Quotes

Both of these pictures just "spoke" to me today.  

Birthday party

Lee Ann attended a birthday party this morning for a sweet friend.  It was held at a neighborhood spash pad and she had a BLAST.  She's been pretty exhausted all afternoon...but also high from the sugar of the cupcakes.  I gave her one cupcake (they were minis) but she took another from an abandoned plate when I wasn't looking.  She was super proud of herself for that.  Sneaky.

Dinner salad...again

We are really enjoying salad for dinner.  This picture is not high quality, but I can assure you the meal was very tasty.  Mixed greens, grilled chicken, smoked gouda (just a tad for me), walnuts, pearl couscous, and roasted butternut squash with shallots.  Yum!

Hmmmmm

Somebody may have outgrown the GoPod. #weightlimit

Dinner

This was our dinner last night - grilled chicken and goat cheese salad with apples.  It's my take on a salad from Ruggles.  It's a little bit of a cheat for me since it has cheese...but only an ounce. Very tasty!

Park Fun

We went to the park this morning as it's not too hot today.  Our gym is closed for a remodel until Monday so I tried out a run pushing both kids in the Bob stroller.  Lee Ann loves the park but it's been oppressive with the heat in the afternoons.  She was thrilled to be there! 

Kitchen towels

I want these kitchen towels!  I also want some that say "What would Julia do?"

Sitting up

This guy is almost sitting up.  At this point, he tends to lean on his hands...and then falls over.  He's getting there.  Slowly but surely.  He sure is sweet to watch. 

Sweet siblings

Clean girl, dirty dog

It never fails.  Every night I bathe Lee Ann and while she waits for Michael to come home she gets down on the floor to hug and love on Chief.  While I love that he is so sweet with her...he's just not clean.  (He gets a regular bath...just not as often as Lee Ann.). Every night I ask nicely for her to get up off the floor and hang out with me...but she prefers the floor and Chief to my company.

Kleenex fiasco

This is how Lee Ann passed the time while I put Henry to bed yesterday.

 (Insert long sigh from me here.)

Breakfast for Lee Ann

My toddler is a pretty decent eater...with the exception of breakfast.  Something changed a few months ago and I'm struggling to find things she will eat in the morning aside from a smoothie.  Tomorrow I'm going to offer up these banana muffins...they are made with spelt flour and only sweetened with maple syrup - not refined sugar.  Hoping they are a hit.  I used some fancy muffin cups with the hope that this will make the breakfast even more appealing.  

Spelt Flour Banana Muffins

Wardrobe malfunction

I was putting away laundry today and noticed that Lee Ann has way more clothes than Henry.  Now to be fair, both have folded clothes in their respective dressers...and most of Henry's clothes are t-shirts and pants.  Still, I feel bad.  There is an alarming difference.  I think part of it is me...ok all of it is me because it's not like Lee Ann is online ordering clothes.  But I can't help it...the girl stuff is so cute.  (And yes both closets have some junk and toys and stuff that I need to clear out.  I'm working on it.)

Henry's Closet

Lee Ann's Closet

Oops I did it again

Really these heirloom tomatoes are amazing.  I could eat them at every meal. Can't stop won't stop.

This is how we roll

Rain rain go away

Its been raining cats and dogs here since yesterday.  It's hard to get out and do things with the littles when you risk everyone getting drenched.  We have rock star parking status at the gym but otherwise we are not VIPs and run the risk of getting soaked.  So we have been playing a lot of movies and coloring.  Poor Henry doesn't get to do as much yet, but thanks to Motrin (for the teething) and the jumparoo he's pretty content.  

Curious George

Lee Ann's big obsession right now is animals.  Elephants are number one, with giraffes coming in a close second.  PBS came out with a new Curious George movie this week all about him getting lost in the jungle.  Lee Ann is obsessed.  Her thing is to shout at the TV when any of the animals come on.  It's a very big deal.  In case you were wondering it all works out and the Man with the Yellow Hat rescues George and they return to their posh upper eastside penthouse in New York at the end.  (Sidebar:  Exactly how does the Man with The Yellow Hat have such a swanky apartment along with what appears to be a house in the Hamptons?)  

Teething

This is the face of teething folks.  The struggle is real.  Poor Henry is trying to break in those top two teeth and they just don't want to come in yet.  I feel so bad for him.  He's pretty easy going but he gives me this look of frustration and pain at least a few times a day.  

Butter, Wine and a Side of Chocolate

I'm reading a couple of books right now - one is all about toddler behavior and how to manage it,  and this book - My Life In France.  I bet you can guess which one is more interesting.  The toddler book is necessary and helpful - but Julia Child in Paris is WAY more fun.  The problem is I'm "clean and sober" on dairy and alcohol until Labor Day.  (Sidebar: This is a choice I made over Memorial Day weekend in an effort to try to get back to my post baby self.) In almost EVERY chapter so far Julia describes in detail how amazing all the French food is...and it ALL has butter and wine.  Tons.  I love butter and I love wine and regardless of going almost three months without it - I still love it.  I still crave it.  I still desire it. (Sidebar: You know all those people who tell you if you stop eating certain foods for awhile you'll stop craving them?  Liars.)  I'm loving this read but it's torture.  Last night I dreamt of chocolate croissants.  Not kidding. 

Music Class

We attend a music class once a week for Lee Ann.  She LOVES it.  But she really loves the playroom area in the lobby where we hang before class and afterwards.  She looks very innocent in this photo but let me assure you this is two seconds before she took apart everything within a five foot radius.  It's not embarrassing or anything.  

Lunch Options

I'm on a quest to find new and healthy lunch options.  I tend to eat smoothies for lunch because they are fast and easy to make, and as a bonus I can drink one while feeding the kids.  But they get boring.  And I like to chew things.  I really like to chew carbs.  Carbs and sugar.  Sugar and even more carbs.  You see where I am headed...I digress. I saw this quick lunch on a blog the other day and decided I had to try it.  It's a sprouted whole grain muffin (half) topped with smashed avocado and a large slice of an heirloom tomato.  I drizzled olive oil on top with salt and pepper.  It. Was. Amazing.  I mean it's not chocolate, but it was very tasty and a great change of pace from the usual smoothie.  I actually ate two of these...but scarfed the first one before I took the photo.  

The Kiddos

Here are the kids in my tribe - Lee Ann (2 years) and Henry (8 months)