Visit with Wendy & Aubrey

We had a wonderful visit with my sister-in-law Wendy and her beautiful little girl Aubrey this week. Aubrey is 10 months old and is a very sweet and happy girl. We discovered how very un-baby proofed our house is with little Aubrey crawling around! We have some time to change that (And I'm still hoping by some miracle we won't be here very much longer. We are hoping to start house hunting again in the Fall.), but it will take some work!

James was so sweet with Aubrey this week. She was a little out of sorts being away from home for the first time, but as soon as James would get home from work she would quiet down and be super happy. It must be that male energy.

Savanna, of course, was in Heaven with a little girl around. The boys were getting frustrated because she was "hogging the baby." I'm hoping they will be this excited over their new sister ( 4 weeks to go!!).

Wendy was such a great help while she was here. She did lessons with the boys about the Solar System, made us yummy treats, cleaned my kitchen, and gave me a fabulous massage- now that's what I call a GREAT house guest! :) She is always wonderful and calming to have around. We love you, Wendy Sue!

We gave Aubrey her birthday presents early. I probably won't see her until after her 1st birthday. As is typical, she liked the ribbon and the tissue paper more than the actual gifts!

James had to work for most of their visit, so we crammed in a bunch of fun their last day here. We are feeling unoriginal, but we can't help but take our visitors to our favorite places. We hit up the Avila Barn again on Tuesday. Aubrey had never seen barn animals and liked the goats and chickens. My boys always enjoy feeding the animals and picnicking at the barn. It was a gorgeous day too (big surprise)!

After the barn, we headed to the beach! The boys played in the water for all of about 10 minutes, and then ran and played in sand the rest of the time. Aubrey liked the water and the sand- didn't seem to mind the temperature at all.

Brad and Aubrey digging a sand tunnel.

Aw...isn't my hubby sweet? We'll be married 8 years next Tuesday- couldn't ask for a better man! XOXO

The boys each got a goody from the toy shop, and Savanna got some fudge from the sweet shop.

Bradley was given a "Jacob's Ladder" toy- which he said was awesome!

Ben has been asking for a harmonica (which he calls a demonica) for weeks. We have no idea where he learned about harmonicas or why he wanted one so bad, but when James saw them at the Avila Barn toy shop, he couldn't resist. Ben has been serenading us ever since! Aubrey LOVES music, and whenever he would play his harmonica she would stop crying. I think he's gifted. :)

Here is Ben's first try playing his new "demonica" :)

After the beach we headed home for a quick dinner and then Savanna babysat all the little ones while James, Wendy, and I went to our monthly book group. This month we discussed C.S. Lewis' masterpiece, "The Screwtape Letters." I can't speak highly enough of this commentary on Christianity. It was so cleverly written and inspired. It brought ideas to my mind that I had never thought of in my nine years of being converted to the Gospel. I will definitely be re-reading this one.

One more "crazy" week, and then I am wiping the calendar clean. Savanna and I are going to finish our food prep this Saturday. James is taking care of the carpets and is going to help me set up the birthing area early next week...and then we wait. I am going to try very hard the last three weeks of my pregnancy to make very little plans, nap every day, eat healthy, and walk. The time will go by very fast- it has already!

July 25 - 27, 2010

Busy Saturdays

Savanna and I had another "food prep" day in anticipation of Emma's arrival. My boys have been playing on the patio ALL DAY, so we were able to get a lot of food made to save and for this coming week. They are still so happy outside that I have time to update my blog (And check out my food blog because I am going to put some of these recipes on there today too)!

Okay, so today we made:

Lentil Stew

I love my crock pot. I use it several times a week. One of my favorite cook books is called "The Vegetarian Mother's Cook Book." Has some fabulous recipes for pregnant women and moms with young kids. Basically they are whole food recipes, but they are simple and quick. What pregnant mom has time to whip up gourmet meals every night?? Savanna and I have been using the crock pot for months for breakfasts in the morning. Mornings were not so good for me for a long time, so we would put some steel cut oats and water in the crock pot before bed, and oatmeal would be ready for the kids in the morning! Savanna would just dish it up and add some fruit and nuts, and I could stay in bed a little longer. We also started making parfaits the night before or muesli (cold cereal made of different grains, coconut milk, dried fruit, nuts- whatever you have on hand). My boys are starving when they wake up, and now they don't have to wait for a really hearty breakfast.

Kale Salad

My kids love kale. We used to make kale chips, but now they don't even make it to the dehydrator!

Green Salad

Simple, but pretty- had to put in on here!

Banana, Orange, Flax Crackers

Okay, bad picture, but I'll take another when they are done! I'm always trying to figure out how to get those omegas into my kids. This recipe is a winner (I'll put it on the food blog for sure!).

OJ Pops

Strawberry Freezer Jam

We finally ran out of our year's supply of jam that we made last summer! We didn't make quite as many jars this time, but I think it will last us at least 6 months. And I tried the no/low sugar pectin recipe. I added a little bit of agave and fresh apple juice. Turned out REALLY good!

Trail Mix

This saves really nicely in the freezer.

And, Avocado Chutney!

This is also a fam favorite. My husband even requests it- SO good (on the food blog as well)!

Visit with the Wagners

We were able to meet up with Jackie and her family yesterday for a quick park trip. They found this incredible park in Paso Robles called Barney Schwartz Regional Park. This park had 3 playgrounds, a lake, really nice soccer and baseball fields, and a snack bar. The weather was beautiful, and the kids had a great time. The Wagner girls, Kendyl and Taryn, are adorable. My boys really like playing with them. Bradley was sad not to have more time with Kendyl, but we are going to try to make plans to visit them next summer (and hopefully some time before then too!). Jackie brought us all gifts too! She made personalized journals for the boys, a camp scrapbook for Savanna, a decorative wall hanging for Emma's room, and a mini scrapbook with all Emma's baby shower cards and pics in it (I will post pictures when they have all been finished). Thanks, Jax! You're awesome. :)

Gotta love dvd players in the car. We don't use it often, but it sure keeps them happy (And we love the headphones)!

Brad and Kendyl

There were a ton of squirrels at this park! Here is one little guy drinking from the lake.

Benjamin and Taryn

On the way home, we hit one of our favorite restaurants in Avila Beach, Fat Cats. They have the best omelettes and really good clam chowder. We decided to keep the fun going and take the rest of the day off. We went home and played board games all afternoon and evening. It was awesome!

July 22, 2010

Hearst Castle

Inspired by the Wagners, we loaded the kids up Tuesday morning and took a trip to San Simeon. James and I have been wanting to visit Hearst Castle for many years. It is only a little over an hour away from us, so we figured we would check it out before the baby comes.

I have to say I was a little disappointed in our experience. We booked an early tour thinking that would be better for the boys, but the marine layer hadn't burnt off so we missed out on the incredible views from the top of the hill. It was so overcast the first hour of the tour that we could barely see the top of the castle standing right in front of it!

The kids did.... pretty good. We had a really nice guide and they asked him a bunch of questions which he took time and thought to answer. We did, however, lose Bradley twice on the tour. Once he had back-tracked and was hanging out by another family, and the second time he had gone ahead and had gotten back on the bus! Benjamin had a hard time following the "no touching" rule, and Savanna couldn't figure out how to turn the flash off her camera and kept trying to destroy hundreds of year old art around the castle! Needless to say when we go back we have to decided to leave ALL the children at home. Not that they would really mind. The boys' favorite part of the whole tour was the silly 5 minute bus ride up to the castle!

Oh well. The gardens were beautiful, and I think I would enjoy the other tours if I could hear some of the information and have more time to take pictures. None of the inside pictures turned out well without the flash, but here are the pictures we took:

The Neptune Pool:

(The guide said that once a year they have an employee pool party here and each employee can invite 3 friends or family members. He says he becomes very popular each August!)

One of the Guest Houses:

The Gardens:

(Probably my favorite part of the tour.)

The Main Castle:

The Tennis Courts:

The Indoor Pool:

(This was one of my favorite spots too.)

After the castle, we headed up highway 1 to one of our favorite spots in Big Sur. There are a dozen or so little inns and restaurants, but our favorite is called the River Inn. In addition to the Inn they have a really great restaurant and general store, but the highlight is the creek that runs through the back of the property. The kids love to play in the creek (and you can rent inner tubes if you are staying there for the day), and there is wooden furniture set in the creek for the parents to relax and enjoy the scenery. It's really beautiful. We didn't stay long because it was really cold this week. The kids got soaking wet, and then they wanted to change clothes and head home.

Our final stop, purely for nostalgic purposes, was Bob's Big Boy in Morro Bay. James and I hadn't eaten there since we were kids. The food was okay- they do have a nice soup and salad bar which is hard to find around these parts. We got home around 9pm totally exhausted. It took me all the next day to recover, but overall it was a successful family day.

July 20, 2010