First Family Flight

On December 23rd, we ventured on our very first family trip via airplane. Our first flight was from Boston to D.C. We boarded the plane, was told we should arrive 15 minutes earlier than expected, and then were delayed for an hour! It was awful just sitting in the runway, but what made it worse is we almost missed our connecting flight. We literally boarded the plane with 5 minutes left. Then, we were delayed for about 15-30 minutes. Damian was such a good baby on the trip. He didn't even fuss! I was really worried that the pressure would bother him, but we made sure he was drinking from his sippy cup or was being nursed. I was so proud of him!

Pat and Damian waiting in the airport

When we finally arrived at Sea-Tac my Grammy was there waiting to pick us up. We were waiting for our luggage at the baggage claim only to find it wasn't even on the plane! It wasn't due to arrive until four hours later. United gave us a loaner car seat and we ate at Fuji Restaurant in Chinatown and then shopped at Uwajimaya. When Pat and I saw our baggage when we came back I think we literally jumped for joy!

Damian and Grammy at Sea-Tac

We are so happy to be home to see our family and friends for Christmas and New Years.

Stonehill Football Coaches Party

We had so much fun at the football staff holiday party. We went to Cafe Bella in Randolph, MA. The Chef/Owner is a Stonehill alum and boy did he take care of us! I had some of the best Italian food since I was in Italy.

Our first course was two different pizzas. Our first was a tomato and sausage pizza, and the second was a tomato, goat cheese, and arugula pizza. The pizza was perfectly crisp and fresh! Our second course was Calamari. I didn't get a chance to eat it because I was still on the pizza course but I heard great things. Our third course was shrimp and greens. The shrimp/prawns were huge. Just the way I like em! Fresh Pappardelle pasta in a tomato and meat sauce was our fourth course. After the first bite you could tell the pasta was freshly made. Some of the best I have had. The fifth course was the pork tenderloin. I personally do not eat pork so I just ate the veggies, but everyone kept saying how tender it was and how it kept melting in their mouth. Lastly, our dessert course consisted of a couple different choices. There was a plate of fresh fruit (with some of the yummiest pears) and two different ice creams, grapenut and an espresso, biscotti, and chocolate ice cream. All were made in house served with biscotti. I couldn't get enough!

If any one is near Randolph, MA, I highly suggest trying it.

Having a night out with out the little ones intimidated me at first but Damian had fun with the sitters, and we enjoyed a grown-up only dinner. After the eating portion of the night, we had a white elephant exchange. Apparently it's called a "yankee swap" out here. Maybe it's an east coast or New England thing? I opened a DVD box set to "Martin", and then got "yankee swapped" for a Chili's gift card, and then swapped again for an Amazon.com gift card. I love Amazon so everything ended up working perfectly.

Coach Talley, the head coach of Stonehill football, gave all the guys cards with bottles of liquor to match their personality. Pat received a bottle of Bacardi Superior because he was so smooth. Love it! Sarah, the head coach's wife, gave all the wives and girlfriends a mini martini glass, a mini bottle of absolut, and Hilliards chocolate. Hilliards is my obsession. It is a local chocolate/candy store with the best ice cream I have ever had and delectable chocolates. It is seriously to die for. You can also order online at their website for those who are tempted to try at: http://www.hilliardscandy.com.

The Women Behind The Football Men

Stephanie, Me, Nichol, and Sarah

A big thanks to the Talleys for a fabulous night out!

Review: Happy Baby

I am always open to trying new products. In the past few months I have been giving my son Happy Baby products. They are truly the best baby food products I have found. Everything is organic, GMO-free, pesticide-free, and in BPA-free containers. The range of products they have span from infant to preschool. Damian loves everything he has had. I make most of Damian's food, but when I don't I turn to Happy Baby.

HAPPYBABY and HAPPYTOT Pouches:

I can not say how much I love these pouches! Damian gets delicious well-rounded nutrition and can feed himself. These pouches are perfect for when I'm on the go. I just throw a couple in my diaper bag, give one to Damian to eat, and I can have my hands free to do whatever it is I'm doing. They are especially good for when Pat and I dine out.

Damian eating his HappyTot pouch!

HAPPYMELTS:

These freeze-dried yogurt treats are like candy to Damian. He can't get enough! They are another great on-the-go treat. Damian can feed himself yogurt without the mess! They are packed with protein, pre and probiotics, and are low in sugar.

HAPPYPUFFS:

These puffs come in four different whole-grain puffs that are packed with vitamins and minerals. The packaging is eco-friendly and contains 40% more puffs than their competitors. My diaper bag is never without a package of these.

HAPPYMUNCHIES:

As of late, these have been Damian's obsession. I know I don't feel guilty giving these to my son because they have 60% less sodium than their competitor's version. I especially love that these cheese snacks have veggies mixed in.

HAPPYBELLIES:

Oatmeal or other cereals are a popular breakfast choice in this house. I love to mix these with unsweetened applesauce and cinnamon. I also add a little bit of BarleyLifeXtra to add some more fruits and veggies to it.

HAPPYBABY Frozen:

Meals that are pre-made and frozen to ensure your baby gets all the nutrients they need. As I stated earlier, I make Damian's food. However sometimes I just simply do not have time. These frozen meals are packed in an ice cube type tray, which makes it perfect to pop out the exact amount Damian needs. So far we purchased the Gobble-Gobble and Chick Chick varieties. Yum!

HAPPYBITES:

We haven't purchased this product yet but I have heard great things! We definitely plan to in the next few months. These easy, hand-held, frozen treats are loaded with veggies and flavor. We can not wait to see how Damian loves these.

Where To Buy:
I have seen these products everywhere from Whole Foods, the local supermarket, and Target. I have found packs on Amazon and other websites. You can also purchase them on their online store or find where they are located at a retailer near you.

How Could I Forget Thanksgiving?!

I can not believe I forgot to post Damian's first Thanksgiving meal. Doh! Pat and I decided to go out to eat instead of having to deal with cleanup this year. We went out to Cracker Barrel which is one of our favorite places to eat. I made Pat stop at almost every Cracker Barrel we saw on the road trip here. If you don't know what a Cracker Barrel is it is half-store and half-restaurant. It is very southern, country, and cute! They have cute rocking chairs and jumbo checker boards to play with. Damian loved the little rocking chair made for kids.


I cook mostly clean meals, and we rarely eat out. So when we do eat out, sometimes we like to self indulge ourselves. For Thanksgiving all three of us ordered the Thanksgiving meal, and Pat and I ordered pie. It is the holidays after all! Unfortunately, the food was borderline awful (except the veggies and the pie). I've never had a bad meal there but our Thanksgiving meal was not good. They didn't have enough food ready for the amount of people that came. They seemed more interested in getting the food out than the quality. The stuffing was dry and crumbly and the turkey was on the dry side. Damian ate some turkey and veggies. Pat and I ordered mac and cheese for him...well for us. It's my guilty pleasure. I do make a healthier version at home with squash and whole wheat noodles that's really tasty, but I love Cracker Barrel's mac and cheese too. It's creamy and gooey, and thank goodness they didn't mess that up! Even though Pat and I didn't really enjoy our meal Damian loved eating all the green beans, small pieces of turkey, sweet potatoes from my plate, and a little bit of cranberry. It made the trip worth it.

Damian Isn't The Baby Anymore!

We had a cute little "family double date" with a long time family friend of mine, her family, and two month old. Allisyn has been in my life since I was a kid.

Allisyn, Me, Kristyn

Allisyn and I are both originally from Washington State and ended up in Massachusetts. Coincidentally, we probably live the same distance away from each other here as we did in Washington. The two of us brought our husbands and sons to meet at a local sushi joint in Mansfield, MA. The place was so cute and the sushi was delicious! Allisyn and I had our "mommy talk" while the boys talked about whatever boys talk about! Oliver slept the entire time while Damian would try to peak in his carseat. Damian is always called "baby" by the other kids he's around, so when he's around Oliver he gets very curious.


I absolutely love getting the Martins and the McCanns together!

First Professional Photos

This has been a (almost) year of firsts.  Damian got his first professional pictures taken for our first family portrait, his birthday, and Christmas.  We are so pleased on how they turned out!  Damian had such a straight face we were afraid the photographer wouldn't have any smile shots.  Check out some of our favorite pictures.

Splish Splash

Damian took his first bath with another kid.  He had so much fun with Payton and playing with the toys.  Bath time is definitely one of his favorite times of the day.  I swear he gets dirty just so he can take a bath.  He's a trickster like that.

Damian's First Halloween

We were debating whether or not to go trick or treating for Damian's first Halloween for a while.  Since Damian's other friends were going and my Grammy bought him his costume, we just had to go.  Damian had a great time with his friends, even if he didn't get any candy.  Mommy and Daddy enjoyed it for him.

Funny Faces

Damian's friend, Payton, had her 2nd birthday party and Damian was a riot.  Check out a few of our favorite faces we captured him doing.

Swim Classes

Damian and I did "Mommy and Me" swim classes during September and October.  Damian absolutely LOVES the water and swimming.  By the end of the swim classes we even got him kicking!  Granted, we had to throw a toy for him to swim to.

One day I couldn't find my swimsuit so Pat got to fill in!

Summertime

Summer was such a great time for us.  Pat's work schedule was less demanding in the first half of summer.  We were able to explore Mass and spend time as a family.  We spent a lot of time on the beaches of Cape Cod.

Another popular spot for us was the Aquarium.  Damian loves seeing the fish swim by.  The New England Aquarium is so wonderful.  They have penguins, sharks, sea turtles, seals, and all sorts of other marine life!

My Grammy came to visit for my birthday, and it was the best present I could have asked for.  Damian even recognized her!  I attribute a lot of his recognition to Skype, where he was able to see her on the computer and hear her voice.

Damian was able to see Pat coach for the very first time!  It was a beautiful day and I was able to find grass for Damian to crawl on.  He didn't like the feeling of grass at first.  Then, after about twenty minutes he thought it was cool.

Road Trip!

Hello Everyone!  Sorry about the delay of posting and web address.  We had some issues of people not being able to see the blog and I figured out how to change the web address.  Hopefully this works!

Anyhoo, back in June we drove from Olympia, WA to our new home in Massachusetts.  It took us almost 2 weeks but we took our time to see the sights.

Here's Damian during a diaper change/stretch break in Ellensburg, WA

Damian "driving" with Daddy (don't worry our engine was off)

 Our first stop was in Couer d' Alene, ID to see my Uncle Don and Aunt Ludy.  It was so wonderful to see them.  They have been apart of my life since I was in diapers.  It probably was interesting for them to see me have a child in diapers.  My camera was acting up so my pictures from this leg of the trip were from my phone.  Uncle Don: if you happen to have any I would love to see them when you get well.  We are thinking of you!  

How beautiful is Couer d' Alene?!  The weather was perfect while we were there.

Our next stop was Bozeman, MT.  On the way we stopped to see Pat's friend Garrett Graves at Fuddruckers, and then we stopped at University of Montana to check out their stadium.  It was so beautiful and there was a really neat hiking trail right next to it.  I wanted to hike so badly but a thunder and lighting storm started up. 

After spending time in Montana we made our way to Rapid City, SD.  We had to drive through Wyoming which had the worst weather of the trip.  It was raining, it was gloomy, it was miserable!  South Dakota must have understood how frustrated we were with the weather because it greeted us with this beautiful rainbow!

 Driving through Montana, Wyoming, and into South Dakota made us so hungry we had to stop and get a bite to eat.  Damian loved being able to cuddle.

 Pat and I were so excited to see Mount Rushmore in Keystone, SD.  If you have never seen it in person, I completely recommend it.  We were in awe of how grand and beautiful it is.

Our next stop was Sioux Falls, SD.  The drive seemed so long!  Thank God for the Wall Drugstore in Wall, SD for giving us a fun place to walk around and explore.  Over the next couple days we drove through Minnesota, Wisconsin, and to one of my favorite cities, Chicago!  We had so much fun going down to the Navy Pier, and spending the day walking around and not in the car!

Our next stop was one we were most excited for.  Damian and I got to meet Pat's Grandparents/Damian's Great-Grandparents.  They are truly some of the greatest people we have met.  It was so special to be able to see them with their first great-grandchild.

 Our last stop before we arrived in our new home was to see one of my very best friends, Beni.  We stayed with her and her boyfriend Mike in Philly.  They took us to Pat's to get an authentic Philly Cheesesteak, and to see the historical sights of the Liberty Bell, Benjamin Franklin's grave, and more!  Damian fell so in love with Beni that we started to call her his girlfriend.

 The newest McCann family had a very successful first road trip.  We created some great memories, saw beautiful sights, were able to see some loved ones, and most importantly Damian cooperated!