Pinterest Inspired Snack

No Bake Energy Balls... the kids did the dumping and helped with the mixing. So cute!

Beach Day

Sawyer found his big bag'o sand toys in the basement last week. It is one of those things I would rather leave in hiding so I don't have to deal with the aftermath. No one likes sand in their swimming suit, or their car or their eyes. But, sometimes it just needs to happen and you are glad when it does, except for sand in your eyes. Sawyer began begging last week so then I showed him where I wrote it on the calendar. Thursday, July 19th, Kent Park Beach. As it turns out it was a glorious day with milder temperatures than what we have gotten used to. Sawyer whined loudly that he didn't want to get sand on his feet before we even set foot toward the water. He cried when I tried to make him walk himself so I ended up carrying him under my arm, making a scene. Veda put sand in her mouth just as you would expect. Then we spent 3 hours wading and splashing and digging and sifting and dumping. It was quality time and I took many mental snapshots wishing I was brave enough to bring the camera onto the sandy area. Then we drove to Ghurties and Veda fell asleep with her flip-flops on her hands. I got a picture of that. :)

Gotta Start Somewhere...

 I am living, and spending a ridiculous amount of time on Pinterest.  This has led to some new eats and some cute projects for the kiddos though.  Here is a peak into the process...  Will add finished product photos later, maybe.

Other than making memories with my kiddos this summer I am working on getting a meal planning system that I can live with as well as getting ready for my NEW JOB!  Which, I am super pumped about.  This includes mentally preparing to be a teacher in a regular school building and buying real grown up clothes. 

Little Miss Veda

She is quite the sweet little princess, and she scares me.  Today Steve and I took the kiddos to a bar for an open mic.  It is early on a Sunday, harmless, right?  They love uncle John and he entertained them while we waited and hoped a mic would be set up... which never was.  Weird deal.  But anyway...  On the ride home I mentioned to Steve how I noticed Veda sizing people up, strangers that would stop and talk to her, touch her hair and work for a smile.  I waited for her to look to me and check out if any of this was okay.  She didn't.  She carefully studied each person and decided for herself if they deserved a smile.  Her personality is really starting to evolve and it is fascinating to watch.  When we had a baby shower at our house for the lovely Auntie Erica she sat in her highchair for a good long time, completely content, just watching everyone around her.  She is also one tough cookie.  Nothing slows her down for long and Sawyer flattens her quite frequently while Veda doesn't look the slightest bit bewildered.  That must be what happens when you have an older brother.  When she wants something she is not afraid to stiff-arm someone to get it.  The girl also loves a sing-along and bumps up her one shoulder to the beat.  I love that.

Allergy Update

I am figuring out how to provide a dairy free yet well rounded diet for our little Veda.  Through this experience I am trying to broaden my knowledge on good nutrition in general and push myself to try new recipes.  Today I whipped up some banana "ice cream" made with whipped up chunks of frozen bananas, a dollop of peanut butter and cocoa powder.  I can't beat myself up for feeding that to my kids, which makes me happy.  Next I want to try making some hummus type bean dips that will appeal to our taste buds.  I gave some store-bought hummus to Veda recently that gave her the tell-tale red rash around her mouth.  I have crossed that particular dip off of the menu for the remainder...  I think maybe it was the Tahini.  So, making my own hummus may be a good move going forward.

The red rash...

Luckily, it doesn't seem to bother her too much! :)

We visited with some friends that have gone dairy free at times for their kids that were showing sensitivities. I took home some reading material, Go Dairy Free is really informative about various dairy sensitivities and allergies. I haven’t gotten to the recipes yet but Jen tells me there are some good deserts in there! I definitely will find try out some of those recipes as treats are rarely dairy free it seems. (However, Oreos are surprisingly dairy free.) We took the kids to the farmer’s market a few Saturday mornings ago and that place is a mecca of all that is freshly prepared and delicious. I became immediately aware of the fact that it was not easy to find treats that Veda could enjoy as we devoured our breakfast burritos and donuts. I hate the knot I get in my stomach when Veda reaches for something that she can’t have and I have to snatch it out of her grasp. It is a truly terrible feeling. I don’t want to have that feeling anymore. This means I will be doing more to be prepared for our ventures out and hopefully will have healthy and delicious snacks available that our whole family will enjoy.

Balloon Glow!

Imagine a perfect evening sitting on a beautiful lawn with live music while enjoying PB&J and watching as hot-air balloons are inflated before your eyes. Yes, this was our evening.  :)  We didn't know what to expect, but our friends the Richmonds told us it is a guaranteed good time for the family.  It really was impressive and we were early enough to see a balloon lift off and then watched as 5 more were anchored to the ground for us to take closer look.  Sawyer was giddy.  Veda practiced escape tactics.  It was perfect. Pictures could not do this justice.  The scale of everything cannot be captured by a camera.  The heat from the flames shooting up into the balloon, I cannot share with you here.  But trust me, it was awesome.  You will just have to go sometime. 

Feel free to caption this photograph... I look forward to all of the comments from my devoted audience.

Feel the heat...  

I promise to do some research on getting the most out of my camera before photographing any more awesome hot-air balloons.  Better pictures next year.

Busy Weekend Day 2

On Sunday we made a trip North to see Blake and Jen and there trio of adorable kiddos!  Blake and Jen are incredibly busy with 3 children ages 4 and under!  It was so much fun to watch our kids all play together and Steve and I were envious of their space just outside of Waterloo.  It was such a nice visit and left us wishing we could get together more often.  Jen shared some of her expertise on life without dairy since she has eliminated it from her diet a couple of times to accomodate their little ones.  Luckily, both of the boys have outgrown their allergies!  This gives me hope.  :)  Here are a few pictures of the kids enjoying the visit.

 Bo and Veda

Caitlyn and Sawyer

Brady showing Sawyer how it is done.

Kiddos racing!

Veda and Daddy getting in on the fun.  :)