Ridge Haven

This past weekend we traveled to Ridge Haven for Penny to talk to the camp counselors about the Fellows Program. Though it was a brief visit we had a good time as a family exploring the camp and interacting with others in attendance.

Before Penny gave his talk we were able to spend some time together as a family. We went on our first family hike to a waterfall, and then we went swimming in the pool for a bit.

The girls had a wonderful time, and during lunch in the cafeteria Laine said, "When I get bigger I want to go to camp." I think she saw all the other youth laughing, making noise, and having fun, and she wanted in on the excitement!


Mead has learned how to say, "Cheese," for the camera, so she proudly showed us her smile!

Both girls enjoyed special time with Daddy this weekend.

Happy Birthday Laine!

Laine turned 4 yesterday, and she couldn't have been more excited. We traveled over the weekend, so we didn't do a big birthday party this year. Instead we had two small celebrations with friends, one out of town and one back home.

The first celebration was with princess cupcakes... of course.

Mead got in on the action too!

Then once we were back home we opened presents and had ice cream cake.

The cake was a big hit, especially with the pink and purple icing. Laine sang "Happy Birthday" to herself both times along with everyone else. So cute!

Now that Laine is four she has decided she can do all kinds of things by herself. She keeps saying, "I can do that now because I'm a big girl." For instance, yesterday morning she got herself out of bed, changed into clean clothes, and started "washing dishes" in the kitchen sink - all before 7:00, making sure to stay quiet so we could keep sleeping!!

This clock has been Laine's favorite gift - it helps her learn how to read the hands on the clock, and she can read the digital clock to know when to get up in the morning or after nap. We're all pretty excited about it, really! Thanks, Grammy and Papa, for the great gift.

Daddy's shoes

Little kids love big shoes, and our girls have recently discovered the fun of walking around the house in Daddy's shoes. Check out these cuties (the girls that is)!

Laumeier Sculpture Park

I'd heard of Laumeier Sculpture Park before, but I hadn't been yet. So the other day I took the girls to check it out. We walked around and enjoyed viewing and sometimes climbing on and through all the different sculptures.

Glad I had the stroller with me because there was a lot of ground to cover! We packed a yummy snack and got some great exercise while we were out. We'll go back again, I'm sure, but it probably won't be until we get some cooler weather, at which point I'll be toting baby brother in the Bjorn as well! (Don't miss Laine on the bottom left of this sculpture.)

26 weeks

A couple of people have been asking, so here's a photo of me at 26 weeks. Not the best picture ever, but I guess that's the way it goes when you're pregnant!

Crash Hot Potatoes

As promised, here is a picture and the recipe of the potatoes we've been cooking. So good!

12 whole New Potatoes (or other small round potatoes)

3 tablespoons olive oil

Kosher salt to taste

Black pepper to taste

Rosemary to taste

Bring pot of water to boil; add as many potatoes as you wish to make and cook them until they are fork-tender (about 20 minutes). On a cookie sheet generously drizzle olive oil. Place tender potatoes on the cookie sheet leaving plenty of room between each potato. With a potato masher, gently press down each potato until it slightly mashes, rotate the potato masher 90 degrees and mash again. Brush the tops of each crushed potato sparingly with more olive oil. Sprinkle potatoes with kosher salt, pepper, and rosemary. Bake at 450 for 20-25 minutes until golden brown. (From the Pioneer Woman)

Enjoy!

Cow Appreciation Day

This past Friday was Cow Appreciation Day at Chick-fil-A. That means if you dressed up like a cow you got a free combo meal - pretty cool! Laine is obsessed with Chick-fil-A, thinking it's the only good place to eat out. And since they are so generous year round with coupons and free food promotions we get to eat there more than other places. Aside from that, it's fantastic fast food.

So here we are dressed up and ready to go. We had a great time and even walked away with more coupons for free food! Mead was a little scared by the big Chick-fil-A cow in costume once we got there, but then she decided she really liked him and held his hand for a while.

The things we'll do to enjoy good food for cheap (or, in this case, free)!

Corn on the cob

I absolutely love corn, and Laine has grown to love it too. Well, Mead is not content to sit by and watch us enjoy our yummy corn - she often screams until I let her take a bite.

Finally she got her own cob the other day, and she did surprisingly well eating almost all of it. Yay for delicious summer foods! (Can you tell my taste buds are in hyper mode thanks to being pregnant?!)

Almost 4

Laine turns 4 in just a couple weeks. Hard to believe she's almost that old! I've been excited about a couple new tricks she's picked up in the last few weeks. It's like she knows she needs to be able to do more things now. Two of the things she can do are especially helpful for me, particularly since another child is joining our family in a few months!

Laine can pump and swing on the swings all by herself now, and she can buckle herself into her car seat on her own. Both of these have been huge time savers for me already! The car seat ability will be wonderful once she's sitting all the way in the back of the van.

Laine, we're so proud of you - not just in these little ways, but it's fun to watch you grow up and get bigger. We love you!

Produce

Our garden is in full swing, and we're getting lots of vegetables from it.

Here's a glimpse of what Penny harvested today - lots of potatoes, cucumbers and zucchini. I've been making zucchini bread, zucchini dip, cucumber salad, and other yummy treats. We have tomatoes on the way, and our corn is taller than Penny! We also have watermelon growing and several berries on our bushes.

My new favorite way to cook these small potatoes is called "Crash Hot Potatoes." It is a recipe Penny discovered from the Pioneer Woman through a friend. Easy to fix and very yummy. I'll post the recipe with a picture next time I fix them.

Summer Treats

It's been hot this summer, and we've only made it through June! As the girls and I have been outside playing we've also needed something to keep us cool. So freezer pops and popsicles it is! The girls love them, despite the mess they make, and I'm enjoying them myself as I often feel big and hot.

A little experimenting with her popsicle!