First Monday of 2015

Happy first Monday of 2015! I know more than a few of us are viewing Monday as the "real" start to 2015, choosing to soak up the last few days of the weekend before settling in to new routines and really sticking to our resolutions. (If you actually started your goals on the first, well done!) So here we go! 

I listed a bunch of goals last week, but I don't really have much specific in mind. Still, I think it's going to be a big year for our little family, and I'm looking forward to it. 

Here's how we finished out our break together:

I can't believe I forgot to mention it, but Terry bought me a Polar heart rate monitor for Christmas! I really love it so far, and I'm excited to see how it influences my workouts.

This photo is from a family hike in Palos Verdes--chilly but beautiful!

Speaking of workouts, we really took it easy over this break. The priority was keeping things fun and easy, so if a workout didn't happen for two or three days, it wasn't a big deal. We went on several walks, did an upper body workout or two (with our new weights, a gift from my brother and sister-in-law), and even managed a little yoga once or twice. 

Marshall got to ride on Terry's back for the first time!

Terry was home for a solid week and a half with us. We had a blast hanging out together, all three of us. I also took the opportunity to enjoy a few breaks from my role as a full-time mom. One day I left the house for over two hours to run errands, and I couldn't help but feel excited about some solo time.

I have no idea how three cartons of Ben & Jerry's got in there, but I regret nothing.

Scout also loved having us home. He cuddled up with us any time he had the chance because it's still quite cold here!

Speaking of which, I know it's super annoying to hear it after I complained ALL summer and ALL fall about how freakin' HOT it was in LA, but I now need to switch gears to complain about the freezing (literally!) weather here. Actually, I love cold weather (outside), but we're dealing with a poorly-insulated condo, so our apartment is around 60 degrees indoors. So anyway, I'm looking forward to our 70-degree days again and hoping we can stop flip-flopping between unbearably hot and impossibly cold soon.


Okay, back to food. These open-faced sandwiches were phenomenal: homemade bread (YUM), bacon, avocado, lettuce, and egg.

And Terry made leg of lamb on New Year's Day!

Our New Year's Eve celebration was perfect. We went to Jenn's mom's house for a few hours, ate an amazing potluck meal, chatted with a small group, and then made it home by 9:30 to put the little guy to bed. Then Terry and I watched Bridesmaids and drank champagne before ringing in 2015 with Scout.

Cheers!

The day after New Year's, we went to Pasadena to check out the Rose Parade floats. You can walk around and see the floats up close, which, to me, was way more fun than a parade because A) you get to go at your own pace, B) you get to walk around instead of sitting or standing in one place, and C) you don't have to be there at a specific time. Plus D) you get to see it all in much more detail!

Marshall slept through most of it.

I posed like a goober.

And now lots of photos of floats (keep in mind that each one is decorated with all organic materials--usually flowers, but they also used leaves, cotton, tree bark, etc.).

Trader Joe's!!

It wasn't too crowded when we were there (about 10:30 to noon), but it got crowded as we were leaving.

I'm so glad we got a chance to view the floats. I had barely even heard of the Rose Parade as a kid (I guess I lived under a rock?), but when I met Terry, who has lived in Southern California his whole life, he introduced me to the tradition. I'm not sure how the actual day-of parade experience is, but this float viewing was an awesome way to partake in the festivities, especially with an infant.

Sportin' our UCLA gear--and the Bruins won our Bowl game!

The rest of this weekend has been all about gearing up for Terry to go back to work and preparing ourselves for a better year (although I think 2014 will be tough to beat). We rearranged some furniture in our room (honestly, the motivation there was to expose our room's heater so we can use it because I couldn't handle one more freezing night in three layers of clothes), tossed some unneeded items, brought a ton of stuff to Goodwill, and took down Christmas. I also started stocking up on homemade baby food, which was fun!

I made pumpkin-banana puree; oats with apples, pears, and bananas; and broccoli soup (onion, broccoli, chicken broth all pureed together). We have a good two weeks or so stocked up now. (I know there's a trick where you freeze baby food purees in ice cube trays, but I haven't gotten around to that yet. Luckily we have a bunch of little containers that work for now.)

Today, to wrap up our time off together, we met up with some friends for a long walk and then lunch. Our friend Nick took this adorable photo of Marshall wearing his "Tiny Pliny" shirt (a gift from my brother--Terry had been wanting to get his very own six-pack of difficult-to-find Pliny the Elder beer, which he received for Christmas, along with this shirt). 

So now it's Sunday night and we must admit to ourselves that Dad goes back to work tomorrow (I think my Sunday blues are worse than his!). It's been so wonderful to have so much time together! Obviously, I've appreciated the help with Marshall and around the house, but more importantly I've loved watching Marshall and Terry together. They read stories, played with Marshall's new toys, and rolled around the floor as Marshall attempted to crawl. Listening to the two of them together--and joining in on the fun myself--has quickly become one of my favorite ways to spend a lazy morning. 

I hope your year is off to a wonderful start. Here's to a year of finding joy in the little moments, spending time with those we love, working hard to reach our goals, and striving for kindness and compassion in all we do. May 2015 be your best year yet!