winding down...

Swim team is coming to a close, after two great months.  Always a little sad when it wraps up.  We've had such a good time again!

Dylan won his heat for back stroke at the meet yesterday morning.   One more meet next Saturday and then we're off to our beach vacation!

Greek Shrimp Tortellini Salad

I hate cooking in the summer.  I've done very little cooking since school let out.  We've been living off of sandwiches, rotisserie chickens, pizza and Thai carry-out, guacamole and a few rounds of grilled steaks and chicken.  I just don't want to be planning meals, shopping for food, and in the hot kitchen.  In the winter, when there is nothing better to do, bring it on.  I'll bake, crock pot, try new recipes and create casseroles.

Right now, just give me some fresh summer produce, fruit smoothies and maybe some Jersey Mike's.  Yesterday morning, I started craving a nice, cold pasta salad.  Something that would make a lot and keep for a few days for us to nibble on during hot afternoons, and before the rush to swim meets. I remembered a Greek shrimp tortellini salad my stepmom makes, and tweaked it just a little (I love artichokes and hate olives, for example).

YUM.  Now we have a huge bowl of cold zesty pasta goodness in the fridge to eat off of for a few days, and its really super easy and delicious.

Greek Shrimp Tortellini Salad

What you need:
1 bag frozen cheese and spinach tortellini (or you can use the Barilla dry tortellini in the pasta aisle)
1 jar roasted red peppers (diced up)
1/2 small red onion, finely chopped
1 can artichoke heart quarters
1 1/2 - 2 lbs of frozen, completely shelled and deveined, pre-cooked shrimp
1/2 jar zesty banana pepper rings, finely chopped
1 12 oz. container of feta cheese crumbles
1 bottle zesty Italian salad dressing.  I am partial to Kraft Roasted Red Pepper, but you could use Greek dressing, Zesty Italian, or any other kind you like.

What to do:
Bring large stockpot of water to boiling, add tortellini.  Cook desired time (8 or so minutes until its floating on top) and then add the cooked frozen shrimp at the very end just to thaw it.   Drain in collander, and then dump into large bowl.  Add all other ingredients and stir well until mixed together.   Refrigerate for a few hours and let flavors mingle.   Even better the next day.  Great for a party, too.  You can easily double and add other kinds of pastas to make it go further.   The other great thing is, you can customize this so many different ways.  Don't like shrimp?  Go meatless, or use grilled chopped chicken.  Add olives if you like them.  You could even use gluten-free pasta, I'm sure it would still be tasty.

Summer catch up edition...

Wow, almost a month since my last post.  I do believe that's a new record.  It seems the older the boys get, the crazier our summers get and I'm lucky to sit down for 10 minutes.  I probably have 100 photos taken in the last month and not sure most of them will ever find their way to this blog (although they did make their way to Facebook, at least).  Its been pool days, playdates, movies, losing half a tree to major storm damage, bbq's, summer camp for Logan, parties and the usual daily grind of house stuff.

I've missed you, my little blog.

Let's review the past few weeks and get all caught up on the highlights, shall we?

• Swim team has continued for the boys, with meets twice a week and practice five days a week.  Its been a great experience again, and Logan has loved his first year.  He is slowly getting faster and faster, and learning the strokes. Dylan has been competing in Butterfly for the first time this season and while he still has some form to learn, he's improving a lot too.   We have only two more weeks before the season ends.

• Towards the end of June, we headed over to the eastern shore of Maryland where my dear friend Jay lives.  He invited some other friends and family, got a bushel of crabs and we let the kids run in the sprinkler while we feasted and toasted to old friendships.  I've known most of these guys since we were in middle school.  I love that we still get together, trying to stay young by remembering the good ole days and letting our kids romp.

• Once again, Logan's ferritin levels came back low (the same as the whole past year) despite all the iron supplements.  We know because of this, he still suffers from his sleep disorder and that in turn causes some of his behavioral challenges.  After going through this for the past year, with very little progress, our pediatrician thought it was time to take him to Children's National Medical Center to the Genetics department.  We've tried many other specialists to date and no one has been able to figure out what is preventing his body from absorbing iron.  The high dose of iron prescribed by his sleep doctor starting causing stomach issues, so our pediatrician told us to stop with the supplements for now.  No reason to aggravate his stomach until we go to CNMC and see if they can offer any insight to the situation.  Our appointment is August 1st and we've been busy emailing them all of his bloodwork history and medical information.  Crossing our fingers for some good clues that will help us understand.

• At the very end of June/beginning of July, I threw the kids in the car and we headed down to my Dad and Bobbie's for a few days of boating, fishing and swimming.  Always a good time, and so much time on the water is always fun and appreciated by my aqua boys.  Dad set up a shooting range in the backyard and the boys were in heaven shooting his pellet gun.  Dylan proved to be quite the shot.  And Bobbie make Logan an early birthday cake to celebrate #6.

• Next up was a spontaneous day spent at Watermelon Park campground, right on the Shenandoah River, for a July 4th celebration.  The water the cool, the beer was cold, and the burgers were juicy.   The day was almost dampered by Andrew's wedding ring slipping off his finger into the sandy bottom of the river.  But we all searched and searched, and the tenacity paid off when Arianna, our friends' daughter, found the ring buried in the bottom of the river.   Needless to say, we were hugely relieved when it was found.  I had it designed by an artist when we got married 12 years ago and it was very special.  It wouldn't have been the same to have to replace it.

• Our little Logan turned 6 on July 8th.  6!  I still can't believe it.  In some ways, it seems like time has flown by and in other ways, it seems a million years ago I held him my arms to inhale that sweet baby smell.  He is still willing to let me cuddle him and even falls asleep in my arm, from time and time.  I know this will be a big year for him, starting 1st grade and making new friends.  Lots to look forward to.  We had his birthday party at his taekwondo school over the weekend and it was a great time.  Mom, Robby, Chris, Jess and the twins came out too!

• Once swim season ends, we'll leave for vacation at the beach in the Outer Banks of North Carolina.  We've been looking forward to this since the winter and I can't wait to get my toes in the sand!  That trip will surely deserve its own blog post, as we hope to go on many adventures and show the boys the huge sand dunes, the Wright Brothers Memorial, canoe in the Sound, visit the Aquarium, and enjoy some gnarly seafood.

• Once we're back, we'll have 27 more days of summer until school begins.  And its a good thing, cuz I still have lots left on my Summer Fun list of stuff to do!