Duke with Joseph

1. Duke has been taking a very serious interest in whatever Joseph is doing, especially now that he’s awake a little bit more, kicking around and making all kinds of noises. I have a feeling they’re going to be the best of friends! Einstein takes a passing interest, sniffs around, and then goes back to his spot on the floor :)

2. Joseph is 6 weeks old this week! He’s been smiling and is much more alert and aware of his surroundings. He loves gazing at new things, and he’s finally started to notice to his furry brothers, as well :)

Joseph - 6 weeks old

3. In the month or so leading up to my due date, my mom started making meals for us to stash in the freezer so I wouldn’t have to worry about cooking after the baby was born. She made wedding soup, my favorite chili, baked ziti, meatloaf and spaghetti sauce. Both she and my in-laws brought us tons of food in the weeks after Joseph was born; once all of the hubbub died down and we started to settle into a routine, being able to pull those things out of the freezer was a godsend on nights when we were starving but had no energy to make anything ourselves. I came across these posts on The Kitchn, which are great starting points for stocking the freezer with make-ahead meals: A Week of Dinner from the Freezer and 10 Freezer Meal Plans from Real Home Cooks.

4. In related news, I actually cooked dinner for the first time since Joseph was born last Friday. I made cheesesteaks, which are one of our favorites… quick and easy, and it helped me feel normal again. It didn’t dawn on me until they were in the oven that it was Friday and it was Lent… oops. My brain is currently a shell of its former self.

5. I have to laugh every time I see schools announce their snow delay or closing on Twitter… I still remember hanging out by the radio listening to the long list of schools, waiting to hear ours. I think I was probably in high school before they started reading them on TV… even then, the ticker across the bottom was still a couple of years away!

6. Speaking of snow days, March definitely came in like a lion in my neck of the woods! I love snow, but I’m definitely ready for it to warm up. My birthday is at the end of March; sometimes it’s 70 degrees and sometimes it snows… always a toss-up!

7. Have you seen any of the Oscar-nominated movies? Tell me what I should add to my Netflix queue!

8. Do you fill out a bracket for March Madness? I never watch college basketball (or any basketball, for that matter), but I’ve filled out a bracket for the last handful of years, and it totally brings out the competitive nature in me, ha. I get obsessed with following the scores for the first couple of days and seeing if any of the upsets I picked actually happen.

9. We’re still chugging through episodes of 24 in the evenings – right now we’re not quite halfway through season two. I love it, however every time I hear David Palmer talk I feel like I’m watching an Allstate commercial ;-)

10. TGIF! My boys and I wish you an awesome weekend!

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