THANK YOU, BOSTON!

I had never been to the east coast before this trip, but man! It's gorgeous. I would recommend anyone to go if they have the opportunity. The history, picture perfect scenery, old architecture, and views. Just stunning. And to be honest pictures don't even do justice to how eye catching it all is in person. So get ready. Cause as I'm sure you can imagine... a big 'ol photo dump is making its way! 

There were times when I did soooo good at taking numerous pictures to document this trip, but then other times I was so into my surroundings and soaking it all in, that the camera went untouched. 

There were less pictures taken of us, but more of the beauty around us. Can you blame me? Just look at all the colors of those trees.  And they were even more vibrant in person.

My little brother (well in a few days he'll be 23 and he's bigger than me - so I guess he's my 'not-so-little' brother now) is in the Navy and stationed in Groton, Connecticut. Soooo the fam (me, Brandon, Harper, mom, and dad) flew in to make a trip out of a few days of leave Nickolas had. And yes, I still call him Nickolas although nearly everyone else uses 'Nick' ;) 

Being that Boston is only a couple hours away from Groton, we thought it'd be a fun place to explore and just went with it. And I'm so glad we did! Boston did not disappointed one bit! It was so fun getting the opportunity to visit. So I guess I can thank the Navy for that one ;) 

Our 6 day trip... Here we go! (day 1 + day 6 were travel, BUT to me vacation starts the minute I leave my house until the minute I step back through my front door).

Day 1:

Plane rides. Oh plane rides.

Harper has been on many, many flights since she was a newborn and has always been so good to fly with. Well of course being (almost) 15 months old, she's now more active than e v e r. and therefor this flight was more challenging than e v e r. BUT we made it through and she did nap for some of it :) and how about that long-messy-baby mullet-nap hair!

Day 2:

We started out our first day by really exploring downtown Boston with the Freedom Trail Tour. It really was the best way to start our trip and throw us right into the history of Boston. This tour takes you all through downtown Boston and highlights all of the historic significance.
The Old State House.

Boston's Old City Hall.

Massachusetts State House + Boston Common (America's oldest state park)

The views of these gorgeous buildings are just stunning, but there's nothing better than my view of this man ;)

Harper slept the e n t i r e tour, which we were A-OK with. That meant for a more peaceful enjoyment of the tour for us :)

...but once it was over and she was up, she was ready to explore! Only with her blanke in hand, of course...

That cheesy grin!

Then it was dinner at the historic Union Oyster House. Which is the oldest running, restaurant in the country.

Brandon LOVED it.

Harper, not so much.

Day 3:

We toured the USS Constitution. Which is currently the oldest active warship in America. We followed that with some shopping and dinner. Yes, we were those people and did every touisty thing we could think of. And we loved it!

Day 4:
Concord, Massachusetts.

I thought I loved Boston the most, and then we went to Concord (which is only about 15ish minutes outside of the city). Concord is where some of the first shots of the Revolutionary War were fired. I loved this town. They have kept it so historic and quaint. If I didn't know better, I never could've guessed that we were just minutes away from the busy, populated city of Boston. Concord was so calm and peaceful. And beautiful! I loved the old churches and houses.
I have some inner desire where I wish I lived back in those days. There's just something about that small town, less hectic of a life, feel.
It's times like this that make me have even more of a desire to slow down and simplify our life and enjoy those little things.

A day of lunch and exploring around the town :)

And look at those piggies of hers! #hearteyes

"Yes, Harper, that is a dog."

Her love for all dogs. And clearly I mean allll dogs ;)

Our walking then led us to the old battle ground where those first Revolutionary War shots where fired. What an indescribable experience to be setting foot on the exact ground where men fought and lost their lives while fighting for what mattered most.

While strolling the grounds, little miss experienced her first sucker. And that soon became a big 'ol sticky mess :)

Day 5:

Fenway Park + Boston Harbor

The oldest baseball park in America. Built in 1911.

That seems to be a trend here "..the oldest        in America.." But what would you expect, we are in Boston after all :)

Brandon + Harper (asleep yet again for an entire tour) + Nickolas (my Navy Nuke brother - so proud of him!)

The oldest seats in baseball. Think how many people have sat here since back in the early 1900s.

Our last evening in Boston ended at Boston Harbor.

It was perfect.

Perfect temperature.

Perfect scenery.

Perfect company.

Their love for each other melts my heart every day.

Day 6:
Traveling home.
No pictures were taken because I was sad to be leaving and to be honest, down right exhausted!

Thank you, Boston for creating so many lifelong memories for my family and I.
This will be a trip forever cherished and remembered.
And now back to real life of laundry, dishes, and making the bed. Ughh!

xoxo

-Brittney

FALL WEEKEND FUN @ THE PUMPKIN PATCH

Nothing screams Fall more than a trip to the local pumpkin patch.

Our weekend ended up flying by and being quite busy, but we still made sure to squeeze in this festive outing.

Fall is here, and there is no doubting that. The days are cooler and I can feel the crisp air in the mornings. We've accepted Fall around here. The house is decorated, delicious BBW candles are burning, football is on Thurs-Mon, flannel + denim + mustard are being worn, the crockpot is in use, and our front porch is now filled with our pumpkins. I love it!

Oh and I could just eat up those cheeks of hers! #hearteyes

Surprisingly, for all 3 of us, this was the first time ever at the pumpkin patch. but what better way to do it than for us all to do it together. I'm certain this is going to be the first of many, many years ahead! We all had so much fun :)

Harper loved having daddy push her in the wheelbarrow. and doesn't she look just the cutest!? Something about this really kinda makes me want to live on a farm! Brandon thinks I've lost my marbles on that one ;)

I was so impressed with Spooner Farms! It was so much more than just a 'pumpkin patch'. It felt somewhat like a mini fair. From all the various pumpkins, the areas set up for perfect picture opportunities, the candy shop, food booths, animals, and face painting! - it was perfect for our first Fall outing.

We let Harper pick which mini pumpkins she wanted. If we let her, we probably would've come home with 5x as many as we did! If she could talk, I'm certain she would say, "mama, I want allll the pumpkins!" In the sweetest little voice you could ever imagine of course ;)

So pleased with her picks!

Any more pumpkins and her spot in the wheelbarrow was going to be squeezed out.

Harper absolutely LOVES animals. all of them. no matter what it is. and always has. They had ponies, bunnies, baby chicks, goats, and of course a few very large turkey toms (those turkeys are a bit intimidating if ya ask me). BUT there is something about oversized 'fake' animals that just gets her!

I can't wait to see how tall she is by this wall next year!

A fun, successful day out at the patch :)

Something about having a child now, makes all holidays that much better. If it's this great now, I cannot even imagine what our years ahead will be like! I am feeling so blessed with this little life of ours.

Happy Fall!

xoxo

-Brittney

OUR TABLE || CRANBERRY PEAR KALE SALAD

FOOD.

What is life without good food? Am I right? :)

Of course being a dietitian, I am all about getting that 'good, nutritious food'.
Now I don't know about you, but I often get stumped on the veggie side dishes for dinner. I don't like to make it anything too complicated. So often I just go with the same 'ol things. steamed or roasted veggies. lettuce with tomato (and maybe cucumber too if we're really going to get after it). and this summer, lots of corn on the cob.
Now don't get me wrong, those are all still great sides and quick, easy 'go-tos' that I can throw together in a matter of minutes with hardly putting a thought into it. BUT sometimes I just need some variety! but I need it to be something just as quick and easy. because I just made the entree and I'm not about to spend an hour on a side dish. You agree?!
With that... I made this salad the other night to accommodate our lasagna. I tell ya. It was better than I ever could have imagined. The flavors were spot on. and it literally took 5 minutes. if that.

Ingredient List:
Kale
Fresh, ripe pear
Dried Cranberries
Feta cheese crumbles
Sky Valley Olive Oil & Balsamic Vinaigrette

-Roughly chop kale.
-Thinly slice pear.
-Top prepared kale with pear, dried cranberries, and feta.
-Lightly drizzle with dressing.
and that's it! So easy, yet the flavors just explode with every bite. 

This dressing is my new favorite. Purchased at Fred Meyer in the refrigerated produce section.
Nothing fancy, but so pretty! (pre dressing here)

Enjoy! :)

Xoxo

-Brittney

follow along on instagram @brittneyhjelseth

TODDLER LIFE

Toddlerhood.

I've heard about. I've been warned about it. and yep. It is here. At 14 1/2 months, Harper has really hit toddlerhood.
She has always had personality, but now she's getting opinion. and when she has an opinion, my how she lets me know it. Now don't get me wrong. She is still just the sweetest darn thing, BUT the fiesty-ness is certainly showing up these last few days. 

Like when I'm bent down in the isle at Target taking pictures of some new dinner plates that I'm contemplating getting... and when I stand up, I see little miss doing this!

"Sit that bum right down!"

Don't worry (even with taking a picture), I still did what a mother was suppose to do. I made her sit that cute little tush of hers in her seat.

However, this situation continued to happen 17+ times before we left the store (of course I even tried buckling her in - well that didn't do a darn thing). And about half of those times that feisty-ness I referenced earlier, surely showed through. She made it oh so clear to me that she did NOT want to be sitting and it was more in her plans to stand and put her life at risk. Ok I don't know that her life was really at risk.

But when she did things like this (with one leg up)... my mama heart was beating at a very high speed.

I guess at least she put her hands down to hold on..??

So it was time for some distraction, and cups were the item of choice. Of course we purchased them as well - me thinking it wouldn't be polite to put these 'Harper-tested' cups back on the self. At least they were only $0.79 each! 

Now we have two little cups that will probably end up being bath toys.

But she was entertained! Hallelujah! 

At least temporarily for the time being that is...

We made it through :) and though there were moments of frustration (for both of us), it was still a fun trip. 

But is there really such thing as a bad trip to Target? 

Doubt it.

xoxo

-Brittney