Today, we attended a little football party at a friend's house. Turtle got to spend some time with his little buddy, B. They were perfect little twins in their matching Fred Taylor jerseys. And the following photos are going to be the damn cutest things you've seen in a long time. :)
I've got a secret to tell you!
Look - I have hands, too!
Oooh, when you're done with that finger, can I have it?
Double trouble.
Go, Jaguars!
Ok, so the leaves aren't changing and the temperature isn't plummeting, but there's just something in the air... We opened the windows, watched Game Day on ESPN, and just enjoyed.
First and foremost, I am going to admit to a baking disaster. I don't know what happened. I was trying to make a cookies & cream football cake (something I have done before) for a football party tomorrow and when I opened the oven to check on it, this is what I found. WTF??? I have no idea how it happened, or why. I was horribly disappointed, but I tried to make the best of it, snapped this picture, and proceeded to make cupcakes instead.
Next up, I've decorated for Halloween. I still want to get a few pumpkins for the front of the house, but so far, I'm please with how everything looks.
While we were in Myrtle Beach, DH got a giant UM flag for the front of our house. I was able to pick up a pole and bracket at Michael's and we finally got that bad boy up today. After the Canes lost in the final seconds of the game. It's ok, UF lost too. If my team loses, everyone loses. That's my new rule. :) But the flag looks great, and it shall wave with pride.
Afterwards, we decided to get Rita's and take a walk on the pier. The weather was gorgeous and Turtle loved the fresh air.
And finally, my Turtle, hamming it up. Yes, I know. You want to bite his cheeks. 
Where to begin?
We left last Saturday and drove to Virginia, where we spent the night with BIL and family. I was so impatient to just get in the car and get to Mom and Dad's - I was totally counting the seconds til we could leave. We got there FINALLY Sunday night, super late. Of course, that didn't keep Mom and Dad from grabbing Turtle and totally loving on him.
Monday was just a day of rest. We hit the Half Point Pub for cheeseburgers while Mom was at work. It was an awesome little place. 
The weather was so gorgeous that we could get a lot of fresh air. 
Teething kicked into full gear on our trip, too. Mom's solution? Mini-bagels. She ordered them from the bagel shop and gave one to Turtle to gum. He loved it. He's a Jersey boy at heart. Really, he is.
On Tuesday, we went to lunch at Stewart's (you know, of the root beer fame). Turtle was totally unimpressed until he saw the cheeseburgers. I swear, this baby knows his beef.
After lunch, Turtle met his Aunt J, Uncle J and Cousin M. He was so good with them, despite the teething and all the new faces. Cousin M wasn't sure at first, but then she stepped up to help DH feed him his bottle. What a good helper!
Tuesday night, Mom and Dad shoved us out the door for this thing called "a date." Apparently, it's when two adults go out together without their baby and eat dinner, sitting down, at the same time, and actually interact with each other. Cocktails included. They recommended this lovely Italian place, and we really enjoyed it. It was our first time leaving Turtle and we were so good - didn't touch the phone. DH really wanted to, but we were literally five minutes away and my mom is probably better with Turtle than I am, so... really, what would have been the point? We capped off dinner with drinks at the bar down the street and then got ice cream from the Dairy. They were out of Maple Walnut (bastards), but homemade ice cream is soooo good, regardless.
Turtle as sound asleep when we got back. Seems that chasing his quacking duck around the kitchen sink did him in.
Wednesday was Yankees Day! We went to Dick's to pick up assorted jerseys, hats and sweatshirts, went to Carter's so Mom could treat Turtle to some cute outfits, and then it was time to get ready. Even Turtle was ready!
We drove with my BIL to his ILs house, picked up Dad, and off we went. It was amazing. Yankees Stadium is just such a piece of history. The new stadium is right behind in and almost complete. It's monstrous and gorgeous, but just not the same. Our seats were good, right by the 3rd base foul pole (thank god, no balls!) about 12 rows up. And we beat the White Sox. And Joba pitched an inning! And Jeter was there! (PS to the a-hole who sat behind me on 3 sheets of acid - your friends don't like you. Every time you wandered off to go make sure everyone knew what an a-hole you were, they talked about how much they despised you. Just an FYI. And acid is for losers.).
We got home super late and we all slept late. Mom had an awesome time hanging out with Turtle. He adores her, and the feeling is more than mutual.
On Thursday, we hung out some more. My cousin L and her FI T came for dinner, and we stayed up til about 11 just chit chatting. It was nice to see them. Friday was a big day. We went shopping for Mom's party on Saturday, while DH took Turtle to the (aptly named) Turtle Back Zoo to keep him out of the way. We set up the house for the big event and got some of the cooking started.
Dad had to work all week, but the second he got home in the evenings, he grabbed his grandson to play with him. It was so cute. He loves his grandkids and it's awesome to see.
Saturday was the big day! We cooked and cleaned up a storm. I made these cupcakes before we headed out to breakfast at the diner. My BIL had gastric bypass surgery, so he can't really have sugar. The cupcakes were vanilla made with Splenda. This batch is "Spaghetti & Meatballs," inspired by Hello, Cupcake. The spaghetti is frosting, and the meatballs and sauce are Ferrer Rocher hazelnut truffles (regular & dark), tossed in sugar free strawberry preserves. I sprinkled coconut flakes on the top for parmesan cheese. For BIL, I melted the remaining preserves and drizzled it over cupcakes, for a completely sugar-free dessert. He appreciated the gesture and said they were awesome.
Turtle was a bit of a monster at the party. Teething hit full force, combined with all the new faces... well, he worked himself into a regular tizzy. I was reduced to tears at one point because we just couldn't calm him down. Finally, he settled enough to have something to eat, and have a bath and go to bed. Before he lost it, though, we got this picture with my Cousin G. It is a picture of the oldest and youngest member of our extended family. As a side note, Cousin G is 85 years old. She lives alone in a 4th floor walk up (52 stairs that she does at least once a day).
Sunday, we packed up early and hit the road by 8:45. I had been planning to get a nice picture of Turtle with both grandparents, but didn't get there before the fit started, so I made them pose, even though everyone (turtle included) is in pajamas. And Mom is on the verge of tears. I have already started laying the groundwork for a move north. I never realized how much I would miss her once we had a baby. DH is not pleased with my change of heart. Too bad. :)
We were going to drive to Delaware to see our friends L & T. I kind of sprung it on them that we would be passing through, and they were so wonderful in accommodating our poor planning. L cooked an amazing brunch for us, and the most delicious chai tea for our trip. L & T are new homeowners and we loved their gorgeous house. They were kind enough to support my "Let's Move North" cause by suggesting that there were other homes for sale in their area. Thanks, girl!
We got to Myrtle Beach late. It was ok, because we got to hear the Dolphins wallop the Patriots on Sirius. Yes, you read that right. Yay. We were staying at the Avista Resort, a condo type thing with an oceanfront view. We were on the 12th floor. The place was ok. DH loved it - I prefer hotels. We didn't need all the space, nor did we need the kitchen area, so we could have stayed closer to the main area, but whatever. It was just two nights and it was clean and the breakfast was good (CHEAP - $7.50 for the hot buffet and less than that for a la carte).
Here's us with Turtle from our balcony. Seriously. We love kissing this kid.
Myrtle Beach was ok. It's TOURISTY. I think the deal is that the husbands come to golf and the womenfolk are drawn to the outlets. Whatever. It's just the same "beach town" that you can find in Ft. Lauderdale, on I4 in Orlando, etc. But with more strip clubs. Also, you can smoke in restaurants. Which was gross. I don't know if we would go back. DH might, for golfing, but there wasn't all that much to actually do. Oh, wait - Hard Rock put a theme park there, but obviously, it wasn't something we could do with Turtle.
Tuesday morning, back in the car. Again. We were so excited to get home. When we were about halfway through NC, DH suggested that we go home via Savannah and stop at Paula Deen's restaurant on the way. Coincidentally, one of my best friends, J, lives in Savannah, so we called him to see if he could meet us for lunch. You know he loves us, because he agreed (as a regular, it is against his principles to eat at The Lady and Sons, but he was willing to face ostracism and alienation to meet his nephew).
Food was awesome. DH got the buffet and I got a roasted asparagus sandwich (asparagus, red onion, jack cheese and thousand island dressing on grilled pumpernickel. Dear God, was it good). If DH could write an open letter, it would go something like this: Dear Paula Deen, We stopped at your Disney-esque restaurant on our way home, because my wife adores you and your use of butter. Your garlic cheddar biscuits are better than Red Lobster's. Really. However, my wife's mac and cheese is twice as good as yours. -Mr. Canewife My follow up letter? Dear Paula, Did you hear that? My mac and cheese is better. Ha, ha. Why don't you send your hot son to my house and I'll show him how to make it. I'll send him back. Eventually. Smooches ya'll, Canewife.
Here we are, stuffed after our meal, prior to getting back in the car.
Today? Pick up the pugs, clean, do laundry, decorate, and rest! It was great being in our own bed and Turtle slept in til 8!!!! Who0-hoo!!! Missed you all, and we're glad to be back!
Read more...Finally. We're home.
It won't be back to normal until tomorrow when we pick up the pugs, but it's a start. It's just good to have my bed again. And I'm sure Turtle is delighted to be back in his own crib.
We had the most amazing time. I can't reiterate this enough. We saw tons of people, had so much fun, and even went on a (gasp) date! I'm going to do a full account of the trip as I get my photos organized, but for right now, here are my quickie reviews.
CHEERS: Miami Dolphins
Yeah, you know what you did. The first team to beat the NE Patriots since being the last team to beat the NE Patriots. You punched the D in the mouth and walloped little Matt Kassel. All I can say is "ha, ha, Bill Bellichek, ha, ha."
CHEERS: San Diego Chargers
Thank you for making my Monday night. Really. You have no idea. If I had to sit in the car for 6 hours with a gloating hubby, it would have been ugly. Ya'll rock my world.
JEERS: teething
WTF??? How cruel can you be, teeth? Please come in already and leave us alone.
CHEERS: my husband
For saying that my mac & cheese is better than Paula Deen's (while voting her cheddar biscuits better than Red Lobster's). This is HUGE.
JEERS: Myrtle Beach
How many surf shops (promising "professional and pain-free" body piercing), strip clubs and mini golf courses can you shove into two square miles? Go here to find out.
CHEERS: Turtle
For being a champ through the 30 hours in the car. I adore him.
CHEERS: L, Sammich, and J
For being so spontaneous as to drop everything to see us as we went driving through Delaware and Savannah, respectively. Thanks for that! We were so happy to see you!
JEERS: my mom's innernets
Get with it, mom. Thanks to your painfully slow connection, I am soooo behind on all my websites.
CHEERS: The Yankees
Thanks for winning for us. It was awesome!
I have been reprimaded and will whip myself back into shape immediately.
See? Even my baby doubts it.
But really. We've been in the midst of teething hell. I've gotten maybe 10 hours of sleep in the last week. And I don't need loads of sleep, but a little more would be helpful. Way helpful.
So the best news? Turtle is off his heart monitor. We went to the pulmonologist on Monday and the report was "perfect." He is up to 18 lbs 2 oz and he's 25.5" long. Such a big boy. She said that he was no more at risk for SIDS than any other baby and that he was in perfect health. That didn't stop me from hooking up our AngelCare monitor the second we got home, but it's so nice to not have to hook him up to electrodes or anything. We're so relieved.
Nothing much new here aside from that. I got my hair cut today. I'm in a bit of a pickle about that. The place I go to is good and dirt cheap. $85 for cut and partials. You cannot beat that. But the stylist... well, he's odd. He reminds me of my XH in a weird way, and I just don't know about that. He does good hair, but ... it's just odd. However, I can't "fire" him and keep going to the same place. He's afraid to let loose with me. I like funky and I like being able to have a stylist who understands that hair is hair and will grow back, so have fun and do your thing. I get the feeling he got in trouble for doing something too out there, and now he's gunshy. I'm working on that.
On Sunday, we're leaving to go see my mom and stepdad. I am. So. Excited. It's going to be a long and brutal drive, but whatever. We're going to get to go to NYC and see the Yankees and, best of all, my mom is totally going to babysit so we can go out to dinner all by ourselves.
And without further ado: my precious little guy. He says "oh, hai!"
Where do I even begin???
Ok, first I'm going to brag. Remember those veggies DH wanted to grow? Well, the basil, parsley and oregano have really taken off and have been featured in much of my cooking. The green beans... well, I'm not really sure where they've gone off to. And the other day, I was outside and saw this:
Damn skippy, that's a tomato! It's runty and green, but it's growing. I'm really trying to remember to keep it watered.
Ok, now back to what everyone really cares about. Turtle.
A few days after the 4 month appointment, we went ahead and introduced sweet potatoes. Turtle is in heaven. There is nothing in this world as yummy as pureed sweets, apparently. Today, we're going to try out green beans.
We also set up Turtle's second exersaucer thing. It's not as much fun for him as the other one, but it does allow him better access to the puggies. He made a few grabs for Oscar, who was more than tolerant of the baby fingers.
On Saturday night, we had A & W over with their daughter S. The adults had burgers, while the little ones enjoyed footy pajamas and bouncy seats on the kitchen table. So cute.
Finally, and best of all, Turtle had his first time in the pool. His little buddy B invited him to come play, so we packed up his trunks and his float and off we went. B and Turtle matched in their cute little outfits and both of them had a great time! Turtle was kicking and B just about dozed off. It was an awesome afternoon.
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