CSA News {2} Edible Landscapes

The Edible Landscapes at Luther weren't technically part of our purchased CSA but I thought it was a good addition to it. I made so many more trips to the Farmer's Market this year but there wasn't always all the ingredients I hoped to find. And with the market only offered on Wednesdays and Saturdays, I sometimes needed an herb or two sooner than that.

After I decided to get a Fitbit in order to make sure I walked more, I began wandering by the gardens a number of times each day. Finally, I decided to stop by and see what this was all about. I was honestly really confused that there was a garden that I could go to and simply take whatever I wanted.  There was quite a bit actually - leafy greens, cherry tomatoes, tons of herbs, kale, watermelon, ground cherries, beans, etc. I most often grabbed the herbs.

I'll admit I didn't take too much from the landscapes but it did provide a bit of excitement for me to think about having our own garden one day. I envision having a small raised garden in our backyard that our little boys can help with (I'll put them on weed duty!) At this point, I'd want roma tomatoes, kale, flat leaf parsley and basil. Let's just get rid of what I can our massive weed garden first and then we'll be good to go!

Perhaps one day soon we'll have one of these in our backyard:

Read more about our CSA share!
CSA News {1} - Where did we buy our share from??
CSA - Community Shared Agriculture

The Bump II {3} - Recap: 12-20 Weeks

Here we are, already half way through this pregnancy! This has definitely gone by extremely fast and my guess is that's because the fall is always so busy. Unfortunately, I've had a good number of sick days for lots of terrible headaches and the like but at least my energy has come back to life. I'll take it!

After experiencing what I thought to be pink eye on a number of occasions last spring, this time around has been so much easier! I've mentioned the headaches and really hope they don't come as frequently anymore. Missing work for a headache is just annoying! What a complete waste! Not so much as of late, but early on I was having lots of trouble with dizziness  and being light headed. I feel like my body has regulated a bit which I'm sure helps with my energy level :)

Sleeping is as it's been since the beginning. Frequent trips to the bathroom are completely normal and occur one to two times a night. The past week was a bit tough though. I'd get up to go to the bathroom and then be so awake that I couldn't fall back asleep for an hour or two. Having to get up a second time made me so angry!

Cravings still include those holy hashbrowns, but not nearly as much as before. My strong desire switched to homemade beef jerky which I've been told to stay away from by both my dad and doctor. Sadly, I've decided to listen to that advice. Oh well :( Really, though, I'm not craving much of anything else. Finding something to eat is still pretty difficult. Talk about annoying!

My bump had definitely appeared and has been quite a bit more obvious early on! We told people a heck of a lot earlier for that very reason :) Here's the bump on September 17, 2014.

The Bump - 15w5d

Of all our activities over the past eight weeks, the absolute highlight was our 16-week ultrasound. I was a hot mess and began crying right before lunch - while at work! I couldn't compose myself so decided to leave early. I kept myself busy at home between the tears until our late afternoon appointment. I was doing quite a bit better at that point except for having to drink the 32 oz before going in. I had to go soooooo badly! This little nugget must have been sitting right on top of my poor bladder. We couldn't confirm 100% but from what we could see, everything is going well and progressing appropriately. There was a lot of movement and flipping around - all I really needed to see :) And I must say, I am appreciative of the photos we got. They are so beautiful!

And of course - we got a gender reveal! Owen's going to be a big brother to a baby brother!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! We were both expecting a girl so what a lovely surprise :) We are so excited to have two boys be the best of friends.

 

Little Mr. {11 Months}

With more energy during the second trimester, I have finally come back to posting more near the time Owen actually turned 11 months. I find that completely inspiring (knowing that I will be running around with two little ones soon enough!)

As my energy has returned, Owen's has gotten more and more intense. He is showing so much of his personality now and it is so sweet and adorable. Owen loves to explore and get his hands on everything. He likes to look and touch and chew, then look some more and then of course chew it until he's no longer interested. Then it's on to another toy. This little explorer can also fit in to some pretty tight spaces and maneuver around just about anything. We now find him behind some of our living room chairs on a very normal basis. Little squirt! And he climbs ALL OVER US if we join him on the floor. I think Owen is beginning to favor his daddy, which at this point is absolutely okay with me. I can't handle him crawling on top of me quite like Gspice can right now.

Owen began one of the most adorable habits this past month, waving. It's not the waving back and forth yet but the cute slight flickering of his fingers. It started with mostly the older generation which I found to be so sweet. They are some of the nicest people and thought Owen was so cute. His waving now includes all other adults and some littles too.

I wasn't quite correct with my thinking about Owen's tooth development last month. He didn't get two or three more teeth, but just one. He now has the upper left central incisor poking through but I do know that he is working on more. Owen probably chews more now than he has every chewed before. Beware of your fingers or anything else he can get his hands on!

Photos this time around proved extremely difficult with my wiggly boy. My goodness! I managed to capture a couple that work and a ton more that are just simply adorable. The couch photo is what is practically impossible to achieve. I might have to think of another idea for our next babe!

 

Anyone else think our little man is in desperate need of another haircut???? I am trying my hardest to wait until sooner to one year but I don't think we can do that. His bangs will be covering his eyes if I do!

Catch up on Owen's First Year!
ONE  |  TWO  |  THREE  |  FOUR  |  FIVE  |  SIX  |  SEVEN |  EIGHT |  NINE  |  TEN 

The Bump II {2} - Recap: 4-12 weeks

Though I admit it was a surprise at the very moment we found out, I'm not completely surprised one bit that we became pregnant so quickly after having Owen. He has been one of life's most adorable, precious and lovable gifts we could ask for. We simply couldn't wait to give him a little brother or sister!

One might remember how terrified I was for much of my pregnancy with Owen. I was afraid of the possibilities and overwhelmed with worry and a wee bit of fear. Thankfully, we were very much blessed with a healthy baby boy. This time around, I am so happy that I no longer carry with me that worry and fear. I have just moments of weakness and nerves, which I feel like is a more normal reaction to pregnancy.

Because I am so much less worried, I decided to be a bit more relaxed with my doctor visits. With Owen, my goodness, I had soooo many visits. I really felt like I needed them. I had my first OB visit at 5 weeks and got ultrasounds at 8, 12 and 20 weeks. With this little nugget, I didn't go in until 11 weeks and waited until 16 weeks to get an ultrasound (of which you'll find out all the great details later!). 

Instead of the constant fear and worry, I am definitely just trying to enjoy my time with Owen and stay as rested as possible. That's hard to do with a growing toddler! Suffice it to say that even more has gone to the wayside at home. Cleaning, laundry, emptying the dishwasher - you name it. I will wait until I absolutely have to do something before it gets done. Or, it simply doesn't get done. Gspice, good luck finding your own meals. I haven't had the desire much to make us dinner anymore. Poor guy has to fend for himself!

Symptoms during the first trimester were similar to what they were with Emma and Owen. Very sleepy, the occasional massive headache, lack of interest in food - all I can deal with. And one symptom that I didn't have is a bout of allergies. Thank goodness!!!!!!!!!!!!! I remember last spring I was so stuffy and that my eyes were so dry that I rubbed them sore. It looked like I had the viral form of pink eye on at least three separate occasions. Must have to do with the seasons. Cravings with this one have been more similar to cravings I had with Emma - spicy and salty. I can actually handle not having desserts again! But the one thing that I wanted for every meal and couldn't keep off my mind during the first trimester - HOLY HASHBROWNS. Gary and I went out to eat once and I most definitely had two orders of it.

The first trimester went by so incredibly fast. I have a feeling the rest of this pregnancy will also fly by so look forward to more updates soon and the comeback of the Prego & Eggo To-Do List!

A Day at Pinter's {2014}

Another trip to Pinter's is in the books! After a few attempts to take the littles out there, we finally landed on what I would consider to be one perfectly sunny fall day. Thank you, October! It has been pretty chilly and windy so I honestly wasn't convinced we'd get a nice weekend.

Unfortunately we were down a few people (a momma, two daddies, a grandpa and an auntie) but we DID have all three kids this year. Little O kept a pretty low profile but I was so excited for Erin and Arya to enjoy everything, and that they did! Of their favorites: the slides, animals and corn pits. I felt terrible when we pulled them away to have lunch. One takeaway - I think corn pits are in all of our futures. Definitely keeps them busy! But next year, let's eat before or after we go! No interrupting their play time!

Disclaimer: Get ready for picture overload! Click on each if you want to see a bigger photo :)

The best we could do with a bunch of wiggly kiddos!

 

 

Erin attempted to "Gobble Gobble" with the turkey. It didn't go over so well.

 

 

 

 

See you next year, Pinter's!

Take a look back at A Day at Pinter's {2013}

2013 vs 2014 - Crazy to see how much Erin has grown!

CSA News {1} - Who did we buy our share from??

Where has the time gone?? It's been forever since I posted about the CSA share I purchased this spring. What am I even talking about? I have so far spent $120 of my $160 share and have enjoyed a lot of fresh bounty throughout the market season. However, THIS post is alllll about the vendor we chose for our veggie share.

We had two farmers to choose from considering what we valued most - the opportunity to buy straight from the farmer's market. Like I mentioned in my first post, I didn't frequent the market previously much at all. That was the one thing I wanted to change. We live so close to the market so I knew that with the addition of purchasing a share would make it a MUST to walk over for a few fresh goodies. What narrowed our choices from two to one was the amount we could purchase. We decided to start small and see how it went. We chose well and without further adieu - PATCHWORK GREEN FARM!

Of all of the fresh vegetables and other items Patchwork Green Farm had available at the market, our most favorite items included: tomatoes, potatoes, garlic, kale, flat leaf parsley, onions and broccoli. I didn't stray too far from what I know. Next year, maybe I'll branch out a bit :)

A perk of the CSA program was the offering of a Patchwork Green Farm tour! It was a treacherous and frightening ride up the steep unpaved or graveled road leading to the gardens, but well worth it. I learned just how much work goes in to providing vegetables straight from a garden but on a grand scale. Made me appreciate what we brought home even more!

Another perk that I wiggled in there was a few trips for brunch dates with Owen. My absolute most favorite breakfast in Decorah is at Restauration and I missed it sooooo much since I stopped working there last August when it was known as Albert's. Who could blame me for going? Gspice likes to sleep in so he missed out :) I'm pretty sure the new folks that work there thought my wedding ring was a fake! Since the renovation of the restaurant space and the introduction of its new name, they added (but has since been updated) artwork of local vendors they buy product from. It's what makes me love Decorah so much. Showin' local love!

The Bump II {1} - Another Bump Reveal!

Fewer instragram photos.

Fewer blog posts.

Fewer hours spent doing anything other than sleeping.

You guessed it - we're expecting!!  

Gspice and I are both so excited to add another little one to our family. The kiddos will be about 16 months apart - this bundle is due at the beginning of March 2015. We'll have our hands full - one high energy, talkative toddler and one cozy, squishy newborn - but we'd have it no other way.

We found out right away like both our previous pregnancies. However, this time around, I was convinced that there was no chance I could be pregnant. So much so that after we planned dinner on the day we found out, I decided the perfect compliment was some of our favorite beers. Come on - cheeseburgers, the most delicious homemade fries and summer screamed "I need to get my drink on."

(let's revisit an old video for fun's sake. My college freshman self thought (and still do!) this was hilarious)

The Landlord from Will Ferrell     

With that in mind, Gspice got a little nervous and asked me to take a test. You know, just to be sure I wasn't pregnant. To appease him that is what I did. I take the test and see nothing. I decided to be cruel and run down saying it was positive. But turned out the joke was on me. Right before I head down the stairs, I see two freakin' lines! Whhhaaaaaaat?!!?!?!? So I continued on but wasn't lying when I said the damn thing was positive. Crazy! It made for a really nice night. We enjoyed our wonderful meal and I'm pretty sure I had a smile on my face the rest of the night.

 

To commemorate, we took a picture right then and there of our current bellies. Gary stuck his way out and I showed what was left over from my previous pregnancy. It was really bothering me up until I got pregnant :)

Taken the night we found out :) June 27, 2014 - 3w7d