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Kentucky Recap

This post is purely for journaling purposes only… so feel free to move on.

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We had such a great time in Kentucky. We had incredible weather for the majority of the trip, which really made it nice. Eva couldn’t get enough of going on walks and playing in the yard. Every day, all day, she would ask, “Walk? Walk? Walk?” And considering my Mom loves being outside, she and my Dad were in grandparent heaven.

We got in on Thursday with a direct flight from Newark to Cincinnati. I can’t get over how nice that was… I’m used to flights with layovers going to Louisville or Dayton. So, to fly right into CVG was a dream. We spent the rest of Thursday and Friday going to parks, playing games in the back yard, and enjoying our time together. Ooh, and we had Skyline… great start to the trip!

Saturday we threw a baby shower for a friend in my home ward and then took Eva to another park in Fort Thomas. Saturday night I went to a video shoot with my dad at this night club. It’s always fun to hop along on those shoots with my dad and see him at work. It was also funny to see all of these old people dancing all night long. I’ve never seen anything like it in my life.

Sunday we went to church and to linger longer afterwards. Eva had a ball in nursery and I loved being able to go to Sunday School and Relief Society, since I’m usually in Primary back in Jersey City.

Let’s see… Monday my mom went back to school, but Eva still had a great time playing with all of the toys and exploring. When my mom got back, we headed up to Rookwood for some shopping, but after one store, I left Old Navy in tears because Eva was driving me nuts. We were going to get Chick Fil A for dinner, but the line was so long, I couldn’t handle Eva’s cries any longer so we just went home. It was a major fail, but actually something we all laughed about after because of how annoyed I was. Overreaction, I know. But I love going to Rookwood with my mom and I was so disappointed that it wasn’t like the old days… but new days are good too and I need to learn to like change and come what may.

Tuesday, my Dad, Eva and I went downtown (I first wrote Downton… ha!) and we walked around the square together. It was cute to see Eva with her Papa, I love those two together! We had dinner that night with Mrs. Doran, our good family friend.

Wednesday, Eva and I woke up early to have breakfast with Blair over on UC’s campus. It was fun to catch up with my old friend and to see her cute apartment. She had to go to class, so Eva, my dad, and I went to the Newport Aquarium which was great. Eva ran around so fast and kept yelling, “More! More! More!” She loved those fish and loved running through the halls even better. We finished the afternoon at Hofbrauhaus, mine and my dad’s favorite spot. Wednesday night, I went out with my friend Lelia for some shopping and dinner. Love catching up with that girl!

On Thursday, my mom was off of work so we tried our hand in shopping again, but this time at Kenwood Mall. Eva was much more cheerful and sat in her stroller for a lot longer, so we had a great time walking around together and getting Evabug some new fall clothes! We picked up some books at a book store nearby, and then met my dad for dinner at Outback. Eva was pretty funny that night at dinner and kept waving to the people sitting behind us. We were worried she would throw food into the lady’s hair.

Friday we went to the zoo and it was absolutely perfect. Beautiful day, not too busy, and great company. The Cincinnati Zoo is really incredible. The gardens are gorgeous and there are so many exhibits that you can barely see everything in one trip! But we saw tons of animals and Eva walked around like she owned the place.

Saturday was conference, but beforehand we went to my old elementary school’s Fall Hullabaloo and then to a pumpkin patch and farm. It felt like we had traveled to Central Kentucky, but it was just right off of Route 8, 15 minutes away! The farm was so gorgeous and probably one of the best times of the entire trip. After the Priesthood session of conference, my dad and I saw Gravity together and wow… I’m still recovering from that stressful movie. It was great but I don’t think I’ll see it again since the plot was actually pretty weak.

Sunday was also conference and actually quite rainy, so we were stuck inside all day. But between sessions Blair and another friend from high school stopped by for a couple hours to catch up. It was fun looking through old photo albums and yearbooks. I can’t believe how time has flown by!

Monday was our departure date… and boy, did we cry. Eva kept asking where Nana and Papa were and then started saying “Nana Papa… All gone!” When she said that, it killed me! But we had a great trip with my family and can’t wait to go back, hopefully, sooner rather than later!

Thanks to my parents for a fantastic trip!

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21 and 22 Months

Oops! September flew by and I forgot to post for 21 Month Old Eva. So, I’ll clump these two months together because it’s pretty much the same.

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These past couple months Eva has become very strong willed and even more independent. That being said, she’s growing up right before my eyes but is also at times a handful! Boy, does she make me laugh. We have a lot of fun at home since she is constantly full of surprises.

Eva loves shoes. She is always walking out of the bedroom wearing a different pair of shoes. Her sandals, my heals, TJ’s dress shoes. She loves them all.

She is very friendly. Eva makes so many people smile on the subway and is constantly saying hi to everyone around her and playing games with other kids.

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Naps the past couple of weeks have been inconsistent. She sleeps in until 10 am just about everyday, so I think that’s the reason she’s having trouble taking an afternoon nap now that she’s not depending on her bottle. When we get back to Jersey, my plan is to wake her up at 9, and push back her bedtime to 8:30. We had been putting her to bed at about 9:30 because TJ doesn’t get to see her much, but I need my afternoon break for my sanity and to get a couple hours of work accomplished. Hopefully that’ll do the trick.

Eva wants to walk everywhere. She does not want to hold my hand, and she wants to go at her own pace. Whether that means we are chasing after her as she runs through the halls at church, or begging her to come on as she dilly-dallies on the sidewalk. I am seriously praying (no a joke) that this thing of hers-not wanting to sit in her stroller-is just a phase. It is making life very hard since my feet and the stroller are our means of transportation to get everywhere every day. So, really… please pray that Eva will want to sit in her stroller again because it is making life in Jersey extremely difficult.

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Something funny that has happened these past couple months is that Eva loves wearing dresses so much. It’s normally not a problem, unless we need to go the park and Eva wants to wear her Easter dress or she wants to go to church in her Minnie dress. So, I have hid the dresses so that they only come out at certain times to avoid tantrums.

Since we took Eva off the bottle, she is eating a lot better but is still picky. I’ve been reading up on how to make your child a good eater, even if they have bad habits already. I’ve found lots of good tips but it sure takes a lot of work and consistency! It’s definitely a work in progress, but step one of getting her off the bottle is at least completed and it’s already making a difference.

We bought a potty for Eva a couple months back and she’s used it here and there. She went number 2 here at my parents’ which was exciting (even though I still get weirded out cheering on my daughter in that situation). But I decided I’m not ready to potty train her yet. It was a rough couple weeks getting her off the bottle, then having her cut a new molar, and then this whole stroller ordeal is driving me nuts. So, I’m giving myself a break and not worrying about doing it until after Christmas break.

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Other current favorites: brushing her teeth, playing with her babies, dancing, parks, dresses, FaceTiming with both sets of grandparents, coloring, Mickey, Blue’s Clues, any type of animal, reading books, helping me cook, sweeping the floor, throwing away things, being naked, taking off her shoes, yogurt, looking at pictures of family and friends, baths, entertaining herself.

Twenty Months
Nineteen Months
Eighteen Months
Seventeen Months
Sixteen Months
Fifteen Months
Fourteen Months
Thirteen Months
Twelve Months
Eleven Months
Ten Months
Nine Months
Eight Months
Seven Months
Six Months
Five Months
Four Months
Three Months
Two Months
One Month
Two Weeks
One Week

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Netflix Anonymous via Black with a Chance of Cheetah

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My bestie Danica over here wrote a post about her favorite Netflix shows. Well, I thought I would join in the chatter and share with my all time shows that are on Netflix (excluding the obvious Parks and Rec, The Office, Arrested Development, and Downton Abbey).

  1. Law & Order: SVU. T.J. really hates this show, he thinks it’s just like everything else out there, as far as crime shows go. He’s pretty much right. But I really like the detectives and love seeing scenes of NYC. But I have to make sure I skip the episodes that would scare me because I’m already scared of being attacked and don’t need scenes from SVU to flood my mind while I walk the streets of NY and NJ.
  2. New Girl. Season 2 just came on Netflix so T.J. and I are rewatching those right now. Too funny.
  3. Friday Night Lights. This show will go down in history for one of my all-time favorite TV shows ever. It was such a good, heart-felt, family show! I just don’t know why it took us so long to watch it. Now that we finished the series, we are seriously missing Coach and the rest of the gang. Season 4 and 5 weren’t the best because we missed the original students, but we still loved it all!
  4. Mr. Bean. I will always love Mr. Bean.
  5. The Killing. T.J. and I watched this series together too! AMC really knows how to tell a story. Season 3 just aired this summer btw.
  6. Pretty Little Liars. I have a love/hate relationship with this show. I’m just glad I watched it fast on Netflix instead of drawing it out for years.
  7. Parenthood. I watched this series a year or two ago and fell in love with the Bravermans. I can’t wait for the season premiere on NBC this Thursday!
  8. Okay, this isn’t on Netflix but it’s on Amazon Prime. If you like Downton, you should watch From Larkrise to Candleford. It’s just sweet drama.
  9. The Guardian. The star in this show is the same star in The Mentalist, which is why I watched it years ago… I love Simon Baker! This was a good one though, a little dated, but still good.
  10. The Walking Dead. I’ve talked about this show enough, I’m sure. But oh man… this show… the BEST!

I swear I didn’t watch all these shows at one time! You’re going to think I’m crazy with all these TV shows. Oh well.

What’s on my list next? Call the Midwife and Derek! What are you favorites on Netflix?

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I’m a Bluegrass Girl

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This week I’m going to visit my parents in Northern Kentucky. This trip could not be coming at a better time because I’m aching to get out of the city and just ride in a car for once in my life. I’m making a list of what I want to do while I’m visiting. Here’s what I’ve come up with, other than the obvious “hanging out with fam” type of stuff:

  1. Eat at Skyline. Duh.
  2. Go to the Aquarium or the Zoo.
  3. Go apple picking.
  4. Go to a movie.
  5. Walk the People Purple Bridge.
  6. Go to my old elementary school’s fall festival, the Hullabaloo.
  7. Eat Graeter’s Ice-Cream
  8. Eat at the Hofbrauhaus
  9. Drive down Covert Run… when you don’t have a car and live in the city, driving down an old windy street in the woods sounds really great.
  10. Have a fire pit.

Here’s a different version of My Old Kentucky Home… it’s rap version.

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A Pedicure and a Hurt Ego

One day this week, Eva was quite a handful so as soon as T.J. got home, I went to the mall. We walk through the mall almost every day, since it’s the way you get to the train and to the river path. So, to take up time (I didn’t want to go back until Eva was asleep), I got a pedicure! Turns out they are way cheaper out here… who would have thought? Milk is $4.00, rent feels like it’s million dollars, but a pedicure is close to $20.

But along with the pedicure, I also got a lot of one-liners that sounded a lot like put-downs. I actually had quite a laugh and didn’t get offended. But I had to share what the lady said to me while I was there:

  • Wow, you need a manicure too… they REALLY need it.
    • Oh, I shouldn’t spend the money, but thank you…
  • You’re trying to SAVE money?
  • Your feet need a LOT of work.
  • [Your feet] are in very bad shape.
  • The bottom of your feet are very rough.
  • Do you cut the bottom of your toes?
    • No, they just got beat up wearing sandals all summer…
  • It is very weird.

Thanks, lady. She told me my feet needed a lot of work about ten times. I hadn’t had a pedicure for over a year, but that doesn’t mean I haven’t taken care of them! Anyway, I thought it was too funny not to share.

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Oh, and sidebar… this was the first nail salon I’ve been to that had Essie colors. Awesome! I picked a grayish purple and am obsessed.

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Instagram Update


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Tassel Bracelets

Have you seen this new trend of bracelets with tassels attached? They’ve shown up on my Pinterest feed a couple times and two blogs I follow posted about them:

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Life on the Homestead

Well, I was in M&J the other day while I was in the city, and saw these adorable tassels. Every color imaginable, all different sizes. I couldn’t resist buying a couple packs to make my own bracelet!

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I was planning on making the rest of the bracelet when I go home next week. There isn’t a Michael’s or Hobby Lobby close by me here in Jersey. But I was browsing the Forever 21 accessory section, and saw they had gold chain bracelets for very cheap! Cheap and easy… Win/Win!

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Then I just attached the tassels this morning and boom… tassel bracelet completed! Not too shabby looking either, huh?

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Mommy/Daughter Date

One of my most favorite parts of NYC is Bryant park. It’s right behind the NYC Public Library, the trees create a canopy overhead, and it’s just a charming place-different from the surrounding concrete jungle. Well, I saw a couple months back that each Tuesday they have a little program where you can come meet some exotic birds. This week, Eva and I ventured into the city and spent a couple hours at the park, including time with the birds!

Eva didn’t want to touch the birds (neither did her mom), but we still had fun looking at them. Afterwards, we read books in the kid corner, rode the carousel, ran around the park (giving all the people on lunch break quite a show), stopped Eva from trying to swim in the fountain, and watched the jugglers.

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While we were in the city, we made two stops at a party store-which turned out to be one of the best times of Eva’s life looking at all the balloons, and a store called M&J Trimming. I have never seen so many buttons, ribbons, and other types of trims in one place! I bought some tassels to put on bracelets… but more on that later!

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And can I say that NYC in the fall is absolutely wonderful? There’s just something about walking in that city with an autumn crisp in the air!

There’s nothing quite like Autumn in New York.

But it’s not only the leaves that change.

Something in the air brings out the true colors in everyone.

Yes, I did just quote Gossip Girl.

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Strong Willed

I have a strong willed child and at times, now that she is getting older, it is getting difficult. I love my diva Eva to death, but am looking for tips on how to make sure I parent her to the best of my capabilities. Anyone know of any good books that I can read about this? I hear The Strong Willed Child by James Dobson is one I need to read. Any others I should check out at the library? Any other tips greatly appreciated.

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Weekend Recap

This weekend, a friend of mine from college and her husband were visiting, so we went to the city on Saturday. We took the train to Columbus Circle, and then walked up Columbus Ave so we could show them Lincoln Center and the Temple. We ate lunch at the Shake Shack, filling my burger craving that I’ve had for some time, and then spent the rest of the afternoon at the American Natural History Museum.

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It was a really fun time, but Eva was on one that day! Turns out a new tooth has popped through, so I’m guessing that’s why she was such a diva. But that girl of ours did NOT want to sit in her stroller at the museum and so she ran through the halls and had the time of her life. She loved all the animals (“animolllll!”) and thought they were alive. That may or may not have had something to do with how I told her they were all sleeping… no way of knowing. The museum is so huge though, we barely made it through two of the four floors.

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I think my favorite part of the museum was an old tree trunk that is almost two thousand years old or the huge whale underneath the ceiling that is lit like the ocean. If you visit NY, this museum is a must-see, especially if you have kids!

Right around the time we got to the dinosaur bones, Eva had a huge tantrum (who can blame her though, she didn’t have a nap that day), so we left our friends and headed home.

The museum is right by Central Park, so we took the scenic route to the train stop and walked through park. The leaves have started to change and the weather was amazing!

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All in all, it was a great Saturday and fun to have some visitors in town!

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