Monday, July 26, 2010

the monday meal plan

July 26 – August 1

MONDAY
Breakfast: oatmeal and fruit
Lunch: sandwiches, salad
Dinner: pasta with artichokes and tomatoes, salad, fruit

TUESDAY
Breakfast: waffles with peach compote
Lunch: out
Dinner: pizza, salad, fruit

WEDNESDAY:
Breakfast: smoothies, toast with cottage cheese
Lunch: lentil soup, salad
Dinner: picadillo, brown rice, salad, fruit

THURSDAY:
Breakfast: eggs, toast, fruit
Lunch: leftovers
Dinner: black bean quinoa salad, carrot slaw, fruit

FRIDAY:
Breakfast: oatmeal with berries
Lunch: turkey wraps, salad
Dinner: sour cream salsa chicken tacos, feta and cabbage slaw

SATURDAY:
Breakfast: cottage cheese pancakes, eggs, bacon
Lunch: chicken taco salad
Dinner: fish in parchment with lemons and asparagus

SUNDAY:
Breakfast: yogurt, fruit, granola
Lunch: out
Dinner: scattered sushi rice salad, marinated tofu, miso soup


Extras:
Whole wheat bread, zucchini brownies, panna cotta with blueberry lime compote

Tuesday, July 20, 2010

Frweee!

That's how old this silly, smiley, cuddly, feisty, happy, sweet little face is today.

For giggles, here's an interview I did with her this morning:

Who is your mommy? Mommy! You my mommy! I love you Mommy! (while licking me)

Who is your daddy? Daddy! I love you Mommy! (yep, still licking me...)

What does your daddy do? Work on da computer

What does your mommy do? Take pictures. And make cookies for me to eat. (insert Cookie Monster-like noises and arm motions)

What is your favorite food? Sammiches! BIG sammiches! (arms spread waaaay out wide)

Who is your sister? Ava

What does Ava do? Plays outside with me. She push me on da swings!

How old are you? Frwee!

Who do you love? Ava! And Cinallella. And cookies! Nom nom nom!

What is your favorite thing to do? Play with my sister. Play ponies. Cookies! I love go sushi and eat fishies!

What is your favorite color? Pink, mommy! I like green. Dat my favorite.

What is your favorite story? Rainbow Fish...fishy fishy swim in da seeeeeeeeea!

What do you want for your birthday? Cinallella paint. Cake! Cookies! Watermelon!

What do you want to do tomorrow? Go to sushi with mah friends. Go to beach and play in da sand. See fishies swim in da seeeeeeeeeeeeeeea!

Yep, my baby is three. Excuse me while I go and have a good cry.

Monday, July 19, 2010

the monday meal plan

July 19 – July 25

MONDAY
Breakfast: oatmeal, fruit
Lunch: leftovers
Dinner: spicy asian noodles with marinated tofu and snow peas, fruit

TUESDAY
Breakfast: eibelskiver and scrambled eggs
Lunch: sandwiches, fruit
Dinner: taco salad, fruit, cake

WEDNESDAY:
Breakfast: yogurt, fruit, granola
Lunch: lentil soup, salad
Dinner: pork chops with peach ginger chutney, salad, marinated cucumbers and tomatoes

THURSDAY:
Breakfast: yogurt, granola, fruit
Lunch: quinoa and black bean salad
Dinner: grilled chicken sandwiches, salad

FRIDAY:
Breakfast: oatmeal, fruit or smoothies
Lunch: three bean salad, turkey wraps, veggies
Dinner: ceasar salad pizzas, fruit

SATURDAY:
Breakfast: blueberry muffins, yogurt or eggs
Lunch: finger sandwiches, veggies and dip, fruit,
Dinner: pot roast, potatoes, carrots, salad

SUNDAY:
Breakfast: eggs, toast, fruit
Lunch: leftovers
Dinner: taco lasagna, salad, fruit



Extras:
Whole wheat bread, chocolate cake, chocolate buttercream, granola bars, blueberry muffins

Monday, July 12, 2010

beach babes

Like clockwork, summer arrived in the Pacific Northwest on July 5. The temperature got up over 100 so the California girl in me said "time to hit the beach!" Luckily, we live 5 minutes away from the nearest one so we headed to several last week to compare.










play ball!

I remember many happy afternoons spent at the Oakland Coliseum watching the A's trample their opponents (hey, it was the 80's...the A's trampled everyone!). Before Joel and I met, I went to quite a few Mariner games too.

So, it was a huge treat to receive tickets for Joel and my birthdays! We all went and watched the Mariners get (completely) trampled by the Yankees. Oh well. As Ava said, it was fun to root for the home team because it will make them want to win next time :) The best part was when the kids got to run the bases after the game (which, sadly, I don't have a video of because these days I'm operating on a huge sleep deficit. Or maybe I had a blond moment. Who knows...).

Ava's face when we told her she could run the bases:


Ichiro at bat:


Waiting in line:


The Safeco sign:


We had seats so close to the field, and right in fly ball territory:


Emily and Ava love hot dogs!



Living legend, Derek Jeter:


Alex Rodriguez got his start with the Mariners...even though he's turned into a @$&^ I still have a soft spot for him:

can you see why? :o)


The girls LOVED their first baseball game!


Thanks, Maggie and Saam for a fabulous birthday gift!!

pen pals

Before we moved, I hosted a few friends over for a stationary making party, hoping that all of the kids would be able to keep in touch and write each other letters. So far, Ava has received cards from 3 of her friends (thanks, friends!!) and she's sent mail back to them all.

The other day, we were at the 100 Yen store at the mall and they had some really cute stationary for $1.50 (100 Yen). She got to pick one set out and she has been writing letters to her friends and family ever since!

Here's a note to her Nana:


Ava is always looking for more pen pals, so if your kid is interested in a mail exchange, let me know!

meal plan monday

July 12 – July 18

MONDAY
Breakfast: oatmeal, fruit
Lunch: soup, salad
Dinner: basil grilled chicken, corn and basil cakes, grilled asparagus

TUESDAY
Breakfast: lemon sour cream muffins, smoothies
Lunch: turkey wraps, salad, fruit
Dinner: black bean and sweet potato enchiladas, salad, fruit

WEDNESDAY:
Breakfast: eggs, toast, fruit
Lunch: leftovers
Dinner: lentils and brown rice, tomato and cucumber salad

THURSDAY:
Breakfast: oatmeal, smoothies
Lunch: lentil and brown rice soup, crackers, fruit
Dinner: green curry turkey burgers with asian cucumber relish, salad

FRIDAY:
Breakfast: fruit and yogurt with granola
Lunch: greek salad with quinoa
Dinner: custard filled cornbread, warm peach compote, sausages

SATURDAY:
Breakfast: pancakes, fruit, eggs
Lunch: sandwiches, veggies, fruit
Dinner: balsamic cherry tomato spaghetti, salad

SUNDAY:
Breakfast: waffles, eggs, sausages, fruit
Lunch: leftovers
Dinner: veggie, rice, and cheese supreme, salad


Extras:
Honey whole wheat bread, snickerdoodles, strawberry jam

Wednesday, July 7, 2010

zoo trip

Joel and I took the girls to the Woodland Park Zoo over the weekend and had so much fun! The grounds are more park like than the Oregon Zoo and the animal exhibits feel a bit more natural. We didn't get to see the whole zoo, since it's sooooo big, but we did see our favorite animals (elephants and penguins) and a few that we hadn't seen before (flamingos and kangaroos).

Milking a "cow":


Feeding some Australian parrots:


We bought lunch at a cafe, but Emily only wanted to eat the lettuce her meal was presented on. Silly baby!


Taking a picture with the baby elephant statue:


An owl at the raptor center:


Posing with the kimodo dragon statue:


The girls loved pretending to be meerkats!


This ball belonged to a young elephant who was born at the zoo and lived only 7 years:


Being silly during snack time:



Mama and Daddy contemplated leaving the monkeys in their natural habitat...

Tuesday, July 6, 2010

firecracker firecracker boom boom boom!

Happy (belated) Fourth!

We weren't sure what the day would bring, being that we don't really know too many people here, but we were saved by Joel's boss, who invited us to his house for a pool party and BBQ. It was so fun! I forgot to bring the camera, but Joel's boss's wife assures me that she'll be sending some blackmail fodder soon (the guys all took turns trying to dive through kiddie floaties off of the diving board!).

After the BBQ wrapped up, we came home and set off some fireworks. Thankfully, we're in a part of the county where we actually can set them off - most of this county has completely banned ALL fireworks. So, we treated our neighbors to some pretty lights and loud booms :)

the pyro at work:


Emily LOVED the sparklers!


Ava got brave and went for two at a time:


We all snuggled under a pile of blankets on the front porch...it was FREEZING!


We found a stash of little fountains leftover from last year - yeah!


Seriously - it was COLD. Uggs and July just don't go together.

Monday, July 5, 2010

meal plan monday

July 5 – July 11

MONDAY
Breakfast: eggs, toast, fruit
Lunch: leftovers
Dinner: Tan Tan noodles, sautéed napa cabbage, fruit

TUESDAY
Breakfast: whole wheat blueberry muffins, yogurt
Lunch: sandwiches, fruit, veggies, hummus
Dinner: out

WEDNESDAY:
Breakfast: greek yogurt with peaches and granola
Lunch: egg salad sandwiches, veggies, fruit
Dinner: black bean tostadas, fried eggs, fruit, Mexican chopped salad

THURSDAY:
Breakfast: oatmeal, smoothies
Lunch: leftovers
Dinner: pasta salad, cucumber salad

FRIDAY:
Breakfast: eggs, toast, tomatoes, bacon
Lunch: sandwiches, fruit, veggies
Dinner: out

SATURDAY:
Breakfast: out
Lunch: out
Dinner: out

SUNDAY:
Breakfast: waffles, eggs, sausages, fruit
Lunch: out
Dinner: out

Thursday, July 1, 2010

the most awesome strawberry dessert


The day we moved in, we had help from Joel's cousin Dan, and his son Scott, and they very nicely invited us over after the van was unloaded for dinner. Dan and his wife, Mary, have an amazing garden, including a ton of berry plants. They let Ava pick a whole bowl full to bring home.

I didn't want to go to the trouble of making a pie while we were in the midst of unpacking, so I found this recipe (and man, I can't remember where!) and it was so easy to make! We had it for dessert after our first dinner in the new house.


Strawberry Cobbler
from somewhere on the web


1 cup all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
2 large eggs
1 1/2 cups granulated sugar, divided
1/4 cup milk
2 tablespoons unsalted butter, softened
1/4 cup water
1 tablespoon fresh lemon juice
1 teaspoon vanilla
1/2 teaspoon almond extract
3 1/2 cups fresh strawberries, hulled

Preheat oven to 375 degrees.

In a medium bowl, whisk together flour, baking powder and salt.

In a large mixing bowl, beat together eggs and 1 cup granulated sugar. Beat in milk and butter. Add dry ingredients and stir just until combined. Scoop mixture into a 9" square baking pan (or other 2-quart baking dish) coated with cooking spray.

In a medium saucepan, add remaining 1/2 cup sugar, along with water, lemon juice, vanilla and almond extract. Bring to a simmer, stirring, and cook for 3 to 4 minutes. Stir in strawberries to coat. Immediately pour hot mixture over the batter in the baking pan.

Place into the oven and bake until golden, about 30 minutes.

Makes about 9 servings.

the very big, very long catch up post!

The last 12 days have been insane! Here's just a few of the things we've been up to (ya know, besides packing...):

Hosting our friends for a stationary making party so we are all stocked with cards to keep in touch:


Enjoying the view at Washington Park:


Stopping to smell the roses at the Rose Garden:


Having an awesome play date with our cousins:


Making our summer to do list:


Driving by the first apartment that Joel and I lived in (ahem) before we were married:


And the pub we went to on our first date:


Eating sweets at our favorite dessert spot:


(where, our odd child opted for candy instead of beautiful pastries...someone is obviously spoiled by my baking...)


Played at our favorite park with some of my oldest friends and their kids:



Said a lot of hard goodbyes...these are Ava and Em's best friends. Their mom is one of my best friends and there were a whole lot of tears when we left:


Things we learned: Moving yourself is fine when there are only one of two of you. After that...get movers and a bigger truck. We left some things behind that we'll have to get in a few weeks. Lesson learned! (right, honey?)


Saying goodbye to our first home. The house we brought our babies home to, and the house we became a family in. The hardest part for me was not having any time to clean the inside before we left...weird, huh? We just packed up the truck and took off...oh well, that's what house cleaners are for, right?!




Getting excited about the new Leapster games we bought especially for the drive to our new house:


Taking our first bath!


I promise to post some pictures of the house as soon as we're all unpacked...which actually should be by the end of the weekend! So far, we're really loving living here and we've already met some great people. We had a lot of help from friends and family in terms of packing and unpacking and getting the old house ready to sell - so THANK YOU!!!

Joel and I both celebrated birthdays the week we moved so we've decided to wait until later this month to celebrate...so pictures to come!