Company Picnic

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

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

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

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

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!! :)

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Conor's Animal Sounds

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

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.