It's the Most Wonderful Time of the Year!

Our little tree! :)

I have always loved the Christmas season - really..who doesn't?! I have so many wonderful memories and traditions with my family that I always look forward to this time of year. Last Christmas was fantastic, with the sweetest little one month old baby...but this year has been even better! Matthew is becoming such a fun little guy with such a personality and it's fun to share some Christmas traditions with him (even if he doesn't fully understand everything yet!). We read lots of Christmas and winter stories and sing Christmas carols at bedtime. Matthew thinks it's very funny when I forget the words to "12 Days of Christmas". 




Now that it's getting darker in the evenings, the Christmas lights in the neighborhood are on when we get home. He likes to point to his favorites, including the colorful tree across the street and the Santa on our own front lawn. Everything he says that has one syllable is "da" and two syllable words are "da-da" so he points to Santa and I say can you say "Santa" and he gets a huge smile on his face and says DA DA. Close enough, Matty!


We tried to take him to see Santa....not so successful. In his defense, he had been for his one year check-up in the morning and was a little off. We'll try again next Christmas. 

Another new "trick"...opening up wide to eat (or brush his teeth)

Speaking of one year...our little monkey is really turning into such a little boy, instead of a baby. On Thanksgiving morning, two days before his first birthday, he took his first steps! Since then, he has began walking everywhere! He is such a brave little trooper, it's a hard thing to learn to walk and he takes his fair share of tumbles but just gets back up and keeps going like it's nothing. It's so much fun watching him learn and discover all the new things he can now get in to :). He is such a smiley and fun guy and he knows how to turn on the charm. He loves going grocery shopping with me, or anywhere he can sit in the shopping cart. He smiles and waves at all the other customers and employees and loves when people smile or wave back. 

Cuddling with his friends

One of his new "tricks" which simply warms my heart everytime is when he gives kisses. My work day is always better when I have the remnants of a big, wet, sloppy baby kiss on my cheek! Another new thing he does is wave at us when we put him to bed. It is so adorable! After we have finished storytime (which now usually consists of more books, because Matthew will point to his bookshelf after we finish one book and we keep going) and after we sing songs and say goodnight, Matthew goes into his crib with his best friends - Barry and Eeyore. If he is ready for bed, he puts one arm around Eeyore, one around Barry and waves bye-bye to us. It is so cute and adorable and a great way to end his day!




At this time of year, and always, it's nice to take time to enjoy these little moments with my darling son. 

Found a Peanut...(New Recipe #2: African Peanut Soup in the Crock Pot)

Fall is my favorite season for a lot of reasons...pumpkin flavored things (beer, coffee, etc), cooler weather, leaves changing, pies, my birthday...just to name a few. But one of my favorite things that comes with fall is the crock pot! I know you can use the Crock Pot anytime, but we do not often want hot food from the Crock Pot in the summer so I break it out again in the fall. Through Facebook, I got two good resources for new Crock Pot recipes. One friend sent me a list of hundreds of Weight Watcher Recipes and another sent me the link to a blog where a woman used her Crock Pot every day for a year. I stumbled across a recipe for African Peanut Soup and decided to try it. Holy moley - it was AMAZING! The ingredients seem so odd together, but the combination came out great. Here is my version (very close to the original I found) I did not use the sour cream or tabasco at the end and I just , I don't think it needed it. If you're feeling brave, try it out!

African Peanut Soup:

• 1 yellow onion, chopped 
• 2 scallions, chopped 
• 2 red bell peppers, chopped 
• 28 oz can of crushed tomatoes, with liquid 
• 8 cups vegetable broth 
• 1/4 t black pepper 
• 1/4 t chili powder 
• 1/2 cup uncooked brown rice 
• 1 cup peanut butter (to add later) 
• dollop of sour cream and a bit of tabasco sauce (optional) 

Spray the Crock Pot with cooking spray. Chop all onions, scallions and red pepper (I used my mini food chopper - which I love!) Add onions, scallions, red peppers, tomatoes, broth, black pepper, chili powder and rice and stir. Cover and cook on low for 6-8 hours, or on high for about 4. The soup is done when the onions are fully cooked and are translucent.

Stir in peanut butter, and cook on high for 20-30 minutes, or until fully heated through. Optional: add a dollop of sour cream and a touch of tabasco sauce.

I brought leftovers of this soup for lunch and it's even better!

Today's post title comes from a very disturbing children's song.

My fingertips they close your eyes...Off you dream, my little child

Just when I think that Matthew can't get any cuter....we have nights like tonight. Every Wednesday while Rob is at class, Matthew and I get to have a mommy/son date night. Tonight was my favorite date night of his 11 months. He is teething and has been a little fussy lately but tonight he was such a little angel and a joy to be around. When we got home, as I was putting all our stuff away and getting changed out of my work clothes, Matthew was playing with his toys and dancing. He has this little Elmo that is holding a dog that plays songs when you press him. Matthew was jamming and finally threw the Elmo aside so that he could swing his arms. It was one of the cutest things I have ever seen him do! After his impromptu dance party, we did some crawling races down the hallway. I honestly think he is faster than me! 

You're making me go to the nail salon!?!

After some more dancing, wrestling, crawling and singing, we went for a short walk. Matthew loves his stroller and he points at everything as we walk around and I tell him what it is. Today we saw a white truck, a small puppy, a fire hydrant and lots of pumpkins on our short walk. The destination of our walk was a small nail salon a few blocks away so I could get my eyebrows shaped. 

Once we returned home from our walk, we had a Pearl Jam dance party. He was awesome. He was rocking out again: sitting, standing, crawling...everywhere he went, he would stop, look at me, and dance! It was so incredibly adorable. Then I picked him up and we danced around the living room for a few songs. At the end, we were both out of breath and laughing. It was so much fun!

After an appetizer of american cheese and wheat bread for Matthew and cheese and crackers for me, it was time for dinner. Matthew is getting more independent in his eating - he wants to do everything himself.  On Monday, I made "venus de milo" soup and we made Matthew some ground chicken and veggies separately. Tonight, I picked out some chicken, noodles and veggies from the soup and put them in his bowl and heated up a bowl of soup for myself. He seemed very excited to be eating the same dinner as Mommy and was SO proud of himself for eating like a big boy with a bowl and spoon. He's still working on the whole concept - he usually dumps out the food from the bowl and eats with one hand with a spoon in his other. But it's great practice for him and incredibly hysterical to watch. 

After dinner, Matthew had a bath and got dressed in his fleece fire engine pajamas - which make him look like such a big boy! We sat in the blue rocking chair and he had his bottle and fell asleep in my arms before we could even go and read a bedtime story. It was the perfect two and a half hours together, I would not have changed one second. 

Happy 11 Month birthday to my sweet baby boy! 


Tonight's title comes from "Around the Bend". The closest thing Pearl Jam has to a lullaby. 

New York, New York!

Matthew and Mimi at Belmont
October 15, 2011 

Christmastime is my favorite time in the city, but between the last two weekends, October is really giving December a run for its money! Last Saturday, Rob and I had a fantastic day. As a Mother's Day gift, Rob and Matthew got me two tickets to Wicked. It was the first show I ever saw on Broadway with my mom back in 2007. Since then, I have listened to the soundtrack hundreds of times and wanted to see it again. On Saturday morning, while Matthew hung out with Mimi and Papa, Rob and I headed into Manhattan. We got a pre-show glass of wine at the Palm Restaurant across the street from the Gershwin theatre and then went in and saw the amazing show! After the show, we went to Three of Cups in the East Village for a wonderful dinner before heading home to be able to see Matthew before he went to bed. The weather was awesome and it was so nice to spend some time alone with Rob (although we just talked about Matthew the whole time anyway). 

Mommy and Matthew in Central Park
October 22, 2011

This weekend we had no plans, which is very rare for us. We decided to take a family trip into NYC. It was a little brisk, but such a nice day! Matthew took his first trip on the LIRR and the subway to get to Central Park. We had packed a picnic lunch and set up by the carousel. After lunch, we got our tickets and only had to wait a few minutes to get on to the ride. Before it started moving, we put Matthew on his own horse to get some pics and then once it started moving, I hopped on a horse with Matthew. He pointed a lot at the horses, the clowns painted on the inside, other people, and anything he could possibly point at. It was a lot of fun for all of us and it was #16 on my 30 Before 30 list! 

Pointing on the carousel

After Central Park, we walked over to FAO Schwarz 

LOVING NYC!

because we wanted to buy Matthew a toy to remember his first trip into the city. Matthew missed his morning nap and passed out in his stroller before we got to the toy store. That didn't stop us though! We picked out an FAO Schwarz Stuffed Tool Box. It's about time that guy started doing some work around the house! After FAO, we walked over to Sprinkles Cupcakes on Lexington. I'm fairly obsessed with cupcakes and have seen every episode of Cupcake Wars where Candance Nelson, founder of Sprinkles cupcakes - the first cupcake bakery - is a judge. When I heard they opened a Sprinkles in NYC, I wanted to try it. It did not disappoint! We got two cupcakes to share: chocolate peanut butter and cinnamon sugar. We also got some Starbucks to go with it and sat outside for our snack. Cupcakes + pumpkin spice latte = AMAZING! Matthew woke up while we were having our snack and he had some cheerios...which to him were just as good as cupcakes. 



After a few more stops (one being Barnes and Noble on 53rd and 3rd to change Matthew...good clean bathroom with a changing table if you are ever in need of one) - we headed back to Penn Station to catch the train home. We got home and fed Matthew and he was asleep within minutes. The big city wore out the little guy! 


It was such a fantastic day - now let's listen to Frank sing about the city that never sleeps!  

A Bottle of White, A Bottle of Red...(4 down...46 to go!)

Riesling from Washington 

An update on my progress of #18 - Try a Wine from each of the 50 States...I checked off Washington and New York this weekend. Friday night, Rob and I shared a bottle of Riesling from Badger Mountain in Washington state. I was actually going to pick up a Riesling I had seen in the wine store from New Jersey, and this was next to it. It was light and refreshing and went well with our thai food.  

Rose from New York

On Saturday while out in the Hamptons for some apple picking, we stopped at the Wölffer Estate Vineyard and I enjoyed a glass of their 2010 Grandioso Rose and Rob had the 2008 Cabernet Franc. They were both great, the Rose was very light and refreshing on a warm autumn day! 

I Like to Eat, Eat, Eat, APPLES and Bananas...

Although the weather was more like late summer...we had a fantastic fall weekend! I began my day on Friday with my daily pumpkin coffee and my lovely friend Deanna surprised me with a pumpkin muffin when I got into the office. It was a great way to kick off the weekend. After work, I did a great at home workout with Matthew. He loves the purple yoga mat we use to do pushups and he crawled over to me and was imitating me doing pushups. It was incredibly adorable! I'm doing a six week program that at the end is supposed to have me doing 100 consecutive pushups...I may need to repeat some weeks, but it's going well. I'm confident that I will reach that goal and be able to check one more thing off my 30 Before 30 List! Friday night after Matthew went to bed, Rob and I got take out Thai food, a bottle of white wine, and watched Bridesmaids on BluRay. It's not very often that we get to just sit and relax for a few hours with just each other and it was very nice! 

Saturday was one of my favorite days of the year so far. I got up with Matthew when he woke and we played, read "Ten Little Ladybugs" 3 times and then I could tell he was getting sleepy and ready for a nap. We laid on the couch and napped together, something we haven't done since he was a little little guy. I love watching him sleep and hearing his peaceful breathing.

Enjoying an Empire Apple at the orchard 

After Matthew's breakfast of bananas and Cheerios, we loaded up the car and drove almost two hours out to the Milk Pail for apple picking. It was worth it! There were lots of apples, great cider and cider donuts. We had never been that far out in the Hamptons, and it really was very beautiful just driving around. We also were able to plan it well, Matthew napped most of the way out there so he was very alert and fun during the apple picking. We washed off an empire apple and gave it to him to play with/eat in his stroller. I took a little bite to get him to the good stuff, and he LOVED it. It kept him entertained the entire time we walked around. He also loved when we took him out of his stroller and let him pick out some apples. His new trick is to point to things, so he was pointing out all the good apples for us to pick. 

Showing Daddy which apple to pick 

After the orchard, we drove to the Wolffer Esate Vineyard and Rob and I each had a glass of wine. I got the 2010 Grandioso Rose and Rob got the 2008 Cabernet Franc. They were both very good and the vineyard was beautiful. We sat outside at a picnic table, gave Matthew a snack of cookies and water in his sippy cup and enjoyed the scenery. Matthew fell asleep in the car on the way home and napped until we pulled up in front of our house. Such a wonderful afternoon from start to finish! 

We got home and had some visitors from Massachusetts - Mike and Sue! We had a fun visit and played 90s Trival Pursuit. Mike took an early lead and although we put up a fight, he won the game. There was a lot of laughing as usual and lots of random 90s trivia. We heard about wedding plans, and can't wait until August to celebrate with them!

I've spent most of the day today prepping and baking the 20 pounds of apples we have. A cherry apple pie for home, a swedish apple pie for work, apple pie pork chops in the Crock Pot for dinner, and fresh apple sauce for Matthew's lunches this week. So even though it's 80 degrees, it smells like fall in here. 

Anyone who has children, or ever watched Barney should know where the title comes from! 

A Bottle of White, A Bottle of Red...

So one of my more difficult 30 Before 30 tasks is going to be # 18 - "Try a Wine from each of the 50 states". Although I have been to vineyards in Vermont, New York and Rhode Island - I'm starting fresh from when I began the list so I'll just have to go visit them again if needed. Some are going to be hard - Alaska, North Dakota...etc, but I did some research and it can be done. So if you have any leads to wine from random states, please help me out!

Cabernet Sauvignon from California 

This past weekend I was able to cross California and Oregon off the list. 2 down, 48 more to go!

Pinot Noir from Oregon

Today's title (which I may reuse just update it) is from Billy Joel.

I'd Rather Be with an Animal.

Entering the Zoo

It's my favorite season - FALL! We had a fantastic weekend visiting with Grandma and Pop. Sunday was a perfect, crisp fall day so we took a trip to the Bronx Zoo. This was on my 30 Before 30 list, so I was very excited. I think Rob and I were more excited than Matthew. I wasn't sure how he would react to the animals, but he seemed to really enjoy himself. 

Checking out the monkeys

First up was the Monkey House. Since we affectionately refer to Matthew as a monkey or monkey man sometimes - we thought it was appropriate to visit there first. He followed all the little monkeys with his eyes and also pointed to them when they were doing tricks. It was more fun watching him than the actual monkeys.

Matthew checking out the zebra with Daddy

After the monkeys, Matthew ate his lunch and then we saw a zoo worker dressed up in a lady bug costume so we tried to go over and visit the lady bug and get a picture. Matthew did not like this. At first he screamed, which I thought might be a scream of excitement. When we got together to take a photo, the crying started. Poor little guy. We put him in his stroller and walked, and he recovered quickly. We saw a polar bear, a snow leopard, some birds and some other animals before going into Africa. At this time, Rob put Matthew in the baby carrier to get a better look. I think both Daddy and Matthew enjoyed that. We saw some zebras, giraffes and niyalas. Matthew liked the zebra stripes. After Africa, we headed to the Congo and had to pay an extra fee to see the Gorillas. It was worth it though, they were pretty cool. We also saw a camel, some tigers, some bears and a lot of peacocks walking around. Matthew fell asleep sometime after the gorillas and woke up at the car. I'm not sure if all the readers are aware, but it's very hard to be a ten month old. It takes a lot of work to entertain Grandma and Pop with all his crawling, dancing, talking, laughing, playing peek a boo, and just generally being adorable. So even though Matthew napped almost half the trip to the zoo, the parts he was awake for he enjoyed and all the adults had a good time. And to top off a wonderful day, we came home and watched the Pats win on TV and enjoyed a warm dinner and wine from Oregon (more on that in a future post). What a perfect way to spend a fall day!

Today's title comes from Pearl Jam's Animal.(Video from the May 17, 2010 Boston show. This was Matthew's first concert, from his view in my belly).

La La La La Lasagna

I checked #4 off my 30 Before 30 List "Make a Lasagna" today. This was one of the first things that was put onto the list. I have not liked lasagna since I can remember, probably since I was 6 or 7. I didn't try it for probably over ten years, and then once at UMass, I tried it again and again did not like it. I recently tried it again after another 5 or 6 years and again did not like it. I was always under the assumption it was the ricotta cheese that I did not like, so I found a recipe that does not use ricotta but mozzarella and parmesan cheese instead. Instead of jarred sauce, I made a batch of my Papa Tony's sauce. In theory, I should have liked the lasagna - the sauce was amazing, the meat mixture was great, the cheese was awesome and I thought I liked all kind of pasta. After spending four hours making the lasagna between making the sauce from scratch, cooking the noodles, preparing the meat mixture and assembling the lasagna, I still didn't like it. I think maybe it's the texture of the noodles or something because I liked the taste of everything separately, but put together, I was not a fan. On the other hand, Rob said it was a success and he has his share of lasagna in his lifetime so I take his word for it. I guess I'm just destined to not like lasagna. You would think with a maiden name of Govoni, I would have to like lasagna...but I fear it will never happen. I don't regret making it, because I wanted to try it and Rob did like it and I have to work two nights this week, so now he has dinner :)

Lasagna - 9/18/11

Today's blog title is from Weird Al. 

I'll Ride the Wave Where It Takes Me

First new recipe post!!

bocconi di salmone con broccoletti
(salmon with broccoli)

I found this recipe in la cucina italiana a couple of weeks ago and although my husband does generally like seafood, he said he would be up for being brave and trying it out. Salmon was on sale last week, so I decided to try it. It was a quick and healthy weeknight dinner. It came out pretty good for my first time cooking salmon. Next time, I will add some lemon to make it more flavorful. I changed the recipe a little, here is my version:

• 1/4 cup parsley
• 1 garlic clove, minced
• 1 pounds broccoli crowns
• 5 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
• 1 pounds skinless salmon fillet, cut into 3/4-inch cubes
• Black pepper

Bring a large saucepan of salted water to a boil. While water is boiling, combine parsley and garlic.

Separate broccoli crowns into florets. Cook broccoli in the boiling water until tender, about 5 minutes, then, using a slotted spoon, transfer to a colander to drain; reserve 1/2 cup of the broccoli cooking liquid.

In a large nonstick skillet, heat 1 tablespoon oil over medium-high heat until hot but not smoking. In a single layer, add salmon pieces; cook, turning once halfway through and removing thinner pieces as they are done, until pieces are cooked through but slightly pink in the center, 3 to 5 minutes, depending on thickness.

 

Return skillet to medium-high heat. Add remaining 4 tablespoons oil and heat until hot but not smoking. Add broccoli, parsley mixture and cook, stirring occasionally, 2 minutes. Add reserved cooking liquid, increase heat to high, and cook until broccoli is very tender and water has mostly evaporated, about 2 minutes more. 

 

salmon with broccoli - 9/8/11

 

Today's post title comes from Pearl Jam's Release. Since salmon comes from the sea, and it's the first song on the PJ20 soundtrack that I'm listening to, I thought it was appropriate :)

 

Where were you when the world stopped turning on that September day?

Today marks the 10th Anniversary of September 11, 2001. Obviously it's a very emotional day each year and ten years later, I still remember sitting in my dorm room two weeks after I had moved into UMass and calling my mom to tell her to put the TV on. I remember sitting in the lounge glued to the tv with the other G5ers and watching President Bush's address on the couch in 511 with Rob and Eppy. I am thankful that I did not know anyone directly who was in a tower or on a plane and my thoughts are always with the families who did lose a loved one.

I was very happy to have my mom and my Aunt Carol visit this weekend. Being in New York and away from family on this day always makes me feel homesick and it was so nice having them here. I missed my dad and sister and other family members, but I am thankful for all my family and friends who are home safe with their families today.

In honor of the 10th anniversary, myself, my mom and Rob ran a 5K Run to Remember yesterday. It was the first annual event at a high school about an hour east of us and the proceeds are going to create a memorial to honor those lost in the Sachem community. The event raised close to $2,400 towards the memorial in sponsorships and race registrations. It was nice to contribute to such a great cause. Mom and I also each won a raffle prize of a gift certificate to a running store on Long Island and Mom generously gave hers to me so I can buy new running shoes with the combined certificates.

The run was held on the school's cross country course, which we found out (during one of the many hills on the course) is the hardest course on Long Island. Of the three of us, Rob finished first, Mom finished second, and I brought up the rear. Mom and Rob met me towards the finish line and ran the last leg with me, which I appreciated very much. Considering that none of us routinely run on trails, we all lost some training time due to Hurricanes, and I had strep throat last week, I am proud of all of us for completing the race. Again, it felt so great to support the cause and it was fantastic to share the day with my husband, my son, my mom and my aunt.

Running a 5K is one of the items on my "30 Before 30" list and I'm very happy that the 9-11 5K Run to Remember was my first of what I hope will be at least a few this year. Next up, the Plymouth Turkey Trot on Thanksgiving Day.

Today's post title is from Alan Jackson's "Where Were You (When the World Stopped Turning)." 

                     Mom, Matthew and I

Action shot from the beginning of the race

I Just Can't Stay Inside All Day, I Gotta Get Out Get Me Some of Those Rays

To "say goodbye" to summer, the Carlsons took a trip to Eisenhower Park today on labor day. Our original plan was to go to the Bronx Zoo today, but rain was in the forecast so we decided to stay local (it didn't rain, by the way). It all worked out perfectly, we had a wonderful day at the park! It started out with a picnic and then we played on the picnic blanket. Matthew was trying to get to the grass which was pretty funny to watch. He is starting to really move around more, not quite crawling, but getting very close.

After our picnic lunch (of PJ &J sandwiches for Mommy and Daddy and a bottle for Matthew), we walked over to the playground. Matthew had been on swings before when we went camping in July, but now that he's  older, he loved them even more! The playground was pretty big, but many of things were for older kids, but we did find a plane that Matthew could sit at and drive. It was pretty fantastic. 

For dinner we (Rob and I) had turkey burgers. I ground some meat separately and crumbled it up with some pieces of american cheese for Matthew. A baby turkeyburger! It was not his favorite, but it was a new texture so we'll see how it goes next time :) 

All in all, it was a wonderful way to celebrate Labor Day and the end of summer. Can't wait to start our fall fun! 

Today's title comes from a song from the Brady Bunch movie. This could be a legit song, but when I think about it, I picture this version.

There's Nothing You Can't Do... (My 30 Before 30 List)

A few months ago, I read something about a "30 before 30 list" (a list the writer wanted to complete before they turned 30) and it got me thinking. I turn 30 on October 15, 2012 and there are some specific things I wanted to do within the next year. We have been living in New York for 3 years and tried to take advantage of the city as much as possible. I've gone to Broadway shows, seen the Rockettes, walked the Brooklyn Bridge, went to the Macy's Thanksgiving Day parade, been to all 5 boroughs, and seen many of the other touristy things to do here...but there's still so much more! So that is where my list began and after weeks of brainstorming and thinking, I finally completed the list. I have a little less than 13 and a 1/2 months to complete it, but I'm confident I will succeed. I wanted to include a variety of categories...events/sites I want to see and do, physical goals, cooking goals, and things I personally wanted to do. I also wanted to only include things that are within my control and that I think I can realistically complete by 10/15/12.


I would like to note that although I made this list, it's just for fun. I am extremely happy with what I have accomplished and experienced in my 28 years and 10 and a 1/2 months. I had my dream wedding and married my best friend. I gave birth to the most amazing little boy. We moved away from Massachusetts to try out a new area. I received my degree, my Masters, and landed a job doing exactly what I wanted. I've been on a cruise and done some travelling around the US (and Mexico). 


So here goes....in no particular order:


Jackie's 30 Before 30 List:

1. Visit a zoo in New York
2. Run a 5K
3. Hold my son’s hand as he walks by himself
4. Make a lasagna
5. Cheer on my husband as he receives his MBA
6. Visit the Met
7. Drink a Long Island Iced Tea on Long Island
8. Take a tour of the Brooklyn brewery
9. Walk on the beach in the Hamptons
10. Create a new blog to record memories
11. Try 30 new recipes and blog about each one
12. Eat real sushi
13. Watch all the Harry Potter movies again in order
14. Complete 100 consecutive push ups
15. Watch “Casablanca” and “Gone with the Wind”
16. Ride the carousel in Central Park
17. Ride the feris wheel at Coney Island
18. Try a wine from each of the 50 states
19. Complete a crossword puzzle
20. Take a tour of Fenway Park
21. Listen to all of Pearl Jam’s studio albums in entirety
22. See at least 3 more Broadway shows
23. Complete 3 scrapbooks
24. Sample cupcakes from Sprinkles, Magnolias and Carlo’s bakeries
25. Ride on a motorcycle
26. Buy myself a pair of kickass heels
27. Try a spinning class
28. See a plastic surgeon about the age spot on my cheek
29. Go to dinner with all my siblings, just the 4 of us
30. Read/reread 3 novels from high school English class.

If you have a list or had a similar list (doesn't have to be specifically before 30) what would be on it?

The song lyric for today's post comes from "Empire State of Mind" by Jay-Z!

With Alicia and Mom on Thanksgiving 2009 heading in to NYC to watch the parade!

Don't it make you smile...

This is technically my third attempt at starting a blog...in March of 2010, I created "Just My Cuisine" to record some of my favorite recipes and in December of 2010 I thought I would use the journal function in Shutterfly to record Matthew's milestones. Looking back, having more than one blog seems silly and unfortunately I have not kept either one updated as I have very little free time. I've decided that I really want to start writing more so that as our life gets even crazier, I can look back and smile as I remember the precious moments of our family's first years. 


So here we are....hopefully the third time is the charm in Jackie's blog world! I titled the blog Mae You Stay Forever Young because I recently fell in love with Bob Dylan's song Forever Young, mainly because of the theme song from the show Parenthood. I also found a version of Eddie Vedder covering the song and realized that we were at the concert in 2006 where this was performed. 


I love the lyrics and since the main reason of this blog is to remember the moments from when Matthew is young, I thought it was appropriate. And I like puns, so I used my middle name spelling.

My plan is to also title each post with a song lyric. Today's title comes from one of my favorite Pearl Jam songs: "Smile". (Video is from another concert we attended in 2009). 


I have some fun plans for this blog, so welcome to my adventure! 

Mommy and Matthew, June 2011