Thanksgiving Pictures

Here are a few pics from our nice extended weekend on Long Island:

My two boys, can't wait to have a pic like this with my third boy next year!

Peanut Butter pie that Erik made at my request - delicious!

Erik & Joe's beautifully decorated fall table (but I was quick to point out there were no pictures of Nick and I on it ;)

After dinner we relaxed by sitting on the couch and playing Words with Friends against each other. Those without an iPhone or iPad were not amused. :)

A tradition I started with my mom, this is the third year we've done it. I told her I think they get a little uglier each year that we do it.

Dexter being a good boy...he was wiped out once the weekend was over

Indy, Bella, and Max

Baby's first Thanksgiving! (not really but you know what I mean!)

Group Pic from Vacation

Nick just sent me this picture of a great group shot of all of us at the meet and greet in Mexico:

From Left to Right: Me, Nick, Caroline, Jon, Heather (in front), Matt Sayer, Matt Bucci, and Deanna

Good times!

xoxo

Favorite Things

My favorite things of late:

1. Argan/Moroccan Oil. Technically, I'm not sure if these are the same thing. I've chosen to stop coloring my hair- I colored it almost three months ago and went darker with brown highlights, and so far it is growing out really nicely. I did it primarily to save money, but as you know I've been making a conscious effort to be cruelty free with my beauty products, and hair color (other than Aveda and Henna) is mostly not cruelty free, and I know the one my hair dresses uses is not. Nick bought me a new flat iron for Christmas and I found out (accidentally, haha) so he let me have it. It came with a small sample of argan oil and I am in love! It smells great and makes my hair super soft and shiny. I purchased organix brand "moroccan oil" shampoo and deep conditioner a few months back (inexpensive!) and my hair has never looked better! I have fine hair that gets easily oily, so if you share the same hair type as me, give it a try!

2. The Body Shop's tea tree oil line. I use the blackhead clearing scrub in the morning with the day moisturizer and the cleanser at night with my clarisonic skin care brush and follow with the night moisturizer. I also use Juice Beauty's night time moisturizer occasionally if my skin feels a little dry - which is very rare!

3. Iced decaf tea/green tea. I am making a conscious effort to stay away from diet soda (although I do have it once in awhile) and this is a nice replacement for water. It's got a little bit of flavor and hits the spot...although it makes me have to pee even more than normal.

4. Amazon.com. I've been obsessed with this website for as long as I can remember, but I've had such great luck finding Christmas gifts here so if you're looking for something strange or particular, give this website a try - be sure to choose the "free" shipping option if you don't mind waiting a few extra days for the package.

5. The Walking Dead. This is a show on AMC and it is amazing. I am a big horror movie fan, so if you're not, don't watch this. But if you are, this show is well worth it!

6. The baby kicking. I know..this should have been first on the list! It really is pretty awesome. I'm not always conscious of it but I really notice him when I wake up and right before I go to sleep, probably because it's a bit quieter. I smile every time I feel him. When in Mexico I was in the room alot resting and he was "bopping" around as I like to think of it...I'm pretty sure he liked it there. :)

7. Lady Gaga. At any given moment, I bust out in song with some of her lyrics. She's amazing. Yes, she's out there, but she's her own person, does (and wears!) what she wants, many of her songs are meaningful (whether it be to others or something personal to her), and she actually has talent.

8. Family. Even though they make me crazy, I'm really glad to be home, on a longer than normal trip. I'll be home in January again for a small baby shower my mom is throwing for me, but other than that once the baby comes I'm not sure when I'll be back.

9. Cheese. Any. Kind. I can't get enough of it.

xoxo

Since I'm Up...Mexico Trip

It's a little after midnight and I stayed up to get some "great" Sephora deals for Black Friday. Unfortunately, most of the deals that were supposed to occur after midnight are already sold out, so I'm pretty irritated! So...since I'm up, I thought I'd blog about the Mexico trip and at least be a bit productive. :)

Mexico was so much fun - I was nervous about flying and about being pregnant and far from home, but thankfully I had absolutely nothing to worry about. The flight both ways were not a problem (I love you Jet Blue!!!!). My ankles swelled quite a bit traveling down there, even though I got up 5 times and drank a ton of water, but once I got off the plane and walked around a bit I was completely fine.

We got to the hotel easily and checked in, but weren't able to go to our room for a few hours. The resort was gorgeous. The rooms were very spacious and comfortable.

The rehearsal dinner was Thursday night and Ralph & Danielle were glowing that night, as well as the entire trip. I have known Ralph for almost 10 years and have never seen him so happy. Danielle is a doll, her and Ralph have been together about 5 years and she is just one of the sweetest, nicest people you will ever meet (she is from Pennsylvania...chicks not from the East Coast are just so much nicer than girls like me ;)

Friday was a leisurely day of laying out, drinking non alcoholic cocktails, and just relaxing. Friday night we had a little "meet & greet" where all the guests could get together.

I went to bed relatively early each night, but I really had a great time. I thought I would be annoyed that I couldn't drink, but most people were not messy crazy drunks (I was surprised ;) and Nick handled himself very well. He was out late each night but didn't come home completely nutty.

Saturday was the wedding and unfortunately it was a down pour of rain! The wedding was held inside but Danielle looked incredibly stunning, and the ceremony was very sweet. The reception was very fun and the food was delicious. I got a glass of wine but only had a few sips and let it sit.

The service at the hotel was amazing - by the second day most of the waiters knew that I was pregnant and would either bring me a non alcoholic drink or ask if they could make a special drink "for the bebe". It was very sweet and made me feel special.

Overall, it was a great trip, perfect for this time of year, and I'm so glad we could be there for Ralph & Danielle. Here are some pics:

Nick and I - and my $10 Kohl's dress!

A shot of our room - the cleaning people were also amazing, we never saw them but they seemed to know if we left the room and were in and out in minutes and it was perfect!

Ahh...the pool

A shot of the hotel...this is the back view of the entrance (and Nick's back view)

All smiles!

When saying vows, Ralph was handed the microphone but handed it back because we were could hear him loud, clear, and confident.

Jon, Diana, and Nick leaving the ceremony

From Left to Right: Heather, Caroline, Deanna, Danielle, Me, Sarah and Ralph

Just needed to get this out-

A family member asked me recently how I was doing, and added that she bet that I was tired of hearing that by now. I remember thinking the same thing when asking my pregnant friends and family members. The answer, first of all, is I feel great. And, I always appreciate the question because I'm so rarely asked it. I don't expect people to go out of their way to check on me, but it's still a nice (and quite simple) gesture.

Also, I know my hormones have been a bit out of whack lately - great one day, not so great the next. It doesn't help when people seem to intentionally get on my nerves - again, it might just be my hormones, but I'm not so sure. Nick gets the brunt of it, and thankfully he's kind of used to it by now (I readily admit I am not easy to deal with!) so he takes it all in stride.

I've been doing a lot of reading on when I go into labor and when the baby comes,and when I'm in the hospital and when we bring him home. It's eye opening and I'm learning a lot. I'm not scared of any of it, I know Nick and I make a great team and we will figure it out. It's kind of everyone else that I'm worried about ;)

We're heading to New York shortly and I'm really looking forward to it. My grandmother was supposed to come to the dinner but decided to go to her sister's instead. I'm really bummed about that because I haven't seen her in over 2 years and just found out yesterday that she isn't coming. But, I'm looking forward to seeing the family members that will be there and just relaxing for the super long weekend. Joe asked if I had any special requests and I said, without hesitation, "MAC AND CHEESE AND ROLLS."

I promise to update everyone about Mexico soon - it was a great trip!

One last thing - my amazing husband sent me two dozen beautiful roses at work today, thanking me for "doing awesome" in Mexico. He's the best, I couldn't ask for a better man.

Just a little baby story...

I get updates on my phone and emails regarding the baby's progress. I tend to skim them over and look for the fun and interesting - a few weeks back I learned that the baby now has eyebrows. :) I shared this story with my friend and it made her day, so hopefully it will make you smile as well. Here's the email:

And I'm about 23 weeks pregnant..baby can tell the difference between voices now (say like mine & Nick's) and will be able to recognize them once he is born..he can also hear Dexter so I clap next to my belly and Dexter barks at it and I say "say hello to your brother!"

xoxo

Where Did November Go?

November has gone by like a whirlwind. We have been very busy, but I can’t believe next week is Thanksgiving already! Nick and I leave for Mexico Thursday and will be back Sunday, then we will be in New York from Wednesday to Sunday for Thanksgiving. This past Sunday we had the annual Tutela family gathering and it went really well – although I still haven’t quite recovered. I’m not used to being tired and not having energy to do things, so it is rather frustrating. I have pictures to upload but figured I would just do a massive upload after Thanksgiving. We’ve also been lucky and have had great weather here, and I’m savoring it while it lasts.
Hope everyone is well!

xo