We are in the habit of making videos for Nick each day. Â This one was so good I thought we’d share it with a wider audience! Warning: Projectile Vomiting at min 00:25. Â Watch at your own...
Washington, DC
This is a collection of posts from our tour in Washington, D.C. from July 2014 to June 2016. There are also posts from various other times we were posted temporarily to D.C. for language or job training.
Every year I select an ornament that captures something representative of the year. Â It gives me a way to collect meaningful ornaments for our tree and also helps me remember the major events. Â I...
We have lots to be thankful for this year, including this little munchkin!
One of the biggest things that has surprised me about Motherhood is how draining simple things like diapering, feeding and rocking can be. Â None of them requires much brainpower, but the energy...
It was a very DC Christmas for us this year. Â Nick wasn’t allowed to take any vacation days during his language training, so we spent the holiday in DC instead of traveling to see our families...
Much like Christmas, our New Year’s Celebration had a bit of a different feel to it this year. Â The biggest difference would be that it all took place on New Year’s Eve DAY since we knew...
When we’re in the States, it’s easy to get lulled into the familiar routine and forget that we’re heading back overseas soon. Â By the time we leave in May, I’ll have been...
So we started at the gym this week. Â I was beyond excited to find a place that would accept an 10 week old. Â I’m allowed to leave her for one hour, which is the perfect amount of time for me...
Big week in the Novak house – Nia has learned to roll at 14 weeks old! What amuses us most about this is that she has to get really agitated before she’ll start contorting her body...
We are pleased to report that we made it (mostly unscathed) through the first 100 days with our little one. Â We attribute our success to 1.) Our parents’ assistance, 2.) Caffeine and 3.) These...
We’ve hit the 4 month mark! Â We celebrated this milestone by retiring the first of our 3-6 month clothes that she’s already outgrown. Â Our little girl is growing steadily –...
In the life of a Foreign Service Spouse, there are certain involuntary breath-holding moments that occur in response to the ambiguity of this lifestyle. Â One of those moments is the day you get a...
Had to share these adorable photos from a fantastic week with Grandpa and Grandma Novak! We are so lucky that they’re willing to travel all the way from Oregon to see us!
Nia and I recently started attending Mommy & Me Movie Days at the Regal Potomac Yard Theater in Alexandria. Â They take place every other Tuesday for the first showing of the day (usually around...
Well, here she is in all her drooling glory! We garnered quite a few looks from the passing Business People as we went about our afternoon ‘photo shoot’ in front of an office...
Here’s Nia doing her new favorite thing – playing with her feet! Â I found these great Lamaze “Feet Finder” rattles to make her play twice as fun…
Tonight we had our first go at solid foods. Â Nia sampled both pureed Pears and a Mum Mum, which is a Rice Paper flatbread. Â Nia made a big ole mess and wasn’t too sure what she thought about...
Greetings all – We’re less than 30 days out from Peru now and the reason you never hear from me is that every spare moment is going into our pack-out preparations. Any advantage...
We’ve got new tricks to show off. Â In video 1 – pushing up onto our hind legs. Â In video 2 – “fake chewing”.
So, my subject wasn’t into our 6 month photo shoot. She was too distracted by the sound of all that rushing water behind her. Mistake number 2 was shooting at 3 o’clock in the...
It was a wild weekend here on the home front. We are a mere one week from our international move now and for some reason (back in January) we thought it’d be a grand idea to schedule...
Well, what do you know?! Â It’s Moving Day at Apartamento Novak! Â We are not-so-patiently awaiting the arrival of the movers, at which point chaos will ensue. Â Here’s a snapshot of what...
We’re a little behind on our photo books, but here’s the most recent one we finished! Â Highlights include my pregnancy photos, Nia’s birth and our time in DC. Just click the photo...
We’re 12 days into our DC tour and slowly but surely finding our footing. We spent the bulk of the first week touring preschools and apartments (with mixed results, I might add). I am pleased...
We’ve noticed over the last few months that Nia has a very unique style of play that’s different from most other two year olds. Her play centers around ordering her various collections...
If you’ve lived in DC in the summer, you know that it’s a muggy, sweaty mess. There are only two sure-fire options to beat the heat. 1.) Run from air-conditioned place to air-conditioned...
After a couple of frustrating weeks filled with ups and downs, I am pleased to report that we’re finally starting to gain some traction here in DC. Of particular note: We signed a lease in...
Hey all – Perhaps you’ve noticed I haven’t been writing much. Well, it hasn’t been for lack of interest, it’s just that I prefer to jump into the deep end quickly when arriving in a new...
Okay, I have to share a delightful little thing I’ve stumbled upon. Â It’s called FreeCycle and it’s basically a place where you can give or get things for FREE. Â You simply go to...
An Overview of Foreign Service Institute Courses The Foreign Service Institute is a sprawling complex located in Arlington, VA where Diplomats go to school.  It is here that they may enroll in over...
It was about this time last month that I found myself in a bit of a conundrum.  We were in the process of setting our new apartment up and it was very obvious that there was no room for my beloved...
Once upon a time there was a coffee table (originally owned by a beautiful, blonde-haired lady). Â In its day this table was the center of girl chats, group board games and many a memorable dinner...
We decided to spice up Labor Day 2014 with a little trip to the countryside. We had intended for it to be a family trip, but Nick had to bow out at the last minute because the hot water heater was...
I sit here in bed writing this, not quite sure what to do with myself after coming off a jam-packed weekend with my parents in town. Â The “not sure what to do with myself” part comes...
It was a lovely, quiet holiday weekend for the Novaks. Â Nick made us a Thanksgiving feast complete with homemade pumpkin pie, turkey, mashed taters and gravy. Â I was totally spoiled! Â It was our...
Hi everyone – If you’ve been following Facebook you know that I’ve been solo parenting for 8 days while Nick took a work trip to Russia and Ukraine. He did plenty of working, but in his spare...
As you’ve probably read here or on Facebook, it’s been me and the Nia-meister for the last 8 days while Nick was away in Russia and Ukraine. I was definitely nervous about how the week would...
Today I had an interview for a volunteer Chaplain position. I wasn’t really sure what I was signing up for, nor did I know if I was qualified, but my intuition told me that I needed to pursue...
I’m sure you thought I was going to post about Christmas and I will soon, I promise.  In the meantime, here’s a little look at Nia’s room make-over, which was 6 months in the making...
We decided to stick around DC for Christmas this year, largely due to Nick’s lack of days off and the fact that we’ll be seeing our families in Feb & March. Â We’ve gotten used...
Warning: This post references poop. A lot. Skip it if you’re not into reading about that sort of thing… Potty-training hasn’t gone well for us. Our Peruvian Nanny started training...
The excitement is building folks. I’m just 3 days away from my 8 hour Chaplain volunteer training at the hospital! Today I met up with a chaplain (paid, not volunteer) and CTI-trained Coach who...
Saturday was my long-awaited chaplaincy training at the hospital. It was an 8 hour affair and required some serious focus due to the massive amount of information that we received in that short time...
DC got somewhere around 5 inches of snow last night and because it’s DC and they don’t deal with snow well, they closed the government and the schools for the day. We decided to take...
Last night we had the amazing good fortune of seeing MN-based singer/songwriter Peter Mayer perform in concert. My first introduction to Peter was back around 2000 when I saw him in a coffeehouse...
Ahoy mateys! We had the pleasure of venturing out on a pirate ship on the mighty seas (of the Potomac) this weekend. This kid-oriented 1-hour cruise was ridiculously fun, for adults and kids alike...
Hey folks – Long time, not talk, I know. I’m just not feeling it when it comes to blogging lately. Hopefully you’ve been getting along fine without my regular updates. :) So...
This morning I had the great honor of seeing Pope Francis after his address to Congress. This opportunity meant so much to me and I will always be grateful to MN Senator Amy Klobuchar for donating...
So this happened last Sunday! Every year the White House opens the South lawn to the public for a Spring or Fall Garden Tour. Having never been beyond the fence of the White House, I must say, it was...