locovore living

Yesterday afternoon, we had the pleasure of spending the afternoon at the home of one of Andrew's coworkers. She is a big advocate of eating local food and supporting local agriculture, and writes a couple of great blogs accordingly...Locavore Chronicles, and Linna's Garden Journal.  In addition to working full time, she has a 9 month old, a 4 year old and speaks locally about gardening.  I don't know how she does it all! She gave Andrew tons of advice and ideas on getting our garden started last year.

They live in the country, about 30 minutes from us.  Her garden is incredible, and they have a great pool the kids played around all afternoon while we grilled.   She's a terrific cook and we had chard macaroni and cheese, fresh roasted beets and homemade bread, along with a fresh tart cherry and rhubard tart, all made with ingredients from the garden.

They also gave us a few fish for our new backyard pond.

They have an amazing cherry tree in full glory right now and Dylan and I got busy picking sour cherries.  Dylan had a great time picking and declared he was going to fill the whole bag. Aren't they beautiful?

 I can't wait to find a couple of recipes to turn these into some yummy treats this week. 

one way to cool down on a hot day

last day of preschool

Today was Logan's last day of preschool.  Its been a great year, and I have to say, we've been so proud of how he's handled his very first school experience.  His teachers and the school were just incredible, and it was so rewarding being room mom and being able to be very involved in his class.  He never complained once that he didn't want to go to school, he looked forward to it every day and was so proud to show us everything he made.
This morning, Andrew made him a special pancake breakfast on our 'special day' plate my friend Sharon made me before she moved to Germany.  We use it for family birthdays and special celebrations.

This was Logan last September on his very first day of preschool:

And here he is this morning.  I swear he grew 6 inches... you don't realize how much they change until you look at old photos.

To celebrate the last day, his class had a picnic this afternoon.  Here he is with his two teachers:

The teachers gave me and the other room mom these bags with all of the kids handprints on them.  Not only is it adorable, I'll use it all the time!

The teachers gave all of the kids buckets full of summer goodies, and they made each parent a personlized scrapbook full of photos from the year.  Its very detailed and something I'll keep forever to remember his first year of preschool.  Love you, buddy!

first ever camping adventure

We met up with my brother and SIL, and my neice and nephew, over the weekend for our first attempt at camping with kids.  My family camped all the time when I was a kid, and I can still remember those trips with our pop-up camper, Dad cussing up a storm when the crank broke, grilling out and being filthy.  We thought since Logan is finally old enough (in other words, sleeps well and is potty trained), we'd give it a try this  year.   Our friends invited us to go here this fall with a whole group of families.  Its about four hours away.  So we figured we get our feet wet with this whole camping thing a little closer to home first.... get used to our tent, figure out what we needed to pack, how to cook in the great outdoors, etc.  My brother is an expert camper, ex-Boy Scout and has served as a trained mountain rescue volunteer, so we were in good hands.  And not only is he handy at a campsite, he can tell a heck of a campfire story.

For this first little trip, we kept it simple and booked a site at the Harpers Ferry, West Virginia KOA.  Only about an hour from us, very clean, lots for kids to do...   There are different levels of camping and I knew I needed to be at the level that involved electricity so I could have a fan running in the tent at night.  The level that has flushable toilets close by, running water and a swimming pool.  The level that includes queen size air mattresses.  Hey, at least I know and accept my limitations right?

The boys were SO excited about this trip, and are already asking when we can go again.  Despite a  torrential rain storm and a hovering cloud of gnats surrounding our every move, it was a great weekend.  We took notes and will probably change a few things we pack for next time, but Andrew really took the lead on the whole gear set up/break down thing thank goodness.  We had everything we needed and more, and it was nice to be somewhat 'unplugged' and just spend time with each other.  We met some really nice people, and although it took a lot of scrubbing to get the mud out from under the boys toenails last night, I'm pretty sure we'll be planning another camping trip soon.

We weren't their for long before we had four little monkeys in our tent:

The campground had a ton for kids to do, including a movie theatre and a game room which the boys hit full force.

Andrew hustled the kids at pool (and I think he only got hit in the nuts with a pool stick once!).

Our home away from home.  Andrew fashioned a tarp shelter off the back of his truck.  Here is a glance of it during the day and then at night.

The kids loved wearing their head lamps at night... they kind of looked like tiny gynocologists.

 Pickle, anyone?

Hanging in the hammock.

What's camping without a little mini golf?

 Next, it was onto the giant jumping pillow.

Logan decided it would be fun to fill up his socks with sand and then put them back on his feet.  This from a kid who refused to walk in the sand when he was a toddler.

Uncle Chris and Andrew showed the kids how its done.

The kids made their own trail mix (or in Dylan's case, a baggie of M&M's).

It was starting to look like rain, so we hurried to make s'mores before the raindrops fell.

When it finally started to rain, it wasn't kidding. The skies opened up and dumped for hours.  Our neighbors had constructed an entire city of tents and tarps, and invited us to come watch "What About Bob" on their 6 foot screen, while we enjoyed drinks and dryness.  Had it not been for them, we would have all been huddled under our tarp listening to our iPod and swapping campfire stories.  Which would have been fine, except for like a jackass, I didn't bring a single waterproof article of shoes or clothing and I was freezing!

Now, this is my kind of camping!

We stayed pretty dry that night, and it was even a little cozy laying in the tent listening to the rain.  It made for some soggy, muddy packing up camp in the morning and our garage is currently The Land of Hanging Camping Stuff to Dry.  We got home yesterday and made hot soup, took hot showers and naps.

I don't know that I'll ever be a real honest to goodness wilderness junkie.  But going away for two nights like we did, 'roughing' it, was pretty fun.  As long as I have my pillow and electric fan.

the great outdoors

Tylenol PM, bug spray, swimsuits, high speed fan, coconut rum, suncreen and PB&J. Fishing poles, frisbees, air mattresses, pillows, hand sanitizer, s'mores ingredients and iPods.  Chips, toilet paper, plastic cutlery, tent, tarps, tackle box, cooler, various ropes and tools and gadgets I have no idea what they're for....

If we aren't home from camping by Sunday night, someone call 911.

U2 and soccer and Mother's Day, oh my!

We had a very busy weekend this past weekend, and we've all been trying to catch up on sleep for the past two nights.  

We packed in the fun, starting with Friday night.  We went to the first summer outdoor concert in the area to see one of our favorites, 2U (the U2 Tribute band we raved about and saw twice last summer).  They're great and I got my U2 fix.  Is there any band greater than U2?  I think not.

Saturday morning, it was off to Dylan's soccer game and then some yard saling and errands.  Which morphed into having a couple of our soccer friends over for dinner.   7 boys total and they had a blast.  When you put 7 boys around the table you hear all kinds of bodily noises and talk about ghosts and who can drink the most lemonade.  They were all exhausted by the end of the night.

Sunday after brunch at home, it was off to spend the day at Grandma Lynn and Grandpa Robby's, with Uncle Chris, Aunt Jessica, and cousins Josh and Maya.  It was sunny and breezy, perfect for a little fishing in the pond near their house.

All the kids caught exactly one fish.  One of the fish didn't make it, and the kids witnessed a big turtle swim up to the surface to gulp it down.  It was a fun afternoon.

First Josh caught his fish...

Then Maya...

Then Logan..

And finally, Dylan..

Next it was back inside to Grandma's for a bbq and lots of playing.   Great way to spend Mother's Day, with two mothers I love and adore and look up to very much.

Preschool Mothers Day Tea

Today, I got to join the other moms of Logans' classmates for a very cute little Mothers Day celebration at preschool. 

We had snacks and stories...

And we received very sweet, wonderful Mothers Day presents from our kids...

Best of all, we even got serenaded.

a little island time

Andrew and I just returned from a five day getaway to Nassau Bahamas... celebrating our 10 year wedding anniversary, partaking in the award trip his lovely coworkers nominated him for a few months ago and spending a few days of R&R, sans kids for the first time in a very long time.   We left the boys in my Moms hands and while they got to spend special time with her, we enjoyed a little time in paradise.

Five days of no negotiating, no cleaning, no cooking.  No homework, no kid food, no wiping butts.  No nightly visitors at 3 am complaining of a bad dream.  No telling anyone 12 times to brush their teeth.  No laundry, no waking at 6 am to get anyone to the bus stop.

I love my life at home, I do.  I'm not complaining.  I'm thankful that I have this priviledge to stay home with the boys and manage our home.

But everyone needs  a break from their job.  And I think especially so when you're 'employees' sometimes talk back to you, and have to constantly be reminded to clean up their messes.  I missed them like crazy, but this vacation filled something in me that was starting to run a little empty.  It was needed.  And we're so thankful we had the chance to go.

I took a LOT of photos and I can't possibly put them all here.  But I've uploaded them all to Facebook as well as here.   You can click on this Shutterfly link without being a Shutterfly member or having to take time to create any sort of password and easily view the entire album.

Here are a few teaser photos...   It was just lovely.  Lovely.  

And now you'll have to excuse me for a few days while my head comes down out of the clouds.

Baby Carter

Many times I've written about our good friends John and Paige, and their journey to adoption.   They've been home with Carter for about two weeks now, and we've had the pleasure of being around him many times already.  He's just absolutely juicy, there is simply no other way to describe him.

We a couple of unseasonably hot days this week, a little preview of summer...    So we got out the water toys and let 'er rip in the front yard (remember, the same front yard that had three feet of snow covering it two months ago). 

Carter was just dying to get out of his ride and go for a splash in the pool with the big boys.

Easter 2010

We've been so busy this week, we put off coloring eggs until the last possible minute Saturday night.  The boys always enjoy this and I was in the laundry room busy secretly filling eggs for our backyard egg hunt the  next morning.   We're still enjoying deviled eggs, even if they're a little green.

We got the kids to bed and got busy assembling the baskets of loot.  I really, really tried to take it easy on the candy this year.  But we ended up having two different egg hunts yesterday and it all still added up to be way too much.   We started a new tradition this year... the boys got their first pairs of summer PJ's, and some books/movies, some bath stuff and Webkinz stuffed animals.  It just can't be all about the candy.  Plus, in typical fashion, Logan would binge eat candy for hours until he makes himself sick if I let him, its disgusting.  Dylan, on the other hand, will have to throw his candy out in a few weeks after he barely touches it.

In the morning after inspecting the booty, it was time to adorn the Crocs-with-PJ's-look and head to the backyard to find some eggs.

Uncle Chris and Aunt Jessica, and cousins Josh and Maya came over during the afternoon for Egg Hunt Part Deux, and a meat extravaganza on the Big Green Egg.  And a little Skyping with Grandpa Joe and Grandma Bobbie too!