We are finally back home

So we ended our time in Pennsylvania with another trip to Philly, since Ben didn't come with us the first time around.  We did a walking tour around the whole city which was a lot of fun and we got to see a lot of cool things, including this mosaic.  There were a lot of cool mosaics on South street.

We met up with Travis again and ate lots of good food, saw the sites, and walked over 11 miles.  Crazy!

On our way home to St. Louis, we stop in Dayton, Ohio to see the national air force museum.  Ben's grandpa, Bernie Fisher, was a medal of honor recipient and we got to see his plane that he was flying when he saved a fellow soldier.  So cool!

We also had some fun in the NASA portion of the museum. :)

Here's Grandpa Fisher's picture displayed.  All 2 o

When we got home we had 2 weeks before having to head out for our final rotation.  So we made the most of it with lots of fun things.  We went to the zoo and saw the new polar bear exhibit!

We got a new bike trailer and went on a family bike ride. 

We went to the Haunted Hayloft at Purina Farms.

And we went apple picking at Eckert's farm.  

I also threw a Halloween party for friends since we were going to be out of town for Halloween.  And I managed to make the babe's costume as well.  Isn't he the cutest bald eagle you have ever seen?!

And of course Ben and I had to match him. Merica.

We then headed to Kansas City for our final rotation.  We stayed with my Uncle Denver.  It was fun to be with family.  We carved pumpkins with my cousins Haydn, Phoenix and Memphis.  

I also learned that the babe LOVES leaves.  We would go out almost every day and he would just play away in the leaf piles.  Thankfully this fall has been abnormally warm, so it was possible to do this.  

The babe also turned 7 months old.  I can't believe how fast time is flying, despite how cliche it is for new mothers to say that.  

We also happened to be in Kansas City for the BYU vs. Mizzou game and got to go.  It was my first BYU game.  I know, I know.  I went to BYU and never went to a football game.  

We had awesome seats thanks to Ben's cousin getting us tickets! 

As fun as it should have been, we finally found the one thing that the babe just can't handle.  Cheering.  He is such a chill and sweet baby all the time so I guess there had to be something that pushed his buttons.  And oddly enough it's people cheering.  Every time anyone cheered for anything, he would start crying and screaming.  And of course there was a lot of cheering at a football game.  On the bright side, it was so loud in there that no one cared that we had a screaming child with us.  haha.  He could handle the loud canons, loud music, and loud announcer, but something that cheering he just couldn't handle.  Who knows.  That's the last time I'll be taking him to a sports game for a while...  :) 

We also got to go to church right next to the temple, which was so beautiful.  

My bow tie business is also doing well.  And the babe really does make the perfect model.  

On our last night there, we went and saw my cousins in the high school musical, "Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dream coat." It was a lot of fun! That music is sooo catchy.  And fortunately there was only one time that everyone cheered loudly enough to upset the babe.  haha.  Other than that he loved it and watched the entire thing!

And now we are HOME.  For good.  4 months away from home will really make you appreciate living in your own house.  That is for sure.  And now the holidays are here.  How did that happen?

I made this turkey costume for the babe for his first Thanksgiving.  I have to admit, I'm quite proud of it.  And it was a great surprise for my parents.  

I didn't make this Santa costume, but he is still so adorable! I can't get over it.  The holidays are so much more magical with a baby in your family.  

He loves the Christmas tree. 

And we are getting our Christmas swag on over here!

I got my tree up this year.  And if you remember the tree fiasco of last year (if not, you can go back and read about it), then you will be happy to know that thanks to a lot of saran wrap, we were able to get the tree up in a single evening! And it looks better than ever.  (In my oh so humble opinion.) 

We also got family pictures done.  Here is a sneak peek at one of them.  

So that's the Fisher family update for now.  We are finally back home and loving it.  I will not be leaving St. Louis again for a LONG time, if I can help it.  

Also- if you are in search of an extremely quick, yummy meal perfect for fall I have the perfect recipe for you.  Corn bread waffles with chili on top.  All it takes is a package of corn bread mix made in the waffle iron and topped with Chili (we used canned, but you can make your own) and top with sour cream, cheese, avocados, tomatoes, etc.  Seriously takes like 10 minutes to make and it is delish.  I had to tell someone, so why not blog about it? 

The Fishers are takin on the USA

I am once again overdue for a post, but hey, at least I don't quit, right? We have been traveling all over the USA since I last posted.  We were in Oklahoma City last I wrote and now we are in Bethlehem, Pennsylvania.  And we've been quite a few places in between- all for away rotations for Ben.  To answer a few FAQs: Ben is going into orthopedic surgery.  This is a very competitive field.  Doing away rotations at different med schools makes you look like a better candidate and can increase our chances of matching into a program.  So we are doing 4 away rotations- all 4 weeks a piece.  They are grueling and we don't get to see Ben much- but we make the most of when we do.  Here are a few adventures from OKC:

This is at the historic stockyard part of town: 

The babe and I went to the botanical gardens:

My good friends James and Kjerstin came in from Dallas and we went to the Science Museum with the kiddos: 

We drove straight from OKC to South Carolina, but made sure to stop in Memphis for a day of fun with the Jones.  They matched there this past year.  Here's a nice awkward selfie stick pic at Central BBQ, which was delicious. 

We walked around Beale Street:

And then we made it to Columbia, SC.  The babe learned how to roll from his stomach to his back while there.  

And he turned 4 months:

Ben also had a birthday.  27 is lookin good!

Ben had a weekend off, so we headed over to Charleston, which is a little under 2 hours away.  And it was amazing!! We went to the Boone Hall Plantation.  This was the driveway going up to the house- incredible!

These trees are like 800 years old.

We took a harbor tour, which was a lot of fun!

We went to the beach.  

On the way home, we stopped in Birmingham, Alabama.  For Ben's birthday I got him tickets to the Glenn Beck rally there.  As you can see, he thoroughly enjoyed it :)

When we got home, we finally decided that the babe's monk mullet was getting to be too much, so we had to get rid of it.  I was hesitant at first but now I'm so glad we did.  Looks so much better.  

We went to the pool with Uncle E for the end of summer party with free Chick-fil-A.  

The babe was a fan of the lazy river :)

Parker and Torie came in town for E's last weekend before going on his mission.  We all got to go to the temple as a family.

We also went to a Cardinal's game. And the cuteness is just too much!!

And we got to go to the Botanical Gardens- my favorite place in St. Louis.  The babe absolutely refused to look at the camera.  I think there at least 100 pics of the 3 of us and he isn't looking at the camera in a single one of them.  Sigh. Oh well.  

And then we headed up to PA! The babe turned 5 months the first day we were there.  

And he learned to roll from his back to his stomach- even in his swaddle.  lol

From the minute we got here, I have loved it.  Bethlehem is a charming historic little town that is just so awesome.  We are staying with a couple from the ward who are very very nice.  Everyone up here is so incredibly friendly and Bethlehem is in a perfect location.  It's an hour and half west of NYC and and hour and a half north of Philly.  So a fun place, but not actually living in the city- which means more affordable and not all of the inconveniences of living in the city.  My friend Travis that I met in Jerusalem lives in Philly- going to law school, so the babe and I went down to visit him and tour the city while Ben had to work.  

We saw Liberty Bell,

The Constitution museum, with a bunch of founding fathers statues inside,

and Independence Hall, where the constitution was written.  

We then met up with our other Jerusalem buddy Jason- who just moved to PA.  We got cheese steaks which were so good! It was first time having one.

The next weekend, Ben actually had off so we did a day trip to NYC.  The babe got to ride the metro:

Time Square:

Another harbor tour with Bat Baby:

We got cookies at Levain bakery.  We took one bit and immediately realized that milk was a must.  The cookies were soooo good but soooo rich.  So we stopped at Walgreens and bought a pint of milk.  We literally drank it in like 5 minutes.  Holy Cow.  

Central Park:

Brooklyn Bridge:

I took the babe to the park when we got back and he fully enjoyed the swings.  

My dad then had a business trip in NYC so the babe and I went and met up with him.  We went up to the top of the Rock.

And then this past weekend we stayed in Bethlehem and watched General Conference (see lds.org for info) Wasn't it so good?

So now we are on our last week here.  I have had so much fun here- I am almost not ready to leave yet! But I am ready to be in my own home for sure.  It's crazy how much traveling the babe has done in his 5 almost 6 months of life.  He has literally gone from coast to coast and in between.  I once again reiterate that being a mother is seriously the best.  Hanging out with this little cutie every day is such a blessing.  It's still surprising to me how much I'm enjoying being a stay-at-home mom.  I love it!! Every day is a joy and I'm free to spend my time nurturing this little soul that God entrusted to me.  Motherhood has made me a better person.  I feel like the babe has been such a great way for me to connect with people as well.  Strangers everywhere start conversations with me because of this cute, sweet baby, and I'm making connections every where.  And that's very good for me because I'm naturally very shy and it's hard for me to connect with people I don't know.  Somehow having this baby has helped me with this, however, and I feel more at ease.  He is such a blessing to me in so many ways.  He makes me want to be a better person so that I can be a better mother and I just appreciate the motivation that he gives me.  I'm just so lucky!  

Anyway- we are headed home this weekend and then we will be home for 2 weeks.  Our last rotation will then be in Kansas City.  Alright- until next time!