The Routine

After tucking Lauren in at night, while I stand at her bedroom door, we often have a conversation that goes something like this...

L: Mommy, do you have a meeting tonight?
Me: No.
L: Does Daddy have a meeting?
Me: No.
L: Are you going out tonight [to workout at the Y]?
Me: No.
L: Is Daddy going out?
Me: Yes, probably.
L: Can you tell Daddy that if the cats are meowing to please tell them not to meow? Because I need to focus on going to sleep. Can you tell him?
Me: Yes, I'll tell him. Good night, Lauren.
L: Good night, Mommy.

Sometimes she also asks which room I'll be going to once I shut her door. Whatever it takes :)

The Beach

A digi layout of our trip to San Diego earlier this month. Boy, both kids just loved the beach, and could've stayed all day. Stew and I on the other hand, think sand is evil :)

template: paislee press press plate no. 26
paper: ehstudios greystreet paper2
embellishment: nina celebrations heart2

R is for Rabbit

We play a lot of the 'Letter Game' around here - where one person picks a letter, and everyone takes turns saying a word that begins with that letter. It's great for passing time during a car ride or waiting for food at a restaurant, and I find it especially great for diffusing a meltdown or other sticky situation. Lauren comes up with all kinds of words we had no idea she knew - and for some reason is particularly good at the letter 'Y'. Cole just chimes in with whatever word is on his mind (usually 'garbage truck'), and occasionally gets a match with the chosen letter :)

Ziti and Summer Veggies

Tried this Cooking Light recipe for Baked Ziti and Summer Veggies last week. I love recipes prepared with lots of fresh veggies, and you could sub in your other favorites too (might add some mushrooms next time). I also used whole wheat pasta.


The final product - all cheesy and bubbly. I pulled out some of the pasta mixture prior to adding the egg/cheese, and baked it with some panko crumbs on top for Cole. Of course he only ate the pasta, not the veggies. Still working on that.....

Growin' Up

JCPenney portraits taken back in July. (We've been doing these once a year, since they're so inexpensive when you apply those coupons that seem to pop up everywhere.) Lauren's still got a whole head-length over Cole, but I'm sure he'll catch up in no time :)

Whole Grains

My favorite snack of the moment - and the kids are crazy about it too. Pretty healthy, although I do add a wee bit of butter and salt....

Downtime

Vacation was jam-packed with lots of outings and activities, but we had a few moments like this in order to allow the adults to prepare for the day :)