New Ride

DRS and I are the proud new owners of a mini-van!  I was initially very reluctant about this decision.  I never wanted to be a mini-van mom, but I agreed to get one once we had more than one child.  DRS reminded me of our agreement shortly after we found out about the twins!  As reluctant as I was, I am now surprisingly really excited about it.  It is going to make for very enjoyable trips back to Wisconsin!  

Babies Bump

How far along? 19 weeks + 6 days
Size of the babies? Small cantaloupes  
Maternity clothes? Some maternity clothes but I am being creative with my non-maternity clothes
Best moment this week? DRS felt the babies move for the first time! 
Miss anything? My family
Movement? Lots
Food cravings? Sweets
Gender? Two little boys!!
Labor signs? No
Innie or outie? Innie!
Happy or moody most of the time? Happy
Looking forward to? Seeing my friends next weekend, can't wait to show them the bump!

Special Delivery

I love Girl Scout cookies!  I also loved being a Brownie and a Girl Scout.  I have such good memories of those years, I even spent two summers in college working as a camp counselor at a Girl Scout camp, Camp Silverbrook.  I am very lucky to have two nieces who are Girl Scouts.  Last year DRS and I bought 4 boxes from our niece Emily.  This year we bought 4 boxes from our niece Jane.  The mailman made a special delivery tonight and I couldn't be happier!  4 delicious boxes of Girl Scout cookies were waiting for me when I got home from work.  Thank you niece Jane (and SIL Sarah) for such a wonderful surprise!

UWM Baseball

DRS and I took a road trip to Greenville, NC this past Saturday.  The UWM baseball team was in town for their season opener against East Carolina University.  My cousin Paul happens to play for UWM so we thought it would be a fun opportunity to see him play this year.  It was a beautiful day, 65 and sunny, perfect baseball weather!

Let it snow

February 19 brought our first snow of the season.  What a surprise to open our front door and see a thin layer of powdery white snow last night!  It will melt by today and later this week there is a projected high of 70 degrees, but the snow was nice to see for a few hours!

Babies Bump

How far along? 18 weeks + 6 days
Size of the babies? Mangoes 
Maternity clothes? I wore my first pair of maternity jeans this week
Best moment this week? Seeing the boys today on ultrasound, I missed them! 
Miss anything? My non-maternity jeans
Movement? They don't sit still
Food cravings? None this week
Gender? Two little boys!!
Labor signs? No
Innie or outie? Innie, but not for long :-(
Happy or moody most of the time? Moody this week (poor DRS)
Looking forward to? Mini van shopping!  We will need it with twins on the way!

Single Ladies

I was going though some old pictures tonight on my computer.  I have quite a few from the years after college while my girlfriends and I were enjoying our single lives in Milwaukee.  I got a bit sentimental while reliving all of the memories.  I have the best friends!  I thought I would share some of my favorite photos with you.

Kerri's 25th birthday

Bon Jovi!!!

Heading out for dinner and drinks

Spring in Milwaukee

Miller Lite Ride for the Arts

Another birthday celebration

Miss you ladies!  See you in Chicago!

Butternut Squash Salad

I made this salad last night for Valentine's dinner.  It is such a pretty salad and oh so yummy!  We have really enjoyed this salad during the fall and winter months.  The recipe comes from the cookbook Barefoot Contessa: Back to Basics, but can also be found here on the Food Network website. 

I used spinach instead of arugula and use candied walnuts instead of toasted ones.  I have used apple cider in the past but used apple juice this time around.

This salad, a plate of cheese and crackers and some Valentine's Day brownies made a perfect dinner for DRS and me!

     

National Marquette Day

We had a great time celebrating National Marquette Day yesterday at Blinco's in Raleigh.  We all gathered to cheer on Marquette as they beat Cincinnati 95-78.  Our picture even made the jumbo-tron at the Bradley Center!  What did you do to celebrate National Marquette Day?

We are Marquette!

Babies Bump

How far along? 17 weeks + 5 days
Size of the babies? Sweet potatoes 
Maternity clothes? Leggings have become my best friend
Best moment this week? For the first time I really feel pregnant!  
Miss anything? Caffeine, I could have used it a few mornings this past week
Movement? They love to move around after lunch
Food cravings? Pizza
Gender? Two little boys!!
Labor signs? No
Innie or outie? Innie
Happy or moody most of the time? Happy but a little emotional at times
Looking forward to? Starting to plan the nursery

Grandma's House

As a child I remember having the most wonderful time at my Grandma's house.  My sister and I would spend the night along with one or two of my cousins.  Grandma would make all of our favorite foods including her famous macaroni and cheese, dilly beans, applesauce and black olives.  After dinner we would maybe put a puzzle together or watch Wheel of Fortune while doing Grandma's hair.  Before bed we would have a bedtime snack of cereal (I always chose Frosted Flakes).  These were some of the best sleepovers I can remember!

Since that time we have all developed deeper friendships.  We have grown up, gotten married and starting having children.  We have stood up in each others weddings, had frequent game nights and always enjoy being together.  I would consider my cousins some of my closest friends.

We were very blessed to have such an amazing Grandma who enjoyed having sleepovers with us.  We are also very lucky to have each other.  Thank you Grandma!  We miss you!

Things I love about North Carolina

Carolina BBQ

North Carolina is known for its barbecue!  It has been a traditional food here for over three and a half centuries.  From the earliest days, North Carolina barbecue has been centered on fire-roasted pork because most of the settlers here could afford pigs.  The common recipe of the early settlers was to roast split, whole hogs over wood coals and add catsup (vinegar with salt, hot peppers and sometimes a small amount of oyster juice).  Tomatoes were not used in those early days as they were thought to be poisonous.  The east continued with this type of tomato less sauce barbecue.  The west on the other hand, started only using the pork shoulder and added a little tomato puree and sugar to the east style vinegar sauce.  There continues to be a distinction between east and west Carolina barbecue, and everyone seems to  have their favorite! (History courtesy of The Pit)    

We have enjoyed many barbecue outings since moving to North Carolina.  I think that the barbecue itself is delicious, but the sides deserve mentioning too!  Anytime you order a plate of barbecue, you usually get a choice of 2 or 3 sides, depending on the restaurant.  My favorites tend to be the mac and cheese and hushpuppies!  The warm cornbread before dinner is usually a treat too!

The Pit in Raleigh, Mert's Heart and Soul in Charlotte and The Original Q Shack in Durham are some of our favorite barbecue restaurants so far.  

MRS' dad and DRS after their first NC BBQ experience, yummy!

DRS enjoying his food at Mert's Heart and Soul!

DRS and I would love to take you out for Carolina barbeque next time you come to visit!  

Happy News

Snips and sails and puppy dog tails
That's what little boys are made of!
                               -Mother Goose

Yesterday we had our third ultrasound, mom and babies are doing great - plus we found out we are having BOYS!  We really enjoy getting to see our babies so often.  They were very active yesterday, lots of tumbling and turning.    

Out of all of our ultrasound pictures, this is by far my favorite.  It is a perfect one of both of the boys waving hello!

Babies Bump

How far along? 16 weeks + 5 days
Size of the babies? Turnips
Maternity clothes? Not yet but I started using the tummy sleeve with my jeans and work pants
Best moment this week? Receiving a sweet email from DRS' grandparents, they are very excited about the twins!
Miss anything? Chai tea
Movement? Lots of it
Food cravings? Girl scout cookies - ordered some from niece Jane!
Gender? Hope to find out soon!!
Labor signs? No
Innie or outie? Innie
Happy or moody most of the time? Happy
Looking forward to? Seeing the babies on ultrasound tomorrow