Snaps and Cap(tions)

I won't be winning any awards for quickness or

efficiency when it comes to blogging.  In fact, 

I realize that it's become more like the speed 

of a molasses drip this winter.  And, as much 

as I would love to dedicate an entire blog post

to each of these squares, i'm going to keep 

it brief(ish). 

we got a few really nice (no coat even!) days of 

weather in January - so we hit up a new park around 

the corner!  Max also started tumbling again 

in late January - and they brought out the 

big time equipment this time around...the bars!

we've been trying to keep up with the healthy 

eating around here - which means stops at

Fresh Thyme for lunch meat. And finally, 

we made it to one of our favorite winter time

spots - Franklin Park Conservatory for the last

weekend of their Orchid exhibit!  

 
Stacy and I have been back at the gym ...which
also means we've been treating ourselves
to a little Panera afterward.  Some might argue
this defeats going to the gym in the first place -
but i think sister time (wherever it is) is worth it!
Speaking of treating yourself (which i fully
support) - I bought one of the Rae Dunn clay
Valentine's mugs which I've been enjoying my
nightly tea in. Finally - Max has been
enjoying games of all kinds since Christmas -
and wanted to play this Pop up Paw Patrol
game for like two hours straight one morning. 

 
New silly towel from Target - they had me at cactus
and donuts. A smoothie treat from Costco because
he was getting hungry (and not pleased with the
samples that Saturday).  Another favorite wintertime
activity has become playing with Legos (this is
Rob's specialty). And soup for dinner is always
a good idea to me (this sausage tortellini soup
was ahhhhmazing!) 

 
Max is back at ZooKids for the month of March!
Penguin painting is still on-going and just
as adorable as ever! And, Auntie Stacey hooked
me up with a discount code for some items
from Abercrombie that I have been eyeing. 

 
Supper club with my favorite ladies - we tried a new
meatball place in Grandview called Palle (where
the motto is "our balls are better!")
I settled on chicken (meat)balls, with house
bbq sauce and house made (tater) tots.
They.were.AMAZING. Like, i'm still
thinking about them...and all the other
ball combinations i want to try.
I've also been reading up a storm.
I could not put down the Jodi Picoult
novel - gave me a lot to think about.
Also - zoom in on that quote my
fabulous friend Audrey sent me for
International Women's Day.  It's good.

Happy Monday!
xoxo

11 Things// March Edition

Will I ever get these little updates posted on
the 11th again?  Probably not.
But, since you're here - you might
as well read about what our
little Macho Max has been up
to the last month(ish).

1.)  Max is obsessed with this app on our

iPad called "Cut the Rope".  We've started using

it as a reward (i.e. if he had good behavior 

throughout the day at daycare). The app itself

is way above his cognition depending on the 

level you're playing at - but Rob helps him.

 

2.) He constructed a rain gauge at the Home

Depot class for March - and I asked him if

he wanted to put it out to measure the snow

we were getting.  He looked at me so serious

and said, "it's a rain gauge mommy, not a 

snow gauge". So, needless to say - we kept it

inside. 

3.)  He loves to hold down the button

on my phone that is the shutter for the 

camera.  So, I have lots of little bursts of

photos with like 56 photos of his little mug in each.
Is that a bad problem?
You tell me. :)

4.)  He has taken to decorating his

door with pictures that I can print out 

for him on my home printer.  He goes 

through my phone and tells me 

exactly which ones he would like 

printed.

5.)  Recently, we've been working on 

having him wipe his own bottom. 

It goes like this:

Me:  "Max, did the paper touch your crack?"  

Max: " yesssssss"

Me:  "It doesn't look like you even tried

to wipe"

Max:  looking up innocently at me....

It's so frustrating!  He can totally do it 

by himself but would prefer me to 

continue wiping.  ugh!

6.)  His new favorite spot to eat lunch

is Taco Bell.  He gets a cheese quesdilla

and loves to eat the tortilla chips too.

7.)  He can rhyme words really well! 

Recently, he came home with a worksheet

from school that he cut and matched the

rhyming words too.  I was impressed

because it's not really something I ever

thought to teach him. 

8.)  The night of the Oscars, he spent

the night with my sister and parents 

and got to watch his second movie - 

"Trolls".  He came home the next 

day and told me there was a troll

he tooted and glitter came out.

9.)  My sister also got him a book

about a month or so ago, called "Meet 

Tracker" (from Paw Patrol).  He loved it - 

and insisted we bring it home (instead

of keeping it at her house).  It's called a 

"Step 1 Easy Reader".  Since that time we've

expanded our collection to a few other 

easy readers with the Paw Patrol pups, 

Thomas, Blaze, and Dory. I think he just

loves getting a glittery sticker at the end 

(they come attached to the book). 

10.)  He loves to listen to the magic

school bus theme song on you tube. 

(like 25 times in a row). 

11.)  He's super into rainbows....drawing

them on his easel, constructing a rainbow truck with

his legos, and drawing them on cards. 

12.) Loves to sing while in his bed at 

night (when he should be sleeping!!)

13.)  Just like his daddy - loves to 

have his back scratched!!

As always, I'm so happy to have these
little snippets of life around the Hauck's nest
preserved.  Also someday he will
reliably wipe his own behind, right?!
xoxo

Baptism

Guys, I've got lots to blog about...but coming up short

on time to actually do so.  HOWEVER - I made time 

because would you look at the adorable squish below?!!

He's my godchild.  I'm a godmother. 

And I couldn't be more happy. 

Did I mention, Rob's a godfather too? 

Well he is - and is equally as pumped...

(so much so that he used it as an occasion

to buy two new suits!) 

Our adorable god child is Jacob - the son 

of our dear friends Tom and Lynn. 

Isn't he just the best?  

The outfit, the socks, the hair, 

and those eyes...what a happy little Christian :) 

While most social functions (read: birthday parties, 

dinner parties, baptisms etc.) stress me out, 

Tom and Lynn were cool as a cucumber and 

we honestly had a great afternoon together.

Jacob was baptized at St. Joseph Cathedral

in downtown Columbus. 

We all went to mass together first - and then 

gathered with the priest and one additional

family after mass for the baptism. 

Much of the ceremony took place in the back 

of the church with just the parents, god parents, 

and priest (who was showing off some 

serious Latin skills). We did eventually

move around the baptismal fountain. 

I was able to hold Jacob, while everyone

else made sure to have a supportive hand on him as well.

The priest began to pour water over his head

and he didn't seem phased at all! 

The ceremony concluded with

the lighting of the baptismal candle (a very

important god father task). 

Look at that...we've got a shiny new Catholic on our hands...

free of original sin! I would ask for an Alleluia...but

tis not the season :) 

I haven't been to or planned many baptisms...but I have

to say this one was my favorite.  Lynn was totally chill

about Jacob's gown (it was actually the one Max wore). 

Jacob was very well behaved during mass (no audible

hangries)...and there was zero stress about the meal

afterward at their house (well that I could detect anyway). 

Maybe Lynn and Tom will teach me their zen life skills?

We are so lucky the Dotson family lives in Columbus and

that we continue to be great friends!  It was a true honor

to be chosen as Jacob's godparents and of course we will

do everything we can to make sure his life is richer for it. 

35 things

Every year around my birthday I start to think about all the
wonderful things/memories/people/products (you get the idea)
 that have made the previous year super awesome.  
I can't promise this list is going to change your life....
but maybe you'll find something you relate to. 

1.)    Advocare - started in January of 2016 with 
my first 24 day challenge and did another in September.
I love the products (especially that fruit punch spark!
Mostly - I like that being on Advocare has really
reignited my desire to get in better shape.

2.)    Kortni Jean Swimmers - mix and match
bathing suits and tops in the cutest patterns
and colors...perfect for my #mombod

3.)    Tea time at Night with Roobis Tea/Coconut Creamer - 
Starbucks used to carry this Vanilla Roobis tea
(before they switched to the Teavana products)
but I found it in tea bag form at Target. Pour
some Coconut Creamer on...and its a tasty
evening treat (no caffeine for this lady after about 4:00)

4.)    Rae Dunn Clay - started noticing this artist
because of the cute bowls she designed.
Now, I want to give up all my fiesta ware
for the simplicty of her off white dishes.

5.)    Jenny Barnes Photography - this lady

makes the list every year because family photos
are my jam. And she just always hits it out of the
park with our family sessions.

6.)    Loft - I would love for my closet

to be be full of clothing from Loft (the
"younger, hipper cousin to Ann Taylor)

7.)    Oakland Nursery - if my closet is going
to be full of clothes from Loft - my backyard should
be full of plants from this local nursery.  I could kill
an hour or ten in any of their stores just plotting
ways to add more plants to our flowerbeds.

8.)    McAllister Photo - I love photos, but 

I don't always love the way they print at places
like Target or Walgreens.  However, this
local place has a "wet lab" so the photos
are crispier and more true to what I see on my camera.

9.)    Oregon Coast - got a problem? Visit the Oregon
Coast - I swear it resolves everything. Anytime
we are there - I'm rejuvenated by
the trees, beach, and ocean.  It's truly unlike
any other beach.  Someone (Grandpa Jim!) take
me there soon!

10.)    Lavender Fields - Another Oregon
favorite -- the lavender fields! I will forever
remember the smell and sound of buzzing bees!

11.)  Skinny Vanilla Lattes with Soy Milk - 
love Starbucks. love soy milk.
match made in heaven.

12.)    Moving upstairs at work - this happened in Mid
December with the shift of everyone's jobs at
work.  I was hesitant to move from my
beloved ZooKid office...but I love being
back upstairs and have made some new friends!

13.)   Paint with Penguins - this program 

is a collaboration between myself and another
Zoo education person...but it's been wildly
successful and I love being involved.

14.)   Rob - the yin to my yang....the muscle

to my hustle, peanut butter to my jelly, well...
you get the idea. :)

15.)    Max - my best dude. He makes
me laugh, cry, smile, and want to
pull my hair out (all in the span of
ten minutes).

16.)    Supper Club - these monthly dinner

dates with all my gal pals still continue to
be super fun!

17.) Max in ZooKids - it's been 
so fun to have Max in the classroom with
me. I'm able to take him and his friend
Addy - and they are adorable and he
LOVES it. He reports that his favorite
part of ZooKids is "animal visitor".

18.)   Pseudo Sewing - does it count if

I didn't do any of the actual sewing of my
own quilt?  I did the pinning, ironing, and general
fussing over...so that's something :) We are
about two rows shy of having a completed
quilt top. (just need to sew together
the layers, quilt the top, and bind it - so
no biggie) haha!

19.)     Shutterfly - I love all 
forms of memory keeping - digital
and physical - but I'm always pleased
when I take the effort to upload,
arrange, and endlessly pour over
the pages of a shutterfly album.

20.)    Chatbooks - any app 

that makes my photo storage options easy
is a winner in my book.  Basically, after
I post a picture to Instagram, it uploads
automatically into a "Chat Book" - when
it gets full (at 60 pics) - they print it off
and send it to me for $6.99

21.)   Boomerang App - Max and I are
endlessly entertained by making
videos on this app.

22.)  Our Backyard - we added a 

swing set, more flowers, a new shed,
and a new umbrella this summer....and it's
pretty awesome.

23.)  Dryer Balls - did you know that
dryer sheets are full of an insane amount
of chemicals?  Well, they are...so we made
a simple switch out to wool dryer balls
and then add a couple drops of lavendar
or stress away essential oil to each one.

24.)  Funny memes - i love when people
tag me on Facebook or Instagram in
hilarious memes...they are usually
so on point.

25.)  Llamas - I can't quit them!
They are so adorable...give me all
the llama things!!

26.)   Grandparents - they send

the best mail, know exactly the right
thing to say, and are always excited by
the newest details surrounding Max's life.

27.)  Fitness Marshall - check him

out on Instagram.  He choreographs
dance routines to pop music and they are so fun!

 

28.)  Laid Back Beach Music Pandora Station - 
we love having Pandora on in the background
of the kitchen when cooking or even
when playing in the family room.  This
is my favorite station - Dave Matthews,
Zac Brown Band, and Bob Marley
frequently pop up on this station.

29.)  Chilean Sea Bass - Mema and Pops
first prepared this for us this past summer....
and it was delicious.  Fast forward to our
girls trip to Sanibel Island - it's on the menu
at Traders. My mom and I decide to split it -
the waiter misunderstands and brings out
two portions - we don't even care and each
eat the full plate. So good -but

expensive - 
you've been warned.

30.)   #zookidsalways - a new 
hashtag I had to create when I was
making some custom pencils for my
favorite ZooKid ladies.  For some reason,
it wouldn't allow me to have the
number 4 in the hashtag.

31.)  Blow Out Bar - my favorite
place to stop in when I have an
important event or want an extra
boost of confidence.

32.)  Flair Pens - I'm probably the only
one with a favorite pen - but hear me out -
they are like a marker but with a finer
tip.  They write so smooth and never
bleed through the page.

33.)  Summer Concerts - is there anything

better than an outdoor concert in the summer
time?  We made it to two this past year -
Dixie Chicks and Lady Antebellum.

34.)  Bellacinos- hands down my favorite
pizza place...mostly for the Parmesan sticks.
Lucky for us - it's right by Titi's house,
and so we can go there often! It's well
loved by all those in the Hauck/Cloud party.

35.)  New Girl (tv show) - there is nothing

about Jessica Day that I don't like (except
that she's no longer with Nick) - but the
whole cast is super funny.  Hooray for
Tuesday night TV! 

When it comes down to it, looks like I just
need good friends, family, and food...mixed
with some quality television :)
xoxo