Memorial Day Weekend // the unofficial tradition

For the past several years, we have spent Memorial Day Weekend with Mike and Katie. It's almost become an unspoken/unofficial tradition. Tim and I weren't even dating when we first started this tradition. Through the years, we've spent the weekend on sections of the Superior Hiking Trail; last year we hung out in St. Cloud; and more often than not, we end up at their cabin. This year was a cabin year, and this year we added our kids into the mix. That still seems so crazy - we have kids! We ate good, spent 90% of the time outside, sat on the dock (with monitors in hand) after putting the kids to bed, and went for a hike with the babes, which I'm pretty sure Mike and Tim have been dreaming about for years. As always, it was a blast and refreshing to be around good friends.

thankful.

I cannot write this post without crying. Maybe it's the crazy post-pregnancy hormones. They are tears of overwhelming joy, love, and thankfulness. This Thanksgiving will always be a special one because on November 15 at 8:59pm, our son, Jack Donald Miller, was born, healthy and alert and rocking a stellar pair of cheeks. Delivering him was the hardest and most rewarding thing I have ever done in my life. What a miracle! Yes, it's been a major adjustment getting used to life with a newborn. And yes, it's scary to me sometimes to think that this little life depends on my for everything. But every time he stretches after he eats or sneezes three times in a row or studies the world so intently when he's awake, it makes it all worth it. I did not know my heart could feel such overwhelming and nurturing love.

I'm also thankful for my husband - the best labor coach a girl could ask for. Your calmness and attentiveness amazed me as we moved through each stage of labor and delivery. Thank you for holding my puke bucket when the pain was overwhelming. Thank you for rubbing my back over and over and over again. Thank you for letting me squeeze your hand so tight in the middle of contractions. Thank you for always having my water bottle handy. Thank you for being my advocate when I couldn't talk to the doctors and nurses. Thank you for telling me, "You can do this. Keep going, you're doing great" during the last couple of hours when I didn't think I could keep going. And thank you for getting up in the middle of the night between feedings when Jack is fussy so I can get just a few more minutes of sleep. I am so proud of you, I love you so much, and Jack is so blessed to have you as his father. I can't wait to spend Thanksgiving with you and our son.

happy labor day

Labor Day Weekend, the unofficial last hoorah of summer. In the past, there's been camping trips, fishing trips, and cabin trips. But this year is pretty low-key. While Tim is enjoying the wilderness of the BWCA, mom and dad came up and we:

+ shopped the maternity store at the Albertville Outlet mall
+ painted the nursery (love it!)
+ went to church
+ started filling and organizing the nursery closet
+ watched The Andy Griffith Show on Netflix
+ shut the air off and opened the house up thanks to cooler temps and no humidity
+ made 3 pints of fresh salsa

Today will be spent in leggings and a cardigan, letting the fresh air blow through the house, while working on some design projects and anxiously awaiting Tim's return.

happy father's day

nothing says "happy father's day" like a new wheelbarrow

Happy (first!) Father's Day to my man. I am so blessed to be your wife and help mate. Thank you for you cleaning up the kitchen after I go to bed. Thank you for loving things like house projects, mowing the lawn, and shoveling snow. Thank you for appreciating my family as much as I do. Thank you for praying for me. And like I've said before, I'm so excited to begin this new chapter of parenthood with you. I know it will be tough at times and we'll feel like we have no idea what we're doing, but we'll learn and grow together. I love you.

And happy Father's Day to my dad, the man who set the bar high as far as fathers go. I'm very blessed to have a dad like you - someone strong and encouraging and loving and not afraid to call me up just to check in. I love you.

memorial day & a baby bump

look what showed up this week!

 For the past few years, our Memorial Day Weekend tradition has been to hit the Superior Hiking Trail for a backpacking trip. But this year we had a sort of stay-cation spent with good friends. We kicked off  the weekend with getting a heck of a deal on a like-new Pack 'n' Play at a garage sale. I love a good deal! The rest of the weekend was spent going for walks, talking about all things baby, eating things like BBQ chicken+baked beans+BLTs, looking through baby name books, and starting the construction of our deck. It was the perfect balance of relaxation and productivity.

the frame work in place for our new deck. way to go, honey!

afternoon snack of toasted homemade bread (thanks Katie!) and ice cold raw milk. so delicious!

ameri-jello

This year's 4th of July was almost a perfect replica of last year - hot, hot, and more hot - minus the epic storm. It was one of those days where the best/most comfortable thing to do was stay inside, soaking up the air conditioned goodness OR be in the lake. Luckily, we've got connections and were on the lake for America's birthday. But there was a point in the afternoon when even being completely submerged in the water, it was still hot hot hot.

The only times we were not in the water, we were eating (and catching a few Wimbledon matches). And what were we eating? Butter braids, hot dogs, steak, cherries, chicken salad, and Ameri-Jello. It's never a real July 4th celebration until you have patriotic Jello.

4th of July Jello

1 small package each of red, blue, and lemon jello
1 pint of vanilla ice cream, softened
2 1/4 cups boiling water
1 cup cold water

• Put red and blue jello into separate bowls
• Pour 3/4 cup boiling water into each bowl and stir until completely dissolved
• Stir 1/2 cup of cold water into each bowl
• Pour red jello into mold (or mason jar) and refrigerate for 1 hour. Reserve the blue jello at room temperature
• Meanwhile, stir 3/4 cup boiling water into lemon jello in a bowl. Spoon in ice cream until melted and spoon over red jello. Refrigerate for 30 minutes.
• Pour blue jello as the last layer and refrigerate for 30 minutes.
• Salute!