from even threw in the entire Fantastic Four cartoon series, because she's sick of watching it with her son (this was done with a lot of stealthiness, it was pretty impressive)
• I finished the last Sookie Stackhouse novel by Charlaine Harris, but more on that tomorrow
• When Cole copies something Josh and I do: we were at Sarah and Tim's house and Cole was walking around with a card in his hand. He stopped and started yelling at it. I'm 99.9% confident he gets that from me, I have a tendency of announcing a thought by yelling it into my phone (that's not being used). I don't know why I do it, it seems like I always have, but now it's just extra funny because my son does it too. Now who's the weird one, Josh?! 
• Crafting baby shower gifts, I love making something for a nursery that no one else has!

 Cole LOVES Rapunzel

 For Elenah's nursery, I hope you like it Sarah and Tim!

Loving Lately

Hello all! Sorry it's been a while since I checked in, we've been very busy at our house. We hit the road on Friday and got back today. It was the trip of a lifetime, and I can't wait to share our adventures with you. This is what I've been loving lately this week (all of these photos were taken on my phone):

• Being with Josh all day, everyday
• Sunrises in Garmisch
• Neuschwanstein Castle
• Dachau Concentration Camp
• Bavarian Alps
• Faster drive home than the drive to Edelweiss
• The look of my bed (I haven't laid down, I know I won't want to get up)
• Great friends who go out of their way to let my dog out while we were away-thank you Steph and Larissa
• My son for being amazing on our trip (and extra cute)

There is so much more I'm going to share, but right now I have some unpacking to do. Stay tuned!