Healthy Pasta

We make this pasta primavera dish, from Giada's Everyday Italian cookbook, pretty often. I love flavor of the roasted veggies, and we add in plenty of fresh grated parmesan. Only drawback is the chopping.... takes me about 30 min!

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!

Q & A

There is many a moment, when I ask the question 'Cole, do you have to go to the bathroom?' I usually ask when he's either 1) quite still, yet a little bit wriggly, or 2) hopping around like he's got ants in his pants. Here are some of the answers he's given me over the last couple months...

Q: Cole, do you have to go to the bathroom?

A: No, I'm just resting.
A: No, I'm just sliding.
A: No, I'm just dancing.
A: No, I'm just yawning.

And my personal favorite....

A: No, Mommy, I'm just smiling at you - that's not my poo-poo face.

We're Back....

Back from the beach - had a blast (but still in need of a vacation....) Stay tuned for our 2012 SD favorites.

Catching Raindrops

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!

Quotables

Overheard on Fri morning, Cole to Lauren: "I don't like you telling on me, I'm telling on you!" Gotta love those baby monitors, they provide some good entertainment :)

For the Love of Nature

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 :)

Soccer Time

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.

Right Now | May 2012

Lauren (age 5): Reads her own bed-time stories. Enjoys jumping rope. Loves to hug. Is learning freestyle. Offers Cole some of her snack when he has finished his.

Cole (age 3): Loves to throw anything. Sleeps without covers. Is obsessed with sun butter. Can name over 10 types of trucks. Always asks "what are we going to do next?"

Play Day

Had the day off today, and after some morning chores and errands, and a nice lunch, got right to crafting with my mom.

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 :)

School Pics

School photos are back. They crack me up, every time.... 2011 pictures are on the left for reference.

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...