lesley has been a blog friend of mine for some time.  

she's got a great blog, great aesthetic, and 

girlfriend's got some awesome nutritional info too (my favorite!). 

oh, and did i mention her daughter matilda is the cutest?

her aesthetic definitely extends to her etsy shop: tiny fete.

check it out and enter to win

a $40 shop credit!

she's got awesome carryall bags complete with beautiful leather straps, 

custom fabrics, little girl dresses, tulle skirts...

it's really nice stuff.

i suggest you check it out.

to enter:

{u.s. residents only!}

+ leave a comment below with your email!

additional entries:

{separate comments, please!}

+ favorite the shop on etsy

+ follow her blog

+ follow her on twitter
+ follow her on facebook
+ blog / fb / tweet the giveaway

giveaway closed.
lora is the winner!

...and i like boppin' around to this one as of late.

maybe you will too?

our weekend.

ikea.

veni, vidi, vici.  honestly, that's how i feel about ikea.  i mean, i love it, as long as i don't go more often than once per year.  it's overwhelming.  and i make a list for days before i actually go god forbid i forget anything and have to make my way through the endless maze of aisle this! and bin that! and lingonberry-flavored foods! and words with umlauts! and stacks and stacks of really good priced stuff i don't really need!  so, for 2012, our ikea trip is complete.  and it was a success.  and my outfit matched the rugs too!

so guys.  i've been hearing that the chicken parm has been making its way into kitchens everywhere (and everywhere indeed!  you guys are all over the place!  i loved reading where ya'll are from in last friday's post!  readers from athens!  vancouver!  cuba!).  anyway, glad it's been a successful dinner!  and here's another that i think will be a hit--at least it was (twice so far) in this house.

chicken enchilada casserole

serves 6

like most of my recipes, there's lee-way.  

do as much or as little of the following as you please.

i should add that you could totally do this vegetarian (add more veggies!) 

or ground beef in place of the chicken.

| ingredients |

chicken (i used 3-4 breasts), cooked and cut up (i "pulled" mine cause i like that texture)

red, orange, or yellow peppers (i used three), chopped

1 yellow onion, chopped

sour cream

creole seasoning (or a chili powder / mexican seasoning)

monterey jack cheese (cheddar would be fine too)

black beans, drained

corn (i used frozen)

rotel tomatoes (OR any type of salsa really.  this is just to keep it moist.)

corn tortillas

enchilada sauce (i used this kind because i'm pretty sure the canned variety has high fructose corn syrup in it and that just pisses me off)

spinach, if you want (i put some in and it was delish)

| the how to |

sautee your onion and red pepper in olive oil a few minutes till its just a little bit soft.  add some seasoning: creole, taco, cumin...anything you like.  here's where i boil my chicken, let it cool, then pull it apart.  you can cook yours on the stovetop and cut it up though.  whatever works.  before your peppers and onions are done, if you're using frozen corn, add it so it heats up.  put cooked chicken, peppers/onions, drained black beans, corn, spinach in a big bowl.  add the tomatoes or salsa, some shredded cheese, a couple scoops of sour cream and mix it all up.  meanwhile, heat up your enchilada sauce.  there's no real measurement to the beans/meat/veggies mixture, but you don't want it to be super dry so add enough salsa and sour cream.  then take your corn tortillas, coat them in enchilada sauce on both sides and lay them across the bottom of a 9x13 casserole dish.  they can overlap, it doesn't matter.  on top of it, add your meat/veg mixture.  coat a few more corn tortillas and lay it across the top of the mixture.  again, they can overlap.  then shred cheese over the top of it and put it in the oven for 25-30 minutes at 350 degrees.  top with cilantro!  YUM.

those may be the most vague directions ever but it's that kind of recipe -- you can't mess up.

enjoy!

i was psyched to have pink lemonade contact me for 

sponsor and review cause i like their stuff, yes i do.  

this bib necklace is so simple, pretty, feminine.  

the muted colors go really nicely with most outfits and 

it makes a plain outfit much more fun.  indeed!  

plus, the shop is full of pretty rings, cute hair bands (with felt bows!), and more.

so who wants to win something from the shop!?

up for grabs is a

$25 shop credit to the shop!

| to enter: |

{u.s. residents only!}

+ leave a comment below and include your email!

| additional entries: |

{separate comments, please!}

+ visit the shop and tell me what you'd get!

+ follow the shop on twitter

+ follow the shop on facebook

+ blog / tweet / FB the giveaway and provide URL

giveaway closed.
stacey is the winner!

the first snow!  we stayed mostly around our neighborhood, taking parker out to show him: your first snow!  that white stuff!  it's snow!  and then cozied up inside.  it was a lay-low sort of weekend.  and how funny is that picture of william with lindsey laying in the snow behind him?  it makes me giggle.  she hurt her butt sledding (says she).  the aftermath was pretty dramatic.  i almost gave her an oscar.  i think her butt healed up pretty good, not to worry.

and now most of us are sportin' some mean colds and drinking tea and broth.  hurrah!

ps. if you sent me an email friday and i haven't responded, write me back please!  my email was wonky and i think deleted a bunch.

the best way out 

is always through

{robert frost}

i loved this song before i knew parker was a boy.

so now, i still love it, but substitute she for he. 

go with it.

6 months.  woah.  ready for the cliches?  cause they're about to be thrown at you.  here we go!  where does the time go?  i sit here in total disbelief that i have a six-month old.  i mean, i know it's true.  he's chunky, he rolls this way and that way, he can almost sit up by himself, and he is strong and can arch his back at a moment's notice if he doesn't want to be in a certain position anymore.  but how'd we get here so fast?  i wrote it here awhile back but it's worth writing again: the days are long, but the years are short.  i am doing my best to soak it all in, savor every last morsel of the sweetness that is a new life in the house.  and so much sweetness there is.  parker has brightened our days.  not just mine and steve's, but everyone's.  when he comes down in the morning, sitting on my hip (something he couldn't do fresh out of the womb--more evidence that, indeed, he is growing!) everyone greets him with a genuinely happy, "good morning parker!!" and he reciprocates with an enormous open mouth smile.  like he is equally happy to see the same bright faces every morning.  you can't help but be happy with that looking at you!  he is a really happy guy, more credit to his nature than anything we're doing right but still, i hope that we're doing things right.  or close to it anyway.  

i could go on and on.  and on and on and on.  i won't!  it'd take too long.  there's too much to say.  i journal... my dear parker journal... a means of expressing the overwhelming feelings i have as his mama.  especially since he can't yet understand it.  one day.  so, i will end it with this: parker, we're so glad you are here.  i'm so glad you are here.  

{other months with parker} 

numero uno.

in keeping with my super-crunchy ways this week, i made my own almond milk.  it was sooooo easy and way cheaper than buying it.  take that, store-bought almond milk!  here are the deets: take a cup of raw almonds.  soak them for 24 hours (the water just covering the almonds).  they plump up and the next day dump the water, put the almonds in your blender with five cups of filtered water.  blend!  then pour through a coffee filter to get all the almond meal leaving you with... almond milk!  add vanilla or a sweetener if you'd like?  

question: what do you guys do with your leftover almond meal?  i don't see myself doing the dehydrating-to-get-flour thing.

numero dos.
my sweet friend candis started an etsy shop with her husband drew jones.  his name is drew, but we all call him by his full name, drew jones.  anyway, the two of them have skillz in the art-department and are making prints of some special quotes from friends' blog posts... mine included.  i think it's really special and here's mine.  that quote means a heckuva lot to me so seeing it in print like that melts my little heart.  also, i already own one of those cool necklaces they're making--stay tuned cause it'll be showing up around these parts!  also, they're good people.  so, shop small business and shop good people, duh!

numero tres.

i have wanted the LBD (little black dress, ya'll!) from emerson made for like ever.  it's perhaps the most perfect black dress of all time (oh, and the jeans, and the bag 'o leggings...).  the price tag is a little less perfect but still, it's on my list.  i spotted this one on modcloth and thought it looked quite a bit like my fave one.  that sexy neckline!  a little cleav!  the skinny belt!  it gets me every time.

numero cuatro.

with a bit of prompting, lindsey started this project with that book whose praises i keep singing.  she wanted to make herself a farm (on poster board) using details she found in the book.  it was a cute project and kept her busy for many hours.  that's the ticket!  here she is doing her thang, and here's a page of the book--those details!  every page, people!  every page is full of them!

numero cinco.

i'm ready for summer.  but not for parker to be approaching his first birthday.  any way we could get the summer weather minus the him-growing-up-thing?

numero seis.

i'm open to another vlog.  what?!  did i just say that out loud?  and now that i broke the vlog-ice, it won't take me three months to do it (you're skeptical.  you have every right to be.).  what should i do this one on?

numero siete.

in keeping with my 'i'm going to read the classics in 2012' i'm working my way through pride and prejudice happily. and loving it, people!  the key is bringing the book with me to nurse and not the iphone.  anyway, i imagine jane austen giggling to herself as she writes some of the dialogue in it--particularly mrs. bennet's.  such moxie, that jane austen!  i love it!  and mr. bennet might be my favorite.  the way he gets mrs. bennet all hot and bothered just for the fun of it.  he's a clever one, that mr. bennet.

numero ocho.

boston's had some killer weather lately.  a few weeks ago it was 60!  60, folks!  in january!  in boston!  we walked around the city (mostly beacon hill) all day and ate at the paramount.  it was the best day.  and today we had our first (maybe second, but the first was only 1 inch and melted in a few hours) snow.  our first!  towards the end of january!  i do love the snow, but once it's dirty and gross, i'm over it.  right now, it's looking quite beautiful out.  anyway, all that to say, boston's winter has been good to us this year.

numero nueve.

this is something i wonder from time to time, but haven't yet really asked.  readers: where do you live?  how old are you?  can i come visit?  the third was sort of a joke but not really.  if you tell me paris or spain, i'll be looking you up.  anyway, i often wonder where you guys are as you read my blog, but haven't asked.  so here it is.  where are you?

numero diez.

how about some songs we like up in heeeah lately?  music makes the day better, say i.  parker agrees!

i never tire of paul simon.  like never.  throw any one of his cds at me and i will declare it listen worthy!  the other day i had his new cd on and steve was all, "CAN WE LISTEN TO ANYTHING BESIDES JAMES TAYLOR AND PAUL SIMON IN THIS HOUSE?"  i yelled back, "kiss my a**!"  that being said, i loooove his newest cd.

and for you to have a taste of the greatness, click play!

bam!  ten things!  and i'm linking with my friend elizabeth today.  she needs no more introduction than that, i'm pretty sure you all know her!  and if you don't, you need to fool!

sometimes the zulily deals are hit or miss.  

i thought this was a good one.

(and svan highchairs are on there today too!).

turkey stock + soup. yum.

so, if you recall our thanksgiving, i had a 23-lb. turkey from a local farm ordered.  there was turkey, turkey, and more turkey off that baby.  i saved the carcass and my mom patiently walked me through the stock steps (it was my first time!  homemade stock virgin here!).  so, the other day i got the bird (well, its carcass) out of the freezer and began thawing it. 

let the stock begin!

i have been super excited about making my own broth after reading all about 'perpetual bone broth' on the nourished kitchen blog.  amino acids!  glucosamin chondroitin!  i wanted me some bone broth real bad, dern right!  i mean, health benefits out the wazoo people!  nutrients galore!  i covered the meaty bones with water, threw in some onions, celery (leaves and all), garlic cloves, peppercorns, salt, and fresh thyme.  put that baby on the lowest heat, and let 'er heat!  i turned it off overnight, then started it again the next day.  all in all, i'd say it was simmering for like 15 hours or so?  maybe a little more (i read in nourishing traditions that you can do it up to 24 and keep reapin' the nutritional benefits!).

first of all, the house smelled downright glorious while all this was taking place.  the kids walked in the door from school saying, "WHAT IS THAT?"  (i love when your house smells good as people enter it).  slow-cooking turkey broth and veggies filled the air.   yum.  then came the semi-labor intensive part.  i had me a lot of turkey / bones.  so i removed all the big hunks and bit by bit pulled off the turkey and reserved it to the side (and pulled it apart in manageable chunks for the soup).  the meat fell right off the bone.  and i could not believe how much meat there was!  this 23-lb. turkey was a thanksgiving feast for many, leftovers afterwards, and now was gonna be many, many bowls of turkey soup.  that's getting your money's worth, people!  so, i had all the turkey set aside. but then there was some more stuff at the bottom i couldn't see (and your people won't love you as much if you choke them with a missed bone).  oh!  and i skimmed some of the fat off the top before all this though there wasn't much of it.  free-range, baby!  as i was saying, all the stuff at the bottom i pored through a sieve catching the peppercorns, garlic cloves, a few more chunks, celery, etc.  all the veggies get thrown away as well as the skin, the seasonings, etc.  so you've just got your broth and your meat.  

now, cut the veggies up that will go in your soup.  carrots!  onions!  garlic!  celery!  i went all organic for this soup cause i wanted it to really pack a nutritional punch this winter (and we have leftovers for days!).  sauteed those, added them to the broth with the meat.  seasoned it up with some sea salt and pepper.  cooked up some thin egg noodles and added that... chopped up some parsley, garlic, added that, and bam!  turkey soup was made!  a loaf of crusty italian bread and butter and dinner was on the table.  it was delicious and i was all, "i'm the best ever."  now i think i'm going to go have another bowl.

i realize i have no actual measurements here but it so depends on the size of your turkey, the amount of broth you make, etc.  i actually had too much broth for the amount of "stuff" i had: veggies and meat, so i put some of the broth in the freezer for another day / soup (better yet, get yourself a mug 'o broth and just drink it plain to fight those winter blues!).  variations: add some kale!  spinach!  barley!  quinoa!  peas!  corn!  i wanted the real basic turkey soup for my first time.  next time, i may change it up!

make it and love it!  tell me how it goes!

kids!  doing the darndest things!  ain't it the truth?!  the cast of characters here at the hunt abode has been dishing out material ripe for the blog world.  ripe for the blog world, people!  i mean seriously!  just keep reading!

and these are only two of 'em!  only two hunt hooligans!

william comes home the other day from school and hands steve a $20.
we ask where it came from.
"i brought our fruit leathers to school and sold them.  so-and-so bought 12 of them for $1.75 each."
what??
there are so many things wrong with this.
fruit leathers.  i'm talking non-sweet, non-fluorescent snacks from the kid (william) who's most likely labeled "the kid who brings the crappy, tree-bark snacks to school."  how did he pull this one over on said boy?
and what is said boy doing with $20 when clearly he's an idiot?
and, perhaps i should be impressed here, when did my william become such a saavy salesman?

william and jordan.  they're always going at it.  the latest below.
jordan smacks william in the face with his sock (what?).
william steals some of jordan's ritz crackers.
jordan puts his hands on william's cheese and crackers.
william says, "i'm not eating it now that you touched it!"
jordan says (happily), "fine," and throws it away.
i yell, "GO TO YOUR ROOM, EVERYBODYS!  EVERYBODYS!  GET OUTTA HEEERE NOOOWWW!"

(my verbage doesn't have to make sense all the time.).

you got some crazy kid stories?  share 'em!  we've got to stick together!

you've all seen the sh*t girls say at this point, yes?

if you haven't, well, you're under a rock and i can't help you.

my sister just showed me this gem. 

hilarious.

(and i want to be friends with this girl.  she's awesome.)

our weekend.

it was a low-key weekend.

it got cold here in boston.

us fools went to a big bonfire on saturday.

wind chill had to have made it in the teens!

parker was a trooper (and was ridiculously bundled up).

we read together.

we drank tea together.

we took goofy pictures.

we napped.

we went to whole foods.

blah blah blah.

the end.

i don't hear much about the long-standing classics anymore.  books like a tale of two cities, crime and punishment, david copperfield, anna karenina... and the one pictured, of course, pride and prejudice.  i tend to skip right over them and go for what's on the new york times best sellers list, what people are bringing up in book clubs, what's featured on the big table in the front of barnes and noble, popping up on the homepage of amazon.  you know... the hunger games trilogy (and twilight, who could forget the twilight series?), the help, the other boleyn girl.  these books have brought me great entertainment.  still, i feel like i'm missing out.  outside of a 19th century british lit. class, i haven't read any of these books that i should be reading.  why do i say should?  well, they're of a simpler time (i think we all want things that remind us of a simpler time.  am i right?).  add to that, they're beautifully written--i mean, they have stood the test of time.  not to mention, so often, they're beautiful.  i mean, just the book itself (if they're an old edition, anyway).  steve's over my shoulder pulling one off the shelf right now--leather!--and he's adding: the character development in them!  (his three all-time favorites are pride and prejudice, les miserables, and brothers karamazov).  why don't i (or we, if you're guilty too) read these more?  i know there are a handful of you who do read these classics... who pick up hemingway for fun, and peruse the shelves of used book stores as a hobby.  good for you, and i really mean that.  the rest of us?  pathetic!

i'm going to start.  beginning with pride and prejudice.  i am seriously ashamed to say i haven't yet read it.  steve's ashamed of me too!  and i'm reading it from a book.  a book that you can hold.  not a screen!  look at me go!  what's next?  some dickens perhaps!  or a little thomas hardy!  bronte even!

it's gonna be good.

what classics have you read for fun?  none of that i-had-to-for-class stuff!

since parker was born, i've been half excited to see his milestones come and go and half totally weepy over it all.  i was looking through his hospital stuff when he was about a month old and realized i didn't have his hand and foot print from birth.  i didn't have his hand and foot print?!  the hormonal mother i was freaked out and made steve call the hospital right away to see why it wasn't with the file and where was it and how can we get it and it won't be the same now because he's older and his hands and feet have gotten a bit bigger and oh my gosh i'm going to cry.  they told us that it's for their records.  why?!  i'm not sure.  but at least it wasn't lost... i guess.  so, since then, i've wanted a clever way to record his ridiculously cute, pudgy, knuckle-dimpled hands.  i came up with it the other day just shy of him being six months old.  i got some fabric out, traced his hand (the hardest part of the task, to be sure), cut it out, and mod-podged it onto these wooden canvases i got.  i think i'm going to hang it on the wall in his room and maybe do it again when he's two or something.  it's cute and sweet and i like it quite a bit.

and that's that.

i love breakfast out.  it might be my favorite meal to eat out.  particularly with a baby in tow.  parker is a happy guy but he's definitely most predictably happy in the mornings.  plus, it's not usually too crowded, and sometimes, in the winter, if you time it just right, you can sit near a window and have the sun pouring in on your face while you drink your coffee.  i'm like a cat that way.  i love sun coming through winter windows and warming me up despite the outside chill.  finally, what meal is less expensive to eat out than breakfast, i ask?  thus, breakfast is the best meal to eat out. 

since steve is a professor, we get a long winter break to spend together.  it's been especially nice this year since he's an extra set of hands for parker when i want to take a long shower or sleep in a bit.  now that the kids have gone back to school, most days it's the three of us and it's pretty leisurely around these parts.  the other morning, parker was up quite a few times in the night and this mama was exhausted.  steve took him out of the room to let me sleep another hour or so (and i slept hard.  it's amazing the sleep you get without a baby-in-the-bed.) and returned a while later with coffee and pancakes.  what?!  (he was totally paying attention to that foreplay bit in my vlog.).  needless to say, this quiet break has been really nice.

anyway, enough bragging about steve as you all roll your eyes at me.  we went out to breakfast to one of our favorite spots... a super kitschy, retro-themed breakfast place with the best menu ever.  last time we went, i got pancakes with fuji apples and granola baked in and fresh whipped cream on top.  shut your mouth!  they were amazing but i felt like i had to be rolled out of the restaurant so this time, it was an egg, cheese, and bacon sandwich on a croissant.  my go-to.  steve copied and got the same.  meanwhile, parker stared out one of the many wall-coverings wondering why on earth it wouldn't look back at him.  how rude!

we ate and enjoyed and then walked around a bit, did a little window-shopping... you know the drill.  it was sunny and lovely--but a bit cold.  parker was bundled to the max (i always think of the little boy in a christmas story yelling for everyone to wait up because he's so bundled) and i daresay he was warm.  oh, and you've probably noticed by now, but i gots the instagram!  needless to say, i am loving it.  since when does a phone take such good pictures?!  i'm itsahuntlife there if you wanna follow along.  i'll try not to bore you too much (but i probably will).  so, that's it.  our breakfast date.  

jennifer over at the little illustrator makes the sweetest prints you ever did see.

ones about love... family... appreciating the small things...

the list goes on.

just looking at the shop will get you feeling all hug-somebody-like.

today's giveaway is for 

two prints

of your choice!

 | to enter: |

 + leave a comment below (include your e-mail!)

| additional entries: |

separate comments please!

+ favorite little illustrator on etsy

+ favorite them on FB

+ follow them on twitter

+ tweet / blog / FB about the giveaway and provide URL

giveaway closed.

renee is the winner!

i've made this at least three times in the last three weeks.  so, ya know, once a week.  

steve declares, "this is restaurant good" when i make it.  what does that say of my other dinners?

we don't go there.  but what i do know--it's yummy.  and really easy.  i skip the breading that chicken parm can sometimes have and that cuts the time a lot.  give it a try.

| ingredients |

serves 4

4-6 thin sliced chicken breasts

italian seasonings (i have a mix, but a mixture of salt, pepper, oregano, basil would be fine)

tomato sauce (i loove the three cheese from TJ's)

1 lb. of pasta, any kind

mozzarella cheese

pecorino romano cheese (or parm but i like the first better)

| directions |

sauté your chicken on medium heat in olive oil.  as it browns, keep turning it and seasoning both sides.  this is where it's good if you have thin chicken breasts because you can trust that they're cooked all the way through without cutting them up.  otherwise, cut them up and have chicken pieces instead.

once cooked through, add the tomato sauce right over the chicken and let that simmer on low heat for 10 minutes or so.  then add the mozzarella cheese, and the pecorino romano to the top of that and put the whole pan in the oven (we use all-clad so we can but make sure that it's ok for your entire pan to be in the oven).  broil it for 10 minutes or so till your cheese is golden brown.  serve over pasta!

since parker can sort of sit up these days, i wanted to give his high chair a try.  it was his first time sitting in it and he totally had this air about him like, "look at me!  i'm a big boy!"  it was adorable.  in a month (or so) he'll be trying real food, so he'll get to know this chair well.  

speaking of food, when did you all start feeding solids to your babes?  what was their first food?  how did it go?  did they keep wanting to eat or did they hate the stuff?  parker hasn't shown much interest in real food yet, so i'm not sure if i'll start him at 6 months (which is coming up this month.  i can hardly believe it.) or wait till a little later.  we'll see.  i plan on making his food and starting with sweet potato or butternut squash i think.  i'm roughly following this book which has been my sister's go-to with my nephew quinn.  any other must-see websites or books?  gimme the deets!

and, in case i gave the impression that parker is sleeping through the night in my vlog, he ain't... no he ain't.  some nights, he surprises us and wants to nurse 2 or 3 (say at midnight and 3ish) times at the most and we both fall right back to sleep while doing so, but other nights (i think teething is the culprit!  damn teething!) he'll fuss from 3 am and on for over an hour and nursing doesn't help.  fun times!

i said i'd do a vlog ages ago.
(i thought it was october--
now that i checked mah archives,
i see it was actually september.  woops!).
back off, i never said it'd happen quick!
actually, sorry bout that.
i'll do better next time (next time?).

notes to self:
don't do a vlog when the sun is shining in the window.
and chillax with the hand-motions.
and 13 minutes?  really bridge?
a brave few of you will sit through all 13 minutes.

are these little dolls not the cutest thing?

parker says hands off the one on the right.  it's his gal pal.

not really, but i love her.  and her friends.

when kendra, the maker behind these pretties, contacted me, i was excited

because i'd already been following her blog for a bit and was falling in love

with her storyboards and films.  her blog is a goodie.  check it out.

but also, check out her shop: each peach boutique.  

cutest handmade hair things for girls!

and now, newly added handmade dolls!

so today's giveaway is for 

one handmade doll

that you see pictured above.

(and for the rest of you, a 10% off coupon code through friday: BRIDGET12).

stock up on some lovely things!

| to enter |

u.s. residents only!

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giveaway closed.

adventures of a blondie mommie is the winner!

That was a lot of exclamation points.  Basically, I'm trying to cover a whole host of events in one mass post.  So, pictures it is!  Here's what we've been up to lately: anniversary-celebrating, gift-wrapping, house-festooning, gift-opening, food-eating, sleeping, driving (to nj!)... and a bunch of stuff in between.  Christmas was really, really nice.  It was a chill day in which I didn't get out of my pajamas.  Hurrah!  Everyone enjoyed their new gifts and I'm speaking for them when I say here are the favorites: Nathaniel--a basketball, or maybe his Aeropostale clothes?  Jordan--clothes, he's into clothes these days, or the new Zelda Wii game?  William--Legos, duh.  Lindsey--her first camera or maybe this book which might be the coolest ever.  Parker--why, his Band-in-a-Box of course!

We ate a yummy breakfast and watched movies, had a fire, and relaxed.  Two days later we packed up for my parent's house on the Jersey shore (not the Snooki Jersey shore... the classy Jersey shore).  We hung out with family, met the newest nephew (my sister Erinn had herself a baby boy!), and relaxed some more.  Parker was the bomb in the car and the love I already had for him grew exponentially when I realized he could chill in a car seat for 7 hours and remain a pretty happy guy.  You're the sh*t, little man (it doesn't count when you put a star in place of the i!).  Now, we're home, 2012 is here, and it's all good.

happy new year!