Peace & Quiet

Just before bedtime tonight Jack was wanting to rough-house with Jeremy.  Here's what I watched happen:

Jeremy:  "You know what I need, Jack?  Peace and quiet."

Jack: (gets off couch, looks around floor, and picks up a block) "Here Daddy!"

Jeremy:  "What's this?"

Jack:  "Peesees quiet!"

Turns out our building blocks are very versatile.  

Babies make the best accessory.

We just got back from Orlando, Florida yesterday afternoon.  (16.5 hours later than originally scheduled due to some crazy flight delays)  The trip was awesome!  Here's a recap:

*I packed everything for myself and Brooklyn for six days (which turned into seven) into a carry-on and a diaper bag.  And made sure to let everyone know how impressive that really is.

*Brooklyn traveled like a champ.  Seriously.  She cried for maybe an hour total the entire week.  I think 7 months is the perfect traveling age.  She could sleep anywhere (a 1:30 AM rock concert, for example), nurse anywhere (airplanes, bathrooms, restaurants, park benches, floors, hotel lobby, etc), and would smile at anyone that would so much as look in her general direction.  My girl rocks.  

*The convention itself was a bit crazy.  I ended up spending quite a bit of time shuttling people around in my rental car.  Which was no big deal since I got a free upgrade for "having the most beautiful baby in the world."  Yep, that actually happened.  Jeremy and friends stayed at the Portofino Hotel and the convention was at the Royal Pacific Hotel, and we traveled between the two via water taxi or shuttle bus.  

Portofino Hotel, Orlando

*The night before we left to come back home, Jeremy's band played at another event called Nerdapalooza.  It was basically just a convention of comics/video games/fantasy-type things that brought in different bands to play.  The guys played and did a great job.  But you know who the biggest celebrity there was that night??  That's right.  This little lady with her noise-canceling headphones.  So many people wanted to take her picture!!

*We traveled with two of our good friends, Julie Larson and Ryan Seiler.  Those two make the best travel companions!  Ryan did all the work (booking our tickets, making sure we were in the right place, etc) and Julie helped me out a ton (carrying my bag, playing with Brooklyn, etc).  They also have a great sense of humor which made our overnight flight delay a lot of fun.  Jeremy is always fun to travel with too.  He's laidback and goes with the flow, a great quality to have on these sorts of trips!

*I'm back to reality now and facing a giant to-do list, but this past week was worth it 100%.  Having a 2-year old around, I don't get a lot of one-on-one time with Brooklyn, and I will forever cherish the time I got to spend with her.  I come home so incredibly thankful for my husband, my kids, and my life.

Here. We. Go.

This week has been, and will continue to be, a whirlwind.  Here's what's going on:

1.  In a few hours, I'm getting a "new" car.  We're buying my uncle's 2004 Honda Accord to replace this beauty:

Power windows and locks, fully functioning air conditioner/heater, non-broken cruise control, and working radio antenna are just a few of the upgrades we're looking at.  

2.  In a few more hours, I'll be headed off to Orlando, Florida with Jeremy and Brooklyn.  We're going to play some music at a Harry Potter convention.  Get off my back, all you nerd-haters.  It's going to be totally rad.  Jack is staying behind with family as it wouldn't be too much fun for him to get toted around with us everywhere.  Plus we'll be going on family vacation in a few weeks so he's not missing out on much.

3.  Along those lines, packing for four people to go in different directions is a bit of a challenge.  Jeremy and I aren't even staying at the same place (I'm staying at a friend's mom's house so Brooklyn can get some decent sleep).  And I'm trying to fit everything for myself and a baby in one carry-on and a diaper bag.  I'm too cheap these days to cough up the extra cash for checking a bag if I don't have to.  Creativity is about to kick into full gear over here real soon.  I just have to make sure there's room for these:

Gotta protect those sweet baby ears!

4.  I'm fully healed, thanks to my Neti-Pot and raw garlic.  And after over a week of not going, Brooklyn finally pooped.  So with nasal passages and digestive systems in complete working order, we're set to go!  See you in a week!

All in one afternoon?

Here's the conversation I just had with Jack when he woke up from his afternoon nap:

Me:  Did you have a good nap?

Jack:  No.

Me:  Did you have a bad nap?

Jack:  No.

Me:  Did you take a nap?

Jack:  No.

Me:  Oh.  Did you fly to the moon?

Jack:  Yeah (giggles)

Me:  Wow!  We didn't even hear you leave!  Did you...bake a birthday cake?

Jack:  Yeah (giggles)

Me:  Mmm!  What color?

Jack:  Green!

Me:  Yum!  Did you...ride a unicorn?

Jack:  Yeah (giggles more)

Me:  Oh!  What was his name?

Jack:  Ummmm.  Mo.

I guess I'm not a vampire

An upper-respiratory illness has made its way through our family over the last two weeks.  It started with Brooklyn, then me, then Jack, then Jeremy.  Each of us was down and out for a few days before making a recovery.  Except me.  Mine eventually turned into a delightful sinus infection that felt like my face was being crushed.  I usually try to avoid taking antibiotics if at all possible, but I would have gladly taken a prescription for this beast....had it not hit me over the 4th of July weekend.  To get through the weekend, I turned to natural remedies.

I started with a Neti-Pot, which, after just a few times of using, cleared out my nasal passages and allowed me to breathe again.

Then to really knock this bad boy out, I've been eating raw garlic purchased fresh from our local farmers market.  By the way, have you ever chewed a clove of raw garlic before?  I dare you.  Or you can just watch this:




After using these home remedies, I haven't even had to go the doctor because I feel great!  I can breathe, I don't have pain, and I smell like an Italian entrée.  I'm living the dream!