Thanksgiving/Christmas/My Birthday In San Antonio

Whoa that title is a mouthful! We left for La Vernia bright and early on Thursday morning. We got to visit with my Grandma, Aunt Diane, Uncle Mike, Abby, Will, Matthew, and Gaga. On Friday Zoe and I went to visit Rob at Heights Tuxedo and had lots of good leftovers. That evening we met the Joneses at the JW Marriott to exchange gifts. Matthew and Zoe even got to make their own stuffed animals! We walked around and looked at the lights before dinner. 

On Saturday I was very busy. I had appointments all day. I was able to grab some Bill Miller's for lunch in between shopping and appointments. After my busy day I met up with family and friends at Paesano's for my birthday dinner. The food was delicious as usual and the company was even better. Zoe was so tired she ran to the bedroom and was trying to get into the pack and play on her own when we got home. The next morning we slept in and lounged around. On our way out of town we stopped by Starbucks for my free birthday drink. I even got to take a nap in the car! We met the Strawn's at Ephesus for dinner and everyone loved it. We all had Turkish beer/wine. It was the perfect ending to a perfect long weekend with family and friends.

 

 Mmmm toys.

 Matthew practicing his walking.

 Tried to get a picture of both babies with their stuffed animals- not happening.

 My cappuccino pie!

November 2013 Favorites

1. Visine- I have had this bottle of Visine for a while. I finally got up the courage to use it and I can't believe what I have been missing! I've worn contacts for 20 years (wow that sounds like forever) but I've never been able to put drops in my eyes. I usually have someone else do it. This stuff is great for refreshing your eyes throughout the day. It doesn't sting or smell funny.

2. Sonicare Toothbrush- This toothbrush is very old but in the past I bought some cheap-o Target replacement heads and they sucked. I recently bought the Sonicare brand and they reminded me how great this toothbrush is. I really can't use a manual toothbrush and have my teeth feel clean after using this. It's worth splurging on!

3. Nordstrom- I know I talk about this place constantly and I promise I'm not affiliated with them in any way. I just really love Nordstrom. They have exceptional customer service, free shipping, a reward system, great sales, and, most importantly, quality goods. It's been my go-to place for gifts and holiday party dresses for Zoe and myself.

4. Zicam Rapidmelts- Ok, every time I get sick my mom tells me to take this stuff. I take it once or twice and get impatient and stop. The Friday before Thanksgiving I woke up with a sore throat so I decided to take Zicam but this time I would take it every 3 hours for the next 48 hours. I knew I didn't have time to be sick before our trip to San Antonio. It actually worked! I felt great all weekend (even getting Zoe's Christmas shopping done), I felt kind of gross Monday, but I was back to feeling great on Tuesday. On Wednesday evening I stopped taking it. So I felt pretty good with the exception of a few hours during that time period. I highly recommend this but you have to take it as soon as you start to feel sick and you have to take it every three hours.

5. Royal Dansk Danish Butter Cookies- YUM. When I see these in stores I know the holiday season is near. I get these every year (multiple times) and eat them all. This year Zoe is my partner in crime.

6. Counting Cookies- Now technically this was only used for 2 days in November by Zoe but she freaking LOVES it. Gaga gave it to her as a Christmas present and she has been playing with it non-stop. She takes it everywhere and loves to take the cookies out of the jar and pretend to eat them. She will also feed them to other people and put the cookies back into the jar. Each cookie has a number on the back that corresponds with the number of chips on the front. She can even count to three with them! Gaga bought this at Learning Express.

7. Target Melt Evergreen Candle- I found this randomly in Target after my Thymes candle was all burned up. I haven't actually lit it yet because it is so pretty to look at. But it smells incredible all by itself.

8. Cobblestone Cottage- As you can tell, I have been doing a lot of shopping in November (I actually got all of my Christmas shopping done before Thanksgiving). This is my favorite boutique and it is great for unique gifts. I got Zoe's Thanksgiving and Santa outfits here along with a mini Lamby she picked out herself. In the past, I have gotten birthday gifts, Christmas gifts, baby shower gifts, and things for myself. They have a little bit of everything- clothing, home decor, baby/kid stuff, jewelry, kitchenware, etc! Cobblestone Cottage is located at Cinco Ranch Blvd. and Commercial Center Blvd.

9. Pet Rescue Saga- I know, so cheesy. I clicked on an ad in Candy Crush and now I am addicted to this game. It's very similar to Candy Crush (5 lives, breaking colored blocks, harass Facebook friends for lives). For some reason I like it better. Thank you to all my Facebook friends who feed my addiction. Pet Rescue Saga is free and can be downloaded for Apple or Android.

Our Trip to San Antonio

We arrived in San Antonio early Thursday afternoon. My mom had Bill Miller's waiting for me and a bunch of organic food for Zoe. I had a hair appointment so I left Zoe with my mom to take a much needed nap. That evening we stayed in and relaxed. On Friday I could NOT get Zoe to nap at all so we went to Nordstrom that afternoon. We did a bit of shopping, my mom spotted Jaclyn (from my birthday last year) and asked her to take a picture with Zoe then me. She was very sweet and talked to us for a while. After shopping we went to have lunch at P.F. Chang's. Zoe was a little trooper and she fell asleep for about 10 minutes in the car. Of course, she wouldn't nap when we got home either so she went to bed really early on Friday. Saturday we stayed in all day (with the exception of a Starbucks run). It was rainy and I didn't want to take Zoe out in it. She skipped her first nap but, thankfully, took her second one. We also had a visit from Carrie and Nick! We talked for a long time and Zoe eventually woke up and entertained them. Since it was still rainy we had Taipei delivered. Yes, Taipei delivers now! If I still lived in S.A. I would have food delivered to me all the time. On Sunday we decided to visit my Grandma. Since Zoe had been skipping her morning naps we woke up, fed her, got ready, then drove to my Grandma's house. Zoe took a nice nap in the car and woke up just as we pulled into my Grandma's gate. Zoe had fun stomping around on the wood floors and playing with my Grandma's stuffed animals and one doll that belonged to my Aunt Diane. We then drove into La Vernia to try out a new restaurant. It was very good- they had awesome fresh green beans and rolls. After we got back from lunch we got to see the lambs and when we got out of the car Zoe was laughing at them. That evening my mom made meatloaf, green beans, mashed potatoes and a pound cake. We had dinner with Charlie, Jordan, and Jordan's friend Megan. We had a great time visiting with them! I recorded Breaking Bad on my mom's dvr so I got to watch it without commercials after Zoe went to bed. I thought the ending was a predictable and it left me wanting to know more. On Monday morning we got all packed up and Zoe took a nap in the car on the way home. We picked up lunch for ourselves and Nick (since he stayed home from work). After Zoe had lunch and played a bit she took a long nap. I took the opportunity to nap too and Nick even let me sleep a little longer than Zoe and watched her. I didn't really have to cook since my mom sent us home with tons of leftovers. So we had a low key weekend in San Antonio!

Big girl eating Grandma's home-cooked food.

With our favorite ANTM alum.'

Playing in the rain!

One of Zoe's many beautiful works of art.

She loves those fuzzy blankets!

Our Long Weekend in San Antonio

We had a fun but long weekend and I am tired so I'll dive right in. Zoe and I arrived in San Antonio early Friday afternoon. My mom had homemade meatloaf and veggies for us- yum! We all tried to take a nap but ended up playing with Zoe. We met my Aunt Celia and her husband Dep, and Aunt Jimmie and Uncle Ram at my favorite restaurant, Paesano's. Zoe had sourdough bread, olives, a breadstick, bruschetta, cucumbers, spaghetti, meatballs, ravioli, and much more. Of course, I had cappuccino pie for dessert. We had so much fun catching up and I was grateful for everyone playing/holding/chasing Zoe around. 

She's moving so fast she's a blur!

Aunt Celia and Zoe.

Dep and Zoe.

The next morning I had a much needed massage. Naturally, I stopped by Starbucks afterwards. My mom and I relaxed while Zoe took her morning nap. After we ate lunch I had a hair appointment. It took quite some time because, as you can see, I made big change. I wanted to hit up the Nordstrom anniversary sale in person so that's where we went after we gave Zoe her dinner.

Surprise, surprise. She's lining up the Bubble Guppies!

After our quick trip to Nordstrom my mom and I picked up Sea Island on the way home. Zoe was exhausted from the day so we put her down early and got to eat dinner in peace.

The next day we went to breakfast with Charlie and his grandson, Jordan. We went to a new Perico's location and it was great! My mom and Jordan also kept Zoe entertained. After Zoe's morning nap and lunch we drove out to my Grandma's house in La Vernia. She had decorated it even more since the last time. 

Shirley brought a lamb over for Zoe to pet!

Zoe and great grandma sharing an inside joke.

Four generations!

After spending some time at my grandma's house we h had to go back home. We picked up EZ's on the way home and we all had dinner together. 

That was our weekend!