aaaaaand, We're Back!

Whoops. It seems I may have been neglecting my blog for awhile! I really can't tell you why this happens. I'll be rolling right along with post after post and then I'll stop. Dead. In. My. Tracks. Maybe my new addiction to the Hunger Games was to blame this time. All thoughts of blog writing and reminders to take photos are completely wiped from my brain. I wish this didn't happen because I really enjoy writing these silly posts and sharing our stories and ideas. After I finish a post I feel satisfied, fulfilled, and dare I say, even a little proud (in a "Mom! Mom! Look what I made!" sort of way). Whatever it is, I feel good about getting a post out there.

So, now I'm back. I need to reassess my photo a day challenge, because, you guessed, it didn't last. Maybe I'll try a weekly recap with photos that I did manage to take? Or just stick with the photo a day and post when I have a good one? How would you like to see these done? After all, this blog is really for you guys! So let me have it - what would you most like to see on here? What have you enjoyed the most? Family photos? Cooking? Decorating? Kid stuff? House projects? 

I'd love to hear from you!

Until then, here's a quick recap of what the Malek household has been up to.

Jake's car got hit...again. All part of the fun of city living. Yup. Fun.

Jake and I went to a murder mystery party, a first for us. We had a blast. Jake had to dress as Elvis and I had to dress as Judy Garland. Unfortunately we did not take a single picture of us in our costumes! I don't know how missed that. I'm sure we were quite the sight to see!

We had our good friend Sara over for dinner who was going to be our first non-grandparent babysitter. Alora could not have been more smitten with her new friend (who brought her a ball and bubbles!!), so it's nice to know we have a back-up when needed. Sara is planning a beautiful winter wedding so we dove into Pinterest for some ideas once Ali went to bed. Winter weddings are sooooo pretty....

Alora has started picking out her own clothes in the morning, as seen in the very top photo. Hello florescent! 

As a celebration for my mom's 60th birthday (that happened in March) we took my parents to see Jersey Boys, one of my mom's favorite shows. And my dad pitched in for an amazing steak dinner. My mouth still waters thinking about it. We had a fun night out on the town. And despite Jake's complete lack of Broadway interest, I think even he enjoyed himself.

This past weekend we had a completely non-eventful few days. And it. Was. Amazing. It feels like we have been on the go for the last several weeks with travel, company or some sort of event (maybe also to blame for my lack of posts. Hmmm, what else can I blame...?). And while we've greatly enjoyed it all, it's always nice to have a quiet weekend at home with the fam. Although the weather wasn't fabulous, we managed to get in a few walks, a movie night, some cleaning, groceries, and play, play, play with the kiddo. It was great! We also discovered a rainy day hidden gem - the pet store! On one of our errand trips, we stopped in to get Cosmo a new bag of dog food and remembered that the pet store has more that just dog food! So we wandered around ooohing and aaahing at all of the fish, snakes, hamsters and cats. Ali had so much fun!

In other new, I just realized that I have over $300 in gift cards and merchandise credits that I've been carrying around in my purse for the past 3 years! 

What? Who does that?

I know, right? It's a little crazy. Time to put those bad boys to use instead of weighing down my already overly stuffed purse. Mama's going shopping!