Farewell 2019

We are emerging from our holiday slumber and returning to routine and rhythm. I have lots to update from the blog break but I couldn't say hello to a new year without a toast to this last decade.

10 years of life in New York City, calling Brooklyn home, and being surrounded by the family that Dan and I created together. It was a decade filled with bumps and blessings and it's hindsight that makes all the difference.

2019 was wonderful. Kippy was just the cutest and there was so much freedom and fun that we had as a family since he could walk, talk, and participate in so many more adventures. Millions of memories were made.

2020 will certainly shake things up with the arrival of another baby in the spring and Kippy starting preschool in the fall. We will all tumble into another tornado of change and growth that is both exciting and terrifying. All of this makes me feel a little nostalgic (re: hormonal) about saying goodbye to 2019.

But onward we must go to a brand new decade and hope-filled future.

Happy New Year!!

Ho Ho Ho

Am I above bribing my child? No. No I am not. Last month we took Kip to visit Santa. We'd talked about it ahead of time and Santa even came up to him and interacted with him a little before trying to get the picture. But as soon as we went to put him on his lap, Kip lost it screaming. The photo girls put a sled prop in front of Santa so Kip could sit there. Nope. Then they tried to get me to sit with Kip. Nope...and I didn't want that either. So after a few minutes we just left.

Now, I have to say, this is one HUGE major advantage to visiting Santa the first weekend in November (right after Halloween). There is no line and they let you take your time. The photo girls were patient and so was Santa. We left with Kip and took him to the Disney store. We let him pick out a car toy (I made sure it "matched" his outfit) and we told him Santa would open the box for him. We took Kip back over to Santa and Mandy got the car out of the box and gave it to Santa. We walked Kip up to Santa and he handed the car toy to Kip. The result?

Cutest picture ever!!!! They took several shots and Santa played with Kippy for a bit. There were no other kids in line behind us so even after we finished, Santa walked over to where he could see Kip playing with his new truck and waved to him.

We have confirmed this is the same Santa Kip saw last year and I'm 90% sure it was the Santa from his first Christmas as well. He is the sweetest.

Santa 2018
Santa 2017

Okay, and I just have to add this one thing because it's really on my mind and an example of why social media can be so awful. I follow one mom "influencer" on Instagram. She has been talking about how overextended she is this season and how she has so much stuff to do (but, like the same stuff we all have to do) and she was stressed out because she still had to take the kids to visit Santa. So I messaged her and gave her the tip for next year to visit Santa right after Halloween because there are no lines, you get it out of the way early, Santa spends extra time, it's a fun way to kick off the season, and the kids can't change their minds about what they ask for last minute. She messaged me back and said that they see a private Santa for a professional photo shoot. That was her response! And I wanted to be like...oh, and did you take your personal helicopter there? Geez, why don't you just tell me I'm mall trash and be done with it? I know her life isn't perfect and the things she puts on her feed are just the highlight snapshots but at the same time maybe...just maybe...it's important to recognize how your life comes across to others and humble yourself just a bit? Kip's Santa experience will stick in his baby brain exactly the same amount as her kids' "private" Santa experience will and you know none of it really matters anyways.

Weekending it

This time next week we will be in Colorado to celebrate Christmas!! This month went by so quickly and I wish we had had more merry and cheer instead of hustle and bustle. But one thing I love about keeping-up with this blog is being able to look back on our week or weekend and see that we did indeed have some fun buried in with all the chores and running around.

This weekend Kip was pretty miserable with his cold and had a hard time sleeping with his stuffy nose. He hasn't had a cold in awhile so I think he forgot how to just deal. He has ended up in our bed at 3 am for the last several nights which left us all feeling tired. His nap on Saturday was a bust so Dan and I decided to head to NJ and hope he slept in the car. Nope. He cried the whole way saying "Nini hou" which translates to "Mandy's house." He loves going to Mandy's apartment so as soon as we got there he cheered right up. In the afternoon we went to a cute little train show at a local church. It was just the right size for him and they had a fun activity to spot various characters like Olaf and Buzz and Woody. We enjoyed it and it kept Kip happy for a bit.

Sunday Kip was still sick so I stayed home with him and Dan went to church since he was volunteering in the youth class. He sent me pictures of their activity and I have to say, I really miss seeing scenes like this.

Dan and I did youth together for a long time and sometimes I get sad to think about how great Dan is as a youth pastor and how I miss that he isn't doing it like he/we would like. But, fortunately he still gets to volunteer in the class and maybe some day he will be back at it in a more formal way.

Yesterday Kip took a 4 hour nap for me and it was bliss. He is feeling better and we are all grateful. Now we are doing a lot of toddler tantrum damage control after a week of giving him whatever he wanted. This morning was rough.

Peeks from the Week

This week has felt like such an eternity for some reason. Just now Friday??

I'm feeling the scramble to get everything done before Christmas. So little time this year! Mandy has been immensely helpful with helping address and stamp Christmas cards. I've been scurrying to get my annual felt ornaments made for coworkers.

And we still have Christmas shopping to finish. All the wrapping and stuff to ship to Kansas. Dan has had a trial for the last forever weeks and that's stressful for him. We've been hosting our Table gatherings. I've had a writing workshop. And Kip has a cold.

I strongly relate to Amy Grant's Christmas song I Need a Silent Night right now.

Ohh, but one huge highlight this week...I got my Christmas gift early from Terri Mom and it's adorable needlepoint stockings from Land's End that are personalized!!!!

The train one is so perfect for Kip and I mean the hedgehog one was just made for me, right?? I love them so much. Thank you Terri Mom!!

Some Kip pics from this week:

He wants a big boy bed but I told him he couldn't have the paci in a big boy bed so he got down and went back to his crib. #priorities.

A little Popsicle treat at 9 pm for the drama king with a sore throat.

Happy Finally Friday!!!

Creamy Broccoli Cheddar Soup

I think it's been years since I've shared a recipe on the blog. Probably because after Kip my cooking was strictly simple and I made a heck of a lot of chicken pot pie.

Lately, I've tried some different meal planning (will update about that later) and in November I decided to make soup every Sunday. I had written down a broccoli cheese soup recipe that I had made once before and so I tried making that again. It tasted fine but it was a weird process and as I was making it I was thinking this seemed backwards and not really worth the work. So the next night I made the soup again but I ignored the recipe and just made it how I thought it made sense and the result was AMAZING!!!! It was the first time I made something from scratch without a recipe and just used my instinct and it felt like a total victory. So now I'm sharing it with you!!

The stuff
- 1 cup finely chopped fresh broccoli
- 1 cup diced potatoes (optional)
- 2+ cups grated sharp cheddar cheese (do not use pre-shredded, it doesn't melt as well)
- 1 cup grated Parmesan cheese
- 1 clove of garlic finely chopped
- 1/3 cup diced onion
- 1/4 cup butter
- 1/4 cup flour
- 2+ cups chicken stock (or vegetable stock to make it vegetarian)
- 1 cup whole milk
- salt and pepper to taste

Get Cookin'
- In a pan melt the butter with the onion and garlic
- Cook until the butter is fully melted and the onion and garlic are aromatic (my pan is stained so that's why it look dark)

- Slowly add in the flour and whisk until it starts to form a paste. You want to cook off the flour flavor so don't do it quickly.

- Slowly whisk in the milk and chicken stock, stirring constantly to work out the lumps and create a roux (this is the same process as my chicken pot pie recipe).

- Once you've incorporated all the milk and chicken stock let it cook until it thickens slightly. Add more chicken stock if it seems too thick.

- Add the grated cheese and stir until the cheese is melted and smooth

- Add the chopped broccoli and potatoes (I added potatoes to make it more hearty but you can totally leave these out). If you use potatoes, chop them small or parboil them so they don't take forever to soften.

- Let it cook, adding more stock or cheese until you achieve your desired consistency. Add salt and pepper to taste.
- Once the potatoes are soft and the broccoli loses its raw flavor, it's ready to eat!
- Serve with extra cheese!!

This recipe serves about four or two with second helpings.

Personally, this soup rivals Panera's broccoli cheese soup and is so satisfyingly easy to make. I'm really proud of it. Enjoy!!

Holiday Train Show

This weekend Mandy got us all tickets to see the Holiday Train Show at the New York Botanic Gardens in the Bronx.

It was an hour long drive and pretty cold and crowded but once we go into the show itself, Kip was mesmerized!!

Spotted Thomas!

Boscobel!

We got some fun treasures at the gift shop and then checked-out the kid's garden before we all got too cold.

Kippy got car sick on the drive back but otherwise is was a really fun and memorable day. Thank you Mandy!

On Sunday we headed to church and then that night Dan, Kippy, and I went to look at lights in the neighborhood with some friends.