Wifey Wednesday | My Baby is Five (and a half) Months!

Riley will be six months old in 10 days, so I figured I should give her monthly update.

My goodness, she is cute.

She is sweet. Above everything she is sweet. I hear that all the time. She still looks a lot like Jeff, but I like to think she is starting to resemble me, too. Maybe. What do you think?

Jeff

Claire

Riley

Riley weighed in today at 15 pounds and 2 ounces. She is on her stomach most of the time, but she doesn't know how to flip back over. She scoots a little bit and can move about 3 feet in 15 minutes. :)

Well, that's about where things are at for us.

Good night!

#MedSchoolMonday | Our Next Step

Lately Jeff and I have been discussing where to move next year. A&M has different tracks in different cities for third and fourth year. We are trying to choose between Round Rock (Jeff's current track), Houston, Dallas, and Temple. Jeff will spend most of his time in the hospital.

Does anybody have a good word to put in for any of these cities? We have been to all of them and they all have good qualities. We have to decide by December, I believe and it depends on which tracks are available when we apply. Houston has the best medical center. Round Rock and Dallas would be cool places to live, in my opinion. Temple has a great hospital, has low cost of living, and is close to bigger cities. Decisions...

In my experience I have loved everywhere I have lived; I have made great friends and enjoyed my surroundings. I know that wherever we choose will have great qualities and good people. It's just tricky deciding.

Where would you live?

Reflections on the Women's Broadcast + a Baby Shower!

Hello,

I guess I could say happy would-be-SaturDIY. I had a lot on my plate today and it just isn't happening. Sorry 'bout it.

Today I hosted a baby shower for my beautiful friend Amelia. It was loosely space themed. Here's  a little peek at the food and decor.

Tonight I also attended the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints General Women's Broadcast. If you missed it you can watch on LDS.org. It was so good! I loved this Elaine Cannon quote that was shared:

If you saw the broadcast I hope you loved it. :) My only wish is that I could have watched it with my lady relatives out west. 

Have a great night and consider this a rain check for that bow tutorial I promised this week. See you Monday!

#WifeyWednesday | What I Love About Motherhood + Family Updates

Good morning!

I am excited to post about my favorite aspects of motherhood, but first I will talk a bit about this last weekend. This was the first Saturday Jeff didn't go to school this semester! I love Friday exams (as opposed to Monday exams) because we get to spend the whole weekend together.

This weekend we went swimming, got snow cones at Bahama Bucks (Snickerdoodle snow cone with cinnamon sugar. Ahhh), and had the sweetest date: we went grocery shopping together and got all the goods for a salmon, salad, and mashed potatoes dinner then we cooked together. However, Riley wasn't too into the romance and required nursery visits every 20 minutes or so. It is what it is. :)

I loved spending time with my family. They truly are the best.

On Sunday we taught the 11 and 12 year olds about feeding Christ's sheep. It was a great lesson with fantastic participation. I am astounded by the strong testimonies of those kids. I have to share; children will tell you exactly what they think. I had this exchange with two kids during sharing time on Sunday.

Boy: Sister Falco, I like your lipstick.
Me: Thank you.
Girl: I'm not the only one who likes your lipstick today I guess!
Me: Aw, thank you!
...
Boy: Sister Falco, you have a long nose. It's very pointy.
Me: I do have a long, pointy nose; just like Pinocchio.
Boy: [laughs]

Honesty, I tell ya.

Now comes the main purpose of this post: What I love most about being a mom.

I love a lot of things about motherhood; maybe that's because I have such a sweet, smiley baby. Seriously, today she was bubbling over with joy. I just sat in front of her she cracked up laughing. What a cutie!

That is something I love about motherhood. I love seeing a happy baby. I love learning what makes her react. Riley loves kisses. She loves when we come into the room. She smiles like crazy while she waits for us to get her out of her crib. She loves her morning routine (particularly getting her hair and gums brushed).

Another thing I love about motherhood is how tiny babies are. I adore miniature socks and dresses and skinny jeans. Even more I love the little baby inside them. I particularly love when she is in fuzzy "feety" PJs. Hands down my favorite outfits. I love watching her little feet. I love watching her watch her little feet. My goodness, babies are cute.

I am realizing how much I am gushing here. I'm a hardcore baby fanatic as you can see.

I love, love, LOVE smelling Riley's hair. Maybe it's because it smells like lavender or because it's soft and wispy, but it's the best. I refuse to think this is weird. Go find a baby and smell his or her hair. Or don't.

I love my baby's curiosity. Since she was born I have found her interest in the mundane so funny. Today she stared at her shadow, wanted to taste a door, smiled and "talked to" a novel blanket, and tried to grab Jeff's dinner. She is kind of all over the place, but she's discovering everything around her and I celebrate that.

These are just a few reasons why I love being a mom. It's a sweet gig.

What do you think? Let me know in the comments! Also, come back for Satur-DIY where I will be sharing a knotted baby bow tutorial.

If you missed my post 20 Dates for Medical School Students, it's calling your name. Go to it.

Have a good week!

#MedschoolMonday | 20 Date Ideas for Medical Students

Hi!

I hope you are having a phenomenal week so far. Today I wanted to share some dating ideas for medical-school couples.
Sometimes we go all out. We commit time and resources to dates on special occasions, but we are poor and Jeff is busy, so this is a non-comprehensive list of fun, cheap dates that accommodate a second-year medical student's schedule:

Taken by Sami Jo at Sierra's wedding

1. Go get snow cones, ice cream, or smoothies
2. Watch a local sports game--this post comes to you from a middle school football game
3. Go for a walk
4. If your community has it, rent a puppy
5. Volunteer together
6. Read out loud--we love reading Harry Potter and the scriptures mostly
7. Play games
8. Double date with friends, neighbors, or other med students
9. Exercise or go to the recreation center
10. Cook together
11. Take sack lunches to the park
12. Create a time capsule adding memories of your life together--ours includes our wedding invitations, a mixed cd, written notes, ticket stubs from other dates, and pictures
13. Host love language olympics--figure out each other's love languages then see who can out-serve the other
14. Make a five-year plan then look at real estate in your planned hypothetical location
15. Check out local attractions
16. Mini golf
17. Attend school or church dances
18. Go on a bike ride
19. Go to a restaurant you've never tried
20. Go to the farmer's market

Now get on out there and continue your courtship, scholars.

Have a good week and come back for Wifey Wednesday (I will talk about this last weekend and what I love about motherhood) and Satur-DIY (I will show how to make bows like the one below)!

If you missed my last post, go check it out! I made a cutesy macaron (fancy, delicious, French cookie) tutorial.

#SaturDIY | How to Make Macarons + Video

Happy SaturDIY!

A few months after my little brother arrived in France (he is serving a mission en Paris maintenant). I asked him what all the hype was with macarons (I'm an uncultured swine). He told me that macarons are delicious and that he had actually had one at the esteemed French bakery Ladurée (the lucky fella).  

Well, my sister and I tried our hands at these and they are really temperamental. They are the hardest thing I've ever baked. Don't feel bad if it also takes you a literal 12 batches to get these babies right. My sister and I were committed to the task. 

If you're thinking, "Dang, who has the time for that?" I did when my main summer goal was to hang out with my sister and let my parents get to know my baby. 

Here you go! Sorry the music is a little intense, haha. Jeff started watching and he said he felt like he was watching the Lord of the Rings. It was the best I could do with royalty-free music this week. Let me know how these go for you and if you have any questions. Have a great rest of the weekend!

WifeyWednesday | Just Some Thoughts + Updates

Hi there,

Nothing too exciting or new this week. We are doing well. Riley is finding her little, squeaky voice. Jeff is doing well in school and coming home with cool information everyday. I am finishing up Riley's nursery (only five months late, haha). Everyday I have been sewing, painting, [shopping at Michaels,] measuring, hammering, you get the idea. Pretty normal stuff for this family.

Honestly, I really didn't know what to write about today. There is not much to report other than we are doing well. We are happy.

I am going to go and enjoy my family tonight. :)

See you on Saturday!