Huh.

I was looking back through my blog posts, and saw this from one of my very first entries:

March 31, 2008

Snow? Really?

I shouldn't complain.
But I'm going to.

No more snow.

Thank you.

Ironic, isn't it?

Day Off

Yesterday was such a fabulous day. Bryce has been working tons (up to 80 hours a week), and we both really needed a break. My mom and dad were so nice and volunteered to watch Cole, and we took a cooking class together with Britt, Corey, Kelly, and Jeremy.

Check out our apron'd "prom picture!"We made breaded chicken with a mushroom stuffing, spaghetti squash, sauteed asparagus, and creamy risotto with peas. SOOOOO delicious!For dessert, we made a chocolate lava cake.After, we headed to Kelly's for girls night. Her acre of land has turned into "Porter Farms," complete with horses, chickens, and crops. Her and Jeremy just remodeled their kitchen, and it looks absolutely gorgeous!We also watched "New Moon." I'm sorry to all those die-hard fans out there - it was so unintentionally hilarious it was awesome. My favorite quotes from the night:

Kelly, "If Jeremy were a giant chocolate cake, I'd have a hard time not eating him."
Britt, "If a guy in high school dressed in tuxedos like that, we would have shunned him and thrown milk on him."

Anyway, we had lots of laughs and ate lots of delicious food. How can you go wrong?!

30 Big Ones

Friday was Bryce's birthday - the big 3-0! With a complicated cover story, I had planned a big surprise party for him on Saturday. The story worked, and Bryce was genuinely surprised.As you can see from the picture, so was Cole...not in a good way.We were so lucky to have such great friends and family there!

Bryce's familyMy mom and dadThe McPartlands and Porters. The arcade unit was a big hit with the guys. The "womenfolk" gazed on adoringly.The college groupAaron and LisaMike, Heidi, and Shan were there as well. I swear I got a picture, but I think the evil camera fairy took it. I'll just post this one of Bryce getting his butt handed to him in ping pong by Mike.The 30th Birthday Pie. Don't look too long, the light will burn your retinas.Cole loved playing with balloons and eating pizza and pie.In honor of Bryce's love of video games, I made a Super Mario Brothers cake. Doo doo do, doo doo doo doo...The games were awesome - especially the pool table.My homage to a recent episode of "Community." (If you're not watching that show, shame on you!)Overall, a pretty good way to celebrate. Thank you to all of our family and friends, and Happy 30th Birthday, Bryce!!!!

Clean it Up

Cole has gotten really good at repeating words - trees, trucks, please (pweez), thank you (too too), and even poop.

Today I met the dark side of that ability - the one every parent warns you about.

As I was moving onions to the skillet, I dropped a bunch on the floor. My recently cleaned floor. So, I said the first thing that came to mind to express my frustrations: "Sh@#!"

Cole helpfully repeated me.

I best get myself a swear jar.

Picky in a Good Way

I have decided that if I would just eat like Cole, I would never worry about my weight.

Example A: Completely ignoring chicken strips and fries to eat veggies. Extra points for eating all of the Lima beans first, followed by peas, then carrots, then corn.Example B: Disregarding cheese for grapefruit. Yes, grapefruit. I fed it to him as a joke thinking he'd make a funny sour face. Nope. Instead, he ate the entire grapefruit.Example C: Turning his nose up and actually pushing a forkful of cheesecake away.
Hmmm...do you think I could make millions marketing "Cole's 7 Day Cleanse" diet?

These streets will make you feel brand new...

Last week, I got the awesome opportunity to go to New York City. My cousin Scott and his wife Becky took pity on Cass and I and hooked us up with a hotel room. (Thank you, thank you, thank you!!!!) We stayed at the Millennium, which was fantastically located right on Times Square.

We knew the weather would be iffy, but woke up Thursday morning to....And Friday morning to...Scott, Cassie, and I had to buy new boots as our initial pairs all got wet through. I knew it would be snowy, I just wasn't prepared for the serious wetness of the snow. It just soaked through everything. (Notice the pants wet up to the knees.)But, we pushed through and had a ton of fun.

We went to amazing shows.
We enjoyed shopping, including a visit to FAO Schwartz and their famous "big piano."We spent time walking around the city, including Times Square and the Upper West Side.We had a...memorable...carriage ride through Central Park. Eating gigantic tootsie rolls seemed like a good idea until the horse started smelling things up.
We had some absolutely delicious meals, including sushi,cheesecake,and discovered this magical, magical diner.They served blueberry pancakes with lemon zest that still fill my dreams.
One of the best moments of the trip was ice skating in Central Park. Cass and I kept saying, "Okay, just one more time around." Twenty minutes later, we were still saying it.So, thank you again, Pickle family! It was great to spend some time with you in such an amazing city. I heart New York City!