Birthday Post: 24 on 24

Today is my birthday!

I am now 24-years-old young!

Since 23 has been such a crazy, wonderful, emotional, and surprising year, I thought it'd be fun to go back and cover a few of the highlights--so in semi-chronological order, I now present to you 24 of my favorite moments from March 26, 2013-Today.

1.) Adopted Bitsy (side note: it was actually one year ago today when we first met Bits!)

2.) Moved into our duplex

3.) Hosted Easter for our families

4.) Won the Kansas Association of Broadcasters Award for News Anchor Performance

5.) Fractured my back

6.) Discovered we were pregnant!

7.) Met & Interviewed Governor Sam Brownback, Love & Theft, and the LoCash Cowboys

8.) Finished college

9.) Brandon's family visits from Tennessee & North Dakota

10.) Interviewed Olympic gold medalists (and even got to wear a gold medal!)

11.) First credit card

12.) Weekend trip to Kansas City for friends wedding

13.) Attended 2 Rockies games

14.) Numerous summer weekend trips

15.) Brandon buys a new car

16.) Began new job at Divine Mercy Radio

17.) Girls trip (with my mom) to Las Vegas/FINALLY saw Jersey Boys

18.) Surprise baby shower (thrown by my sister-in-law), shower with my best friends from high school, and surprise shower by the Catholic Moms

19.) Babymoon/friends' wedding in Wichita

20.) Birth of Jackson Lee

21.) Celebrated our one year wedding anniversary (with sushi and American Hustle)

22.) Brandon receives job offer in Denver

23.) Big family move to Denver

24.) Jax is baptized at my hometown church

I met Brandon when I was 20, we were engaged when I was 21, married at 22, and welcomed our son at 23.. I can't wait to see what 24 has in store (I'm praying it's our first house..)! Anyway, I'll have a birthday/birthday weekend recap on Monday--Brandon and I are going to lunch and a movie on Saturday while Jax's Mimi Carol and Great Aunt Nancy watch him :) I can't wait!

The Reuniting of the 3 Amigos!

Last weekend marked the long awaited reunion of The 3 Amigos!

..no, not Steve Martin, Chevy Chase, & Martin Short.. I mean Jackson and his cousins Benny and Sara!

Here's a look at our weekend:

Friday Night

• After (Brandon's) work, Brandon, Jax, & I went out for sushi--we found a Groupon for $15 off our order at Sushi Yume and figured we'd give it a try. The restaurant itself was really hip and hopping, but the food was awful (really mushy, not fresh). I felt really queasy the rest of the night and kept trying to throw up but wasn't able to.. yuck! Moral of the story: do your research before trying out a new sushi place. 
• Brandon's sister (Britney) and her family arrived from Kansas a little after 10pm!

Pre-sushi

My guys.. how did I ever get so lucky?!

Saturday

• Woke up and made cinnamon rolls with Benny.
• Headed to the Butterfly Pavilion with the gang--I took many a field trip to the Butterfly Pavilion when I was in elementary school so it was fun to go back and watch our niece and nephew enjoy it! 
• Home for naps and Casa Bonita pre-gaming (pre-gaming for Casa Bonita=watching the CB South Park episode).
• Headed to Casa Bonita (I've talked about Casa Bonita before but in case you've never heard of it, it's basically the Disney Land of all Mexican restaurants that is famous for it's godawful food, cliff divers, puppet shows, and arcade).
• Stood in line at Casa Bonita for over an hour (we went during "off hours," so the line wasn't as bad as it usually is), scrunched into a terrible section with no room for Jax's stroller or Sara's high chair, choked down the disgusting food so I could eat one of their surprisingly good sopapillas, found hair in sopapilla and teared up (I didn't realize there was a hair either until I took a bite and felt it in my mouth.. I ended up gagging it out into my cloth napkin..), walked around a bit, got incredibly stressed out by the insane crowd of people, and went home. Side note: if you ever go to Casa Bonita, be nice to your waitress--Casa Bonita seems like hell to work at and I saw so many people being rude to their servers. I've worked 3 different waitress jobs and it's hard, hard work so be kind and patient; having to wait 2 extra minutes for a Fancy Feast enchilada isn't going to hurt anyone. 
• Came home, kicked back, and watched Frozen (love that movie!!). 
• Bed.

Jax and Sara--I think they like each other!

Benny held Rosie (the tarantula)!

Our crew at Butterfly Pavilion.

My cheeky, sleeping prince; completely unaware of his surroundings.

Sunday

• Slept in and ate eggs and bacon for breakfast. 
• Walked to the park.
• Lunch at Goodtimes (their new Tuscan chicken sandwich is amazing--and under 500 calories!).
• Said goodbye to Britney, Joe, Benny, and Sara.
• Cleaned & tidied up a bit.
• Long nap with Jax. 
• Queso & chips for supper.
• Taken 2.
• Bed.

And that was our weekend. It was very fun (even with the stress of Casa Bonita) and we had such a nice visit with family! How was your weekend? Do you have a Casa Bonita horror story? Tell me about it!

Jackson's 3 Month Update!

Guess what we celebrated on Saturday?

If you guessed the one month anniversary of our Costco membership, you'd be correct!

But more importantly.. it was Mr. Jack's 3 month birthday!

This month has gone by so so so quickly--I can't believe our little guy is a quarter of a year old already! Is it bad that I've already started planning his first birthday party (Christmas theme, anyone)? 

Buddha Baby!

Weight: 12 pounds (taken on the bathroom scale).

Length: He was 22 inches at his 2 month well check so I'm guessing he's 23-24 inches long now (measuring him would be a battle not worth fighting!).

Nicknames: Jax, Jack, Kiddo, Jacksie, Bubba (Bubbas, Bub, Bubby), Buddy, Baby

Wearing: 3-6 months (did you see the tummy on this babe?!).

Sleep: We still co-sleep so he sleeps like a champ through the night.. the more I've researched/talked to other moms, the more I think that co-sleeping is the best thing for us and Jax. Things may change by next month though so check back on April 22nd to see what we're up to!

Jax likes: Lullabies, being rocked, bath time, cuddling, his cousins, lights, chewing on his hands, kicking, TV (uh-oh), playing, eating, jabbering, smiling, his lovies, pulling mommy's hair, staring at his hands, looking at himself in the mirror during tummy time, & going for walks.

Jax dislikes: Being read to, dirty diapers, being in his car seat for too long, being bored, his bottle & pacifier.

Mom & Dad's Favorite Things: How alert and happy he is, his sweet smile, his fun little personality, & how outgoing he already is.

Teeth: A few weeks ago, Jax began the terrible process of teething and has been drooling/blowing bubbles ever since. To combat the teething pain/drooling/bubbles, I bought a Baltic Amber necklace and it has worked GREAT! He started wearing it on Friday and I kid you not, the drooling has stopped--yes!! He also hasn't been quite as fussy so I'm hoping the necklace is taking away some of his pain, too.

Happenings: Baptism, 1st Ash Wednesday, lots of trips around the city, visit from Uncle Joe, Aunt Britney, Benny & Sara.

Babies first #ashtag (most of his Ash Wednesday ashes had rubbed off on my jacket by this point but you can still kinda see the remnants of a cross).

~Is it terrible that I have hair envy of my 3-month-old? He has the prettiest, shiniest, thickest, and curliest hair ever! Thick hair runs in both Brandon's and my families (Brandon has great hair and so does my brother) and my Grandpa Kasten's hair was curly so I think he got the best from both sides.. hopefully it stays that way and doesn't become fine and limp like mine!

Jackson and his special Great Great Aunt Millie.

~"I feel bad for smiling when he cries; I'm not happy that he's sad.. I just can't help it because he still looks so cute!" -Brandon. 

Yes folks--we have a cute crier.

Jax=Always Adorable                                    Mom=Ugly Crier

Bumbo time with Uncle Joey

 ~He has such a cute personality already and doesn't like being left out of anything (my mom said he reminds her so much of me when I was a baby.. uh oh..)! I thought that babies were normally deep sleepers but anything and everything wakes this guy up--he's too afraid to miss out on anything! 

I still think he came a week and a half early because he didn't want to miss Christmas.. So maybe he does take after me?

Jackson loves his cousin Sara (I think the feeling is mutual)!

~I spoke too soon about Jax going from breast to bottle to pacifier with no problems.. he now refuses both bottle and paci. Ugh. Brandon's going to start giving him his bottle more at night so hopefully that helps (it makes going out so much easier)!

My favorite video of Jax!

Annie One Can Comment!

Happy Friday, Friends!

I apologize for my absence this week--we've been keeping very busy and my blog has had to take the back seat for a few days.

But I have good news!

I finally got my blog set up to where anyone can comment!! Just log in with your Facebook, Twitter, or email and you're good to go--I can't wait to hear from more of you!

So many explanation points!!!

Anyway, there's that happy news--here's another few goings on around here:

1.) The Three Amigos (Jax and his two cousins, Benny and Sara) will be reunited this weekend!

2.) My birthday is Wednesday! Can you guess how old I'm going to be? Wait, don't answer that..

3.) The first anniversary of the Friday Funnies is next week!

4.) Brandon, Jack & I are going out for a sushi date tonight--yum!

5.) I might have to postpone my giveaway a couple of weeks.. more details to come on Monday.

Well, that does it for me! Hope you all have a wonderful weekend--we'll see you back here on Monday!

(Over the Mantle) Gallery Wall

We've lived in Denver for almost 2 months now and I'm just now getting around to posting a few apartment pictures.. better late than never, right?

Our cool little apartment in the city has been a work in progress in terms of decorating--between (Brandon's) work, bringing up baby (Jax.. not the classic Cary Grant/Katharine Hepburn movie), and our weekend travels, decorating just hasn't been a huge priority. We're getting there though and today I'm sharing my favorite part of the apartment--our gallery wall above the fireplace!

I love gallery walls--I think that each one is unique and packs such a punch of personality into any space, big or small. When we first toured our apartment, I was immediately drawn to this space and knew it would be perfect for a gallery wall--so as soon as we moved in, it was time to execute a layout! Instead of using a bunch of pictures (like I did with the gallery wall at our old place), we decided to mostly use signs we've collected over the years. We both love the way it turned out!

 Here's some details..

1.) My Great Aunt Millie crocheted this sign for our wedding--I have always loved these and was so excited to receive it!

2.) The crucifix (top) is mine and the silver cross was a gift Brandon received for his confirmation.

3.) Our wedding guestbook--my uber talented dad (the engineer) made this for us!

4.) Pick Your Plum (where else?)!

5.) Brandon's and my family pictures (from our wedding).

6.) My Aunt Nancy gave me this little tapestry for Christmas '04 and I have loved (& displayed!) it ever since--it's a picture of Annie Oakley with the caption: "They wanted to make me a star, but it was always enough for me to just be Annie."

7.) The cutest cousins ever (Jackson, Benny, and Sara)!

8.) My parents made this shadow box for me--the gloves were crocheted by my Great Grandma, the rosary was my Great Aunt Helen's, and the two pins (hard to see in this picture) were left to me by my Grandma Mitz.

9.) As For Me & My House, We Will Serve the Lord sign--clearance at Hobby Lobby

10.) All because two people drink wine sign--Ross

11.) Psalm 33:22 sign--Easter clearance at Walmart

12.) God Bless America sign--Burlington Coat Factory

And a few mantle pictures/wide shots:

Hopefully we will have the rest of the living room decorated soon so I can share it with you all! We're currently in search of a rug (we have all "hardwood" floors) and are going back and forth between how to decorate the wall behind the sectional (Brandon likes contemporary and abstract art, I don't; I like classic and traditional art, he doesn't).

To be continued... but until then, what do you think of gallery walls? In need of some gallery wall inspiration? Check out my board on Pinterest! 

Burger Saturday: 5280 Burger Bar & a St. Paddy's Day Recap!

Got a case of the Mondays?

I have the cure: a double post! Doesn't that just make everything better??

I'll start with a review of 5280 Burger Bar (this weeks stop for "Burger Saturday") and then I'll recap our St. Paddy's Day weekend. Good?

Annnnnnnnnnnd... go!

Burger Saturday: 5280 Burger Bar

This weekend's stop on our great Denver burger tour was 5280 Burger Bar on the 16th Street Mall.

Last week, my Aunt Nancy sent me a FB message with a link to 5280 BB's website and suggested we check it out--we're always looking for a new place so I was sold! Unlike last week's Burger Saturday, we had our adorable little 3rd wheel along with us, so our lunch was a little bit more rushed and stressful (we had to alternate eating so one of us could be holding & entertaining the babe at all times--I took first shift, Brandon took second), but still very yummy!

The restaurant is conveniently located in the Denver Pavilions, so it is easy to find and is surrounded by several fabulous stores--perfect for a little post burger workout (the "walk and carry")! The decor of the restaurant is very hip and modern with lots of cool pictures of Denver and decorated glass. The atmosphere had us concerned about the price of the burgers--I was worried that the cheapest thing on the menu would be $30, but everything was priced just right.

Choosing our burgers was tough.. this is the one I really wanted:

For the sake on my infant son's stomach, I decided against getting this.. but I made Brandon promise me that we'd come back once I'm no longer nursing so I could try it!

..and this is the burger I ended up getting:

(minus the onion, of course)

You guys.. their 5280 Sauce is delicious. It's like McDonalds "secret" Big Mac sauce.. except good. Brandon's burger didn't come with the sauce so he dipped a fry in some that had dripped off my burger and agreed that it was amazing (amazing enough for a second, third, and fourth dip)! The burger itself was a little too rare for me (which was my fault--the menu even said that the burgers were cooked to "medium perfection" unless ordered otherwise), but was still juicy, flavorful, and fresh tasting.

Brandon also had a tough time deciding which burger to try and decided on this bad boy:

He enjoyed this innovative burger and said the pulled pork added a rich and smoky flavor that you don't normally get with a burger. When I asked if he'd ever get it again, he responded with a confident "yep." 

5280 Burger Bar only serves fresh, Colorado beef and makes all their buns in house from scratch and believe me, it shows.

This is definitely a spot we'll be hitting up again (especially after Jax is finished nursing) and I suggest you do too!

St. Paddy's Day Weekend Recap

Happy St. Paddy's Day, all! May the luck o' the Irish be with ya, laddies and lasses (wait, is that Irish or Scottish?)! We had a wonderful, low key weekend (see: Burger Saturday) and enjoyed celebrating with our little family. Here's what we did:

Saturday

• Slept in.
• Finally set up new bank accounts (at an actual Colorado bank) and a savings account for Mr. Jackson.
• Shopped for patio furniture & stuffed our faces with samples at Costco. 
• Lunch at 5280 Burger Bar. 
• Walked and shopped around the 16th Street Mall. 
• Petsmart run for fancy new kitty food for Bits (we'd been getting her Meow Mix since "cats ask for it by name" but decided to step it up for her health and for our sanity.. she's been shedding like crazy and we read that foods rich in Omega 3s can help with that).
• Church. 
• Kicked back at home and watched "Dateline Saturday Night," "Nightline," and "20/20." 
• Bed.

Our little shamrock.

5280 Burger Bar

Sunday

• Light cleaning around the house.
• Lunch (nachos, spinach dip, & beers--yum!) and girl talk with my best friend.
• Long nap with Jacksie.
• Family walk around the park.
• Healthy dinner of tilapia and rice.
• "The Voice" and "Anchorman 2". 
• Bed.

Mmm lunch..

I can't believe we've been friends for over 12 years--time goes by so quickly!

This is pretty typical Jen & Ann.

It was a very laid back and perfect weekend--don't you just love those?! I hope you all had a fun & relaxing weekend and that you have a fabulous week!

Friday Funnies

Guess what?

The one year anniversary of the Friday Funnies is coming up in a few weeks!!

I haven't figured out what I'm doing yet, but I will have something special to commemorate the occasion.. stay tuned!

With that being said, it seems like it's getting harder and harder to find clean, family friendly funnies to share (my friend Dawna brought that up the other day and it's true--I feel like I've used all of them already).. but as long as you keep reading, I'll keep searching high and low! 

I hope you all have a fun and fabulous weekend--I will finally be sharing some pictures of our apartment next week!

P.S. Did you see my giveaway announcement?!

If they made an Annie edition of Barbie