The Poco Loco Olsons

Kitchen Progress

2012-02-02T09:43:00.000-08:00

We are so excited to see things slowly come together in our kitchen. We've been "camping" for almost a month now and are longing to see the top of our kitchen table again. That said, we are thrilled with the things that are coming together and the improvements that we're seeing.

Did you know that today is Oven Eve? Shockingly, Hallmark doesn't have a card for this occasion. Slackers! Our new oven is scheduled to arrive tomorrow and I am practically walking around with a whisk in my hand! I can hardly wait to get baking!!!

Our new cupboards and wine rack... so much storage!
(This used to be a mirrored wall; Eric and I keep thinking we're going to
hit our heads on the cupboards because we aren't used to them being there!)

Old granite gone (the new stuff didn't quite match, so now we're
updating all of the granite in the kitchen)

Stove's hood (ugly, black, gross) is GONE! Awaiting the new one's arrival.

Progress

2012-01-31T08:12:00.000-08:00

Our kitchen is slowly taking shape and giving us hints of what it'll look like when all is said and done.

We are still fawning over our new granite counter and how pretty it is. Because we were able to convert our existing sink to an undermount sink with the addition of the granite counter, we quickly realized we needed a taller kitchen sink faucet. Eric and I peeked around online and found one that we liked. Part of this weekend was spent under our sink tightening this, attaching that, and making sure no leaks reared their ugly heads. We did hit a bit of a snag with a leak, but quickly mopped it up and got the problem solved (WHEW!).

Yesterday, we came home to our new subway tile on the south wall of the kitchen (between the granite and the cupboards). We also now have a windowsill!! Our old kitchen window was flush with the wall; I never realized how excited I'd be to have a windowsill!!

I don't know what's next for the kitchen, but I did hear something about making our cabinets plumb so there aren't gaps between them. That works for me!!

Scones, Biscuits ... Tomato, Tomahto

2012-01-27T14:18:00.000-08:00

This month's Daring Bakers challenge could not have been more perfect for a baker who is eye deep in a kitchen remodel (ah hem ... such as yours truly). We made biscuits ... or scones, depending upon which country you live in. Here in the U.S.A, we call them biscuits and they were mighty good!! I've used the Betty Crocker (I think) buttermilk biscuits recipe for as long as I can remember, but after this challenge, I think it is safe to say that I'll no longer use my old standby. These biscuits were fantastic!

I wound up making the basic biscuit recipe (milk) and one of the alternative recipes (cream) just to see if there was much of a difference between the two. There was! Our family voted for the cream biscuits hands down (and mouths full). Not only were these biscuits really good, they were also a great project for Annika and me to do together. She had a great time sifting the flour, mixing the ingredients (sometimes with her hands, other times with a spoon), and eating our fresh-from-the-oven biscuits with homemade jam.

Annika sifting the flour

Ta da!

Our butter and flour all mixed together to a "fine gravel/sand" consistency

Annika stirring the dough
(although it doesn't look like it, I really did help make these biscuits!!)

Our dough after adding the milk


Ready for the oven!

Annika taking in the glory that is her biscuit

Annika gives the biscuits a big "YUMMMMM" and thumbs up!

Cream-based biscuits

Milk-based biscuits

Audax Artifex was our January 2012 Daring Bakers’ host. Aud worked tirelessly to master light and fluffy scones (a/k/a biscuits) to help us create delicious and perfect batches in our own kitchens!

One of my happy places

2012-01-27T13:19:00.000-08:00

There's no secret that I adore the water. I can't even count how many times I've said that I'd never be able to live (happily) in a landlocked state. I find an immeasurable amount of tranquility and sense of personal scope when I'm around water—especially large bodies of water. (No, the dripping faucet in our bathroom just doesn't quite have the same impact on me.)

Recently, our local news has showcased a baby otter pup that was born at our aquarium. Fortunately, my office is just down the street from the aquarium and I decided today was the day to visit the new pup. Never did I expect the pup's viewing window to have the crowd that it did mid-day on a weekday. It was nutty!! In addition to us gawkers, there were also two biologists parked at the window monitoring the pup and mama making sure all was going well. As I stood there watching the mama and her pup do laps around the tank (the mama was grooming the pup's tail while the pup slept), I quickly realized it was anything but an ideal photography opportunity, but I still caught a few pictures of the otters. One of the caretakers sprayed down the window to do a little cleaning, which did plenty to make a difficult photography situation even trickier. On top of that, the crowd was reflected in the viewing window; they weren't the ones I wanted pictures of.

My photos from the non-otter portion of the aquarium turned out much better. I had issues taking photos of the jellyfish; those darned things move so much that it is really tricky to get them in focus ... that and the fact they're in a tank that has constantly changing lights!!

sea anemone

I have no idea what this is, but thought it was pretty

Otter pup and her mama (Aniak)

This seal was much easier to photograph ... no line, no waiting!

jellyfish

diver feeding a wolf eel

The Kitchen of Mass Destruction

2012-01-26T13:20:00.000-08:00

And to think all of the work we've been doing (yes, this is the royal we; the real "we" is the rock star of a man David van Sanford, who has really been the vast majority of the work on our house ) for the past 3 weeks started with Eric wanting to fix the wood under our kitchen sink.

Today, the mirrored wall became a thing of the past! We decided to convert it from reflective surface to a pantry and spot for bottles of wine. We've also decided to replace the yellow Formica that was on the walls with white subway tile. Can we get a collective "woo hoo" from everyone? :)

Bye, bye mirrored wall!
The vertical lined wall used to be covered in 12"x12" mirrored tiles.
The wall that is 90 degrees from that wall used to have cupboards and yellow Formica.

Bye, bye yellow Formica

Bye, bye cabinets (don't worry, they'll be back, just in a slightly
different configuration) and yellow Formica!

Next up - more windows will go in tomorrow. Granite counter top and kitchen sink (our old one, but just excited it is coming back!!!) will also go in tomorrow. YIPPEE!!!

The Next Generation of Look Alikes

2012-01-26T09:33:00.000-08:00

Growing up, my best friend and I had a habit of showing up in either identical outfits or outfits that looked like we coordinated our clothes (she'd wear black pants and a black/white checkered boyfriend jacket on the day I'd wear my black/white checkered pants and black boyfriend jacket). Even on my 25th birthday, she showed up at my door wearing khaki pants and a denim shirt ... exactly what I was wearing. People would often ask us if we planned to coordinate our wardrobes.... we were dorky growing up, but not THAT dorky. (Hee hee - me using the term "dorky" probably proves I haven't completely outgrown my dorkiness!)

ANYWHO ... the reason behind me telling this story....

When I got to Annika's school yesterday afternoon, I couldn't help but chuckle at the sight of Annika and her BFF Allison doing (by chance) exactly what Kate and I used to do (by chance). Annika was in her heart dress and Allison was in heart tights that looked like they were made to go with Annika's dress. The girls were pleased as punch when I pointed out their complimentary clothes!

Not Exactly "Snowmageddon", but We'll Take It

2012-01-18T07:14:00.000-08:00

For the past few days, the weather forecasters have been telling us to prepare for a huge snowstorm... one that could possibly break records for our area. Well, the snow has arrived and isn't anywhere near their original predictions of crippling snow, but we'll still take it. The kids are excited to have more snow to play in and Annika is quickly learning the joy of snow days from school. Eric and I are excited that the weather forecasters were just employed in a type of emotional cruelty by predicting snow that never arrives.

vcxf[;vcgrt[gt gfcv '/
(Conor's blog post contribution—"tapped" as I peeled an orange from him in the next room)

Here's the view from our front porch a little before 7 this morning. You can't tell from the pictures, but it was snowing when I took the pictures.

Snow in Seattle

2012-01-14T17:18:00.000-08:00

My original thought for today was to take the kids up to Snoqualmie Pass so they could have some fun in the snow. I'd basically given up on seeing any lowland snow this winter and didn't want them to miss out on the chance to play some of the white stuff.

That's what I get for making plans. Of course, it snowed in Seattle this morning. (Glad I didn't bother with the hour+ drive to the pass!!) The kids (as well as their parents) got really excited when we saw the flakes falling from the sky. Eric was still working on replacing the bathroom sink faucet (that's a blog post for another day), so I bundled up the kids so we could head outside and enjoy the falling snow.

It was fantastic snow ... PERFECT snowball snow. The kids had a blast catching snowflakes on their tongues, making snow angels, and making/throwing snowballs. I had a great time watching them explore the fun that comes with falling snow.

After lunch and while Conor took a nap, Annika got rebundled and headed out on the deck with Buca so they could play together and take in as much of the snow fun as possible. Buca is a huge fan of the snow ... proving he's an Olson through and through!

Having a snow parade around the front yard

Making a snow angel

Conor figuring out how to make snowballs

Annika catching snow on her tongue

Conor catching snow on his tongue

Playing in the snow with Daddy

Conor all bundled up

Annika getting ready to throw a big snowball

Buca got in on the fun, too!

Buca jumping to catch a snowball that Annika threw to him

Remodel Update

2012-01-12T08:59:00.000-08:00

Here's what's been afoot for our house lately...

We've now ventured out past our kitchen a bit. One of the bay windows in our computer room is no longer glass.... it's now plywood. It's all the rage in the cool houses!! OK, no it isn't...not even close. It's just keeping out the elements until the new panes of glass are delivered.
The window above our kitchen sink has followed suit and now is a big piece of plywood. This one, however, is a bit fancier because it has a drawing (in Sharpie) of a starfish on it. I've always wanted a nice view from our kitchen!! Apparently sealife is the way to go. We'd waffled about whether to replace the kitchen window, but decided to bite the bullet and have it done while the amazing David is at the house doing other work. SO glad we did! Apparently, we were uncomfortably close to the wood around the window being so rotten that we were seriously risking it giving way and allowing water into our walls ... talk about an ugly situation.
Side note: I've realized that plywood windows have some serious benefits over glass: no fingerprints, water splatters don't show us, no one can look in and see how messy our kitchen is most of the time, we can draw starfish on them and not worry about the consequences! It's all good. :)
We still have no kitchen sink, but at least David laid out a bunch of wood to act as a temporary countertop, which is much appreciated.
Annika's wall had some water damage due to an incorrectly installed window (whoops - our bad, I guess we did it wrong when we put it in before Annika was born). David fixed the window's installation and cut out a piece of Annika's wall. He has since then patched the wall and is waiting for the mud to dry and then will repaint it. He's going to put a starfish on her wall (hence, the Sharpie one on our kitchen "window") to match the rest of the sealife motif on her walls.
We have two quotes from granite fabricators. We're waiting for one more. Once we get it, we'll figure out who is going to make our new kitchen counter and get moving on that portion of our project. Hurray!!

Time with my boy

2012-01-11T09:13:00.000-08:00

Each weeknight, I come home, unload my stuff, get a quick pulse of the family and then spend time with our kids. Sometimes it is 1:1 time, sometimes it is both kids piled on top of me.

Last night, was a 1:1 evening... just Conor and me. We had fun making silly faces at each other, talking in funny voices, and making each other laugh. It is moments like those that bring a tear to my eye ... a tear of joy and gratitude for the gift of our children. They are the most amazing little creatures and we are beyond blessed to have them in our lives.

Tickles!!

This face is one of my happy places

Pure, unadulterated joy

Mama kisses!!

Unscheduled Kitchen Remodel

2012-01-08T13:16:00.000-08:00

When I woke up this morning, our only plans for the day were church at 8:30 and Annika's swim lesson at 2:30. Easy. I'd clean up a bit and fold some laundry, but all-in-all, our day would be quiet.

FOOL! I was a FOOL for thinking that's where our day would go.

Eric decided to tackle the wood under our kitchen sink. It was damaged when our (now former) food disposal developed a leak. The wood warped and (we found out when Eric pulled up the shelf paper that was under the sink) that mold was also taking root. Mold = game changer. Eric wasn't quite sure how to get the wood replaced due to the size of the cupboard's opening and the fact there were pipes running through the wood. So, we called on our go-to guy, David, who is married to Eric's mom's cousin's daughter (or something like that) and lives on our street, just a mile or so away.

While the kids and I were at church, David came over, got a look at the mold and basically said "time for respirators; that stuff has to come out."

Eric and I have talked about replacing the countertop (yellow formica) with granite (to match the counters on the other side of our kitchen) but never really did much more than talk about it and ask a guy for a quote (from a guy who came to the house, took measurements, but never called with an acual quote). We figured because we have to rebuild the cupboard under the sink, this would be an ideal to get the countertop replaced.

David is also going to do a few other projects for us like replacing a few windows that have decided to rot ... darned that Seattle moisture. We are so lucky to have someone we can rely on to do great work and who happens to be available right when we need him most!

David and Eric surveying the scene

Bye, bye sink!

This was about the point I asked them if I could still run the dishwasher. To that, the repsponded "are you serious??"

No more sink. No more cupboard. No more counter.

Ripping out the fake brick wall treatment (woot!)

Eric taking in the scenery

Christmas Tree Dough Ornaments

2012-01-06T12:53:00.000-08:00

No - there hasn't been a time warp (how many of you are now doing ... or at least singing... the Time Warp from Rocky Horror?? Be honest!) and we're back in the holidays. I just never got around to posting this topic and I wanted to share some more holiday pictures of the kids. (What? Me sharing pictures of our kids? SHOCKING!)

One of the holiday activities that we took on before Christmas 2011 was making dough ornaments for our tree. The dough couldn't have been easier to make (recipe will follow) and the kids had a fantastic time making them! We used my mini Christmas cookie cutters and one of my snowflake cookie cutters. While Annika and I headed up the "cutting out" portion of the project, Conor whacked at his ball of dough with a small rolling pin and occasionally snacked on the incredibly salty dough... decided he didn't like it while making a really funny screwed up face, spat it out, whacked the dough, and then tried another bite. (The boy doesn't learn!)

One of the best parts of this project was decorating the ornaments. The kids had a blast painting their ornaments and taking charge of how their ornaments looked. Colors were delicately applied by Annika; she was precise in her color placements and techniques. Conor smashed his colors into the ornaments with flair and passion.

The final phase of the project was hanging our dried ornaments on the tree. Again, the kids dove in head first and loved seeing their creations on the tree. (Buca liked the ones that fell off and asked us for more snacks like them... but maybe with a little less salt!)

Annika believes that one must be dressed to the 9s while doing art projects

Conor creating a color mixture for his ornaments

Annika's Ornaments

Conor's Ornaments

Dough Ornament Recipe:
1. Mix 1/2 c salt, 1/2 c water, and 1 c flour until forms a ball.
2. Knead briefly on lightly floured surface or in the bowl. (Note: I wore food handler gloves to keep my hands from getting dried out by the dough's salt.)
3. Roll out to 1/4 inch (plus or minus) thick.
4. Cut with cookie cutters.
5. Use a toothpick or small straw to make a hole in each ornament for a hook or thread for hanging.
6. Place ornaments on a cookie sheet.
(Hint: I use parchment paper to keep the ornaments from sticking to the pan) at 250 degrees for 2 hours.
7. Cool completely.
8. Paint with poster paints, puffy paint, and/or glitter glue.
9. String thread or place hook through hole.
10. If desired, spray with a sealer in a well-ventilated area or outside.

..

One Minute!

2012-01-05T09:25:00.000-08:00

Many things in our household happen in "one minute," which can last anywhere from a true minute to a half hour. It is basically our way of preparing our kids for something that is around the bend: bed time, bath time, end of bath time, time of pajamas, time to clean up, etc.

Last night, the kids were in the bath. I'd finished washing Conor's hair and turned around to grab a towel so I could pull him out of the tub and get him dried off. As I turned back to the tub (after grabbing the towel from the bathroom counter), Conor stood up, put up one finger, and said, "ONE MINUTE!" and then proceeded to sit down and continue playing with the bath toys. At that point, I had to duck around the corner so I could giggle out of sight.

Our words (including hand gestures) have come full circle....

Happy 2012

2012-01-02T09:38:00.000-08:00

Another year has amazingly zipped right by us.... how did that happen? 2011 was a year of definite highs and lows for us, but I'm happy to announce there were more highs than lows.

The kids astounded us almost every day of 2011 with new things they learned and accomplished. Both kids' language skills went to new heights; Annika now shocks us by using more parts of speech correctly (the kid correctly uses adverbs... I'm one proud mama!) and Conor is now able to put together 5-6 word sentences that we can even understand! Over the year, the kids really developed into play buddies and enjoy spending time playing together. The only friction arises when Annika gets frustrated with Conor when he doesn't play what she instructs when they do imagination-based play. Some other highs include a couple of trips to visit my sister and her family in San Diego, Eric and me celebrating our 10th anniversary in November and celebrating a week later by going to Apple Cup with my siblings (Go Dawgs!), Annika thriving in her swim lessons and proving that she's part fish, and Conor turning one year old and showing his ability to eat us out of house and home (I shudder to think what his appetite will be like when he's a teen!).

Our year did have a couple of lows, unfortunately. Our sweet dog Riley died in March; it was really hard to lose him and our home definitely felt a bit emptier without him. He was a part of our family for almost 11 years. We also lost my dad in December; we had a really nice send off for him and we know he would have loved so many people gathered in his honor. My sister's mother-in-law said something to my sister that I think was quite beautiful and touching; she said, "Now your dad is reunited with his memories."

We had a ~~busy~~ ~~hectic~~ chaotic holiday season in 2011, but feel so blessed to have spent the holidays with our extended family members and friends. We look forward to what 2012 has in store for us. So far, it is off to a great start!

HAPPY NEW YEAR!!

Christmas 2011

2011-12-28T09:24:00.000-08:00

The Christmas decorations are almost all put away; the tree is by the curb awaiting the yard waste truck. Even though our house is returning to its normal appearance, the memories of Christmas are still alive and well.

We had a fantastic Christmas this year (and hope you did, too) and are feeling so blessed that we saw many of our family members over the holiday. Eric's parents arrived on Christmas Eve. We played games, chatted, ate our traditional Christmas Eve dinner (aka breakfast for dinner ... this year, we had Eggs Benedict), and read "Twas the Night Before Christmas" as a family before going to bed.

Reading "Twas the Night Before Christmas"

Leaving cookies and milk for Santa

We awoke Christmas morning to find that Santa was very kind to us. Our stocking were overflowing with goodies, and we had more than enough presents under the tree. The kids were charged with excitement and could hardly contain themselves. Annika offered to "help" everyone open their gifts ... she's such a giver!! There was plenty of mayhem going around, but it was such fun to see both of our kids really getting into the excitement of the day.

Conor unwrapping his loot

Annika modeling her new husky hat/scarf combo

The prized gift of Christmas ... the kids are learning a great lesson in sharing with this one!

By late morning, Eric's folks were on their way home and we began preparing for wave 2 of Christmas ... my side of the family. We hosted both of my brothers and their families and my mom. We had a feast fit for a king (including an amazing prime rib that my brother Troy made).... ok, maybe the yorkshire pudding wasn't quite up to snuff, but that's what happens when I forget to put the flour in until after the pan is in the oven and then we try to whisk some in to save the mess. (Thanks to my sister-in-law, Staci, for jumping in so fast and helping with the frantic whisking! I think we could enter any synchronized whisking contest this side of the Mississippi and take 1st place!)

After dinner, we opened more presents and solved all of the world's problems (and probably created a few new ones!)

Annika unwrapping her gift from her cousins, Kat and Ian

Annika demonstrating how to use her new "bin-nock-cleeears"

The only downside to Christmas was Eric getting called into work at 9:00 PM. A windstorm had come through the area Christmas morning and it caused some power outages/surges in the region... one of which was at the company Eric works for. He and the ISP guy wound up putting in plenty of hours trying to get the systems all up and running again before people had to return to work. Fortunately, he was called at 9:00 PM instead of 9:00 AM on Christmas.... this kept him home for the day's festivities, at least.

Did Somebody Order Sourdough?

2011-12-27T14:56:00.000-08:00

This month's Daring Bakers challenge was sourdough bread ... not only from scratch, and when I mean scratch, I mean SCRATCH. We not only made the bread—we made the sourdough starter, too. I've made sourdough items plenty of times, but never with starter that I created. I wouldn't classify this project as a huge success.

The first time I attempted to proof the starter, I kept it in our gas oven (no, it wasn't on!) to keep the starter warm. Unfortunately, I think it kept it too warm and the starter completely stalled.... and looked really gross. My sister looked at it and said it looked like someone barfed up graham crackers. Eww....

My second attempt at the starter was more successful. I kept it in a Mason jar on the counter and put aside the worries that my kitchen was too cold for the starter to take root. I learned the hard way that my warmer option wasn't really an option. I also let the water sit out on the counter, out of concern that the chlorine in our water was part of the first starter's problems.

After 5 days, the starter was ready to transform into bread. When I made the dough, it was WAY too runny; not sure what I did, but it was more like sludge that dough. Hmmm... So, after the rising period, I realized it simply wouldn't work as is. I added some more flour and hoped for the best.

Unfortunately, I had a bit of a time crunch and couldn't let the dough go through another full rising cycle, so the bread wound up more dense than I think it would have had it had more time to rise.

With all that in mind, here's the final result! (It sort of reminded me of communion at church when the church uses actual bread instead of the more commonly used wafers.)

Our Daring Bakers Host for December 2011 was Jessica of My Recipe Project and she showed us how fun it is to create Sour Dough bread in our own kitchens! She provided us with Sour Dough recipes from Bread Matters by AndrewWhitley as well as delicious recipes to use our Sour Dough bread in from Tonia George’s Things on Toast and Canteen’s Great British Food!

Cramming Christmas Prep into One Week

2011-12-21T09:02:00.000-08:00

This has been an unusual Christmas season for our crew. Originally, I planned on taking the kids for their Santa picture on December 4th. Unfortunately, that was the day that flipped everything on its ear. That's the day I received the phone call telling me my dad passed away.

Instead of the day I had expected, I found myself in a series of events that I hadn't expected, signed up for, or knew were ahead of me. Since that day, my sister and I have repeatedly said that we need a "Death for Dummies" book because the learning curve was astronomical. The morning of the 4th, I received the call from my brother telling me the news and proclaimed, "Hold on, I'm coming over!" To that, my brother replied, "Where are you going?" I said, "Your house, you dolt!" (OK, I didn't really said the dolt part, but I did think it.) To that, he said, "I'm in London." OH YEAH!!! I'd forgotten that he was on a business trip and then the reality of me being the only local sibling sunk in. I made a few required phone calls, quickly dressed, and drove to our dad's care facility.

In the lobby of the care facility, I was met by the funeral home representative and the care facility's director. The three of us walked to my dad's room; along the way, I was greeted by a few mourning care providers. It was really touching to see how many of the people who work there were moved by the passing of one of their residents. They care so deeply about the residents.

Upon reaching my dad's room, I was greeted by a police officer who had been standing watch over the body. That was when the business of death seemed to kick into gear. I released the officer from his post; the director and funeral home representative and I went over the required paperwork and questions, and then my dad was transported to the funeral home.

After he was gone, I stood in his room and wondered "now what?" It felt weird just to leave, so I made his bed. It was something I could do. So, I did it.

The rest of the week was a whirlwind of funeral planning and family conversations. It's true; death does bring people together. During the week of preparation, I spoke with my siblings almost non-stop. My brother Troy returned early from London (gratefully) and was able to take on some of the tasks on our to-do list. We met with the funeral home staff and went through a lot more paperwork, picked out an urn, etc. etc.etc.

One of the weirdest experiences of the week was going shopping for a shirt and tie that our dad could wear as part of his final attire. We'd saved a suit of his when he moved out of his house a few years ago, but neglected to save a shirt and tie. I went to the local store and picked out the necessary items. I felt very compelled to pick just the right tie ... just the right "I was a conservative, Republican, career IMB guy" kind of tie. At the checkout counter, the gal asked if I wanted a gift receipt. Definitely not. Nope. Not even close.

We packed up our crew and headed down to Portland this past weekend and had a whirlwind of activity. We had a rosary and funeral at the local Jesuit community (GORGEOUS!!!) and then a crypt blessing and reception at the mausoleum and then an open house at my cousin's house on Saturday. It was a very busy, but nice day. We shed tears, laughed, shared stories, ate, and drank wine. All-in-all, it was a very nice send off for our dad. He would have loved knowing everyone was together.

Upon our return home, I hit the ground running trying to play Christmas prep catch up. As soon as the car was unpacked and the washing machine was going, I started my holiday baking.... spritz cookies (two ways) and nut clusters. The next night, I made fudge. The kids and I even made dough ornaments to give to Annika's teachers and to hang on our tree (stay tuned for that blog post).

Christmas is a time for reflection and togetherness. This year, it is also a time for panic and high-speed preparations. :)

And to all a good night!

Decorating for Christmas

2011-12-15T09:25:00.000-08:00

Apologies... this post is a bit out of chronological order, but the pictures are so cute that I couldn't pass up the opportunity to share them. Two Sundays ago, we dug out the Christmas decorations, put lights on the house, and bought/decorated our tree. It was a whirlwind day of decorating and it definitely brought the Christmas spirit into our house.

Eric and Annika putting lights on the house

Conor supervising the lights process

Almost done with the lights

Conor looking on

Decorating the tree (like Annika's space helmet??)

Annika showing us the angel she made at school last year

Conor and Annika in front of the tree

Annika putting the Santa hat on yours truly

Gingerbread Cookies

2011-12-12T17:56:00.000-08:00

This year's Christmas preparations have taken on a bit of an odd mojo. My dad passed away last Sunday and the planning for his funeral has taken a top priority in terms of time management. While my dad's funeral is a big deal, we don't want to lose the feeling of Christmas and all of the festivities that go along with it. We do have our tree up (stay tuned for that post) and Annika and I were able to get a batch of gingerbread cookies made ... it took us four days to accomplish, but we did it!

Annika applying the royal icing to her cookie ... "moderation" is not in her vocabulary

A gingerbread cookie isn't complete without sprinkles!

Did we mention the sprinkles??

The cookies I decorated

Painting Christmas Tree Ornaments

2011-12-11T10:16:00.000-08:00

A few weeks ago, I saw a catalog that advertised glass tree ornaments and glass paints; it took me all of about 2 seconds to decide that would be a fun project for our little crew. Yesterday seemed like the perfect day to embark on our art project, so I covered the kitchen table with newspaper and we got right to work.

The kids had a BLAST painting their ornaments. I figured they'd do one ornament each.... nope! Each wanted to do as many as possible, which wound up being 3 each because we got a package of 6 ornaments. They learned how to mix paint colors and employ a variety of techniques as they painted their masterpieces.

Conor exploring his medium

Eric and Annika working on her ornament

Eric teaching Annika how to spin the ornament to make lines of paint

Conor

Conor decided to make himself a piece of living art

"Yoot Mama!"

Silly!

One of Conor's ornaments

One of Annika's ornaments

Today's Breakfast Conversation

2011-12-08T14:48:00.000-08:00

Our morning routines are pretty darned set in stone. Routine is basically the only reason we can get out of the door each morning. One of our "this happens almost every day" is Eric makes what we've named "cheesy eggs" for breakfast. What are cheesy eggs? Scrambled eggs with some cheese on top. (shhh! Don't tell... it's our secret family recipe!)

Annika has recently and arbitrarily taken to disliking having salt and pepper in her cheesy eggs. So, this morning, Eric left out the seasonings. As he handed a plate of eggs to Annika, she said she didn't like them because they were too spicy. He replied that he left the salt and pepper out this time. She looked at him and asked, "So, what's in them that I don't like?" (Mind you, all of this is without her taking a single bite of the food.) Eric replied that there were only eggs and cheese, nothing else. She looked at him, smiled, and said, "Good job, Daddy!"

Conorism

2011-12-02T09:49:00.000-08:00

As Conor was finishing up his yogurt ("yodote"), Eric offered to help get the last scraps onto Conor's spoon. Conor is well into the independent phase of his life and professed "Muh-ho-do-it", which is a combination of his two favorite phrases "Muh-ho-dit" (translation: I want to hold it, please) and "I do it" (translation: I'd like to do it myself, but thank you so much for offering your assistance.)

OK, I might have taken a wee bit of creative license when translating his phrases. "I do it" is probably more properly translated to "Get away! I've GOT IT! Step away and no one gets hurt." ;)

Moustaches

2011-12-01T09:59:00.000-08:00

Some of the men at my office participated in Movember, which is a clever way to raise awareness about male cancers and raise funds to help pay for research. In order to give women a way to participate, one of the guys brought in stick-on moustaches that we could wear for a day. Unfortunately, none of the women wore them, so there were plenty left over. So, I turned two into something fun for our kids.

They had a great time with their moustaches until Annika decided hers was too "tickly" and pulled it off. Conor wore his a good chunk of the evening.... although, not always under his nose. It migrated to his forehead for a bit and looked mighty entertaining, I must say. Kind of like the 70s gone wrong!

A Babe Was Born in Bathlaham

2011-12-01T09:23:00.000-08:00

As promised...

Dressing Up

2011-11-30T08:54:00.000-08:00

Last night, Annika decided that everyone needed to be in some sort of costume. She got the bee in her bonnet that she needed to be a ballerina and the rest of the family's costume requirement quickly fell into place.She ran downstairs and donned her pink tutu, which was quite a statement considering she ditched her shirt and was running around only in her plastic high heel shoes, blue underpants, and pink fluffy skirt. It was a vision!! After some doing, we convinced her that she needed a shirt to stay warm. (She initially professed that she wasn't cold; I countered that with "but you have goosebumps", to which she replied "No I don't; those are my bones.") The Gonzaga U. basketball shirt, just like the rest of her ensemble, was her doing... we took no ownership of her attire. I must say, though, she's making quite a statement. (Especially once she swapped out the plastic high heels for her purple tennis shoes and Barbie roller skates.)

She put rubber snakes on our dog, who was just trying to take a nap (he is one patient dog!). Convincing Annika that our cat wouldn't appreciate a costume took some doing on my part, but we were finally able to avoid that potential bloodbath when she agreed that we could pretend his white fut was his ghost costume.

For a little while, I wore our ghost headband, but Conor quickly confiscated it and deemed it his. (What can I say?? He's almost 2 ... everything is his, according to him and he looked so darned cute, I couldn't help but let him keep it on)

Our roller skating ballerina - she's destined for Cirque du Soleil!

Conor sporting the ghost headband and cardboard binoculars ... he's ready for anything!

Thanksgiving Prep

2011-11-29T12:29:00.000-08:00

The night before Thanksgiving, I went into turbo mode to prepare for the next day's festivities. Of course, part of that time included making pumpkin pies. Our sweet niece, Emily, who was staying with us for her break from college, offered to help out. I put her in charge of making the pie filling while I made the crusts. Divide and conquer, baby!!

Emily, being the amazing big cousin that she is, let Annika and Conor help her complete the task. And hoisted each kid up on her hip so they could have a chance to participate.

I must say, the pies turned out wonderfully ... probably because of the extra love and energy that went into them.

This was our version of a quilting bee; it was a pie bee!!!

Emily and Annika working on the pie filling

Conor taking his turn with the whisk

Annika's Song

2011-11-29T08:30:00.000-08:00

Next week, Annika's class will perform their Christmas pageant for their parents.

I am quite grateful that the school changed their approach to the wee little one's performance this year. Last year, they performed their song during the entire school's performance. It didn't start until 7:00 and was going to last way too long for our preschooler and newborn baby to survive. So, we snuck out after Annika's class sang. (Don't worry - her teachers gave the parents permission to leave knowing our 3-year-olds were like ticking time bombs that were nearing bedtime.) This year, the performance will start at 6:00 and will only showcase the preschool students. Short, sweet, and to the point. Perfect!

So, Annika has been practicing her song on a fairly regular basis... in the car, in the bath ... you name it. I adore how she says part of the lyrics. The song starts out "A babe was born in Bethlehem..." Annika says "A babe was born in Bath-la-ham...." Apparently, that's where hams go to get clean. She also finishes the song with the world's most enthusiastic "Allllllll-le-luuuuuuuuuuu-ja!!"

(Stay tuned... I'll try to get a video of her singing the song)

Apple Cup 2011

2011-11-28T08:51:00.000-08:00

To mark our 10th anniversary, Eric and I went to Apple Cup. Not only did we go to Apple Cup, but we went with some of my siblings, their spouses, one niece, and one nephew. Before the game, we did a little tailgating... nothing fancy, just a little friend chicken, a veggie tray, and some wine.

About 30 minutes before kickoff, we headed to the north entrance of the stadium. There are a lot of great things about our time at the game, but getting into the stadium was not one of the things in that category. We dutifully waited in line to go through security and then give the ticket takers our tickets. Unfortunately, not everyone followed that method... especially the party buses that let off their bajillion passengers (ok, not quite that many, but you get the idea) right at the front of the line. The people who were in line never moved forward because of the bus passengers. Eventually, people started surging forward and pressing toward the ticket gates (this is when I also lost my scarf, which bugs me). It was highly uncomfortable, but we eventually made it into the stadium and our seats (after missing kick-off and the first 6 points of the game)...

We had a BLAST during the game. The seats were really good and it didn't rain on us (amazing!!!) but the real fun was spending time with our loved ones. We played musical chairs during the game, so everyone got a chance to sit next to everyone else. Double bonus - the Huskies won!! Go Dawgs!

Staci and Anna pre-game

Me, Staci, and Anna waiting in line at the porta-potties

Anna and Robert

Suzanne, Anna, Robert, and Randy

Troy, Suzanne, and me

Suzanne and Randy

Oh, those crazy Dawg fans!!

Randy, Suzanne, Troy, and Staci

Troy and Eric

Randy and Robert

Daddy = Jungle Gym

2011-11-21T13:51:00.000-08:00

This weekend, Eric and the kids had a ball playing together. As soon as he started the fun, it took on a life of its own. I have to applaud Eric for many of his traits ... one of the top, by far, is his approach to being a father. He is gentle with the kids and turns just about everything into some sort of learning experience for them. They know that he's their guy ... especially when it is time to break out the fun—not to mention the rough and tumble.

It makes my heart leap with joy when I see the kids and Eric spending time together and their play time a few days ago was no exception.

Buca wasn't going to be left out of the fun

Annika showing Eric how to be more flexible

Ride 'em, cow kids!

I think Eric is trying to tap out at this point, but I have the camera and refuse to enter the wrestling ring.

Final score: kids = 2, Eric = 0

One Man's Ladder Is Another Man's Tent

2011-11-19T19:52:00.000-08:00

Eric decided it was high time to change the 8' light that we have in our kitchen. So, he lugged out the ladder, journied to the dust-laden ballast, and swapped out the bulb. In the meantime, the ladder was adopted by Annika and Conor. They turned it into a tent ... complete with sleeping accommodations.

Getting snuggled up in their tent

Annika sleeping in the ladder tent

Annika tucking in Conor

The tucking took awhile... Conor kept moving in contrast to Annika's firm instructions to lay down

Snug as a bug in a rug

After the kids moved on, Buca became their tent's squatter

Quite possibly, the world's sweetest squatter

Frans Chocolates Hat

2011-11-18T08:48:00.000-08:00

I recently bought some Frans Chocolates for a friend's birthday. Since then, I've been using the bag they came in as a tote for the hat I'm knitting for Eric. (Must ... knit .... faster ... hat ... must ... be ... done ... before ... Apple .... Cup!)

Anywho....

Last night, Conor decided the bag was no longer mine; it was his. (What's that thing about a toddler's belief system? "If it's mine, it's mine. If it's yours, it's mine....") Not only was the bag his, but it was his hat. Fortunately, Eric quickly grabbed our camera (complete with fancy, schmancy new lens!) and captured Conor wearing his new couture.

This hat is truly quite a fashion statement and the epitome of practical. The long handles double as arm straps, keeping the hat securely in place during high-speed wind storms! Of course, the paper wouldn't hold up so well in our famous Seattle rain, but who am I to judge??

Bag hat ... complete with arm straps

Cute boy!

Conor, where's your hat?

Making sure it is in the perfect spot on his head

10 Years and Counting!

2011-11-17T12:24:00.000-08:00

Ten years ago today, Eric donned his tuxedo and I put on my pretty white gown. We stood in front of our families and closest friends. We laughed. We cried (OK, I cried). We pledged to stand by each other in good times and bad. We promised to love each other for the rest of our lives. We became husband and wife.

Life is full of decisions... some work out, some don't. Some were easy, while others were painstakingly difficult and resulted in life's lessons learned. Still other decisions simply don't play into the grand scheme of things—such as what color socks to wear.

In all of my years, there has never been an easier or best made decision than when I chose Eric as my spouse. He has made me happier than I could have possibly imagined by partnering with me to build a life I am proud of and enthusiastically work hard for. He blessed me with our two amazing children; I cannot imagine a life that does not include their smiling faces, laughter, and love.

I am grateful for many things in life, but at the top of the list is my one true love, my sweet husband.

I love you, Sweetie. Here's to the first ten years and hoping the next ten are just as amazing!

Eric & Meredith - 11/17/01

Recent Baking

2011-11-14T09:25:00.000-08:00

I've had a bunch of recent baking requests, all of which I was MORE than happy to fulfill.

In October, I was asked to make a birthday cake for a family friend who was about to celebrate her 99th birthday. How could I possibly say no to that?!?!? Mrs. Young (my mom's friend who ordered the cake) wanted a BIG cake with bright colors. Each tier is comprised of 4 cakes and the tiers are 14", 10" and 6" cakes. The bottom tier was white cake with homemade lemon curd filling. The middle tier was chocolate cake with chocolate ganache filling. The top tier (aka the temporary bane of my existence until I re-made the original square cake and made a round tier instead) was white cake with creamy lemon curd (aka lemon curd and buttercream frosting mixed together). The top tier (although you can't really tell in this photo) is quilted and has silver dragees at each line intersection. This cake would easily feed 200-250 people and was too heavy for one person to carry ... quite possibly, it is the largest cake I've made to date.

The same weekend was a baby shower for my best friend's sister. Their family is beyond amazing and I cherish them like no other. So, when Kate asked if I'd made cookies for Aileen's shower, there was no way I was going to say anything but a resounding "OF COURSE!" Aileen is expecting a baby boy any day now, so to celebrate I made lots of little boy onesie cookies and some bottle cookies. I think the green onesie with the sailboat is my favorite of the lot.

Last but not least, this weekend, I made a cake for the NISSA (NW Infant Survival and SIDS Association) auction. Aileen (same as above) asked if I'd make something for this year's auction. I think I've donated a dessert to the auction for (I think) 6 of the past 7 years. This year's auction theme was "Courage and Hope", which sort of stumped me until my friend Kate (God bless her for so many reasons) suggested that I use the auction's logo as inspiration. Once that idea was in my head, the rest took shape. Annika and I delivered the cake Saturday morning; Annika had a great time helping me place the stars. She's such an adorable pastry chef in the making! The cake was two tiers, each made up of three white cakes with marionberry filling. The bottom tier was 10" cakes and the top tier was 8" cakes.

Thoughts of the Day

2011-11-10T13:50:00.000-08:00

As Thanksgiving approaches, I find myself getting into holiday mode, which is fast, frenzied, and so much fun. To slow down a bit and to gain perspective, today I"ve decided to share a list of some of the things I'm grateful for.

All too often, I think people (including yours truly) get caught up in thinking about the things we don't have instead of being grateful for the things we do have.

I am thankful for having been blessed with an amazing husband and two phenomenal children.
I am thankful that we have our health.
I am thankful that we have a roof over our head.
I am thankful that Eric and I are both employed.
I am thankful for the education that our children are receiving.
I am thankful for my amazing siblings and siblings-in-law.
I am thankful for the guidance from our parents and surrogate parents.
I am thankful for my friends, especially the ones who know me almost better than I know myself.
I am thankful for our pets and their unconditional love (which is heightened right after we feed them)
I am thankful for living in one of the most beautiful places on earth.
I am thankful that my husband humors me with all of my hobbies.
I am thankful that I've just about perfected my white cake recipe.
I am thankful for the chance to learn something new each and every day

Conor's Talking

2011-11-09T10:03:00.000-08:00

Conor has astounded us recently with how his language skills have been developing. The kid is turning into a regular chatterbox! He's also realizing that talking makes things happen... bigger picture is he's starting to realize cause = effect.

Last night, he was coloring and after every line or scribble, he'd point to his picture and yell "Yoot, Mama, Yoot!" ("Look, Mama, Look!"). When I looked and offered praise for his wonderful picture, he'd add another layer of crayon and cry out "Yoot, Mama! Yoot!" again.

Two nights ago, as I tucked Conor in to bed, I kissed him and then said, "I love you, Nanu. Good night." I walked across his room, turned off his light, and started to walk out of his room. Just as I did, I heard his little voice from his crib say, "Ahwahyo, Mama" (I love you, Mama). Talk about a heart-melting moment!!

His most useful language development seems to be the ability to tell off Annika and tattle on her. He now can yell out "NO, Attah! NO!" to get her to stop doing whatever form of big sister torture she's currently unleashing on him (usually something like putting her foot in his face or taking his cup away.) When things get too rough, he's also happy to come running in holding his latest injury and crying "Attah! Owie!" (Conor's days of being a quiet victim are a thing of the past!)

Tomato Tomahto, Hola Aloha

2011-11-07T19:29:00.000-08:00

Annika recently walked up to Eric and asked him if he knows how to say "hello" in Spanish.

He said that he did, but asked her to tell him anyway.

She replied, "Aloha!"

Visiting Ethan

2011-11-07T09:03:00.000-08:00

On Sunday, Annika and I visisted her little friend Ethan at Children's Hospital. Ethan is one of the sweetest kids you'll ever have the chance to meet; he and Annika are just a few month apart in age and play really beautifully together. I truly hope this is a friendship that lasts the test of time, and I have to believe it has a good chance of doing so because we're also friends with Ethan's parents, Jim and Elaine. (Back story: When I was expecting Conor, we quickly discovered that two of our friends (Elaine and Rachel) were also pregnant and due about the same time. Our babies were born in a 6-day timeframe; we had Conor, Elaine and Jim had Grace, and Rachel and Eric had Liam.)

Ethan was born with a congenital heart defect and had surgery on October 20th to basically replumb how his heart works. We were very excited that Ethan was up for us to visit him yesterday and I think it was good for Ethan to have some fun kid time, too. The look of sheer delight on his face when we walked into his room just about brought tears to my eyes. It was beyond a look of utter joy. We brought Ethan a little get well care package that contained some invisible ink books and a sticker/activity book. He and Annika cozied up at his hospital table and had a great time coloring and making their way through his activity books.

While the kids played, I caught up with Jim and Elaine. I can't even imagine the stress and fatigue they must be experiencing. Not only do they have their 4-year-old son in the hospital for multiple weeks, but they also have a little girl at home who is 19 months old. Oh, and they have full-time jobs. God bless them and the care, compassion, fortitude, and endurance they're displaying.

After about 15-20 minutes, Ethan's pain level started hiking up, so Annika and I made a quick departure so Ethan could get medicated and feel a bit of relief. I hope we'll be able to visit again soon ... even better, it would be great if our next visit is at his home instead of in the hospita. Hoping he gets discharged soon and feeling better even sooner!

Color, color, color!

Silly kids!

Signs of the Times

2011-11-04T11:52:00.000-07:00

Winter's impending approach is becoming noticable with colder temperatures, dark mornings, and dark evenings. A few mornings ago, I was walking from the bus to work and noticed how neat the Pike Place Market signs look against the pre-sunrise sky. With that in mind, I packed up our camera and a couple of our lenses this morning in hopes that I'd be able to snap some pictures of the sign. Ta da!!

I took more pictures than these two, but figured two was plenty for the blog. I also tried to get creative with pictures of a lamp post, but didn't change to my macro setting, so the pictures weren't as clear as I'd have hoped. Live and learn!

A few days ago, I mentioned my idea of taking pictures of the market's signs to my co-worker, who happened to have his camera at work that day. He loaned me his camera and I was able to snap these:

Pumpkin Carving

2011-11-03T09:08:00.000-07:00

Forgive me... I'm posting a bit out of order this go-around. Yes, we did carve our pumpkins the day before Halloween, but I didn't get around to actually writing a post about it. So... without further ado: our pumpkin carving recap!

We got our pumpkins at a local pumpkin patch earlier this month and they calmly sat on our porch until Sunday, when they met their doom. (If I was the pumpkins, I would have tried forging an escape plan!!).

We took a team approach to the carving. Eric and Annika. Conor and me. We had two very different approaches to the task at hand. Annika and Eric carefully sketched out what her pumpkin's face would look like on paper and then replicated their drawing on the actual pumpkin. They went for artistic flair and creativity. I simply picked up a knife and started carving... triangle eyes, triangle nose, two-tooth smile. The kids (and their parents) had a great time. Annika greatly enjoyed being part of the process and having ownership in the evolution of her pumpkin. Conor mostly liked squishing the pumpkin guts in his hands and sliding the seeds around on the jellyroll pan.

The whole process was much cleaner than we anticipated ... always a nice surprise. Our pumpkins were very brave and turned out quite cute!

Annika deciding where her pumpkin's face should be

In-depth discussions about pumpkin faces

Pumpkin guts are fun!

The first cut - surgical precision, I tell ya!

Pumpkin guts are STILL fun!

Conor putting the lid on his pumpkin

Conor discovered that hollow pumpkins echo; he kept saying "daaaaaaaaaaaddy" into it

Annika and her final product

Can you find the one that's not like the others?

Conor's new hat!

Ta da!

Happy Halloween

2011-11-01T17:59:00.000-07:00

Last night, we (along with just about everyone else in the country) celebrated Halloween. The day began with Annika waking up and asking if it was time for trick-or-treating. When I explained that we had to wait until after dinner to go, she promptly asked if we could have dinner. Mind you, it was about 6:30 AM when she asked... no dummy is she!!

Amazingly, we made it though our daily routines and FINALLY were able to prepare to head out for trick-or-treating. The kids could hardly contain themselves. We did up Eric to look like a jack-o-lantern, Annika to look like a zebra (yes, I DID sew her costume, thank you for asking), and Conor to look like a giraffe. After I donned my witch hat and spiderweb eyelashes, we set out to conquer the neighborhood.

The kids quickly mastered saying "trick or treat!" ("twi twee" per Conor) and thanking their candy patrons. One lady thought the kids were so cute, she asked our kids to re-knock on the door so her friends could hear the kids say "trick or treat".

Our neighbors were stocked to the hilt with candy for the kids, but Conor wasn't satisfied with that. He also wanted rocks and was determined to pick up almost every one that we passed. His trick-or-treat bag resembled Charlie Brown's goodie bag by the end of "Its the Great Pumpkin, Charlie Brown". Mid-way through our adventure, we crossed paths with Annika's classmate (who is one of our neighbors); multi-family trick-or-treating just added to the festive feel of the evening. The girls had an amazing time and Conor did his best to keep up. (Although, he did lose his focus when we passed a neighborhood cat who was all too willing to lay down on the sidewalk and let Conor pet his belly while Annika hit a few houses.

We expected Conor to last about 1/2 of a block; we were proven to be dead wrong. He kept up with Annika all night long. We stayed out for a good hour and the kids have plenty of loot to show for it. By the time we got home, hands were cold, noses were cold, but spirits were high (doubly so due to the great lack of rain!).

Eric-o-lantern

Our little animals

Lighting the pumpkins

Annika the zebra

October Daring Baker's Challenge Revealed: Povitica

2011-10-27T08:26:00.000-07:00

This month's Daring Baker's challenge wasn't quite what I expected, but wasn't a total disaster either. We were challenged to bake povitica, which is a swirled bread that hails from Poland (with variations from other countries). The traditional povitica is filled with a spread comprised mainly of ground up walnuts. I didn't have any walnuts, so I decided to attempt a cinnamon roll-inspired povitica. The flavor was amazing!! The swirling didn't quite work out like I'd hoped because the brown sugar/cinnamon mixture I used to fill the bread melted during the baking process... something I should have thought about. The swirling didn't completely fail, the bread just didn't have the structure I was aiming for. Oh well! Not the prettiest thing I've ever baked, but it sure was yummy!

In other months, I would have re-done this challenge with a different challenge, but simply didn't have time due to my many other baking projects. I don't know how it happened, but October became baking central in our house. Stay tuned for pictures of the treats and goodies that I've been working on.

The Daring Baker’s October 2011 challenge was Povitica, hosted by Jenni of The Gingered Whisk. Povitica is a traditional Eastern European Dessert Bread that is as lovely to look at as it is to eat!

An inside view of my povitica

Marble Painting

2011-10-24T10:53:00.000-07:00

I heard about an art project awhile ago that I kept meaning to do with the kids. Basically, you put paper in a baking sheet, dribble in some paint, plop in a few marbles, and let the kids swirl the pans around to make neat designs. This project remained on my "to try" list because we didn't have marbles; last week, I was at a toy shop and amazingly remembered to get a bag of marbles.

I stripped down the kids and loaded up their pans with the art supplies. The kids had a blast. Of course, as soon as the marbles went flying, the hands went into the paint and it transformed from a marble painting project to a finger painting project. (I thought ahead to strip down the kids, but didn't think far enough ahead to lay newspaper on the floor... whoops)

Marbles? What marbles? We've got hands!

Look, Ma!

Annika diving in!

Conor discovered there's a cause and effect when one claps with paint on one's hands

Clap = paint on face! Triple the fun of flinging marbles around in a pan!

Why stop with painting the paper? Tummies are a great canvas!

Pretty hands!

Annika's tribal tummy art

Annika tagged Conor as hers

Pretty girl

Two of the marble art master pieces

After the art session, the kids went straight into the bath. Let's just say, that was some sludge-like bath water once the kids were done with it. In fact, I had to empty and re-fill the bath after the initial scrubbing because of all of the paint globs floating around in the water. Next stop: cleaning the kitchen floor!!

Touching the Sun

2011-10-19T09:10:00.000-07:00

As we drove home last night, I told Annika that she could wear a short-sleeve shirt to school the next day (today) because it was going to be a fairly warm day. That news made her day; I think she'd wear t-shirts and shorts 365 days per year if I let her! (Then again, so would Eric ... which leads me to believe it is a genetic thing that she definitely didn't get from me!) But I digress...

As we drove home, she asked why it was going to be warm the next day. I told her it was because the sun wouldn't be hidden by as many clouds. She liked that idea and then felt compelled to tell me that the sun is hot. After I agreed, she pointed out that she could wear her gloves to touch the sun, however. When I pointed out that the sun is VERY hot, she reminded me about the gloves. DUH! Me, being a stickler for details, pointed out that while the gloves are a good idea, the sun is WAAAAAAAY up in the sky. Always one step ahead of me, Annika quickly pointed out that she'll just get some very tall stairs.

This is what our world needs - more people who come up with simple solutions to problems! :)

Our 2011 Pumpkin Patch Adventure

2011-10-16T12:41:00.000-07:00

There's a pumpkin patch/petting farm that is about 20-ish minutes from our house. We've been there numerous times over the years, even before we had kids.... possibly before we were even married (way back in ancient times!). This morning, we packed up the kids and went on an adventure.

One of the perks of this pumpkin farm is the animals. The kids can feed the birds and pet baby farm animals; one of the highlights from today's visit was petting the calf who was born on 10/1/11; she was very sweet, had a wonderful nose (I love cow noses!!!), and huge gentle eyes. The kids petted baby chicks, baby ducks, goats, and the cow. They also saw ducks, chickens, roosters, turkeys, geese, peacocks, and pigs!

After wandering through the animal portion of the farm, we chose a cart and headed to the pumpkin patch. We had lots of pumpkins to choose from (it gets to be slim pickings the closer it gets to Halloween ... we've learned that the hard way in years past). After scouring the patch for THE perfect pumpkins, we chose two to bring home, paid for them, and headed home... tired, but glad for a fun outing as a family.

Annika getting to know a goat

Annika and Conor giving loves to a goat

Oink!

Who knew we'd have to tell Conor not to lick fences at a farm??

The world's most adorable scarecrow

Our cute little pumpkin

Conor considering which pumpkin to take home

Annika showing the pumpkin who's boss

Annika convincing Eric this is HER pumpkin

Eric and the kids pumpkin hunting

Conor communing with the pumpkin

Hauling our pumpkins away from the patch

My owie

2011-10-13T09:26:00.000-07:00

It's no secret that I have less-than-desirable knees. Beyond being in a family that seems to breed bad knees, 10 years ago, I completely blew out the ACL in my left knee. I had surgery to get it all fixed up and did lots of rehab to get back to almost 100%. I had some nerve damage due to the surgery and never fully regained the strength in that leg. No biggie. This spring, I started noticing how loud my knee was getting, especially on stairs. It started out as a "gravel in the knee" noise when I went down the stairs. It evolved into a "gravel in the knee" sound both directions on the stairs and end-of-the-day throbbing in my knee. Eventually, I had enough and got it looked at by the great people at UW's Sports Medicine clinic. They took x-rays and ordered an MRI. It was decided that I had a cartilage flap and a bunch of scar tissue from my previous surgery and both needed to get cleaned up. Arthroscopic surgery was scheduled for early October.

The day of surgery, Eric and I went to the hospital and I donned the ever-fetching "here's my bum for the whole world to see" hospital gown, no-slip socks, and fancy-schmancy hair net hat thingy. We chatted with a variety of health care professionals (nurses, doctors, MAs, etc.) and confirmed and reconfirmed what was going to take place that day.

I was nervous about being put under general anesthesia because I don't have a good track record with it ... AT ALL. Before surgery, the anesthesiologist and the anesthesiology nurse said they would give me their holy grail of anesthetics, which left me with only a 20% chance of becoming ill after surgery. I put my trust in their capable hands and it paid off. I wasn't sick once ... this is the first time ever that I haven't puked my guts out after being put under. Those people are my heros!! The trick was the combination of drugs and the fact all drugs were given via the IV, no gases were used. My IV was in place and before I knew it, I was feeling loopy from the meds in my IV, was wheeled into a very cold OR, and was out within about a minute. I woke up however long later in a recovery bay with a nurse and Eric next to me.

I discovered that the surgeon found more damage in my knee than the MRI revealed; in addition to the scar tissue and cartilage flap, I also had pieces of cartilage (aka loose bodies) floating around and had torn my meniscus. A bit more repair was needed, but nothing over the top. Amazingly, I didn't even needs crutches after surgery. Lots of ice, but no crutches!

The recovery has been fairly easy for the most part. That's a huge perk to this kind of surgery - it is minimally invasive: only 3 little incisions... 5 stitches total! I've been uncomfortable, swollen, and sore, but it hasn't been anything like my ACL surgery recovery, which was really hard. I got my stitches out on Monday, which was wonderful - they were starting to itch! Next steps: PT and a one-month follow-up with my surgeon.

Thank you to everyone who has pitched in during this time.... especially my wonderfully compassionate husband. My love, you are a rock star through and through!! Thank you, too, to the amazing care givers at UWMC and our friends who provided some frozen meals. Two weeks after surgery, I still have a limp and am sore and do a lot of icing, but feel pretty darned good .... that is, until a well-intentioned child or dog or husband runs into, hugs, grabs, or head-butts my knee. ;)

Annika Sings

2011-10-12T09:45:00.000-07:00

I adore listening to Annika sing songs. Sometimes I hide around a corner when I hear her singing, just so she won't stop after realizing she has an audience. Other times, she'll break into song just to make Conor feel better... Eric and I use that method frequently; she is the best soothing balm for him at times! I know she won't keep her little girl voice forever, so I do my best to capture moments on video to preserve for the future.... moments like this one:

Oh the things she says

2011-10-11T11:39:00.000-07:00

As Annika was pulling a rather heavy wooden chair across our living room, I asked her what she was doing. She said, "Oh. I just need to rest my body for a little while."

Other gems of late:

"When I'm a giant I won't fit in our house. We'll need a bigger one."
"Oh THERE you are little sweetheart!" (talking to Conor)
"I don't like my breakfast." I asked her if I could give it to Conor; she said, "No! It's mine!" and proceeded to eat the entire plate of food. (I think our kids are part Labrador!)
"Mommy, I'm sorry your knee is hurty. Can I kiss is to make it feel better?"

Conor's Popsicle

2011-10-07T09:49:00.000-07:00

Last night, the kids got popsicles for a treat after dinner. Watching Conor eat a popsicle is often a source of entertainment for me. He typically wears the majority of the treat ... hence, I thought ahead and actually pulled him out of his shirt before giving him the deep purple popsicle. (Every so often, I do have a moment of genius!)

Conor definitely does better with popsicles that have been de-sticked and are in a bowl. He isn't quite speedy enough to eat them off of the stick before they melt down his arm .... his body ... and onto his feet. Keeping that in mind, he's still mastering the use of utensils, which can be a source of great entertainment as well!

Food doesn't necessarily go directly from the plate/bowl to the utensil. Conor frequently uses his other hand to load the food onto the utensil. (See exhibit A below)

After loading up said utensil, he often uses his second hand for a little added stability...

Repeat as necessary.

Conor is keeping an eye on his big sister, who has mastered the ability to eat a popsicle off of its stick without winding up with sticky toes.

Not all bites get from Point A (the bowl) to Point B (his mouth) without a little detour to the table...

Our cute little boy modeling his popsicle goatee!

Weird Stuff I've Witnessed on the Bus

2011-10-06T11:08:00.000-07:00

About a year ago, I started commuting to work on the bus. Working downtown is great; driving downtown and paying to park downtown, however, are not. Over the past year, I've encountered a few... how shall I say ... interesting people and I've decided to share details about a few that have really stuck with me.

Drum roll, please!

The middle-aged guy who boarded the bus on Greenwood Ave wearing a legalize pot shirt who, upon sitting down, proclaimed to everyone on the bus "I AM SO HIGH!" and then proceeded to tell everyone about how he uses medical marijuana. Yeah, dude, we quickly realized you were high. You wouldn't shut up, asked ridiculous questions, and stank to high Heaven.
The lady (while standing on the sidewalk ... again on Greenwood Ave) who asked the driver of the bus I was on what time another bus (different route) would be there. When the driver said he didn't know, she yelled, "I know you won't tell me because I'm (insert race here). " No, lady. He just didn't have the timetable for other bus routes memorized. Sorry...
The guy (who oozed the stench of alcohol) who sat next to me yesterday and told me all about how he was hit by a car and broke his ankle. He then produced pictures of his broken ankle and the hardware that is now inside it. I heard all about how his lawyer said it would be work $250k, how he was married to a gal for 24 years but they're now divorced so he's moving back to Montana after his lawsuit is done, how he was shot in the knee in Viet Nam (hopefully during the conflict in the 60s-70s and not more recently), and that his daughter gets confused by calling the north area of seattle "North Seattle."
The person who left an eaten chicken leg next to a seat .... I didn't actually see this person, but did see the chicken bone.
The teen who fell asleep on the bus and his friends couldn't get him to wake up at their stop, so they just left him. I keep envisioning him waking up somewhere along the bus route not haveing a clue where he is. The "WTF! Where am I???" look on his face must have been priceless!
The UW grad student who practically assaulted me with attention when she saw me knitting. She was overly excited about having a fellow knitter on the bus (mind you, there are always a few of us on each bus during rush hour... on every stinking bus) and proceeded to tell me all about how much she loves to knit, what she's working on, what she's studying in school, and how to contact her so we could be BFFs. (OK, she didn't really say we'd be BFFs, but it was implied). In all honesty, I'm shocked she didn't crawl into my lap and start braiding my hair during the commute!

There are plenty of other interesting folks I've encountered, but these are the few that really stand out .... until I ride the bus home tonight and unearth another busload of nice, normal people ... and a few whacky ones!

Annika Sings

2011-10-04T11:59:00.001-07:00

Annika brought this gem home from school recently. Really... how could a child get ANY cuter than this?

Daring Bakers Challenge Revealed: CROISSANTS!

2011-09-27T15:13:00.000-07:00

I am so excited to announce this month’s Daring Bakers challenge! Croissants ala Julia Child. I have wanted to make homemade croissants for years, but was too intimidated by the idea to try. Well, the Daring Baker’s challenge made me face my croissant fears and look ‘em square in the flaky eyes.I’m officially addicted to baking croissants now. In fact, I’ve made 4-5 different batches of them this month and plan on doing more (once my knee heals!). I even ventured into making chocolate-filled croissants. There was definitely a learning curve and I had a few flops (especially when using the pre-corrected recipe that called for WAY too much flour), but also enough successes to make it worthwhile. This is not a fast process; it takes about 12 hours to make a batch of croissants, but it sure seems to pay off once you take a bite of the warm, flaky goodness.The Daring Bakers go retro this month! Thanks to one of our very talented non-blogging members, Sarah, the Daring Bakers were challenged to make Croissants using a recipe from the Queen of French Cooking, none other than Julia Child!

Jungle Cake

2011-09-26T08:51:00.000-07:00

Annika's little friend Gage had his 5th birthday party this past Saturday. Gage's mom is a good friend of mine and asked if I'd be up for making his cake. Ummmm..... an excuse to bake? Count me in!! Unfortunatley, a few weeks later, I volunteered to help with the Bite of Broadview and was going to be manning the dunk tank all Saturday. So, I didn't get to attend Gage's shindig. That didn't stop me/us from getting the cake made. The party had a jungle theme, so the cake had to follow suit.

The cake was a multi-day project. I baked early in the week and froze the cakes; it consisted of a 10" tier (comprised of 4 cakes) and a 6" tier (comprised of another 4 cakes). Thursday night, I stacked the cakes and then covered them with the green fondant. After that, I did the work on the palm trees. On Friday, Eric (aka, my amazing artistic director and sculptor extrordinaire) helped create the animals. While he sculpted, I did the painting for the animals that required paint (zebra, giraffe, snake). Our house was really warm on Friday, so we ran into a little difficulty with the fondant/gum paste... it kept slumping. ACK! We wound up using toothpicks as internal support and we rotated the animals in and out of the refrigerator, just to keep them cooler.

All in all, a huge success!!

Dipping my toes into photography

2011-09-20T08:10:00.001-07:00

Last weekend, I did something I rarely do. I took some time just for me. What did I do during this chunk of time, you ask? I took a 3.5-hour photography workshop just for moms. The workshop was hosted by Seattle Mamas with Cameras, and I can't even begin to describe how much I learned. I walked in with VERY little knowledge of how to use our new camera, let alone how to take a photograph instead of a snapshot. I've been interested in photography for many years, but never did anything about it. Now that Eric and I have our new fancy-schmancy camera (that we purchased with the goal of being able to take better pictures of our kids), it seemed prudent to learn what in the heck I should be doing.

We started out learning a few basics about photography terminology (ISO, apeture, f/stop, shutter speed, etc.) and learned what in the heck some of the buttons and dials on our cameras did. There were two instructors, one is a Canon mama and one is a Nikon mama, so we had lots of expertise to guide us. After the "these are the basics" portion of the class, we headed outside. The workshop was held at a fantastic location here in Seattle. The Good Shepherd Center is an historic building that originally was a place for unwed mothers to have their babies. After 60 years, the center was closed and the building was eventually purchased by the city and the grounds were turned into a park. The building is used as a school and a community learning center. The grounds are GORGEOUS! There are beautiful gardens scattered around and a great play area for kids. (I'm planning on bringing the kids there so they can play on the playground equipment; they'd love it there!)

Our first assignment was to "get to know" a flower in the garden. I chose this yellow something-or-other flower. After spending time with him, I took pictures of some gorgeous purple artichokes; my pictures, sadly, didn't do the beautiful plant justice.

I also hung out with some beans that were near the yellow flower. I found them interesting and worthy of being photographed. I truly appreciated that the flowers and beans held still and didn't cover their faces as I took their pictures.... unlike our beloved children. ;)

I think this is my favorite picture of the day. There's something about the brick wall that really grabs me.

We spent about 45 minutes (if not more) outside and then returned to our classroom to learn a bit more about photography. This portion was more about the art of photography instead of the brick and mortar details of photography. One point our instructors kept driving home was it is important to tell a story with photographs. The story behind a photograph is often what captivates those looking at it.

After returning home, I decided to try my hand at applying the many, many, many lessons I learned during the workshop. Conor decided he wanted to take my picture with Annika's camera while I took his picture. (He loves running around saying "cheese!!" with the camera.) I caught this moment and really feel it tells a story. His eyes are practically dancing and even though most of his face can't be seen, it is evident how happy he is.

I was trying to play around with the use of light in this picture. Eric's mom recently made this hat for Annika (isn't it adorable???) and I wanted to include a picture with the thank you note. So. we did a little experimenting with the natural light that was streaming into our kitchen. Annika decided that Bunny was feeling shy. I like that she isn't engaging with me or the camera; her focus is on Bunny. I love how her face is so soft and angelic in this moment. I don't like how bright the sun is shining on her hat, but oh well!

There is still SOOOO much to learn, but I feel like at least I have the basics to take some "keeper" pictures of our life now. Hurray!

San Diego Trip - Part 3

2011-09-16T13:37:00.001-07:00

Our last stop before heading home on Monday was at Del Mar beach. It couldn't have been a more perfect way to end our fun family weekend. It was relaxing, playful, and warm.... triple bonus!

Abby and Conor walking from the van to the beach

Almost immediately after setting up our "base camp", Annika and Suzanne headed down to the ocean to get their feet wet and take in the amazing view.

While Suzanne and Annika tip-toed in the water, Conor got to work on making sure no grain of sand went untouched.

Annika showing me her "I'm happy to be at the ocean" smile

Suzanne and I kept finding some really neat shaped rocks, only to discover they weren't really rock, but compressed sand. Suzanne found one that reminded her of E.T.

You can't see it very well, but the black sand really made my footprints show up. It was a pretty cool result of meandering around on the wet sand.

Annika had a BLAST playing in the ocean. Unlike at home, the water was actually somewhat warm and didn't cause any body parts to immediately go numb. What a concept!

At first, Conor was quite aprehensive about the water, which surprised me because of how much he loves to splash normally. Once his comfort level went up, it was like pulling teeth keeping him out of the water.

My version of sand art

The kids and me before departing for the airport ... back home and back to Eric!

As we packed up the gear, Annika decided to make herself into a living sand castle. Unfortunately, that meant half of the beach wound up traveling to the airport with us. She wound up having a "bath" while standing in a bathroom sink to get rid of most of the sand. I figured the flight home might get a bit uncomfortable with half of Del Mar beach attached to her little body.

San Diego Trip - Part 2

2011-09-15T11:17:00.000-07:00

Soon after arriving in San Diego (and after Conor was down for his MUCH overdue nap), my former college roommate (Rachel) and her family (Jason - husband, Hannah - daughter, and Eliana - daughter) stopped by for a visit. OK, 'stopped by' isn't exactly accurate .... they drove 2+ hours from L.A. to visit. Fortunately, Rachel's brother (Jared) lives in San Diego, so they made the trip a two-fer event. Our girls played in my sister's backyard and the grown-ups caught up and took turns wrangling the kids. Eventually, Conor woke up and joined the fray.

Rachel and I met in Sept 1992 when we were randomly assigned to be suitemates at WWU. We hit it off almost immediately and realized we have now been friends for half of our lives. How is it possible that much time has passed?!!?!!? Wasn't it just yesterday that we were cramming for tests (note: Rachel used to study so much that she could tell us which page in her notebook certain items could be found.... she put the rest of us to shame!), camping as a huge group at Chuckanut, eating dinners in the dining hall, rescuing her computer during a fire drill, and generally being goofy teenagers in college.

I am so appreciative that Rachel and her crew took the time to visit us last Saturday and am REALLY hoping they come up next summer for her high school's 20th reunion (hint, hint, hint!)

Hannah getting ready for the LPGA tour

Eliana discovered a helmet and proceeded to wear it backwards ... had all of us in stitches!

Eliana and her daddy

Eliana and Annika chillin' in one of the pool floats

Jason being a goof

Roomies!

Jared and Hannah

Eliana and Annika (or "Hanukkah" as Eliana said it) doing a little artwork on the putting green

San Diego Trip - Part 1

2011-09-13T09:55:00.000-07:00

Last Saturday, the kids and I packed up and headed down to visit my sister and her family (well, the parts that aren't in college in Washington and Idaho) for a long weekend. Per the display boards, our flight was set to take off on time. SWEET! I got in line to board the plane and was told Conor wasn't on the reservation. Ummm... yeah he was. Right after booking the tickets online, I called the airline with his info. The ticket counter gal explained the computer won't let lap children in the row in front of an exit row. Guess where our seats where! Yup! Right in front of an exit row. Because he didn't have a car seat, we were able to sit there. Don't ask ... I have no idea.

Just before pulling away from the gate, we found out from our pilot that a gauge in the cockpit was broken and needed to be replaced, but it would only take 10-15 minutes to replace.... once they found a replacement gauge. Mind you, I booked our tickets based on times that would work around Conor's nap time. Delays weren't in the cards. The gauge was replaced within 20-25 minutes and then we were off. As we taxied down the runway, our pilot slowed the plane and then turned ... not a good sigh. He got back on the intercom and said there was another mechanical problem. This time, a circuit breaker to the flight data recorder flipped. We had to go back to the gate and get it checked out. By this time, a few of us were wondering if the plane really wanted to stay on the ground and if we agreed with that idea. Eventually, we were back on the runway and took off without a (correction, without another) hitch. Unfortunately, we were over an hour late by this time and Conor got really cranky on the flight. Everyone in our general area knew he was late for a nap. (Side note: I apologize to everyone in our area for the screaming child.... especially to the kind man who sat next to us and had every right to give me the stink eye, but chose not to).

Eventually, we arrived at our destination and got to enjoy seeing our extended family... well, some of them. My sister was still at work and our niece Abby was out with her friend Madison. We got a little lunch and then Conor got a MUCH needed nap. HURRAY!!

A little bit after we arrived, my college roommate and her family stopped by for a visit. Stay tuned for Part 2 of our vacation recap to read more about our San Diego shenanigans!

Conor on the plane (before the screaming began)

Annika chilling on the plane. She was a rock star traveler!

Abby and Annika chillin' in the pool

Whee!

Cousin!

Labor Day Weekend 2011

2011-09-07T13:37:00.000-07:00

This past weekend was Labor Day weekend and it was just the right amount of busy for the Olson clan. There were happenings, but not so many that we felt rushed to move from one activity to the next.

On Saturday, we had a BBQ with our good friends the Russells. We had a fantastic meal and experienced the joy of watching our kids play together. Dave and Eric have been friends since they were in college together. Dave was Eric's best man when we got married and Eric returned the favor when Dave and Nicola got married. Their little Anne was born 3 1/2 months before our Conor entered the world. It has been such a treat to watch our kids grow together and get old enough to now play together. Annika and Anne playing with Anne's tea set gave my heart wings.

On Sunday after Annika's swim lesson, we met our friends the Hoglunds and Minnichs at Bitterlake Park for some family fun time. The kids had a great time running everywhere and making good use of the playground equipment. Unfortunately, our camera's memory card ate a bunch of the pictures we took of the day, but we did wind up with a number of keepers just the same.

Annika proved again and again that she's a monkey bars rock star. She can get her wiry little body across them like you wouldn't believe.

I thought ahead and remembered to bring the kids' rubber balls with us and am so glad I did. The kids had a great time kicking, throwing, and rolling them all around the park.

Here's Ethan having fun on one of the random bikes that were at the park.

Little Miss Grace giving us a peek into her as a teen and borrowing Elaine/Jim's cars for a night out with her friends. Notice her perfect 10 & 2 hand positioning on the wheel!

Once the kids discovered the water fountain, we knew all other toys were pointless.

They had a great time taking turns drinking the water and splashing water on each other.

Liam also turned the water fountain into a basketball hoop. That boy can think outside the box!

Here comes the tickle mouse!!!

Winter Hats

2011-09-05T19:07:00.001-07:00

A couple of weeks ago, summer FINALLY arrived here in Seattle. Until then, we had a rather soggy, cold summer. You'd think that I'd get the idea to make the kids' winter hats when it was cold out, but 'twas not the case. I waited until last weekend when it was gorgeous out to get struck with the idea that "hey, fall will be here before we know it... the kids are going to need hats before we know it." So, we packed up and headed to the yarn shop. I found a pattern that called for me to dye yarn using Kool-Aid... really, how could I pass up THAT opportunity???

The kids picked out the main color for each of their hats. Annika picked a hot pink and Conor picked a dark purple. The other colors (orange, light blue, green, and light purple) were thanks to some great directions and Kool-Aid.

I made Annika's hat last weekend and finished up Conor's hat this weekend. Yes, our children are the ones wearing summer clothes and wool hats. I promise you that come winter, they'll refuse to wear the hats for some reason. Mark my words. :p

Annika being silly

Conor in his new hat

Playing Kinect while wearing summer attire and wool hats (sigh)

Rockin' out with Conor

2011-09-02T10:30:00.000-07:00

For the past few days, I've been in charge of Conor's drop-offs and pick-ups because Eric has been home with Annika, whose school is closed for cleaning before the new school year begins.

While in the car yesterday, I decided it was time to pop on a little toe-tapping music, because it just was that kind of day. I asked Conor if he'd like to listed to some music and he quickly responded with an enthusiastic, "YAH!!!!" (pronounced "Ja" because he's apparently really in touch with his Scandinavian heritage these days.) I thumbed through my CDs and found the Footloose soundtrack. Perfect!! Conor LOVED it! He wiggled his feet and clapped his hands to no end as we listened to the theme song ... he even cheered for me as I sang along. That's my boy!!

Zoo Visit & Modern Technology

2011-09-01T10:47:00.000-07:00

Annika and Eric are currently at the zoo. I'm at work. (They win!!)

Per Eric's IM from earlier this morning, they were going to the zoo tosee the animals and have a picnic lunch. I'm jealous that they're off having fun, but also glad that they're having some one-on-one time together. I think it is very important for each parent to build an independent relationship with each child, just as it is important for the kids to develop a relationship with each other that is parentfree.

Last night, Annika was so excited about their upcoming zoo trip that she pulled out some paper and her crayons to draw a map of the zoo with the animals that she wanted to make sure they saw. The top of the list was the giraffes, followed by tigers, bears, and lions. I hope she gets her wish and sees all of the critters that were running around in her mind.

Even though I'm at the office, I can still basically see what they're seeing with the amazing technology that we use on a daily basis. Eric was able to snap a picture and send it from his phone to my work email address. I love that we're so connected!!

I'm pretty sure she's looking at a bear of some sort... brown bear? grizzley bear? Smokey the Bear?

Eric sent this one a little bit later: Annika hanging out with a big goat.

Annika's Kool-Aid Hat

2011-08-31T09:49:00.001-07:00

This weekend, I realized that fall was going to knock on our door very soon. Fall leads to winter. Both fall and winter in these here parts tend to be soggy (if not downright wet) and cold. With that kind of weather not too far away, it was time to start on the kids' winter hats. I found a cute pattern in one of my many knitting books and then packed up the kids and went to a local yarn shop. The kids got to pick out the main color (Annika picked hot pink, Conor picked a deep purple) and then I picked up an uncolored skein that I sub-divided and dyed with Kool-Aid (resulting in blue, orange, green, and light purple) for use as the contrast colors.

Annika was very excited to know I was "sewing" a hat for her and couldn't comprehend that it would take me more than a few minutes to finish the project. I dyed the yarn on Saturday and had to let it dry overnight. I started the knitting on Sunday and finished it up last night. Three days is pretty impressive, if you ask me! The best part? Annika LOVES her new hat. She wore it from the minute I finished it until she crawled into bed. I've made plenty of things that turned out not to be worn by her, so I'm thrilled (and relieved) to know she likes this hat and actually wants to wear it. HURRAY!

Big Boy Hair

2011-08-30T09:31:00.000-07:00

This past weekend, I noticed how shaggy Conor's hair was getting. His curly mop was getting a bit unruly ... still cute, but definitely unruly. After church, I took him down to the barber shop for a quick trim (albeit, not the cheap trim that I expected ... really? $25 for a 10-minute haircut? Sigh...)

It's funny how a hair cut can make a little guy seem to age. In just one day, he went from this baby...

To this big boy....

Conor is one of the most expressive little kids I've met. His whole face lights up with joy, furrows with frustration, or smiles with laughter. One of his faces that I love the most is his "OH NO!" face. Sometimes he "Oh No's" on purpose ... for example, drops his cup and then says "oh no!" (again and again and again). Other times, he "Oh No's" when something is out of place or not what he expects. Here are a few if his "on no" faces. Enjoy!

August Daring Bakers Challenge

2011-08-28T10:05:00.000-07:00

The August Daring Bakers challenge was all about chocolate. As most of you know, I make chocolates on a regular basis, so unfortunately, this wasn't the challenge for me that past challenges have been. The one challenge I did run into was our hot kitchen and chocolate making aren't a great pairing. That said, I did wind up making a chocolate/peanut butter dipped bonbon (with pink streaks for a little visual zing) and s'more chocolate bark.

Annika had a great time helping me make the s'more bark. She got to break up the graham crackers and both kids helped place the mini marshmallows. The bark was ok, but definitely needed a little "oomph". I should have stuck with my original idea of incorporating marshmallow cream in with the chocolate instead of using the mini marshmallows on top; I think the flavors would have melded a bit better.

Here are my chocolate/peanut butter bonbons. They looked a little blah, so I added a splash of pink just to make 'em prettier.

S'more chocolate bark.

My little pastry chef in training

The August 2011 Daring Bakers' Challenge was hosted by Lisa of Parsley, Sage, Desserts and Line Drive and Mandy of What the Fruitcake?! These two sugar mavens challenged us to make sinfully delicious candies! This was a special challenge for the Daring Bakers because the good folks at http://www.chocoley.com/ offered an amazing prize for the winner of the most creative and delicious candy!

Sprinklers and Popsicles

2011-08-26T08:45:00.000-07:00

Summer is officially defined as June 21 - September 21 ... or something along those lines. For us, summer is warm weather (ok, this year it was soggy weather, but that's not the point), playing outside, and partaking in the occasional popsicle. Yesterday after picking up the kids and feeding them dinner, we got them into their swimsuits and marched into our front yard. After inhaling their popsicles, the kids headed for the sprinker to cool off and have a little fun.

Annika put dibs on the orange popsicle right away

Conor was just excited to have a popsicle; he wasn't particular about the color

Ummmm... Conor? Wrong end, Sweetie!

Sticky, drippy, popsicley sibling love

Soon, the sprinkler fun began. (Notice Annika's popsicle is also jumping through the sprinkler!)

This girl loves to jump!

Conor wasn't so sure about the sprinkler at first, so he just cheered on his big sister

Eventually, both kids got into the sprinkler to de-sticky themselves

The look on Conor's face is the only reason I'm choosing to post this picture. Cracks me up!

Oh, did I mention that Annika enjoys jumping?

She's the Queen of the Rock!!

Daddy got in on the action and helped Conor get his feet wet

Annika looking up at her daddy

After much splashing, running, and jumping, the kids announced they were done. They donned towels and went directly to the bathtub to warm up and get ready for bed.

Moo!

Stop Motion Video

2011-08-25T09:44:00.000-07:00

The company I work for is hosting an internal elevator pitch video contest. Basically, employees are supposed to submit 30-60 second videos that briefly introduce the company. Here's mine. Enjoy!

Weekend BBQ

2011-08-22T10:39:00.001-07:00

This weekend, our friends (the Minnich family) hosted a summer BBQ and they very kindly asked us to attend. We could not have gotten any luckier with the weather if we tried ... especially considering the weather's track record this summer!

There were a number of families there, which meant the Minnich back yard was overrun with kids. It was great! The wee ones were in and out of the kiddie pool, up and down the play structure's slide, back and forth on the swings, and running to and fro across the lawn. Meanwhile, the adults hid in the shade and tried not to melt.

This just might be my new favorite picture of Annika... EVER! (I took it while pushing her on the swing ... talk about multi-tasking!)

Conor having fun with a play ring

Check out the red cheeks our little girl was sporting

Conor had a blast on the slide

The 2010 Baby Trio

Herding Cats

2011-08-22T09:01:00.000-07:00

Eric and I recently invested in a new, fancy-schmancy camera and we LOVE it! One reason for our new investment is we realized how expensive purchasing portraits of the kids can be. Yes, it is a nice treat to have professional pictures of the kids, but if we can get some good ones on our own, then we can spread out how often we do the professional pictures.

In theory, makes a lot of sense. In practice, I've realized getting my kids to pose for me with a camera pressed to my face is a whole other matter. The phrase "like herding cats" applies beyond belief. Actually, herding our cat is really easy right now... he's still wearing a big blue floppy post-surgery e-collar from the vet, which slows him down a bit and makes it hard for him to hide quickly. It also blocks his peripheral vision, which slows him down more. And, his pain meds REALLY slow him down... hmmm... maybe herding cats isn't the best phrase to apply to taking our kids' pictures.

But I digress....

While I didn't get the great poses that I envisioned, I did get some fun shots of the kids. There is so much to learn about photography and, at this point, I give the credit of any good shots to the camera and dumb luck, not to any photographic skills on my side of things.

Annika spent most of the day throwing rocks into the water and dipping her toes in the waves

Our daughter is part billy goat; she loves to climb on the driftwood

Annika throwing rocks into the Puget Sound

Conor playing in the sand

He and I waged a battle of the hat all day... he took it off, I put it back on (repeat, repeat, repeat)

He won... no hat

This is my attempt at capturing the clear view of the moon we had ... me thinks I needed a stronger zoom lens (it's kind of like playing "Where's Waldo?" ... "where's the moon??")

Summer Sprinkler Fun

2011-08-17T08:47:00.000-07:00

While driving home with Annika yesterday, I came up with the brilliant idea of asking if she wanted to run through the sprinker when we got home. "OF COURSE!" was her emphatic reply. As soon as we were in the house, she got into her swim suit and was ready to go. That is, until she decided she needed her sunglasses, which were still in the car and I didn't want to go get them. So, then she needed her goggles. Again, downstairs in her swim lesson bag and I didn't want to go downstairs to get them. Finally, she decided that she needed her "um-berrr-ella" so she didn't get wet. Umm.... yeah. Only our child would want an umbrella so she doesn't get wet while running through a sprinkler. Anywho! After getting the umbrella out of the closet, she then had to go potty .... back inside one more time. When she was FINALLY ready to get into the groove of running through the sprinkler, she didn't really want to. Instead, she tiptoed around the lawn (please ignore the fact it isnt' green ... I'll photoshop that in later!) and dipped her umbrella in the water. She did wind up jumping through the sprinker water once or twice, but decided it was too cold and abandonded ship when I told her that the spinkler doesn't have a warm water option.

Can I just say how much I ADORE this picture of her??
Annika's expression just melts my heart!

Art Time

2011-08-16T13:49:00.000-07:00

One of the gifts that Eric's parents gave to Annika for her birthday were these really nifty paints. They are a hit for numerous reasons. First, they're washable. BONUS! Second, they are fairly tidy for the kids to use... no brushes and cups that can easily spill. Third, did I mention that they're washable??

This past weekend, the kids had a little art time and happily created a variety of painted projects. Annika even made a birthday card for her little buddy Collin, who celebrated his birthday on Saturday. (OK, the balloons that she made on the card looked more like sperm, but oh well!)

Annika keeping a close eye on her project

I've heard of cubism ... does this count as dotism?

Conor shows that there's no need to limit oneself to one color at a time!

He also proved that tummies are a great canvas

Conor and his mama

2011-08-11T08:57:00.001-07:00

Last night, I wanted to learn a bit more about our new camera. That meant I needed to learn more about photography ... moreover, the jargon associated with it. For example, I needed to learn the definition of apeture and what an F-stop is. I'm slowly wrapping my mind around some of the jargon, but have a LONG way to go before I feel like I'll have a true grasp on what I need to know to take full advantage of our camera.

While futzing around with the camera last night, Eric snapped this picture of Conor and me. He actually snapped a picture that showed our heads and a little background, but I really liked the idea of cropping the photo to just show our profiled faces to highlight our expressions. Ta da!

Annika's 4th Birthday

2011-08-08T09:42:00.001-07:00

Our sweet baby girl turned 4 this weekend, proving that she really isn't a baby anymore. We had birthday galore on Saturday and were fortunate to have many friends and family members to celebrate the day with us. We also had amazing weather as a bonus!

Annika had a very special birthday. It started with her first words of the day, "Hurray! It's my birthday! I'm 4! Can I open presents now?" and continued on to have a huge party with more food and activity than I can accurately describe in a brief blog post, a birthday wish of "I want to be a princess", and finished with Annika in her bed telling me she really doesn't want to grow up and wasn't at all tired (uh- huh .... riiiiiight!).

Thank you to everyone who made our princess' day so special and memorable.

Opening her present from Mom and Dad

Birthday girl

The kids table

Presents!!

Fun in the bouncy house

The cake

Ladybug cookies

Happy parents

Best buddies

Company Picnic

2011-08-02T09:37:00.001-07:00

Last Saturday, my company hosted a summer picnic for its employees and their families. We lucked out like you wouldn't believe in terms of the weather. Here in Seattle, we've had less than a stellar summer, weatherwise, and were pleasantly surprised on Saturday to have sunshine and warm temps for the picnic. The kids played themselves silly. The location of the picnic was ideal; there was lots of room to run, a baseball field, a playground, and a wading pool.

Conor having a one-man (boy) version of the watermelon relay race

Annika having fun in the wading pool

Conor splashing in the wading pool

Conor getting warmth and loves from his daddy after playing in the wading pool

My handsome husband. Isn't he cute????

Annika sitting in her "nest"

Annika just hanging around

Conor and his mama blowing bubbles

Annika's cold

2011-07-29T09:13:00.000-07:00

We teach our children to share. Unfortunately, they don't exclude their germs from that lesson. It never fails that when someone brings a cold home, everyone else winds up with it. Share and share alike, we always say! (OK, we never say that....)

When I picked up Annika from school yesterday, I noticed her nose was stuffed up. I pointed it out to her and she agreed that she was congested. I then said, "It looks like you have Conor's cold, huh?" To that she replied, "No. I have my own cold. Conor still has his cold."

Nothing like a three-year-old to put you in your place.

Buca's Evening

2011-07-28T10:55:00.000-07:00

Last night, Eric worked late, so I picked up both kids. So far, so good. When we got home, however, our usually overly-excited dog who greets us at the door was replaced by a dog who was obviously not feeling well. Buca was subdued and started shaking when he went outside and then laid down basically in a ball. He wasn't shaking like our old dog Cooper used to do when he had his seizures; instead, Buca was shaking like he was really cold. I called Eric to let him know what was going on and to make sure he came straight home after finishing up at work. I called the vet, who suggested we just keep an eye on Buca because his shaking could be a sign of anxiety and not a physical ailment. OK. Watch the dog. I can do that.

Annika's empathetic colors showed like you wouldn't believe last night. She was very concerned about Buca. She sat next to him and repeatedly told him what a good boy he is. She also yelled to me every time he moved a hair. "MOM!!! BUCA'S SHAKING AGAIN!!!" was her mantra. I had to then demonstrate the difference between his shaking and him moving because of his increased panting. (I'm sure Candid Camera would have enjoyed that one!)

At first, I thought Buca was past his shaking, but alas, I was wrong. (See, Eric? I can admit when I'm wrong!!!) Buca started shaking again (not as severely as previously) and cried when he stood, walked, or tried to lay down. I knew we needed to trek to the vet. So, I got the kids and Buca in the van and off we went.

Fortunately, we didn't have to wait too long before Buca could be examined. The vet agreed with me that he was favoring his hind right leg, and suggested we keep an eye on him and keep him quiet. If he continued to have issues, she'd put him on an anti-inflammatory.

He did OK during the night, but not great. So, we're now going to start the meds to see if that helps. Fingers (and paws) crossed!!

July Daring Bakers Challenge Revealed

2011-07-28T08:41:00.000-07:00

This was my third Daring Kitchen challenge and I keep waiting for the perverbial ax to fall. I have yet to have a disaster with the challenges (knock on wood). This month's challenge was to make a strawberry frasier. Not only does this cake look pretty, it tastes amazing!! (Eric said it was his favorite cake I've ever made ... and that's saying something considering it doesn't have frosting on it and frosting is the real reason he eats cake!)

The cake is a chiffon cake that is split, drowned in simple syrup, and filled with pastry cream and strawberries. One key is the strawberries must show along the outer edge of the cake. In order to have the strawberries exposed along the edge, I lined the springform pan sides with Saran Wrap (which proved to be the hardest part of the challenge) and then placed the strawberries and held them in place with the pastry cream. When I make the cake in the future, I think I'll wrap the pan with parchment paper instead of Saran. After allowing the cake to set for a few hours in the fridge, I removed the springform side and was thrilled to see the cake kept its form ... and looked mighty pretty.

Jana of Cherry Tea Cakes was our July Daring Bakers' host and she challenges us to make Fresh Frasiers inspired by recipes written by Elisabeth M. Prueitt and Chad Robertson in the beautiful cookbook Tartine.

Ta da!

Annika's Owie

2011-07-27T11:35:00.000-07:00

Last night, I came home and was greeted by Annika announcing that she had gotten an owie at school that day. Apparently, her classmate crashed into her and caused Annika to land on her elbow (scraping it) and the back of her head (bonking it pretty hard). I told Annika that I was very sorry she got hurt and wanted to know where it happened - on the playground, inside the classroom, etc. When I asked where she got hurt, she replied, "Under my Bandaid!"

That's what I get for asking questions that have obvious answers!! :)

.

Conor's Animal Sounds

2011-07-25T11:08:00.000-07:00

Conor is our little book worm. His favorite books are ones that he can respond to. For example, he really enjoys "Barnyard Dance" by Sandra Boynton because he likes to clap his hands and stomp his feet when the book commands him to do so. He also likes books that have animals so he can practice his animal sounds. I can listen to him practice his animal sounds all day long. I adore our smart boy's sweet little voice!

Swimming Lessons: Week 3

2011-07-25T10:56:00.000-07:00

Week 3 of swim lessons was a hit... mostly because Annika got a new pair of goggles and loved being able to see while underwater. Like in the weeks past, she was the first to volunteer for just about every activity and had an absolute blast while in the pool.

Conor's 15-month appointment

2011-07-21T08:38:00.000-07:00

Yesterday, I took Conor to the doctor for his 15-month well-baby exam. He is doing great and growing like a champ. He currently weighs 25 pounds, 2.1 ounces. He's right around the 50th percentile for weight and is right around the 75th percentile for height. I learned, though, that taking him to the doctor at the end of the day isn't the best scenario. Being tired from the day's activities makes getting through the appointment much more difficult. He had no desire to lay down to get measured, was ticked off on the scale, and wouldn't sit on the exam table so his pediatrician could feel his belly or listen to his heart and lungs (we did those things with me holding him instead). He got two vaccines (DTaP and HepA), which didn't go over well with him, but he recovered from the trauma after a few snuggles and some extra loves from Mama (whew!).

Conor impressed his doctor with his vocabulary. At this stage, kids should know at least 3-6 words. He blows that number out of the water. His knowledge of animal sounds and animal names alone is beyond double (if not triple) that number. (Such a smart boy!!)

During our wait between being triaged by the nurse and waiting for the doctor, Conor had a great time hanging out in then exam room wearing only his diaper and us reading "Barnyard Dance" by Sandra Boynton. That's his favorite book and never fails to make him laugh and dance around a bit.

Next stop ... 18 month check up. All aboard!

Corn on the Cob

2011-07-19T14:44:00.001-07:00

Little did I know when I decided to make corn on the cob last night that it would turn into a photo opportunity. Conor's first 1/2 ear of corn was neatly cut off of the cob by Eric; Conor happily ate it, but noticed that everyone else was eating corn directly off of the cob. On a whim, I decided to give him his next serving of corn still on the cob. That boy knew exactly what to do! I snapped a few pictures for the sake of entertainment, which is when Annika asked me to take her picture, too. (SHOCKING considering she usually hates me taking her picture!) Who knew corn on the cob would be such a photo opportunity??

Chomp! Chomp! Chomp!

Nom! Nom! Nom!

Happy girl!

Conor knows to say "Cheese!!" when having his picture taken.

Swim lessons - week 2

2011-07-18T11:29:00.000-07:00

Last week's successful swim lesson was no fluke. Annika had another great lesson yesterday and built upon the skills she learned last week. This week, they added jumping into the pool and floating on a big foam disc while kicking. Annika is a natural in the water and I even heard one of her teachers say, "Wow - the kids in my other class can't do that. You're ahead of them!" A parent always loves to hear that their kids are doing well! :)

After getting out of the pool, our sweet little girl couldn't stop shivering and I couldn't ignore the blue hue to her lips. So, being the Seattle mama that I am, we went straight from the pool to Starbucks, so she could get a cup of hot chocolate... and a little snack. The girl was in Heaven! :)

Rice Nose

2011-07-15T09:19:00.001-07:00

I don't know if you can see it, but Conor has a grain of rice stuck to his nose ... and he doesn't even notice that it's there. Everything else in the world is more interesting than the rice on his nose. He is such a crack up!

I love his little boy more than words can describe ... rice nose and all!

Baby Shower Cakes

2011-07-13T09:43:00.000-07:00

The daughter-in-law of a family friend is expecting their first baby next month. Her shower is on Saturday and I was asked to make some treats for the event. Because of timing and distance, a cake was out of the question, so I made onesie and baby bottle cookies instead.

Thank you to my two willing assistants, Eric and Drew. I couldn't have gotten them done in such a timely manner without you!

Ta Da!

Another First for Our Kids

2011-07-12T08:07:00.000-07:00

Yesterday, the 7-11 stores gave away free Slurpees to commemorate their "birthday" (July 11 = 7/11 = 7-11 ... get it??) Due to Eric needing to stop for a few things on his way home, I picked up both kids and decided to take them to the 7-11 by our house and treat them to a Slurpee.

Prior to yesterday, neither of our kids had ever had a Slurpee, so this was an experiment in whether they would even like them. When I picked up Annika from her school, I told her that we were going to get a treat on our way home. When she asked what it was, I said, "We're going to get Surpees!" She got VERY excited and replied, "WHOA!!! A Slurpee??? WOW!!!! What's a Slurpee?" The best description I could come up with was a "frozen yumm drink." That's all she needed .... she was hooked on the idea.

7-11 was PACKED. Who knew free Slurpees would be such a draw? I got both kids a drink and let them try a sip to see if they'd like them. I was a fool for thinking there was a chance they wouldn't like them. A fool, I tell ya!

In order to keep the interior of the van from turning sticky and Smurf blue, I confiscated the Slurpees until we got home. That didn't go over well with Conor (see below). He was HEARTBROKEN that I took the cup. Only when we got home and he was strapped into his high chair , wearing a bib, and happily scarfing down his drink did the tears subside.

Big Boy Hair

2011-07-11T08:42:00.000-07:00

On Saturday, we said goodbye to Conor's long, shaggy hair and swapped it out for his first big boy hair do.

He was sporting a cross between a shag and a mullet ... neither of which were what wanted for his overall appearance. So, Jan (aka our hair goddess) went to town on Conor's hair. Mind you, he's one and has no idea how to sit still. He sat (I use that term loosely) on my lap, bounced on my lap, and jumped on my lap while Jan transformed our baby into a little boy.

In a matter on minutes, Conor seemed to age considerably. Still our sweet little boy ... just not quite as curly and shaggy.

Before

After

Swim Lessons

2011-07-10T19:27:00.000-07:00

Today, Annika had her first big girl swim lesson. She took swim lessons when she was about 6 months old, but all she really got out of them was exposure to being in the pool and really cold.

I found it really funny that she was much more afraid of the pre-lesson shower (she had never seen a wall of showers before) than she was of participating in the class. She (no shocker) was completely at ease in the pool. She was the first to volunteer for the class activities and had no qualms about sticking her face in the water, trying to float, and kicking her feet. To say our kids love water is an understatement and Annika proved that (once again) today ... as did Conor who was quite miffed that he couldn't get in the pool with Annika, so did his best to stay happy stomping in the puddles in the walkway around the pool.

Practicing "Rocket Arms"

Our little swimmer

Floating like a starfish

Practicing floating on her back

Conor amusing himself with the puddles

Fun at Carkeek

2011-07-08T08:25:00.001-07:00

We had GORGEOUS weather over the 4th of July weekend... which is unheard of in Seattle. Normally, summer starts on July 5th around here. Us natives didn't quite know what to do with ourselves, but quickly realized we'd better shed our many layers of extra clothing and get outside before the rain returned.

To take advantage of the warm temps and sunshine, I packed up the kids and we headed to Carkeek Park/Beach for some summertime fun. Carkeek is our go-to beach during the summer; it is close, usually not overrun with people, and offers a gorgeous view. We had a blast! The kids loved exploring on the beach, digging in the sand, throwing rocks into the water, and playing with their beach toys. We had an added bonus of getting to watch a few people who were wind surfing. They had these big kites that they used to pull themselves along on specialized surf boards.

Annika taking on the wind

Fun in the sand

Wind surfer

Annika jumping from a piece of driftwood

Sand, sand, sand!

Conor checking out the driftwood

Annika decided to redecorate the beach a bit by moving the driftwood around.

Conor working on his sandcastle

Our beach-lovin' babies!

Conor using a stick to dig in the sand

Growing Up

2011-07-07T09:03:00.000-07:00

Intellectually, I know our kids are getting older each and every day. Every once in a while, though, it hits me that they're not only getting older but are also growing up. No, they aren't off to college in a matter of moments (thank goodness!!!), but every once in a while, it really hits me that they are headed in that direction ... one day (insert the sounds of sobbing here).

One of these little reminders happened a couple of days ago. Annika successfully cut her own pancake and required no help from Eric or me. To the outside observer, it might seem to be a "no big deal" event. For us, though, it was a great achievement for our little girl, who now likes to proclaim "I can cut my food by myself ... all ... day ... long."

Working on the knife/fork balancing act

Sweet success!!

Back for another bite!

Tell me the continents!

2011-07-05T12:01:00.000-07:00

About a week ago, Annika brought this song home from preschool. It has quickly become one of our favorites just because of how cute she sounds when singing it. Yes, we're biased, but really ... who wouldn't find this to be one of the cutest things ever??

"Don't forget In-stralllll-ia!"

He's a seal

2011-06-30T12:53:00.000-07:00

This morning, I was feeling goofy and balanced one of Conor's Cheerios on my nose. Then, he let me balance one on his nose. Next, we'll try a red rubber ball so he can secure a future in the circus!

June Daring Kitchen Challenge

2011-06-28T15:22:00.000-07:00

This month's Daring Kitchen baking challenge was making baklava. No problem! Then I read further.... baklava with homemade phyllo dough. Wha? It never occurred to me that someone could (or would) actually make phyllo dough. To me, it was something that has always been in the frozen foods section at the local grocery store ... yes, even back in Ancient Greek times, it was still in the frozen foods section!!

I had a few issues with this challenge. The first was my own fault: the recipe recommended doubling the ingredients. No problem! I doubled the dries. However, I forgot to double the wets. Whoops. Scrapped that wad of dough and started over ... doubling ALL of the ingredients. MUCH better! The second issue came from me placing the baking dish on the stack of phyllo sheets I painstakingly rolled out so I could cut them to to fit. Big mistake. The weight of the pan made all of the sheets stick together. Whoops! At that point, I pulled out the handy-dandy pasta machine and rolled out the dough (AGAIN) using less elbow grease. Perfect! The only recipe-based issue I had was that it called for too much honey syrup... too wet. Even with all of the issues, it still tasted REALLY good!

Erica of Erica’s Edibles was our host for the Daring Baker’s June challenge. Erica challenged us to be truly DARING by making homemade phyllo dough and then to use that homemade dough to make Baklava.

A whale of a tale

2011-06-28T10:01:00.000-07:00

Yesterday, I gave Conor a book to look at while we waited for Eric to get Annika from her classroom. The book contained cartoon-ish drawings of ocean dwellers - jellyfish, starfish, shark, fish, octopus, etc. I pointed to the picture of the whale and said "whale." Much to my surprise, Conor repeated what I said! It is amazing how quickly kids his age develop their vocabularies!!

Girls' Day at U. Vill.

2011-06-27T13:10:00.001-07:00

On Saturday, Annika and I explored the U. District farmers market in hopes of finding pie cherries. The vendor we originally wanted to buy them from was sold out, but (fear not!) took a reservation for us to get some the following weekend. WHEW!

After the farmers market, Annika and I popped down to U. Village to get some storage stuff. Instead of getting in and out, Annika and I took a little time to explore U. Village and to spend some uninterrupted Mom-N-Me time together. It was a beautiful day and Annika loved all of the water features throughout the mall. To top off our day, we even got some frozen yogurt!

Exploring the water features

Pretty girl!

Mmmm! Vanilla frozen yogurt with fresh blueberries

The cutest ant ever

2011-06-23T08:26:00.000-07:00

For the most part, ants creep me out. I hate how they crawl all over each other when they're in their ant hills. Simply put, ants are yucky in my opinion. I know they have an important role to play in nature's big scheme of things, but that doesn't lessen the fact that they creep me out.

That said, my loathing of ants lessened yesterday when I saw the world's cutest ant... and her little friends. Annika's class is studying bugs right now and so each of the kids made an ant hat. The hats were complete with ant stamps and pipe cleaner antanae.

Unlike her task-focused antbretheren, Annika doesn't go directly anywhere. She meanders most of the time. Such is the case when it is time to leave school each day. We don't go from point A (the outside gate of her class' play area) to point B (the car). Instead, we go from point A to point Q, take a left at point G, hop in a circle near point U, pick up leaves at point L, return to point A, and then eventually make our way to point B. Every aspect of the general area needs to be explored, commented on, and collected.

Annika's Ant Hat

Collecting Leaves

Collecting More Leaves

Dressing Up

2011-06-22T09:09:00.000-07:00

We have a family friend who is the queen of garage/yard/estate sales. I am quite convinced she sees these sales as a competitive sport. She can find a bargain like no other person on Earth! A few months back, I asked her to keep her eyes open for costume jewelry for Annika to use for dress up. We hit a goldmine by asking her to do this. Annika is now teaming with wonderfully gawdy pieces of bling to play with. Conor, not to be left out, also thinks some of the items are too wonderful to pass up.

You can't really see them, but her earrings are these plastic, fuzzy green things ... they remind me of the top of a sea anemone.

Annika loves her loot!

Conor, those necklaces really make your jammies pop!

Conor decided the bracelet was just too much with the necklaces - don't want to over-accessorize you know!

Annika being Princess Jasmine

Conor playing dress up outside the box!

Everything is a hat for Conor

Thank you, Mary Ann!! The treasures you found are a hit!

Winkle Twinkle

2011-06-21T13:07:00.001-07:00

This makes me happy. That's all.

Annika's 1st Diorama

2011-06-20T14:37:00.001-07:00

This weekend, we got innundated with boxes containing items for redecorating Conor's room. While prepping the boxes for the recycle bin, I got the idea that Annika and I should use one to make a diorama. We (I) decided a simple scene was the way to go; because Annika had never made one before, she didn't know to go complex. Annika headed up the glue department. I cut out most of the items; she did tackle one of the rows of grass. Annika also decided where everything should go.

Not too shabby, if you ask me!!

Phase 1

Phase 2

Bookworms

2011-06-20T10:30:00.001-07:00

Our kids are nuts about books. At times, it feels like our house is teaming with kids' books. I dare not get rid of any of them, though, because the kids actually interact with most of them on a fairly regular basis. We read to the kids every night before bed on the weekdays and throughout the day and before bed on the weekends. "Book" was one of Conor's favorite words. Annika knows that she gets three books before bed, but frequently tries to bargain for an extra one for good measure.

On Saturday, the kids and I hunkered down in front of our book basket in our front room and read books for I don't even know how long. A few months ago, we received a hand-me-down collection of mini books that our kids adore. Here are a few pics of our jammie-clad kids enjoying the joy that is reading.

One happy girl

2011-06-15T15:41:00.001-07:00

Eric took Annika out to ice cream today. This is just about her ideal thing ... time with her daddy and enjoying chocolate ice cream.

May-ohs!

2011-06-13T13:34:00.001-07:00

To say our children love tomatoes is an understatement. Our kids LOOOOOOOOVE tomatoes - especially the little grape tomatoes. (They obviously inherited this trait from me, not Eric. That man loves lots of things, but tomatoes aren't one of 'em.)

Recently, Conor started saying a word we didn't initially recognize: "may-oh". At first, I thought he was asking for milk. I'd hear him say "may-oh" and offer him milk. He'd shake his head with verve (occasionally knocking himself over) and saying, "NO!"

Then, I started to realize he pointed at red things when he said "may-oh" and I realized he was saying "tomato." Ah-ha!! If eating tomatoes was an Olympic sport, this little guy would be a gold medal champion!! (Assuming his sister wasn't competing in the same Olympics... otherwise, they'd have to duke it out for gold and silver.)