We still don't know what's up with Cole's pouty face... he was pretty set on not smiling I guess. Ah, it will make for humorous memories one day. Otherwise, we had lots of fun time at the annual Winter Wonderland at work.
Cole really enjoyed the trains.
Lauren's favorite activity was icing (and eating) a sugar cookie.
I've made significant progress (note my last update was in 2009!), but we're closing in on December 1... I still need to determine how I want to 'hang' the 'ornaments' on the tree, but I might be able to finish up a few more pockets. One down, and 23 to go.
Cole could literally sit and watch the Frosty Train circle the tree for hours.... Also note the sole ornament hung thus far - Lauren's newly acquired 'Rapunzel' which she purchased with her Disney Store gift card.
We bought a loaf of delicious ciabatta bread, an acorn squash, some tomatoes, some savory breakfast pastries, and two of these cute potted succulents.
But what the kids enjoyed most, was playing on the playground located behind the farmer's market :)
My first loaf, from my new book Artisan Bread in Five Minutes a Day. Used the basic boule 'master recipe', and it was so so easy. Haven't tasted it yet, but several reviewers say their loaves taste even better than they look. And I have more dough in the fridge :)
Traveled.
Explored.
And explored some more.
Indulged.
Nursed a sick cat back to health.
Tried new recipes.
And modified some of the kids' favorites.
Shopped.
Played.
Exercised.
Baked.
Encouraged.
And relaxed.
All the veggies, chopped up and ready to go. This time, used red onion, zucchini, yellow squash, carrots and mushrooms.
The final product, with plenty of the leftovers, since still can't get the kids to eat vegetables that look like vegetables..... Also, it always amazes me how much the veggies shrink during roasting!
Back from the beach - had a blast (but still in need of a vacation....) Stay tuned for our 2012 SD favorites.
Happy 4th! We had a lot of fun at the annual 4th Celebration at a neighborhood park, although this year it rained - but no one seemed to mind :) Water slides, snow cones, hot dogs, hula hoop contest, and more; maybe next year we'll even decorate bikes and join the parade!
Today, Lauren brought home a lovely teal colored 8.5 x 11 piece of construction paper, adorned with cicada exoskeletons (and a few drawings). Apparently she (and Cole, and maybe others) have been plucking these little molted shells off the tree bark at school - and I've heard she's amassed quite a pile. She asked if I'd like one for my project life journal, but I said I'd settle for a picture :)
Cole and Lauren are both trying soccer this summer, through the indoor league at the YCMA. Cole and I kicked around the ball last night in the back yard, he was in heaven.
Had seen a friend post a similar bracelet she'd made, so checked out a few tutorials, then we gave it a shot. These are inspired by the trendy Chan Luu leather wrap bracelets. Need some leather cord, beading thread, beading needle, beads of choice, a button or bead to use as a toggle, and possibly some jewely/beading glue to secure the knots. One tip is to use a binder clip or clipboard to secure the two ends of the leather cord while adding the beads.
They were pretty fun to make, and not bad for a few hours of work. Looking forward to making another :)
Two years in a row? I had to purchase at least one sheet, because how can you pass up that face? :)
Lauren's turned out pretty good, I was pleasantly surprised.
But this is actually how I sent her to school. Notice the new hairdo in the school pic - a ponytail mysteriously sprouted...
Waiting patiently for the egg 'hunt' to begin. There was a 5 egg limit, but neither Cole nor Lauren managed to gather that many at first, since there were so many kids. But they scavanged up a few more when another child exceeded the limit, and had to place some eggs back in play :)
Alas, lunch was tasty (assuming I didn't ruin that for you with my talk above) - they have a $5 lunch special, with your choice of pita (I had chicken souvlaki), and fries or salad. Will definitely be back, hopefully on a less eventful day.
We decided to try the organic basket this time, from Bountiful Baskets. We got oranges, apples, blueberries, pineapple, cabbage, green beans, and (not shown), carrots, artisan lettuces, green onions, celery, and bok choy. A few of the items were packaged, from Earthbound Farm. Next week I think we'll try local - considering signing up for a CSA (Love Grows Farms) with pick-up location at work (how easy is that?) Someone also recommended chowlocally.com which looks a neat option as well.
Vanilla greek yogurt with kashi, my favorite breakfast.
A birthday party at 'My Gym' for one of Cole's classmates, the Mesa Takes Flight festival, and a stop at Habit Burger.
A fun party, complete with cupcakes from Sprinkles - yum. Check out Lauren's tail.
An excellent quote from Cole. And a glimpse into the evening routine - added 'special' 1:1 play time into the mix a few weeks back. Each kid gets 10 min with each parent - it's actually a nice way to wind down (for all involved!)
Lauren has been working on her penmanship - which seems even a bit better than Stew's!
Lauren is loving Round 2 of her ballet/tap class at the YMCA.
A hike at Telegraph Pass, dinner at IKEA, more dancing, and sun butter cookies.
Long time since I'd hiked Telegraph, very sore the next day! 
Got some new art work for Lauren's room (frames and prints from Pottery Barn, and frames on clearance!), and Sushi Ken for Fri dinner (discovered Cole loves unagi!)
