Weekend Getaway

A couple of weeks ago (I can't believe it's already been that long!) we decided to take a mini trip to Albuquerque, NM to visit their zoo, botanic gardens and aquarium. It's four hours away from here and it just seemed like a quick little getaway for the weekend.

We really enjoyed the road trip, we packed snacks galore for Elliot, a couple of sandwiches for Jack and I and headed out. I also packed a couple of books and toys for Elliot to be entertained along the way and we decided to forward face his seat so that he could see us! I completely believe in the two-year rule but I knew he would be okay and that he was ready. I didn't like seeing his legs being squished in the rear facing position and so we made the conscious decision to switch him.

It was the very first time the day of the trip and he wasn't so sure at first. He kept telling us "no, no" when we put him in but once we were all packed in the car and started heading out, he saw that his view was different and so much better! He loved it. He was such a good sport and was really good on this trip. He had his moments where he wanted a different snack other than the hundred other ones I packed but other than that, we stopped a couple of times to walk with him for a while and to stretch our legs.

We sang the ABC's, said our numbers, sang and listened to music (we were joking about me being like the girl in The Heartbreak Kid), talked and it was so much fun! It was good to have some quiet time when Elliot napped to talk and play games with Jack. Nothing like a long stretch of road with nothing ahead to gather our thoughts and regain our strength. (Clueless fans!)



Note: I must say that we bought this car seat (I think it's Evenflo) to put in my car and Jack kept the Britax and it is so much more comfier than the Britax and we paid half the price! I love how easy it is to tighten or loosen the harness without doing back flips trying to figure it out. We love it!



I think we picked the perfect time to go since the weather was really nice and gosh we went right in the middle of the trees changing color. It was such a beautiful sight I wish I would've taken more pics!

Fiiiiiish! (And drool) :)

It was so dark in there but these creatures amaze me! I couldn't stop looking at them. They were so peaceful.

I think it's safe to say he loved the zebras. He did not want to leave! I think he could have stayed there all day if we let him.

Actually, feeding the ducks was his absolute favorite. I had to hold him back from jumping in the water with them!

We ordered room service every night at the hotel and the food was so freaking good. The hotel was hosting a group and conference from Amnesty International and it was so cool to see so many people coming together! We got in the pool, walked around, went to happy hour with Elliot (other parents had their kids there, don't judge! ha!) and of course he was walking around saying hi to everyone and even stopped to talk to two young guys who said "he was the bomb" ha!

It was such a nice little getaway that we are already planning our next one after the holidays! It's nice to be able to take off for a weekend when we have so many places that are close enough to take a toddler without regretting it halfway there. We were really impressed with Elliot! ;) 

Have a great rest of the week!

Elliot Lately.

I haven't done a post on this little monkey lately so I thought I would sum up the last couple of months in one post.

So much has been going on with this boy as far as how much he is developing and what a little clown he's been! He seriously lights up our days and also makes us pull our hair out. ;)

He's officially twenty-two months! He will be two in January and of course I have already started the planning for his party. 

He is so full of energy that my brain can't quite comprehend how he's still going at eight at night when he's had his bath and is ready for bed. One minute he's drinking his milk and the next he's up jumping on the bed. It can be exhausting but the way he makes us laugh makes up for it. 

We have been implementing time-outs and we have had quite a few. Sometimes I cannot help but go and hug him because he will be sitting there, sometimes crying, and he will look at me and tell me "sowwy" in the sweetest voice. Ugh this kid! He knows exactly what he's doing to his mama's heart. It works really well with Jack too. ;)

He's so feisty and knows exactly what he wants. That can be a problem and it goes back to our being able to be at a store for fifteen minutes max. I tried just letting him be and when we need to go to another aisle or part of the store (or wherever we are) we tell him to say bye bye to whatever he's doing and go with us. Most of the time it works, sometimes it doesn't.

Silliness is in his blood. We are such dorks and are joking with each other half of the time and Elliot is the same. We scold him and he will bust out some moves to make us laugh, say something funny, or just look us straight in the eye and smile, giggle, touch our faces, whatever he thinks will work. He makes everyone laugh and when he doesn't make it to daycare, the girls miss him so much! They tell us he's the one who makes them laugh and keeps their day interesting. No doubt there!

I know I say he's very opinionated and feisty but he's also the most loving kid! Every single place we go he makes an impression. We get told that he's a very special kid, and he is! He will go up to a complete stranger and stand there until they turn around to say hi to him. He shakes hands, gives fist bumps, high fives and in some instances (cashier at Home Goods) kisses! I know, he's my kid, I have to brag about him a little! Or a lot. :)

He will point at us and say mama, dada then point at himself and say Elliot. Heart melted.

He can tell you the ABC's, numbers in Spanish and English, with help of course, and working on that has been so much fun! It's something he loves to do. When he wants to do it. Colors on the other hand have been harder! He will say something is blue twice in a row then when he picks it up again he says it's green. He will get there. 

He's still eating pretty good but sometimes goes on eating strikes. I have to tell him I'm going to eat his food or actually eat a spoonful and say "yummy" a million times so that he can then eat it. He can still eat a thousand bananas in one sitting and drink gallons of milk.

Now he says "I love you" and I will never get tired of asking him to say it. It sounds more like "I lah yuuuu" and I love it and him. He sees Jack and I hugging and immediately says "hug" arms wide open waiting for hugs from each of us. We also love when he goes up to us to hug our legs. He's the sweetest!

I will give him a pen and paper (doodling is one of his favorite activities with a pen, just like Jack, go figure) he sits down and yells "guys, guys!!" Once he has our attention, he swears he's writing his name as he says "Eeeelliooot". If that's not the cutest thing ever, I don't know what is.

There's so much more to my boy but I won't bore you with a book! So more in another post. :)

I'll bore you with some pics instead. ;)

Happy Friday!

Tortilla Soup.

With the cold days here (finally!) all Jack and I have been talking about are soups, soups soups. There's something so comforting about them. They make you feel cozy and good and fuzzy inside.

I've made a couple of different ones in the crockpot before it got cold but this tortilla soup that I've made a few times now is so so good and so easy!

Here it goes!

What you'll need-

Chicken broth
Onion- half diced
Water
2 chicken breasts
1 can of black beans
1 can of corn
1 can of Rotel tomatoes with chilies or whichever brand you like

Put the  chicken breasts in the crockpot, add the diced onion and about 2 cups of the broth and one cup of water. Let that cook on low for about 6 hours or high for about 4 hours. Pull apart the chicken using two forks and add the black beans, corn, tomatoes and chilies. Let that simmer for 30 minutes.

I make tortilla chips by cutting them into strips, I coat them by tossing them in olive oil, spread them on a baking sheet and sprinkle a little cayenne pepper and put in the broiler for about 7-10 minutes or until crispy.

I add this to a bowl of the soup along with some avocado and cilantro. It's a super friendly recipe and the best part is that you let the crockpot do all the work for you! I got home yesterday to a house smelling so good and dinner was ready! What more can you want! If you're a SAHM, you can start cooking this in the morning and by the time your hubby is home dinner is ready. No hassle, no million pots to clean and no twenty ingredients to chop up. Those are things that I look for during the week!

Enjoy! :)