Monday, February 28, 2011

Almost Over

 Aubrey is this close to rolling over.

But she's not quite there yet.

 She can get herself up on one side, but then she always ends up kicking her leg back and falling onto her back instead of pulling herself onto her tummy.

Martin and I had a really riveting (and I'm not even being sarcastic, it was riveting) Friday night....and Saturday night....and Sunday Morning... ok, who am I kidding, Sunday night too (it's fairly safe to say we have no life) laying on the floor coaching Aubrey on rolling over. It's going to be really exciting when it happens for the first time. I'll probably videotape it.

Friday, February 25, 2011

Getting Grabby


Aubrey is reallly starting to figure out what her hands do and loves grabbing things. I'm still not really sure if she knows that her hands are connected to her body.

 But she sure can move a blanket up and down.

Thursday, February 24, 2011

ABC

She's going to be a smart one! Look at how her eyes light up for the ABC's every single time. It's especially fun to do them when she's on the verge/ in the middle of crying. She can't decide if she wants to smile and try to mouth the letters or push out her bottom lip and cry.

Wednesday, February 23, 2011

Saturday Night

On Saturday night we went to a western New York Young Farmers and Ranchers Dinner and Dance with a bunch of friends. Ok. Technically it was a Livingston, Genessee, Wyoming County Young Farmers and Ranchers Dinner Dance but that's probably because someone who invited people in other counties like Orleans and Niagara decided calling it a western New York Dinner Dance would just make too much sense.


the auctioneer look

Anyway, Orleans County crashed this party like it was our job when we rolled in with 22 people, two of whom were wearing leisure suits. Want to take a guess which two?

this didn't look quite so blurry that night.
If you're going to say my husband and brother-in-law - you would be 100% correct. Martin's was powder blue whle Gabe's was more of a red velvet color. Even though they were purchased at Salvo the night before to wear as a joke, Martin won my grandma's approval.

(Martin and I walk into my parent's house to leave Aubrey for the evening.)
Mom (bursts our laughing)
Grandma: That's a very nice suit Martin. You look very nice.... You know, that coat could really pair with a lot of different pants.




We were, of course, the first people on the dance floor and some of the last people to leave. Because, well, it was a party and we had to tear it up.




Also, it was free beer, so Martin drank his fair share. This is almost always a good thing for me when at a dancing event. While I was the first person on the dance floor with three other girls that joined us. Martin was the sixth, preceded only by Gabe. Any night when Martin dances is a good night for me.




If Martin's eagerness to dance wasn't enough of a clue that he had put back a few drinks, his conversation made it all too clear.

Myself, Katie and Ryan talking about something at dinner.
Martin: (in an incredulous voice like he can't believe you would think otherwise) Yes I could drive a car through this building! If you get it going fast enough it would definitely go through. Plus you have the huge window right there!

Tuesday, February 22, 2011

House Hunting


We're looking for a house. That seems like an easy enough process. Problem being. I'm being extremely picky with what I want. Between me and Martin, the house we're looking for is probably not going to be that easy to find.


I want a house that has land with it. And when I say land, I don't mean a five acre lot. I want like 50ish or more tillable acres of farmland. And I want it to be close to my parent's house. Because my mom is my babysitter and because someday Martin might come home to the farm and in that case we would  need to live close by. And I want a porch. But I've decided that if the house we buy doesn't have a porch it is not neccesarily a dealbreaker because we can always add a porch. And I definitely need a two story house. I'm not sure why, just a personal preference. I grew up in a two story house and I want to own a two story house. I would also like a garage. But again, that's not a dealbreaker.


Martin doesn't want neighbors. He wants to be able to look at land in every direction.


And neither of us are really that handy, so it probably shouldn't need too much work. But my grandpa is a handy guy, so if it did - we could probably make it work


It will need to be big enough to fit some children. Because if they're all going to be as adorable as this one I might never be able to stop.


Oh, and I'd like to get this all for a low price.




"Oh mom. You have unrealistic expectations. And I don't know if I'm smiling because you're so dillusional or if I just am cracking up because you've taken waaaay too many pictures of the exact same moment."

If you hear of a house like this that might possibly be for sale. Let us know. We'll be all over it like white on rice.

Monday, February 21, 2011

Support





Someday soon she'll realize that her arms are connected to her body and holding her head up is a lot easier when she uses them for support.

Sunday, February 20, 2011

Standing Frantically By



On Sunday night when Martin and I got home from the his and hers party, I was greeted with the above rose. It was from my younger brother, Mitchell, who had dropped it off as a Valentine's gift to me before heading back to college. I was so touched my the sweet gesture that I immediately took out my camera to document the event.

Martin: Don't take a picture of it!
Me: Why not? It's so nice. I want to write a blogpost about it.
Martin: What are you going to write about. How your brother got you a rose for Valentine's Day and used your favorite drink as a vase while your husband stood frantically by thinking how he didn't have anything yet.?

Saturday, February 19, 2011

Not My Mom

When I was growing up, my mom used to vacuum the kitchen after every single meal.




Clearly, I do not.


PS. Is it bad that these pictures gave me an instant craving for green olives.

PPS. Sorry for the lame post. This really is the dredges when it comes to blogging.

Warming Up!

It was so nice out yesterday. When I got back from work, Aubrey and I decided to go for a walk.

It was the first time I've used her stroller because it was the first time I've felt its been warm enough to take her outside without pressing her against me to shield the wind and give her bodyheat. It was still quite windy though, so I bundled her up in her snowsuit.

I brought my camera along because the warm weather gave me a false hope of taking pretty pictures of spring. However it didn't take long to realize that this time of year is full of mud and dirty clumps of snow. I guess I've got a little waiting to before the beauty of spring takes over.

Friday, February 18, 2011

Bathtime

Aubrey loves taking a bath. And she is absolutely adorable while doing so.
Since I've gone back to work - bathtime has become one of my favorite parts of my night. And I think one of Aubrey's favorite parts too.

And who could resist that little duck?

Thursday, February 17, 2011

The Chef.

I have a new occupation for Aubrey daily. Based on whatever she is interested in at any given moment, I decide some sort of amazing career in mind for her.

One thing that Aubrey loves doing is watching me cook. No matter how fussy she is being, I can pretty much always set her in a chair propped so she can see me and start cooking. Or slicing vegetables. Or basically doing anything with food on the counter in the kitchen.


This fascination with watching me cook prompted me to decide she is going to be a famous chef someday working in a high-end restaurant in some awesome city and Martin and I are going to get to go visit her and get served an amazing meal.

Me: You are going to be a famous chef aren't you?

Aubrey smiling in her chair is wearing a cute cotton skirt for Valentines day and has pullled it up so we can see her cute little bottom.

Martin: If you keep wearing your skirt like that, you're going to be working in Las Vegas. . .

Wednesday, February 16, 2011

Getting Strong

Lately, Aubrey has been getting stronger by the day. The neck and back support she shows is amazing and I'm waiting everyday for this to be the day when she sits up on her own.
I really felt it was neccesary to document my child's amazingness. Unfortunately I chose I time when she was not very happy.

Look at her sit on my hands!

Tuesday, February 15, 2011

His and Hers

On Sunday night Katie and Ryan had a his and hers party in honor of Valentine's day. I'd be lying if I said I had any idea what this meant before actually attending this party. But the theme of the party was so much fun. It was a bunch of couples. Well, mostly couples and a few singles thrown in the mix too. And there was dinner involved.

The girls table was decorated with a centerpiece, a tablecloth, cloth napkins and fine china.

The boys got paper plates and a picnic table.

The girls food was served on one half of the buffet table in glassware and on a linen tablecloth.

The boys half was covered in newspaper and served out of wicker baskets.

The theme was absolutely divine!

I really loved it. It was so funny.

After dinner the boys and girls came together in the living room and we played a game. The name of the game was What Is Your's Like? The basic premise is you choose a card and read the word. The word could be something like....legs. Everyone gets to see the card except for one person. Then each person goes around and says what their legs are like. So you might say hairy. or long. or chicken-like. or dry. or smooth. or bruised. And the person who didn't get to see the card would have to guess what everyone was describing.

Because we're all perverted human beings. It doesn't take long to realize that almost every phrase can be an innuendo.

One word was Valentine's Day.

When it got to be my turn to describe it Martin was ready for me to say something sassy.

Martin: Go ahead. Throw me under the bus. It's fine. I know you're gonna do it. Just throw me under the bus.
Me: No. I wasn't going to do that. I was going to say I'm having shrimp

at this point everyone who knows the word is Valentine's Day immediately burst out laughing.

Martin: That is so much worse. That's the worst thing you can say.

It took me a minute or so to catch on to everyone's interpretation of my having shrimp on Valentine's Day.

Martin: Yeah. Well I'm having Frozen Clams.

But, all innuendos aside. This really was a charming party and I almost can't wait until next Valentine's Day.

Monday, February 14, 2011

Valentine's Day

It's 9:00 PM on Valentine's Day. I am watching The Bachelor (Brad just sent Brit home) and Martin is sleeping on the couch. Aubrey is sleeping in her crib.

Considering its 9:00 and my Valentine's Day is already over, you might think my life is pretty lame.....And you might be right.

But I thought it was fantastic.



Martin and I had pasta with shrimp and scallops for dinner.
We cracked open a bottle of wine (some of it I used in the pasta)
We had strawberries for dessert.
I got Martin a card and a gallon of Arnold Palmer.
Martin got me a card, two Snapples, and dark chocolate with caramel filling.


Aubrey did arts and crafts at my parents' house today and made Martin and I the most amazing Valentine!


And Aubrey wore the absolute cutest Valentine outfit in the world! (and she managed to keep it clean enough to wear both yesterday AND today)

To sum up:
This was an amazing Valentine's Day.
My husband is incredible.
My child has stolen my heart forever.
I love absolutely everything about Martin.
I love my life.

New In Two

I have lots to update you on from the past two weeks.....I think. Problem being, I've wasted so much time not updating you I have complete writer's block. I can't think of anything funny to write about these events that, I"ll assure you, were fun events. Just a quick, slightly boring recap:

The Superbowl: I hosted a party! It was fun. amazing. Sangria. Quesadillas. Chicken Wing Dip (that's basically a party in itself) Little Crescent Roll Thingys Wings (and by wings I, of course, mean drumsticks because who wants to mess around with those tiny wings?) Oh, and football. But I basically missed the football party because I was too busy drinking Sangria and gossiping in the kitchen.

Engagement Parties: Ok. One engagement party. For our friends Jim and Jess who are getting married in August!. I've been waiting for this wedding since before our wedding so it's pretty exciting!

Family Pizza Night: There was a time when I wouldn't consider going out for pizza with my parents, brother and Uncle Andy an event. Those times have long since passed. Now I wonder, who could turn down delicious pizza and my dad's hilarious take on almost any event? Throw in Andy falling asleep at the table, the pizza man completely enamored with my lovely daughter, the most delicious pizza I have had in a long time (pepperoni, mushrooms, peppers, and onions), and Garrett showering Aubrey with affection like he hasn't seen her in years (when in reality it's been one day) and what you have is a great time!

All right. I guess that's it. There is apparently far fewer parties going on in my life than I feel. But, as long as I think life's a party - It surely is!

Sunday, February 13, 2011

The Breaking Point

The first week I went back to work was really tough. Really really tough. I basically cried a lot. everyday. I couldn't stop.

Also, I wasn't eating well. I was so busy trying to blow through work I was forgetting to eat lunch. And between crying every morning and night and forgetting to eat lunch during the day. Oh, and not drinking any water all day long. My milk production really took a dive. A drastic dive.

By Friday morning when I dropped her off at my mom's house I was sobbing hysterically screaming things like..

"All I can do for her is make milk and I can't even do that anymore!"

Then I went to work and realized. I can't do it all. At some point I am going to have to let something give and Aubrey will still be smart. And she'll still love me even if I don't make enough milk to support her milk monster needs.

And ever since I came to that realization, life has been a lot better. Aubrey is drinking both breastmilk and formula. We are all busy and happy and loving life.

Saturday, February 12, 2011

This post is sort of an apology and sort of just a little round up of my new life as I know it.

My days are so full.

I used to think my days were busy, but now I'm not quite sure what I thought was busy about them. Now. Now, my days are busy. Of course, when I have three kids that need to go to practices and such and such I will probably repeat this same thing all over again, but for now - I think these days are sufficiently full.

If you had called me during work pre-baby I would probably take a few minutes to talk to you. Then I would make up for unproductive time by working later. Now. I don't talk on the phone. If you call me I will most likely either a. ignore your call. or b. answer and then quickly bring the conversation to an abrupt close. It's not that I don't want to talk to you. It's just that I'm busy powering through work so I can get home as quickly as possible to hang out with my cutie.  So, try to catch my on the drive. Or when I'm home.

And when I'm home. I have absolutely no idea what I did with my time when it wasn't consumed with breastfeeding, changing diapers, giving baths, singing the abc's and then trying to find time to make a nutritious and delicious dinner in there somewhere too.

Anyway. Point being. I'm sorry I haven't been updating as regularly. I will try to get better. But, my life is amazing and crazy and I wouldn't change it for anything!

Wednesday, February 9, 2011

All Grown Up.

I recently read something somewhere about the moment when you felt like a grown up.

Honestly, for most of my adult life, I haven't really felt like a grown-up. Even though I've been supporting myself for a few years now, I really haven't felt like a grown-up.

All the typical milestones that really should scream grown up haven't really done it for me.

Graduating from College....didn't do it.

Getting a Good Job. My FIRST REAL job. ... Still not feeling it.

Marrying the love of my life... Is that a grown-up thing to do?

Getting a permanant address that is not the same as my parents'... Not yet

Making Thanksgiving Dinner....Close, but still. Not a grown-up

Even having the the most adorable child ever didn't make me feel like a grown-up. (sorry for no picture, my internet has decided it doesn't want to upload anything else.)

The moment that I felt like a grown-up was the first time I took Aubrey to the doctor. I had the fill out the obligatory new patient paperwork. And when I got to the second question. Suddenly, it was obvious. Wow. I'm a grownup. Because that second question. It really threw me for a loop.

Question One: Name of Patient.

That's easy. Aubrey Bruning.

Question Two: Parent of Patient.

Cyndy Van......Oh. Wait. I'm the parent. Holy Crap, I'm a mother. I'm a grown-up.


And that is the long winded story of the first time I realized I was a grown-up.

Tuesday, February 8, 2011

The Flintstones

Since we now have a baby, Martin and I basically use Aubrey as an excuse to watch cartoons all day long. Or at least, it seemed like a good excuse for four hours on Sunday afternoon.

The first program in our cartoon marathon was The Flintstones and we actually saw the episode where Pebbles is Born. Martin said it was a monumental episode to be able to watch. I'm not sure about that. But I have decided that those old cartoons are perfect for my short attention span. I swear they don't even last 15 minutes!

Monday, February 7, 2011

Weighing In.

I don't have a scale for myself in our apartment. Mostly because I'm scared that I will obsessively check my weight and stand on it morning and night. Not owning a scale is a conscious decision on my part not to worry about my weight, but rather to worry about it I feel healthy.

But my mom did get me this adorable baby scale from an antique store and I love checking to see how much weight my darling child is gaining.

Sunday, February 6, 2011

Hollywood.

I haven't really heard a bad pick-up line in a while. Probably partly due to the fact that for the last twelve months I have either been pregnant or carrying a baby in my arms. Those type of things tend to ward off pick-ups in general let alone the bad kind.

But I went back to work last week. And while I love my customers because they are the reason I have a job. Some of them are.....eccentric.

On Wednesday afternoon I was walking around the sales floor in one of my new stores. Right in downtown Rochester. As I'm walking around a customer asks me to point him in the direction of the shrimp.

Me: Right over here sir. Follow me.
Customer: I know your name.
Me: Oh yeah. I don't think you do.
Customer: Yes. It's Holly.
Me: Oh, sorry. No that's not me.
Customer: No. I know your name is Holly because if you ain't from Hollywood  then I don't know what is.


And another homerun.

Friday, February 4, 2011

The Best Chicken Fingers/ Chicken Parm

 I haven't posted a recipe on here in a long long time. And I figure now is as good a time as any. I don't know about you, but I really like chicken fingers. Chicken Finger Subs. Chicken Fingers with BBQ sauce. Chicken Fingers with hot sauce. There's something about breaded chicken that is just delicious! But, buying the prepackaged stuff is also pretty unhealthy and doesn't really satisfy my craving when I don't have any in my freezer.

First, you start with some chicken breast. I usually slice my chicken breast so they're not quite so thick. But, if the chicken breast you buy is thinner, you don't neccesarily have to do this.
Dip the chicken breast in egg and then in bread crumbs.
I find its really easy to use pie pans for this. And, embarassingly, this is the only thing I have used my pie pans for.






Then toss some olive oil or canola oil in a pan and when the pan is nice and hot place the breaded chicken in there and Cook on both sides until cooked through.  And then - You're Done! If you are looking for the most delicious chicken fingers ever serve these with some BBQ sauce.

If you want to take this one step further and make Chicken Parmesan, place the chicken in a pan with a sprinkling of cheese and some spaghetti sauce, pop in the oven until the cheese melts and viola!

A delicious dinner!

Thursday, February 3, 2011

Bath Time

 This child loves bathtime.
And I mean, let's be honest. Who would turn down being rubbed with soapy warm water and then wrapping up in a towel with a hood?!

Wednesday, February 2, 2011

Tuesday, February 1, 2011

Office?

Neither Martin nor I work from home. I need an office because I need a printer and Martin really has no paperwork needs for work, so when I say office, I use the term very loosely. But we have an extra room in our house and I have appropriated it the spot for pens, pencils, tape, extra paper and the printer. Hence, the office.
 Formerly, all pens, pencils, tape, markers and rulers were piled in a messy heap in one drawer. And whenever you wanted a pen you could only find pencils and vice versa. Looking for a marker, forget it. You'd never find it in the mess. And a paperclip - it was like looking for a needle in a haystack
 So I seperated everything out into wine glasses and now it's super easy to find whatever you're looking for. And it has the added bonus of looking pretty cool too. And it would look approxiately 167 times better if there wasn't a 58+ year old shade dry-rotting in the background against the window. Unfortunately, I'm probably not going to replace the shade for my short duration here.
And the cups full of pens ensure it's always easy to find one that actually writes!