3rd Anniversary and 5 months old!

Happy 3 year anniversary to my wonderful husband!

And happy 5 month birthday to my little guy!

And happy birthday to my late grandaddy <3 I love and miss you.
What a big day today is for us!

Top 5 Selfish Reasons to Breastfeed

I am very committed to breastfeeding my son for a lot of different reasons. The American Pediatric Association can give you a million scientific and health related reasons to breastfeed which are of course the key reasons I choose to do so, but there are also plenty of selfish reasons to just for mamas! Here are my top 5 reasons breastfeeding is awesome for me:

5. I find it much easier. No bottles to clean (and I hate cleaning bottles!), no mixing, no actually getting out of bed to feed him at night, and no worries about packing a bottle or what if I didn't pack enough to last him, etc. Hell, I don't even have to be awake to feed him, half the time I just wake up enough to get him situated and fall back asleep. And I never have to worry about temperature, how long it will stay good, different brands, or recalls. It's always healthy and always ready to go. 

4. It gives moms extra protection from certain cancers; breast, ovarian and endometrial. Anything I can do to fight cancer is cool with me!

3. It helped me lose my baby weight faster then I would have otherwise. For the first 6 weeks after having him, I wasn't allowed to work out and could just to light walking but I could burn so many extra calories breastfeeding and the first 10 pounds practically fell off. In fact, I can say that breastfeeding (with a side of light exercise) got me below my pre-pregnancy weight!

2. I love the bonding it provides. I am not trying to say that people who formula feed don't bond with their babies because obviously there are so many great and valuable ways to bond with your baby, but Boston isn't a big cuddler so feeding time is my extra bit of bonding each day. Having him curled up in my arms to eat is so wonderful, and half the time he falls asleep right there while being cradled. Otherwise, I only get big baby hugs and snuggles when he's sick or tired and I need to get all the hugs I can before he gets older and too cool for mom!

1. It's one of the very few things I can provide for him that no one else can. Some people have asked why I don't pump more or why I don't use formula occasionally so I can get a break or leave for longer then a couple hours at a time. And the reason for that is that I love that he needs me. Selfish, I know, but my son is very outgoing and social and I joke that the only time he prefers me over others is when he's hungry. And I really kind of love those moments where I can say, "Oh, he wants his mama" :)

And I have to include one bonus reason, and one of my biggest motivators when I do find breastfeeding to be difficult or time consuming: IT'S FREE

*However you feed your baby is okay with me as long as they are fed, and I know a lot of people that want to breastfeed are unable to for a variety of reasons, so I hope this doesn't come off as anything against formula feeders because it is not my intention at all. Just wanted to share some of my favorite selfish perks of breastfeeding!

Sweet Chili Salmon

Today I thought I'd share one of my favorite meals in the world. I'm so close to saying it is my absolute favorite but that's a huge commitment, but it is a solid top 3 contender. I'm really lucky to have family in Alaska who fish all summer and supply me with salmon all year. My dad and grandparents fish and dip-net and then spend a week or so smoking, canning, and freezing salmon so they have some to last the winter and also to give to family and friends. I could eat salmon several times a week but eventually you start to run out of ways to prepare it, especially when you're dealing with canned salmon. This recipe works with either fresh or canned and if you're using canned then it is incredibly quick and simple. 

Sweet Chili Salmon Tacos

Ingredients

1 large salmon fillet, skin removed (or substitute canned if you'd like, the ones I use are about 16oz)

2 cups cooked rice

1 cup cooked black beans

Mae Ploy sweet chili sauce (or other brand if you prefer)

Tortillas

Cook your rice and prepare beans (canned or dry). Cook salmon in a skillet over medium heat until it flakes easily. Break the salmon into small bite size chunks. Add sweet chili sauce and coat salmon (use as much as you'd like, I usually use about 1/3 cup) then simmer for a couple of minutes. Then layer tacos: a couple tablespoons of rice, a tablespoon or so of beans, and a couple tablespoons of salmon mixture. And you're done! 

If you choose to use canned salmon then this is even easier because the cooking is done. Simply drain and rinse the salmon, then simmer it in a skillet with the sweet chili sauce for 2-3 minutes. This meal is also great without the tortilla and just served mixed up in a bowl. If you substitute brown rice and forfeit the tortilla, you're looking at a really great, healthy and low-cal meal. I really encourage you to try this because it's amazing!  

Wordless Wednesday

Cake Batter Pancakes

In case you didn't know, today is national pancake day. Okay, so maybe not in America (much to my dismay) but in the UK, Fat Tuesday/Shrove Tuesday is also observed as Pancake Day. In America, IHop recognizes it as February 28th (and who better to trust about pancake day then IHop right?). However, since we spent the previous 2 years in England, my facebook was blowing up with friends talking about pancake day and I got way too excited. Let me paint the scene for you; upon reading that my friend Sarah would celebrate pancake day by making cake batter pancakes, I immediately got out of my comfortable chair, raced to the bathroom to fix my hair only to discover I couldn't find a hair tie anywhere. This is enraging because I just have to get to the store to buy flour before Steven has to leave for school that evening. So I stomp around the house, slamming things, swearing and demanding a hair tie so I can go. Husband asks what is so important...
"IT'S NATIONAL PANCAKE DAY!!!!"
So I continue to scurry around the house in a frenzy, give up on fixing my hair, and run to the store with the baby, looking a hot mess. And if you know me at all, you know that I have a severe history of big hair. I assure you today was no different; it was large and not so in charge which is why I was trying to restrain it with no such luck. Normally I would take that as a sign that I don't need to leave the house but not today. Oh no, not on pancake day.

Cake Batter Pancakes with Cream Cheese Glaze
Ingredients
1 1/2 cups flour
2/3 cup yellow cake mix
1 tbs sugar
3/4 tsp baking powder
Pinch of salt
2 eggs
1 tsp vanilla
1-2 cups milk *start with 1 cup and gradually add more if needed*
Sprinkles
Combine cake mix, flour, salt, baking powder, and sugar in a large bowl. Add the eggs, vanilla and milk, stirring til smooth. You want this to be like regular pancake batter so add more milk if needed so it isn't too thick. Preheat a skillet or griddle to medium heat. Fold desired amount of sprinkles into batter. Spoon about 1/4 cup of batter into the skillet at a time. Cook until bubbles form on top, about 2-3 minutes, then flip. Cook for another  minute or two. Serve topped with glaze.
Cream Cheese Glaze
3 oz cream cheese, room temp
3/4 cup powdered sugar
1/4 cup butter, softened
1/2 tsp vanilla
3-4 tbs milk
Beat first 4 ingredients til smooth. Gradually add milk til thinned to your desired consistency
Pancake recipe from howsweeteats and glaze recipe from my head :)

If you're wondering, yes that is a super cool Coca-Cola plastic plate

So I'm sitting here with hair the size of Texas, eating a pile of the sweetest pancakes and reminiscing about my time in England. Thank you for pancake day! Oh, and next time, I'll add sprinkles on top of the glaze just because.
PS if you're wondering if it was worth the frenzy and fury, the answer is yes it was.

Creamy Chicken Taquitos

Boston is feeling a little better today but last night I had the (not so) brilliant idea of letting him sleep in bed with us all night. He's been napping really well as long as I'm holding him or next to him so I thought maybe he'd do better if we co-slept. Wrong. He woke up every 2 hours or so and it wasn't just to eat but he was upset and fussy and blah. Poor pumpkin. So husband and I didn't get very much sleep at all and just as I was about to make Steven go to Dunkin Donuts and get me 2 chocolate frosted doughnuts (comfort food), our grammy called and invited us out for breakfast. So we went to Friendly's and I got strawberry topped french toast, which did the trick also. Grammy was also gracious enough to watch the kiddo while I took a 2 hour nap, bless her heart.

Tonight I tried a recipe I've seen on multiple sites for creamy chicken taquitos. I chose to base mine mostly off of Annie's Eats, who has a wonderful site with amazing looking food. I've made a few things from her site and really enjoyed them. They turned out great! Steven enjoyed it too so I think we'll add them to our menu. The recipe made 8 for me, and we each had 2 and found them to be very filling. These were really easy to put together and I had some shredded chicken ready to go so it was super simple today. I've been trying to make a habit of reserving a couple chicken breasts from the big packs we buy and cooking them in the slow cooker for a few hours, shredding it, and either refrigerating for a day or two or freezing til I need it and it's made a lot of meals much easier on a busy day. I served these taquitos with a side of salsa and refried beans. Also, one change I made was that I used wheat tortillas. I really like Chi-Chis Low Carb tortillas and since we're technically supposed to be starting our "diet" today, I thought that would be a good idea. Speaking of said diet, I'm going to put it off til Monday because I was pretty shocked that my husband wanted to join in on the diet with me, and I have to do some brainstorming on Steven-friendly meals and snacks to prepare.

Creamy Chicken Taquitos
Ingredients
3 oz cream cheese, softened
1/4 cup salsa
2 tbl lime juice
1 tsp chili powder
1/2 tsp cumin
2 cloves garlic, minced
2 green onions, chopped
2 cups shredded, cooked chicken
1 cup Mexican blend cheese
8 tortillas
Cooking Spray
Kosher Salt
-Preheat oven to 425 degrees. In a large bowl, mix cream cheese, salsa, spices, lime juice, cheese, chicken and onion until blended well. Heat tortillas in microwave til easy to handle, about 15 seconds. Spoon 2-3 spoonfuls of chicken mixture into center of the tortilla and roll up tightly. Place seam side down on a baking sheet. Lightly spray the top of the taquitos with cooking spray and sprinkle with kosher salt. Bake for about 15 minutes until golden.
Adapted from Annie's Eats
You may notice my lack of photos when it comes to food. That is because I fail miserably at photography, especially food photography. It always ends up looking not so appetizing and I don't want to deter anyone from trying these recipes because of poor presentation. But if you follow the link to the original recipe, you will see some wonderful photos!

Baby milestones

We hit a couple small milestones today but I can't for the life of me remember where baby's book is so I'll mention and date them here so I don't forget. First, Boston was able to stand up (while holding something) on his own today! He couldn't pull himself up but this was the first time he was able to bear all of the weight on his legs on his own and he even held if for a couple minutes before getting wobbly. Steven had him in his lap while we were parked in the car and he decided he wanted the steering wheel so Steven stood him up and Boston grabbed the wheel and just held up, standing on his own little adorable legs!

And then he also had solid foods for the first time. We had tried rice cereal which he loves and I decided to try some purees to see what he thought. We tried sweet potatoes and he did not like them. So I think we're going to just wait a few more weeks and try again. Maybe he just isn't ready yet.
But there you have it, 2 major milestones, both on Feb 17th, 2012!

I am Alaskan

I love all of these new "What _____thinks we do" graphics. I've seen a few of my friends post one about Alaska and it's so true that I just had to share.

I think it's pretty accurate!

Wordless Wednesday

Valentine's and orange scones

We had a great Valentine's day in this house! Boston and I started the morning by getting his daddy his favorite hot chocolate and a couple heart shaped doughnuts. Then I finally got a chance to make some orange scones I've been dying to try. We were lucky enough to have our aunt come babysit so Steven and I could go out to lunch without the kiddo. We went to Longhorn Steakhouse (amazing!) and I had never been there before. I got a delicious ribeye and got to enjoy the company of my husband without a baby whining in the background. We decided to get Boston a Valentine's gift too and got him an exersaucer we had been eyeing for awhile now, which ended up being on sale and turned out to be $17 cheaper then expected!

Testing out the super cool new exersaucer!

Steven had strict instructions this year to just get me some good chocolate and he chose a chocolate covered ice cream cake from Coldstones which is fantastic. And now he's in class while the baby and I cuddle and watch Glee. And the Teen Mom 2 finale is tonight, I mean can it get any better? 

Strawberry ice cream layered with red velvet cake, covered in chocolate ganache! So tasty!

When I was pregnant, Steven and I had a routine of going to Panera after my doctor's appointments for pastries and I almost always got their orange scone. I never thought I'd like scones but I thought I'd give it a shot and it was one of the most divine things I've ever tasted. I've been considering trying to make them myself for quite awhile now but for some reason scones intimidated me. I don't know why, because it was incredibly easy! The only thing I plan on working on is making some kind of orange frosting like they use at Panera or a heavier glaze. Maybe even some orange extract in the glaze because in the Panera version, the glaze is where most of the orange flavor is and that's what I like. 

Orange Scones

Ingredients

1 3/4 cups flour

4 tsp baking powder

1/4 cup sugar

Zest of 1 orange

Pinch of salt

5 tbs cold butter, cut into small cubes

1/2 cup orange juice

1/4 cup sour cream

1 egg

1 tbs milk

Orange Glaze

1 cup powdered sugar

1 tbs orange juice

Preheat oven to 400. In a large mixing bowl, whisk flour, baking soda, salt, and zest together. Add the butter and use either a pastry mixer or your hands to mix until it is crumbly in texture. Stir in the orange juice and sour cream just til blended. 

Seperate into 2 equal sections and shape into about an 8" round disk, about an inch thick. Let rest for about 10 minutes. In a seperate bowl, mix the egg and milk and use as an egg wash over the 2 disks. Bake for 12-14 minutes. Slice rounds into quarters and let them cool to room temp. Brush with orange glaze. 

Adapted from Pastry Affair

So yummy!

Hope you had a great Valentine's Day!

P.S, did I mention Cougartown starts again today too? BEST DAY EVER!

Meatless Monday : Gooey Three Cheese Lasagna

I am sitting in my recliner in an utter state of bliss. I am stuffed from one of my favorite meals, watching the Lady Gaga inspired episode of Glee (def my new favorite show) and my poor sick baby is peacefully sleeping, aka not screaming in my face. The not screaming part is the really great part because he's spent the majority of every day the past week working his lungs and vocal cords as hard as possible and I've had a baby induced headache for a few days now.

I just started watching Glee in the past week or so and I'm already almost done with the first season. I love it! It's the perfect mix of fun songs and performances and teenage drama. I love that it hits so many of the important issues like teen pregnancy, sex, disabilities, bullying, gay-rights, self esteem... the list goes on. Plus it's freaking hilarious. I can't get enough.

I've always wanted to dabble in vegetarianism and limiting our meat consumption but it's kind of tough to get my husband on board. So I've decided to implement meatless Mondays in our house for awhile. I have been craving lasagna for awhile so I finally decided to try a recipe I snagged off of Pinterest for three cheese lasagna. I made some adjustments and I really enjoyed it. So much gooey cheesy wonderfulness! In fact as soon as I'm done writing this, I'm going to dive face first into another piece.

Gooey Three Cheese Lasagna
Ingredients
1 jar of marinara
8oz shredded mozzarella
12 oz ricotta
Roughly a cup of shredded parmesan
No boil lasagna noodles
Preheat oven at 375. Mix the ricotta and parmesan in a seperate bowl. Using a 9x9 pan, spread a small layer of marinara on the bottom then top with a couple noodles. Layer a 1/3 of marinara on top of the noodles, then use a 1/3 of ricotta/parmesan mixture, then 1/3 of the cheese. Repeat layers and then top with remaining marinara, bake for 45 minutes. Let rest for 15 minutes before eating.
Super easy and tasty. I'm lazy so I use pre-made sauce and no boil noodles. The noodles came out perfectly tender so why bother? Probably the easiest lasagna I've ever made and turned out amazing.
Slightly adapted from canyoustayfordinner

Lady Gaga inspired Glee + lasagna + sleeping baby = perfect evening.

Valentine's

Words to live by

"I want to be clear and here are the values I stand for. I stand for honesty, equality, kindness, compassion, treating people the way you want to be treated, and helping those in need. To me those are traditional values. That's what I stand for."
-Ellen Degeneres


I wish more people had these same values. This is what I stand for and what I hope to teach my son one day. It's too bad that there are so many people in the world who don't stand for those same things, and they are so blinded by hate to realize the goodness and great intentions of others. 


If you are unfamiliar with the current fight between JCPenney/Ellen Degeneres and "One Million Moms" group on facebook, here is a link. Of all the issues in the world, I'm always shocked by the battles some people choose and the reasons behind it. I'm not sure who "One Million Moms" is talking about in respects to a traditional family, but their idea of traditional certainly doesn't represent my family or beliefs. 


Reading the quote above solidifies the reason Ellen Degeneres should be a spokesperson and role model. She is kind and respectful to all people, and that's the way life should be.  

Chewy Chocolate Chip Oatmeal Cookies

I love Pinterest. Every time I need something to eat, I can just hop on there and find a million ideas. This week I was in the mood for some oatmeal chocolate chip cookies. I haven't made cookies in quite awhile, and I thought I'd choose some oatmeal cookies because oatmeal helps boost milk supply (in case you didn't know that handy tip, breastfeeding mamas) so I figured Boston could fatten up too.

Chewy Chocolate & Butterscotch Chip Cookies
Ingredients
1/2 cup butter, softened
1/2 cup sugar
1/2 cup packed brown sugar
1 egg
2 tsp vanilla extract
1 1/4 cup flour
1/4 tsp salt
1/2 tsp baking powder
1 1/2 tsp cinnamon
3/4 cup rolled oats
1 cup chocolate chips
1/2 cup butterscotch chips

1. Preheat oven to 375
2. Cream butter and sugars until smooth.
3.Add egg and vanilla, beat til well combined.
4.Stir in flour, salt, baking powder, and cinnamon on medium speed.
5. Beat in oats.
6. Fold in chocolate and butterscotch chips. Refrigerate for 30 minutes
7. Remove dough and roll into 1 inch balls, place about 2 inches apart on baking sheet. Bake for 9-11 minutes
Adapted from How Sweet It Is

These were really good. They had just enough oats to stay soft and only slightly chewy. I really prefer my cookies to be cakey so these were great for me. I liked the combination of chocolate and butterscotch, but feel free to omit one or the other because it is pretty powerful. What I dug most about this recipe though was the hint of cinnamon. It really put them over the edge. I would absolutely make these again.

Now if you'll excuse me, I'm going to go eat cookies til I get sick. They're that damn good.

Wordless Wednesday

Spinach Artichoke dip

I made spinach artichoke dip for the game that shall not be named this past Sunday. It's my go-to dip for any big event or holiday, and every time I've brought it to share, someone asks for the recipe. It's that good. My husband asks for me to make it every time an opportunity arises, and if you know anything about my husband, he normally wouldn't touch a green vegetable even if his life depended on it. But this one he loves. It's not healthy, don't let the spinach or artichoke fool you. But my husband likes to believe vitamins beat up calories and therefore we break even so if you want to follow that idea, then there's no foul. Unfortunately it doesn't picture well at all so I'm not even going to post a picture as to not discourage you from trying a truly delicious dish. So try it!
Ingredients
2 8oz packages of cream cheese, at room temperature
2 14oz cans of artichoke hearts, drained and chopped
1 cup frozen spinach, thawed, drained and chopped
1/2 cup sour cream
1 cup freshly grated parmesan, divided*
2 cloves garlic, minced
1 tsp basil
*in place of 1/2 cup of parmesan used mixed in dish, I have substituted an Italian cheese blend in the past which also works well


1. Preheat oven to 350. Cream together cream cheese, sour cream, 1/2 cup parmasen, garlic and basil
2. Add spinach and artichokes, blend
3. Pour into a 13x9 dish and top with other 1/2 cup parmesan
5. Bake for 25 minutes

I usually like to broil it for an additional few minutes at the end so the cheese browns a little on top. Serve with tortilla chips, pita, crackers, french bread or whatever else you might have around!

*sigh*

Well, at least I've got a giant bowl of chocolate death to drown my sorrows in.

 See you next season, Pats.

Stawbanana Bread

I love to bake. Like really love it. I haven't been doing much of it lately though for multiple reasons. I don't work, so I don't have a place to bring all of my goodies to ensure they all get eaten. I'm still trying to lose some weight which is impossible with treats in the house because I have zero self control when it comes to baked goods. And with a very needy 4 month old, I rarely have time. But while he was napping tonight I decided to try a quick bread I saw on Pinterest.

I love strawberry and banana together but had never thought of putting them together for a bread. So tonight I did, and it was delicious! The perfect bread for breakfast. I like to believe it's healthy also, aside from the sugar and butter. The bread turned out super moist with just a slight tang from the strawberries. It smelled amazing while it was baking, so much so that my husband was a little worried when I said it was a breakfast bread, thinking he would have to wait a whole day to eat it. It's been awhile since I have had a successful bread.

Please note, I am not a photographer so these aren't the best pictures but at least you can see the finished product

I stuck to the recipe, except I didn't use Greek yogurt. I used plain vanilla yogurt instead because it's what I had and I didn't feel like buying a separate cup of yogurt just for this recipe. It turned out just fine.

Ingredients
1/4 cup unsalted butter, melted and slightly cooled
1/4 cup plain Greek yogurt
3 ripe bananas
1 cup strawberries, diced
1 cup granulated sugar
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
2 eggs
1 1/2 cups All Purpose flour
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
Directions
1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit.
2. In a large bowl, mash bananas. Add butter and sugar and mix well. Then add yogurt, eggs and vanilla and mix well.
3. In a separate bowl, sift together baking soda, baking powder, salt, cinnamon and flour. Add dry ingredients to wet and mix until just combined.
4. Fold in sliced strawberries.
5. Pour batter into a greased loaf pan and bake 55-60 minutes.
Recipe from Pass the Plate

The Children's Museum of NH

Yesterday the Children's Museum of NH had their monthly free evening, which is the first Friday of each month. We took Boston for the first time, and neither of us had ever been either. One thing to know about the museum is that you cannot bring a stroller through so if you're bringing a baby you will want to bring a carrier. They have a few you can borrow but since I had seen this information online, I brought our Infantino baby carrier. Boston seems to prefer that anyway because he gets to look at everything much easier. They have an area to park the strollers while you check out the museum.

It was pretty busy so we didn't spend much time at each exhibit but it has a lot of great hands on activities for kids. I'm looking forward to bringing Boston back when he's older to try out the dinosaur fossil dig area. Upstairs, there is a section strictly for kids 3 and under. We spent most of our time there but it was pretty busy too. On another day I think Boston would really enjoy it. They had a couple train tables, a small climbing area, hand puppets, books, and even a nursing nook! We let Boston roll around on the mats and look at himself in the mirrors which he really enjoyed. He also seemed to like the sensory tubes with dice and beads inside.

I thought it was worth the trip and I'm excited to bring him back another day!

New England Patriots Tribute

Football is a big part of our lives because my husband and the majority of his family are super fans; New England Patriots super fans specifically. You may think I'm exaggerating by saying they are super fans but I assure you I am not. His dad even created a very intricate football dice/board game called Roll Bowl, which my husband is currently designing new boards for. Half of what we own is emblazoned with the Patriots logo,  and you don't want to be anywhere near this house when the Patriots lose. You may think we're bandwagoners considering how awesome the Patriots currently are, but his family is all born and raised New Englanders and I just sort of married into it. They have been fans through the good, bad, and the ugly. And if you know anything about the Patriots history, there was plenty of bad and ugly.

I didn't care for football before meeting my husband, or any sport for that matter. However, it really grew on me and I now understand and enjoy the games. I have favorite players, past and present who I cheer for and consider to be my football boyfriends. I love watching the games, especially with the husband because he goes nuts! Yelling, fist pumping, clapping and cheering all over the living room. Our TV is permanently on ESPN and one of our favorite things to do together is watch Sportsnation with Michelle Beadle and Colin Cowherd. He breathes football.

Meet Gronk

What I love most about football now though is seeing my husband share it with our son. He doesn't understand much yet at 4 months, but he is always decked out in baby Patriots gear and has memorabilia all over his room. Yesterday he got his first Build-a-bear who is now donning a Patriots uniform and is affectionately named Gronk. I can't wait for the days that they spend their Sunday afternoons playing Roll Bowl and rooting for their team, jumping all over our living room screaming like madmen.

A fan right from the start

So as a tribute to the NE Patriots and in honor of their trip to Superbowl XLVI this Sunday, here are 5 reasons (though not the only reasons) I love the NE Patriots:

5. Uniforms - I'm a girl, and I like to look at pretty things and before I knew anything about the NFL and it's teams and players, I used to choose winners by their uniforms. What else was I supposed to go off of? And the Patriots have the nicest uniforms in the league! I love the colors, and I love all the uniforms; home, away, throwback, they're all awesome! I love wearing their jerseys to support the team AND because they look damn good. Go ahead and laugh, but you know no one looks good in aqua, not even the Miami Dolphins. And only hip hop dancers can pull off shiny gold pants, sorry San Fran fans. But good ole' red, white and blue is always in fashion. Hello, patriotism!
4. They're Classy - People have given the Patriots a lot of shit for racking up a ton of points against mediocre teams and say that it's poor sportsmanship or whatever crap makes them feel better about their team getting destroyed. I don't know what's wrong with that, but apparently people think they should limit their talent as to not embarrass their opponent. Whatever, I thought that was the point of the game. However I find Patriots players and their organization as a whole to be one of the classiest teams in the NFL. They rarely talk shit about their opponents, even though a good chunk of the league spews nothing but venom their way; especially directed at Belichick and Brady. They take it in stride, and they let their actions speak for themselves. I dig that because nothing looks dumber then writing checks you can't cash.
3. Bill Belichick  - People love to hate him but he is a football genius. Look at his team, look at his stats, look at his rings. The man knows what he's doing. And as my husband loves to say, he's got the biggest balls in the league. He takes chances at the right times, he rehabilitates loser players that have talent but no one wants because of their arrogance or whatever else and they generally become better players (and people) because they want to play for the Patriots. His team is disciplined and it shows on the field. He designs such balanced teams (okay maybe not this year, the defense is pretty rough) that they don't have to solely rely on their quarterback or one receiver or one rusher. If only he'd update his wardrobe a little, I'd like him more.
2. Robert Kraft - I think Robert Kraft seems like one of the kindest, most genuine people. I love how he promotes volunteerism whenever he can and how involved he and his team are. He seems to have a great personal relationship with his coaches and team, and you can tell the players truly respect him, and his community respects him. And hearing him speak about his late wife, Myra, puts tears in my eyes. What a great guy.
1. Hot Players! -  Tedy Bruschi (handsome and loves to knock people out? Awesome), Rob Gronkowski, Tom Brady, Wes Welker, Mike Vrabel, Aaron Hernandez...my list of football boyfriends continues to grow. Belichick, you have excellent taste in men.

Thank you, NE Patriots for bringing so much joy to our lives and for being awesome. No matter the outcome this weekend, we will remain some of your biggest fans. Let's kick some Giant ass this weekend!
Go Pats!

Adventures in Boston

We went to Boston, MA this afternoon to deliver some paperwork. It was sort of an impromptu visit so we  decided to wing it. We stopped by Fenway Park just to walk around and see what it looked like because neither of us had ever been. Unfortunately we missed the tours but we can always go back another time!

We're hoping to actually make a game sometime this season!

We have a huge to-do list of things to see this summer, and now a Fenway tour has been added. Go BoSox!

Wordless Wednesday