That's How We Roll

Smoosh exponentially increased our family fun time when he learned how to ride a bike.  The big man rocked out on his older sister's pink princess bike with her purple Care Bear helmet on and did not mind one bit.  He is all boy, even when he was decked out in all girl gear.  Over one weekend, he learned how to master the wheels while Beanie learned how to master her fear to get back on the bike.  She had quite the unfortunate event involving a bike, a fall, and certain areas that should never be hurt on little girls.  Egad.  I know pride is bad, but, man oh man, I was so proud of my two kiddos seeing one learn to ride with mostly his own motivation and seeing the other learn to get over her fear and move on (its been months!).

We have been taking family rides each night now.  Big Daddy sports the scooter so he can pick up anyone that falls and I get Squeaks in the child seat on the Anaranjando Fox (yes, I named my bike.  I love it).

Last night, we all went to the little farmette that is in our neighborhood and picked out some pumpkins.  We also got to pet all the animals there and dream about the day when we have our own little farmette.  We are getting closer every day to making the move.....

Dentist Trip

The dentist trip is a fine-timed, 3-ring circus I run with the kids.  Two kids going at the same time in different dentists chairs and me manning 2 other kids while running back and forth between those 2 chairs.  The kids love the dentist though because they have cable TV and we don't.  Its the only time they get to actually watch something fun like PlayHouse Disney.  Except Otter....for some reason he just doesn't get quite as excited about Handy Manny as the rest of them do.  This was also Squeaks first visit.  She eventually flipped over on the seat and had her teeth cleaned while on all fours, but, hey, it worked. 

She LOVED getting her x-rays done.

Oh yeah, he is a lot cooler than me sitting in the dentist chair.

There is nothing this little girl goes through where she doesn't have her big brother to help her out.

No cavities.  And they said giving her cookies and Coke every day would rot her teeth....silly medical professionals.

There's a...

...... tire in the yard.....

....a Daddy in the tree......

....and some screaming children. 

That can only mean one thing.....

TiRe SwINg!!!!

Squeaks and I preferred the old-fashioned method of swinging though.

Harvest Time

Yummers from the past 2 months.












Everyone gets a hand in the cooking.  Smoosh making jam, Otter helping make Zuke Soup, and Squeakers just likes to peel the onions.   Note to self, get more pics of Beanie helping out in the kitchen.....

For He's A Jolly Good Fellow

someone is ready for a party...note the lellow.

While on vacation (embarassingly, just about 2 months behind us now....egad), our big man Smoosh turned 4.  The man loves yellow...well, actually, he loves lellow.  I am not going to tell him how it is pronounced because you are only little once and eventually you will learn how to say the word the correct way and right now I am just loving 4-year-old Smoosh and him saying lellow.  But, again, I digress, here are the pics from his big bash. 

We start with some dinner, the b-day man's place set at the table...set by his big brother, as if one

 could not tell from the little treat left behind by the moose on the plate....boys.... bleh. 

 

 

 

 

next, some noisemaking with the big sis....

cAkE!!

mmmmmmm....CakE!!!

Best part....presents....big trucks that make lots of noise....Smoosh's favorite, other than lellow of course:)

Uuhhh...yyeeaahh....

So...I guess I've been MIA for a little while now.  We have been...ummm...well...busy.  We have been squeezing out those last little drips of summer like you squeeze out those little drips of wet in a washcloth.  There have been zoo trips a plenty, arboretum and garden trips, playing in the pool, and just plain ol' hanging out with friends and living the good life.  Our good life this summer has included enjoying our home grown goodness.  The kids and I are able to make our breakfast each morning from our own animals and plants - eggs from the chickens, tomatoes, peppers, and chives from the veggie gardens, and fresh flowers from our flower beds.  I think we need a goat or cow just to get some fresh milk from:) We have our own raspberry jam that was made at the beginning of summer from our raspberry patch, which we slather onto our homemade bread.  At night, we typically make some kind of soup or at least a veggie side from the fresh zucchinies, onions, garlics, or potatoes that Smoosh and I pick in the morning.  There is, of course, all the snacking on the cherry tomatoes during the day.  Nothing is quite as delicious as home grown and home made....even if it doesn't have the same flavor or consistency as the store bought stuff.  The deliciousness comes from knowing that we are eating tomatoes from plants that we first tucked into the dirt as tiny seeds back in February and eating eggs from chickens we have raised from chicks and that we water and feed every day, saying hello to them and giving them our own scraps of dinner to help make yummy eggs.  The deliciousness comes from the little hands (well washed before even beginning a cooking adventure) that help in the smashing of raspberries and the pouring of flour and yeast into the breadmaker.  The delicousness is the fantastic smell of bread that lingers in the kitchen a day after the bread has been made and the beautiful sunflowers that are in constant supply to adorn our table.  The deliciousness comes from all the moments spent each day with my kids making our meals and, even better, making our house a home together. 

Lovely Rainy Day

While I promised my fav MIL that I would be catching up on blogs from the vacation (phew, over a month and some moons ago...), I couldn't pass up the opportunity to share our deliciously lovely rainy day:)  Started with some dancing (sorry, can't flip the video!):

Filling up pots with the rain water:

Going to the doctor with crayons and books in tow:

And ended with some cupcake making for the Spaghetti Dinner:

Great fun had by all.