Dinner at Firkin with the friends who helped us get the house!
The bacon wasn’t quite what we hoped it would be (double-fried) but it was still tasty…just not quite what we wanted.
Author Archives: Jen
We visited our new house!
We went to see our house and to take measurements so we can try to plan ahead where we want the movers to put things.
Guest bath—it’s going to be an adjustment only having one sink.
We talked to the landlord and he is willing to buy the materials and have Tom fix the planters.
The back yard was much smaller than we thought it was from the Google maps view—which Tom was happy about since it means less mowing. But it’s still plenty big enough for playing.
And we don’t have a community pool but this place is five minutes from the house.
We like our new regular theater.
Five minutes from the house, they serve alcohol, and they have reserved RECLINING seats.
And of course, sushi.
We met a new friend for lunch—one of my very first internet friends Rachel (from pre-wedding days) Facebook-introduced me to Amy, a friend of hers who lives where we will be living… And she also has a 5yo girl starting kindergarten this fall! I can’t believe I forgot to take a pic of us… But I remembered the sushi!
Best Buds
Gramma got this picture of the buddies.
Guess which dessert was yummy and which was not.
Yeah. I had high hopes for the candy bar… But it sucked. Too much fake bacon taste, not even enough bacon, and very little chip flavor.
Texas brisket BBQ and a warm pretzel!
We’re enjoying finding good places to eat!!
We put us all in two Pokémon gyms on base.
There were a lot of pokestops and gyms on the naval base so we took advantage.
Don’t judge, part 2.
Of course we had to check out the Sam’s Club.
Just chillin’ with Gramma
Katie wanted Gramma to curl her hair!
The first picture is the back of her hair BEFORE curling. Right. Mission accomplished!
Look at the size of this school!
This is Owen’s school. It’s so big that they divide the kids into East and West depending on whether your address is odd or even. I think it was something like 1500 students and it’s only grades 1-3.
Kidisms 40
At baseball, Katie cane over to me with a sad face.
Me: What happened, bug?
Katie: Someone dropped a wood on my head.
After a baseball game:
Me: Owen doesn’t it feel good to shower and get clean after being hot and sweaty?
Owen: Yes! It feels like I just was born. But big.
Katie: Look at me walking on the fluff ground.
Tom: Fluff ground?
Katie [pointing to the carpet]: This!
Katie was playing hide and seek with her friends:
I’ll count all the hide and seeks and you do the hides.
Katie was telling us about how Charlie smacked Maggie this morning: I told Charlie No, ma’am but she didn’t care. She didn’t care about my no ma’am.
Owen and Gramma Jean were playing a game and Gramma called Owen out on something he did.
Owen: It wasn’t what you said it was. You must have not seen it clearly.
Adulting with Jami.
Since we planned on drinking, we took a Lyft to the restaurant, and since it was a chocolate restaurant (The Chocolate Sanctuary), I obviously had to start with the German Chocolate Cake martini…Vodka, Amaretto, cream of coconut, chocolate, caramel, and toasted coconut.
Then Jami took over on the pictures.
- Chicken and Goat Cheese Wrapped in Cocoa-Candied Bacon with Cocoa-cranberry sauce.
- Cocoa Pan-Seared Scallops with Zucchini chips, truffle mash potatoes, miso beurre blanc
- The Sanctuary Chopped Salad: Romaine, field greens, sweet corn, avocado, cocoa-candied bacon, tomatoes, hearts of palm, cheddar cheese, herb-parmesan croutons, chocolate vinaigrette
Elderflower Aperitif: Sparkling Moscato D’Asti, St. Germain, and fresh raspberry
Beignets! Light and airy chocolate filled doughnuts served with mixed berry compote and crème anglaise
We will definitely visit again and bring out of town guests…
Don’t judge.
Jami was showing me a local grocery store so we each picked out a wine for the hotel room… Plus I grabbed a candy kebob for the kids and she picked up green Sriracha on my recommendation (we happened to be walking by).
Recreation: 2010 and 2017—200# lighter
I flew into Chicago a day early to spend some time with a friend I see online all the time but that I haven’t seen in person since we lived in Troy. Jami has done Naturally Slim as well, so we had to do a recreation. 
Flying in the middle? No problem!
It’s still SUCH a good feeling to be able to cross my legs in a middle row seat! I ♥️ Naturally Slim!! Also, I’m wearing my #lipsense stripes!!
Katie’s Name for Grandma’s Massage
Gramma giving Katie a butt massage. At least that’s what Katie called it. 🙂
My new favorite outfit.
I always thought these “belts” were cool but never thought I’d be able to wear one and pull it off…
Katie’s 5yo physical!
She technically isn’t due for her 5yo well-visit for awhile yet, but when we got the forms to register them for school in Illinois, we realized her last physical was too old—it has to be within a year and as it turns out, her last physical was in April since that’s when she started school and needed the physical. So we had a rushed last-minute appointment at 7:50am the morning I was flying out to Chicago (during which trip we would be completing registration!).
Weight: 42.3 lbs. (was 35#)
Height: 44″ (was 40.25″)
Playing Suspend with Gramma
They got ALL the bars on without anything falling off! So much fun!
Gramma brought a puzzle!
Screeching flying worms!
So, Gramma Jean had these many years ago when Owen was maybe 2-3 and he hated them! She kept them all this time and brought them down. The first one busted as she was blowing it up. The second one made no noise whatsoever. Then one finally worked.
Reading to Gramma
Of course I got grief first about having to treat but once he got started he enjoyed it.
Waiting to scare Gramma!
I came upstairs to see Katie laying in the hall like this. I asked her what she was doing. Then I noticed the bathroom door was closed and the light was on.
Gramma was in there and she was waiting to scare her when she came out!!
Baseball game with Gramma and Grandpa!
Gramma Jean and Grandpa David came down to watch the kids while we did house hunting stuff… And they arrived in time to go to baseball with us!
It’s been awhile since we went Pokemoning!
Our last bingo night—and we won two baskets!
Headed off to our last PTO Bingo Night! 🙁
We actually donated a big snack basket this year (I’ve been wanting to donate one for awhile now) and I debated buying raffle tickets because we don’t need anything… But it was to benefit the school so why not?! I bought 20 and gave each of the kids five tickets to put in whatever they wanted. Katie put all hers in the Emoji Basket and Owen put his in an Art Basket. I spread the rest out between some Chocolate Baskets and the Art Basket.
Owen wanted to sit with his friends…
So the first bingo game starts and Katie literally had every single number called and we were sure she was going to win…but she didn’t. But imagine our surprise when they brought up the first basket—one of the chocolate baskets—and we won!! Woohoo!!
Soon the Emoji Basket came up and I happened to record it just in case…
All night Katie kept saying “I can’t believe we won TWO baskets!” 🙂 This makes up for three years of winning nothing!
This was the kindergarten chocolate basket. We really really lucked out—everything from M&Ms to s’more fixins to brownie mix to sandwich cookies to truffles to camel milk chocolates!!!
And enough emoji stuff to choke a horse!!
3200sf and where do they play?!
They have 3200sf to play in on three floors so where do they both play while Tom is fixing the freezer and pieces are laying all around the kitchen?
What I came downstairs to this morning.
She wasn’t thrilled but she wasn’t complaining too loudly.
