back at work

Today is my first day back at work.

I'm excited to get back into the swing of things, but I'm sad.  Real sad.  This little munchkin is one lovely babe to spend time with.

We've had a busy past few weeks - there has been so much excitement that I haven't had a moment to tune you in. 

The highlights include...

Having Stefan's lovely mother stay with us to explore SF, help out, and hang with Samantha:

Taking Samantha on her first flight:

Dressing her up for Halloween:

Celebrating my fabulous sister's incredible nuptials:

And spending some time in Milwaukee with my parents:

It's been a pretty incredible finale to this pretty incredible maternity leave.  More details to come I hope although I'm in uncharted territory here with the whole working with a baby thing.  I make no promises.

xoxo

KK

happy happy

Today marks a particularly serendipitous day for me.  
Not only is it Stefan's birthday, but it is also my parent's 30th wedding anniversary.  
Two rather important events for me. :)

My parents have celebrated anniversaries in all sorts of glorious fashion.  One year, my dad surprised my mom with a mystery trip to Hawaii that came with one of her favorite things: A Plan with Activities.  Every second of every day was planned out.  (We don't like downtime in our family.)  While they could have gone anywhere or done anything to celebrate this pretty big marriage milestone, they decided to go to - wait for it - Indiana.

Don't get me wrong, I like all good Midwestern states, but their choice seemed a little anti-climatic for the couple that has ridden camels in Egypt, hiked the Inca Trail, and climbed the Great Wall of China.  Still, they decided that all they really needed to celebrate was each other (and some champagne and good golf courses, which apparently Indiana has).

Similarly, I offered Stefan all sorts of exciting options for his b-day celebration including getting a sitter and going out for a fancy dinner with decadent wine, but he couldn't imagine celebrating his day without his new favorite little lady.  All he wanted was to stay in for a home-cooked meal where he could have Samantha by his side.

One of the things that has been most surprising to me about parenthood is how incredible it is to watch the person you love fill their new role as a parent.  Per usual, Stefan took the job very seriously and has exceeded all expectations of what it means to be a father.  Watching him light up as he holds Samantha or calms her down (or changes her diaper!) and watching her as she settles into his comforting arms, makes me fall even more in love with him and this new stage of life for us as a family.

While I could go on and on about how wonderful he is as a father, a husband, and a friend, I'll stop here.  Stefan calls these types of posts my "thank-you" posts and claims they are not nearly as interesting as those where I share my latest mishaps and misfortunes (coming right at ya tomorrow!), but alas - I couldn't help myself in pushing the sappy-meter to shout into the blogosphere how happy I am for my wonderful parents and how much I love that child-at-heart husband of mine.

Happy anniversary Mom and Dad!  Thank you for teaching us kids what it looks like to be an incredible husband/wife, parent and grandparent (!!).

with Samantha

And happy birthday Stefan!  We can't wait to celebrate with you tonight! 

xoxo

KK

visitors!

Last week when Stefan headed back to work, my parents and sister Gretchen came to visit and hang out.

Samantha was SO excited to meet her aunt...

...who quickly earned the title of "Baby Whisperer" for her magical ability to calm Samantha with a simple tummy rub.

Since we're pretty particular about letting Samantha be around other people before she gets her vaccinations (more on that another time), we spent lots of time hanging out at home - 
taking care of wedding to-dos for Gretchen's exciting nuptials coming up in November, 
eating delicious home-cooked meals, and 
watching some good (and not-so-good) movies.

We also took loads of long walks and had lots of lunches sitting outside at La Boulange:

Their fluffy, warm eggs are perfection on a cold, San Francisco August day :)

It felt like the week was over before it started.  Luckily, my mom and brother (!) are visiting next week to keep the babe and me company.  Samantha is already counting down the days.

xoxo

KK

coming home

Sadly, Stefan had to head back to work today.  We've had such a blast these past three weeks being home together with little Samantha - getting to know her little habits and squeaks, having yummy dinners in, watching movies, and establishing a quazi-routine.

Luckily, however, my parents and sister are in town this week to visit and help out.  I could not be more excited!

We were also lucky enough to have my parents come visit right after Samantha was born.  They came out the day before we went home from the hospital and took care of us getting our house in order to bring baby home.  Since I had thought we had another 2 weeks, I hadn't washed any of our baby clothes, sheets, or blankets.  Thanks Mom! :)

Because I was feeling great and Samantha was doing excellently, we left the hospital one day early so we could also have an evening of celebration at home with my parents.

Before we left, we thanked all our favorite nurses with some decadent La Boulange pastries.

My parents were waiting at our house to welcome us:

They then spoiled us with a decadent home-cooked meal which we enjoyed with a bottle of Veuve!

seared ahi tuna steaks with mango salsa, 

roasted veggies, fruit salad, and amazing grilled bread

They even got us a scrumptious cheesecake (Stefan's favorite!) to celebrate the big day:

We were sad to see them go, but knew they'd be back soon.  Details on this visit to come!

xoxo

KK

well, hello!

Boy oh boy, it's been quite awhile since I've checked in last.  But my absence was not without good reason - I landed a new job!  While very exciting, the last month has been a whirlwind of trying to orchestrate my exit from my current gig as well as schedule some summer fun.  (More on that to come.)  

In addition, we've had time for some exciting, action-packed weekends.

Watching my baby brother graduate summa cum laude (!!) from Williams:

so proud of Sam Richard Krieg

the family crew of Williams grads

Helping said baby brother move into his new apartment in NYC:

my sister Gretchen working her magic with IKEA

My 5-year college reunion:
(which coincided with my parents' 30th and included a whole lotta mud)

charlotte and me

A wedding up in Healdsburg:

we obviously had to do some wine tasting

(at kunde's mountain top)

and some beer tasting

(at the fermentation bar in downtown healdsburg)

and some hiking in the redwoods

And finally, doing some much-needed spring cleaning:

color-coded books - yay or nay?

 

More details on these fun weekends to come.

What have you been up to?

xoxo

KK

a long weekend on gasparilla

So despite a mother on the mend (what is it with the flu this season?  terrible!) 
and weather like this:

 

Of Stefan's four trips to Florida, 

we've had bad luck every time!

Stefan and I had a wonderful time visiting my grandparents and parents on Gasparilla Island.

The weekend was extra special as two of my favorite high school teachers (who happen to be very good friends of my mom) were also down visiting.

 

Mrs. Lyons - English teacher extraordinaire (top) 

and Mrs. Morse - USM's Spanish guru (bottom)

on our make-your-own-pizza night

Despite the lousy weather, we did lots of island walking (bundled up of course!), 
lounged around hearing about Poppy's extraordinary cane collection (you haven't seen anything like it), 
indulged in decadent dinners in and out, 
caught up on Downton, and 
spent leisurely lunches sipping beers and coloring at Miller's Marina.

By far the pinnacle of the weekend, however, was the men's midnight fishing trip.  After dinner on Sunday, Stefan, Poppy and my dad headed out into the cold for a late night attempt at catching some marlin. 

(For those of you who know about as much about fish as I do, marlin fishing is considered the pinnacle of game fishing due to the size and power of this beastly fish and the extreme rareness of the species.)

Hemingway and his family with 4 marlin in 1935

(picture and info on marlin from wikipedia,

because I obviously don't know a thing)

Poppy told Stefan he'd buy us a house in San Francisco if Stefan pulled in one of the breed.

After awhile of no luck catching a thing, Stefan tossed in a live-shrimp-bated hook.

Pops muttered to Dad, "This one will be our last.  The chances of us catching a thing are next to none."

After a minute or two, however, Stefan felt a pull, "I've got something here!"

Knowing Stefan loves a good joke, they peered over at him skeptically.

"No really!  I do!  I can't pull it in!" he hollered as he struggled with his pole.

Pops quickly ran over to help him reel in his catch.

A big, meaty snook!

While not quite a marlin, the snook is also a renowned game fish, known for its superior fighting capabilities (which the men experienced first hand).  

While Stefan didn't end up with a house, he went home with a book all about his catch (with a hand-written note from his fishing mentor Pops) as well as a new nickname: "The Fischerman."

How was your long weekend?

xoxo

KK

more thanksgiving goodness

In addition to some epic pie-making, our Thanksgiving Day came with a whole host of other fun traditions. 

The Krieg-Gallun clan has been known to produce some very serious competitions - chief among them those that take place on Thanksgiving.  On one such occasion, a touch football game ended with a broken femur and full-leg cast.

This year, we tried to keep it a little more kid-friendly, opting for a family soccer game on Liz Krieg Field. 
(Liz Krieg being my mother who had a beautiful turf field hockey field built in her honor because she was just that awesome of a coach.)

With players of all ages, we managed to keep things friendly with my dad even pulling off a few headers:

In addition to some sports, we made time to prep a perfect balance of healthy and not-so-healthy dishes:

spicy sausage stuffing

spinach, persimmon, pomegranate, walnut,

pear, butternut squash salad

We got all dressed up and headed over our lovely grandma's house for a big, delicious dinner.

Sam carving his upside-down-roasted turkey

 

And then sampling it

(right off the bone of course)

with his new brother

The evening ended with those to-die-for pies and one unreal dance performance by a very energized cousin:

Watch out Justin Bieber - he's coming for you

 

xoxo

KK

perfect pies

Did you have a good Thanksgiving weekend?  Ours was jam-packed with ridiculously fun activities, delicious food and tons of good company - all starting with one perfectly decadent Thanksgiving Day.

As is traditional in the Krieg Family home, we spent the day prepping pies.  And by pies, I don't just mean 1 or 2.  I mean seven.  And even that was a very light year for us (just-a-bit-excessive) pie lovers. 
One year we cranked out no less than 13 before 3. 

While it used to be the full Krieg clan in the kitchen each contributing equal amounts to the pie creations, we've since relinquished the majorities of duties to the premier pie maker among us.

Any guesses on who that might be?

 

My 6'2", 238 lb, football-playing, soon-to-be investment-banking (little) brother.

As has become tradition, Sam got help from a good high school friend who has mastered the art of rolling out the perfect pie crust.  The two of them spent the day preparing batch upon batch of dough, and then batch upon batch of fillings.

While they prepared the vast majority of the pies, they introduced the newest member of the family to the tradition as well - teaching Stefan how to roll the dough evenly without letting it crack.

 

 

He did pretty well, only needing a little bit of help in the transfer of the crust to the pan.

(Look at how serious that face is in the transfer.  He knew Sam meant business.)

 

The pies all (even the one they let me roll out) turned out amazing.  Our best year yet.

 

 

 

Do you have any special dishes you make every single year?

 

xoxo

KK