A Fun Food-filled Weekend

This weekend, we had houseguests. :) Jason's parents came down from up north to visit with us for the weekend and it was so nice. We stayed pretty busy but it almost seems like all we did was eat! Jason and I skipped a regular dinner all together this evening just to help us catch up.

It all started Friday afternoon soon after their arrival with a stop to Noodles & Co. These little restaurants have been popping up all around us in the past 6 months or so. It is just as the name implies, lots of noodles. They're categorized by Asian, American and Mediterranean and they also have a couple of different salads and soups to choose from. You pick your size bowl, your noodle, add a protein (meat) or veggie if you wish and they make it to order. It's quite delicious and decently priced. I highly recommend trying it if you ever get a chance.

After the late lunch, we headed home to just chill for awhile, do a little catching up and of course to show off our pile of acquired baby items to my MIL.

As planned, once we decided we could eat again, Jason set to work on his delicious fish tacos which I talked about a couple of entries ago. Again, of course, delicious. Especially when Jason is cooking.

Our original plans got rained out for Friday evening as some storms came through the area, so we ended up watching the Food Network and the news before calling it a night.

Saturday morning, we got up and ready and headed down to Hocking Hills State Park for some hiking and sight-seeing. Jason and I went camping down there in June, but skipped the hiking. However, back in January, we stayed in an awesome cabin on Jason's birthday for the weekend and did some winter hiking. It was freezing, but beautiful! (And we had to borrow a 4-wheel drive to handle all the hills out there) Check out some serious ice here. It's a nice way to spend a beautiful day outside of the city. My family used to do camping trips out there too while growing up, but it never gets old. It's so cool to see all the sites...and free!

So, then, of course, we had to have lunch. What better after a day in the hills then some Amish cooking at The Olde Dutch Restaurant. Of course, we all had to get the buffet, so then, we were again stuffed. But, not without room for some ice cream. :) (I had Superman - anybody remember that flavor?? Delicious!)

After getting home and a little r&r, Jason had a great idea for dinner. We had reservations, so we hit the bookstore for a little while first, then headed to Benihana for a delicious dinner with a show. Benihana is a Japanese Steakhouse/hibachi-style dining that just opened up near us as well. After a short wait, we had our seats around the hibachi grill and enjoyed our approximately 6-course dinner. (It definitely felt like it anyway) Unfortunately, dessert at The Cheesecake Factory across the sidewalk was out of the question. (As a side-note, our little baby girl also thoroughly enjoyed our dinner at Benihana - or at least all the noise. Jason got some very serious kick-time in during dinner) After dinner, we rolled out and rolled home to enjoy a bit of The Santa Clause on TV. (I LOVE Christmas movies!!)

Breakfast being out of the question today, we headed to church then were hungry enough for a little lunch at The California Pizza Kitchen. Also another tasty place with probably close to 20 different types of pizza. You can get just about anything on your pizza there from basic pepperoni or hawaiian to goat cheese & roasted peppers. They also have a few sandwiches and salads, but I always get the pizza. Then we did a little window shopping before our houseguests had to call it a weekend and make the trek back up north.

We definitely enjoyed the company and the weekend. We also probably do not need to eat out again for the next month or so. ;) I imagine the next time Jason's parents will both be in town to see us will be for the arrival of their first grandchild. It's hard to believe. Luckily though, we will be headed up their direction at least once before that day comes. Also, I imagine their next visit will involve much less dining out and much more eating in... hospital food anyone?? :-/

A "Baby Boutique"

So, my mother-in-law (MIL) is the Queen of garage sale-ing. (at least in my opinion) She is actually out sale-ing it up right now. :) She always seems to find the best stuff too. I, on the other hand, have never had much luck at all, and to be honest, have not had all that much interest in trying harder. Until now... Now I have a reason to shop. :) I normally have a hard time shopping anywhere that there is not the utmost organization. Places like TJ Max, etc have never been places that I enjoy going, although I know that you can really get some of the best deals there. I think it's partially an OCD thing, maybe a little bit of ADD - I'm not sure. I just can't ever seem to focus. I have had the same problem with garage sales...the lack of focus. But, I am working on it.

The Rec Center across from my office has what they call a "baby boutique." People rent space and they fill two gyms with garage sale type stuff. It's big and crazy and they even have a shuttle that drives people to the parking lot across the street. There was one in June that I missed. But, luckily, they had another one, so I decided to brave the sales today. I am glad that I did.

I didn't get any big stuff, but I did find lots of very fun outfits. (24 to be exact - for less than 20 dollars) Some of them were only 50 cents!! My personal favorite is one Sleep Bag...Christmas style...brand new, tags still on for 50 cents!! I can hardly wait to put it on our little cupcake.

I was also so lucky this weekend to have mom and my sister come to hang with me for the day. We did some very serious maternity shopping, as I was definitely needing some clothes. And, I have to say, thanks to some pushing from my mom to try on certain items, I now have myself quite a wardrobe to get me through the next three months. (And hopefully some of the next couple of pregnancies as well.) :) I was having a bit of a hard time finding maternity stuff, as it seemed like most of it is all online now and I need to try stuff on! JCPenney's was the answer to this dilemna and surprisingly an amazing success with everything more than 50% off! Woo-hoo! Thank you Mom & Melissa for a great day!

A Delicious Dinner

Jason has perfected a Weight Watcher recipe that we once tried. "Fish Stick Soft Tacos" Maybe the best dish ever. Not sound so good?? You must try it to believe just how good it can be.

I prefer mine on flour tortillas and Jason likes corn. We top them with the fish sticks, a little cheddar cheese, fresh sliced avocado, a little bean & corn salsa, broccoli slaw (or lettuce), and Jason's "special" sauce. (Which is sour cream, lime juice and

paprika)

They are seriously so amazing! We could probably eat them nearly every day. And, are always happy for an excuse to make them - so, if you ever want to come over for dinner - just let us know!

A 24-Week Pregnant Belly

Here it is folks. My 6-month pregnant belly shot. Cute, right?? Most days I think so too. ; ) I can hardly believe I've got 3 more months of growing to do!!

A Weekend Off

I hope everyone is enjoying the 90 degree weather we're having. :) I, myself, am most definitely counting down the days to fall. (For more reasons than usual now of course.) I don't recall ever really being a huge fan of the summer. Well, mostly, I mean, the heat. Don't get me wrong...I LOVE all the fun things there are to do in the summer. Days at the lake, cookouts, suntans, my birthday etc. I just wish it could stay at 80 degrees or less. Really, 60-70 is more my style. Fall has been my favorite season for as long as I can remember. I love sweaters and jeans weather. Plus, all the great smells of fall that there are to look forward to...and now, of course, our little angel gets to come into the world at the end of my favorite season. Heading into a cozy winter. The thought is making me cooler already.

Speaking of our angel...she's doing quite well. Growing bigger and stronger every day. I've been feeling her moving around a lot more this past week or so and I think it's just a matter of timing now so that Jason can feel her in there as well. I just felt her kicking from the outside just the other day, so hopefully soon.

So, we have a weekend off this weekend. No work, no traveling, nothing we had to do at all. It's rare with Jason working every other weekend that we just get to enjoy the time off at home. It's also hard to not make plans to go somewhere or do something. I think it is also good for us to stay home every once in awhile. I do enjoy it, even though we do miss seeing everyone.

Yesterday, we had a Dr appointment, then lunch, then Baby Registries! Jason was quite the trooper being willing to go out and do all of that with me. I think it was pretty fun, and now we have all kinds of "stuff" picked out, it seems like she'll be here that much sooner. I feel somehow more prepared even though we don't have much of anything yet.

Today, we went to the Latino Festival downtown hoping to get some tasty tacos for lunch, but we opted for our favorite spot in the Short North for lunch instead. (It ended up being cheaper going to a sit down place for lunch than buying the festival food!) While it was incredibly warm out, it was fun to get downtown again. It's been awhile for me. Tonight we have some friends coming to town to go to dinner, so that will be fun as well.

Tomorrow....church and then, whatever we feel like doing. :) It's great!

I hope everyone else is enjoying their weekends. I hope to be getting some belly shots on here again soon - it's definitely looking pregnant now. (only 16 weeks to go!!)