Redneck Date Night

Last night Jeff and I enjoyed our second date night of the summer. We, along with our friends, Ben & Krista, and Kris & Jami, drove through the beautiful countryside to Three Corner Rock. Our original route was detoured due to a culvert, so we had to drive all the way around on another road which made for a lot of time in the truck, but we did finally get to our destination just in time to see the beautiful sunset over the majestic rock. When we arrived at our destination, Jeff immediately started a fire because it was much colder at that high elevation than down where we live. We ate some picnic food and sat with our friends and talked and laughed and had a wonderful time. All too soon, it was time to head home and relieve our baby-sitter. This second date night of the summer was planned by my sweet husband and my favorite part of the whole night was sitting next to him in his Toyota chatting about life on our drive there and back. At home there are always so many distractions, and I think Jeff and I have our best conversations while we are in the car. Love you honey! Keep planning these fun nights!!

Summer Fun

This week's weather has been amazing considering the amount of rain we usually get in the Pacific Northwest. Every single day has been warm and sunny so we have been spending lots of time outside in the backyard. 

 On Wednesday when Jeff got home from work, the kids were napping, so we each laid out in one of the wading pools and talked. It was super relaxing and nice to have some alone time together.

 I realize this is not the most flattering photo of me, but I am feeling good and really healthy lately. I have been eating consciously-lots of fruit and vegetables and I have completely cut cheese, bread, and pasta out of my diet. I also play indoor soccer once a week and am trying to fit in time to work out as much as possible. So far I have lost three pounds and am so happy! I am not necessarily on a diet, just being mindful of how much I eat, what I eat, and am cutting out late night snacking and all fast food. 

 I made this yummy salad for dinner the other night. It was on a bed of spinach with sprouts, chick peas, cherry tomatoes, green onions, cilantro, avocado, lime juice, and salt and pepper. It was light, refreshing, and a perfect summer supper. 

 Ella is starting to become more interested in potty training. Today she got out her potty chair and brought it into the kitchen and sat on it. I gave her an M&M for sitting on it, but alas, no potty went in the toilet. We are going to be more diligent about potty training when we return from vacation. 

We got a nice surprise today from my good friend, Heather. She came over and brought the kids some beautiful gifts. She sewed a cute little cape for Nicholas's favorite husky pup, a fun tee shirt for Nicholas, and an adorable apron for Ella. I totally admire anyone who can sew well, as it is not a talent of mine, and homemade items are treasured around here. She is so kind and so thoughtful and we feel super lucky to be loved by her and her family. 

Healthy Girl

Ella is our super-health conscience girl. Everyday she gets into the bathroom drawer where her toothbrush and toothpaste are kept and brushes away while her brother takes a bath.

 Mommy gives her teeth (and Nicholas's too) a good scrubbing first. then Ella takes over and finishes all by herself. 

 The other thing she loves are her new Flintstones vitamins. She only gets one a day, but they must taste like candy to her because every time she goes into the kitchen she wants another one. 

 She is also a huge fruit lover. Her favorites are strawberries, blueberries, bananas, raspberries, and grapes; but she will eat just about anything in the fruit family. In fact she ate all our strawberries off the vine before I got the chance to pick any! Thankfully the strawberry blossoms are back again so other people in our family can enjoy them. 

We are very grateful we have a toddler who is already starting such healthy habits!

First Date Night of the Summer

Jeff and I just got back from our fabulous date night. We drove into Portland and ate dinner at the Red Star Tavern and Roast House which is one of my absolute favorite restaurants. The food was divine as always and we enjoyed people watching and chatting about everything from our kids to our summer plans. After dinner we walked down the Portland waterfront and listened to some of the music from the Blues Festival that was going on. It was a fun night and I am looking forward to another date night next week!

Our kids were well cared for by my sweet cousin, Rachael, who I used to baby-sit for many, many years ago when I was in high school. She texted me during dinner to let me know that all was well and that both kids were asleep. I don't know why we never hired sitters before! We just got both kids ready for bed, did all of Nicholas's medical therapy treatments, put him on his bi-pap, and turned on a DVD for him until bedtime. It is so nice to be able to spent quality time with my husband and not have to worry about the kids since we know they are being looked after by someone who is great with kids. God bless date nights!

Summer Has Arrived!

Summer has finally arrived in the Pacific Northwest! Around this house, summer means...

 Relaxing

 Cuddling and watching movies

 Eating yummy foods...especially avocados, tomatoes, and blueberries. We can't get enough of those around here. We are planning to plant our own tomato plants this weekend. 

 Bubble baths 

 Flowers in bloom

 And lots and lots of time in the backyard pools. We bought a new one this year and then decided to bring out the old one so that Nicholas could have some space away from his crazy, splashy sister!

 See what I mean? She is a water sprite or part mermaid, we aren't sure which. 

Here are some things we are looking forward to this summer:

Nicholas's Make A Wish trip
The Florence + The Machine Concert
5 scheduled date nights for Mom & Dad
A visit from my bestie and her family

Going on the boat

Playing volleyball

A visit to the zoo with friends

Hardwood floors to be installed

Yard & home improvement projects
Close friends' wedding

Independence Day Celebration

We had a super fun 4th of July celebration on Wednesday! Nicholas and Ella wore their most patriotic outfits to honor our nation's day of freedom.

It was an 80 degree day so Jeff filled up the wading pool and added some fun bath toys and Ella couldn't get enough of it.  

 Eventually her outfit was soaking wet so Jeff put her in her swimsuit so she could get in and splash to her hearts content. She only got out when we realized she was shivering cold. Jeff had to dump out the pool water because even after she was warm and dry, she wanted to play in that water!

 Later in the afternoon, our friends came over. Dylan wasted no time getting comfortable. 

 Dylan & Whitney brought their croquet set, so we all played. We played couples teams and Jeff and I, having never played before, got last place. It was still fun though!

 Nicholas loved watching us hit the croquet balls around the yard. He was especially happy to be out of the heat and in the shade. 

 Ella really wanted to play croquet too...in the pool. She kept throwing the mallets and balls in the wading pool, another reason why we had to dump out the water. 

 Nicholas really enjoyed hanging out with all of us. He usually gets super bored and asks to watch a movie when we entertain, but not on the 4th, it wasn't until around 8:00 p.m. that he decided he wanted to go inside. Once he was comfy cozy, he didn't even want to get up for fireworks. 

 Ella ran around and played all evening. She had her first hot dog ever-and loved it. She didn't take her normal nap that day, so she went right to sleep after a few fireworks. 

 My iPhone doesn't take the greatest firework photos, but we had a pretty show. It didn't last very long, as Jeff and I think buying fireworks is similar to burning money, so we only bought a few, but all were very lovely. We could also see our neighbor's fireworks so all in all it was a nice night. 

 Later Jeff built a fire in our new fire pit. It was the perfect end to a memorable night.