My Valentines
Sweet and simple. That was our Valentine’s Day. Chocolate treats, a few gifts for the kiddos, and a husband who had just returned home from a four-day business trip. Lots of love in our house this year! Read more
Chipotle Pork Quichelettes
Chipotle Pork Quichelettes. Sounds pretty fancy, right? Well, just call my husband Mr. Fancy because this was his contribution to the second annual Appetanza Extravaganza. And it was the winning dish! Not only was it full of flavor and perfectly savory, Nick received bonus points for grinding his own meat and making his own pastry. Yes, he was in it... Read more
The Winning Recipe
Last Christmas we hosted the inaugural Appetanza Extravaganza. We came up with the idea just days before our family arrived for the holiday, which didn’t allow much time to prepare. This year, however, everyone knew about the event weeks in advance, and it showed by the caliber of recipes. We chopped, braised, baked, and sampled all eight creations over four... Read more
Letter to Nora: One Month
Dear Nora Kathryn, Oh, what a doll you are! You are the most content baby girl, and you are not at all phased by this crazy family of ours. You sleep soundly through toddler squeals and canine barks, ringing doorbells and a revolving door of excited visitors. And I do believe that your calm demeanor is contagious. Because I feel... Read more
Newborn Nora
We are so fortunate to have such a talented photographer as (almost) family. Mandy is the soon-to-be sister-in-law of my sister. She’s taken so many special photos for us, but Nora’s newborn photo shoot is (obviously) my favorite yet. Mandy visited with my sister a week after Nora arrived and spent countless hours with our baby girl to get the... Read more
Letter to Samuel: 28 Months
This month brought so many changes. Most significantly, you are now a BIG BROTHER! You absolutely adore Nora and have been such a good helper. You love to wash her belly and her toes during bath time; you bring diapers and powder when I ask you to; you pick up her pacifier if she drops it; and you insist she... Read more
40 Weeks
I always suspected Nora would arrive before her due date. Just as I predicted Sam would arrive after his. I also always felt as though I was carrying “more baby” this time. Despite having gained almost exactly the same amount of weight, Nora was nearly two pounds bigger than Sam at birth! Call it mother’s intuition. We were home from... Read more
Sibling Love
Just hours after Nora was born, we prepared for our two! children to meet for the very first time. We had looked forward to this moment for nine months, and it was even more amazing than we had imagined. Nick held Sam’s hand as they walked down the hall towards our room, and we heard big brother singing “baby sister,... Read more
Nora’s Birth Story
January 5th, 2014. Three days before our due date, and nearly two weeks after I felt my first false contraction, I woke up at 4:30am (not unusual). But this time was definitely different. How could I have possibly forgotten the feeling of a true contraction? I got up to use the bathroom and turned on my phone to start timing... Read more
Our Daughter
We are thrilled to announce the arrival of our daughter, Nora Kathryn! She has a full head of silky soft hair and kissable cheeks and is content despite the chaos that is currently our life. Much more to come! Read more