Celebrating x2

So Sunday is a crazy day for us.... which is why we're celebrating Father's Day on Saturday!

Andrew is juggling a lot right now, but he always makes time for daddy duty. He gladly steps in whenever I need him to and takes over bedtime when I need to be somewhere in an evening.

His kiddos adore him there is no doubt. Both kids squeal when he walks through the door at night. Who doesn't love a welcome committee like that?!

 Happy Father's Day to one of the best dads I know!

I am also very thankful for Papa Hughes who taught by example.

And I'm glad I get to be with my dad in person, this Father's Day week.

Happy day to all the dads in our life!

Now that we've had Mother's Day & Father's Day, Graham keeps asking when are we going to have Boy Day. Apparently he would like to be celebrated as well. =)

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ALSO on Sunday...................

Happy 7th anniversary to us!

Let's see, 10 hours in the car with 2 littles.....this might not feel like a celebration. :)

BUT my hubby is all over it and booked a little overnight get-a-way for us when we come back.

SO excited as it will be our first trip sans kiddos in over a year and a half. Can't wait!!

Thankful to you, Andrew, for always leading & pointing me to Christ.

I am one blessed girl!

a whole lotta shtuff

Adventures: past & coming.....
Sunday is the big day. We jump in the Pathfinder and head on mega road trip, aka 17 hours, to Minneapolis. We will be leaving after church on Sunday, heading to Illinois and staying with friends and arrive on Monday.

We are so excited to celebrate the wedding of baby brother + sweet Phuong!

 A small difference a few years will make....................

(everyone commented on how much Eden looks like Katie!)

We are excited to spend the week with my grandma, parents, & sister. Plus fit in some visits with other siblings, nieces, nephews, meet my cousin's brand new twin baby girls, hopefully see a few friends and all my extended fam at the wedding. It will be a full week no doubt!

G & E are both part of the wedding party and I am currently stocking up on fruit snacks, suckers and anything else that we can use to bribe convince them to walk down an aisle

full of people

that they don't know 

staring at them.

I believe our chances are 50/50 at this point. :)

(it will definitely help that older cousins will also be walking and give them some security!)

Wedding day will be a full day with the Vietnamese ceremony at 9am, American ceremony at noon and catered reception dinner downtown Mpls. at 5:30. Many prayers that the kiddos can sneak in a loooong afternoon nap. :)

The next day we leave bright & early for a straight 17 hour jaunt.

Yes, prayer. Did I mention we need prayers?!

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Graham & I recently participated in a special walk for Autism Speaks. It was a neat experience and amazing to be around so many families who carry the huge responsibility of caring for a child with a disability every day.

They are un-sung heroes in my book.

All the local mascots were out so Graham was a happy camper!

It was held at Heinz Field so G insisted on wearing his Big Ben jersey. He was pretty excited to be in the Steeler field (might be the only chance he gets!)

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We finally made it out for the first time this summer to our favorite spray park.

Eden wasn't so sure about it.

Graham could have stayed there for hours longer!

Not easy to get them together in one photo of late!

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I feel like the last couple of weeks Eden has turned a definite corner. Less fussiness out of boredom and more being able to play on her own.

Their new favorite thing is to play tea party (we won't tell G when he's older).

Celebration over an activity they are enjoying together!!

I am currently reading Loving the Little Years by Rachel Jankovic.

It's a quick and easy read, but really been an encouragement as well.

How quickly these days will pass!

As Eden walks by chewing on something.

that she pulled from the garbage.

(again)

how can I not scoop her up for the crazy little character she is!

How do we calm down?

I'm sharing this from Girltalk....any thoughts?

Not that long ago my mother kept in touch with friends and family via a telephone tethered to the wall in the kitchen. She bought the longest cord available so that maybe, if she worked it right, she could reach the coffee table in the living room. But basically, if she wanted to connect, it had to be in the kitchen.

To find the best stroller, she had to ask each of her friends for a personal recommendation, look up the stroller in a borrowed copy of Consumer Reports, and drive around to local stores to find the best price. And if Mom wanted to go somewhere for the first time she had to call for directions, write them out by hand on a piece of paper, and then hope she wouldn't get lost and need to stop at a gas station or pay phone.

It's only been twenty-five years, but compared to my mom, I have the equivalent of a full-time personal assistant. I can connect with friends anytime, anywhere. I can research, purchase, and schedule delivery for the latest stroller in five minutes without getting up from the couch. I never have to ask for directions. My smart phone redirects me when I'm lost, instantly provides me with reviews, tips, and solutions; and if I wanted it to, it could even babysit my children.

It still doesn't clean the toilets. But in truth, there's something comforting about that.

So why is my generation of women more busy, overwhelmed, and anxious? We should have vast amounts of time on our hands in order to rest, read Scripture, ponder and pray. And yet our lives seem increasingly hectic compared to the world in which we were raised.

Why?

the train ride

Ever since I have been planning playdates for the Pgh Momtourage, the Kiski Junction train ride has been suggested. It's a real working railroad that once a week hooks up passenger cars for a ride through the country. Only problem is that the ride is at 2pm...which is prime naptime for most! I tend to very, very, VERY rarely blow off afternoon naptime! But it had been suggested enough that we decided to go for it. It's also an hour's drive away - but actually kind of a good thing since both kiddos napped in the car on the way there. I was also very excited that Andrew was able to take the afternoon off and join us (along with several other dads). It's a really great family activity!

 

 The countryside was beautiful and we had some very excited little boys!

We rode in the open car. It was actually very cool outside, but thankfully stayed dry.  

 One of the kiddos had a birthday which meant TREATS. oh yes.

girl buddies.

They were enthralled, no doubt about it.

 Our plan had been to stop somewhere and have a picnic on the way home. But being chilly + on & off raindrops nixed that plan. But Graham was just about as excited for the picnic as he was for the train ride so we ended up with PB&J on the kitchen floor. =)

All in all, a great day!

the { wanna-be } foodie in me

Ever walk away from a meal & feel awesomely stuffed?

How often is that meal a salad?!

Enter the Spinach Salad with Chicken, Avocado and Goat Cheese

 

{adapted from recipegirl.com}

SALAD:
chopped spinach
1 cup halved cherry or chopped tomatoes
1 1/2 cups chopped cooked chicken
1 large avocado, sliced
1/3 cup crumbled goat or feta cheese
1/4 cup sliced almonds
DRESSING:
3 tablespoons white wine vinegar (I only had white cooking wine)
2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
1 tablespoon Dijon mustard
salt and freshly ground black pepper, to taste
dash of sugar, to taste

Andrew & I both agreed it was de-lish and this may be a regular menu item. Although I must say, I should have at least doubled the dressing! And this is one of the few times I fudged and the kids ate just chicken with a side of potatoes & veggies.

A couple of other firsts this week:
freshly-squeezed lemonade - big thumbs up! Everyone might know this, but if you slice the lemons in half and then microwave them, you'll get much more juice from them.
Homemade chocolate syrup. I do like a little chocolate sauce with my ice cream, oh yes I do. This recipe was so simple & easy, I don't think I should ever need to buy it again. And not that we're going for healthy here, but it definitely it is better for you than the store-bought kind. :)
Mac & Cheese - This wasn't too bad - the sauce was definitely yummy! It's pretty dense and Graham wouldn't touch it. :-/ Isn't it crazy when you make something from scratch and your kids just want something from a box?! Ah well, we'll see....the verdict is still out on this one!

So thank you Pinterest, Pinterest, Pinterest & Pinterest, whatever would we do without you? =)

the crazy kids around here.......

'nuff said.

 On a recent Momtourage playdate we went to a small zoo/petting farm.

With his best girl

didn't take him long to love doing this! 

our sweet friend Bethany came with us

 Eden was a little nervous at first, but by the end she loved it as well.

Free fresh flowers daily, picked from my yard?

Yes, please!

I am constantly amazed at how much Eden is imitating us.

Her new fave is to lift the potty lid, then lift up her shirt to go potty.

I sure appreciate her initiative, but she may be a little disappointed when she learns she can't go potty like her brother. =) 

 She recently entered her first I don't want to eat phase.

 Not a happy day.

The amount of food that is getting thrown on the floor.....agh!

This is after she licked the butter off her banana bread.

And then threw it on the ground, of course.

How it ended up in her hair...not sure!

 Stickers, yes! The one on his mouth, not a bad idea. :)

Seriously, in the car today it was mommy.... mommy..... mommy....

So much to say, so little time. =)

And he is a new lover of flannel.

Shirt score = $2. flannel pj's  (below) = $3.

He loves them and wants to wear them every day. Except that it's 70+ degrees. He doesn't seem to mind.

 She is usually yelling about something. =)

 Is that Graham back there in the goal? why yes it is.

He was very happy to get a medal for his stellar season. =)

However, we determined that 3 is probably too young.

There was quite a big difference between the 3 yr. olds & the 4 yr. olds who were playing.  

If you're on the fence, don't be afraid to wait.

At least we had some beautiful days for his last few games!

 Graham talks about going to school every.single.day.

We don't know what we're doing for school, but I will say if we did homeschool he would probably be quite disappointed! He cannot wait to get on the school bus, get his backpack, pack a salad for lunch (huh?!) and go to school.

So I printed out some "school sheets" and he was very thrilled to match the upper case letters to the lower case. I guess I'll have to find some more good printable for him!

The other night before bed we were reading a book about what to be when you grow up....

He decided all he wanted was to go to a football game. Poor kid is sure deprived isn't he? Somebody get that boy some football tickets!

But then after thinking about it, he decided he would rather stay my little boy. (awwwww.)

And he also wanted to stay young so he could just play with his toys.

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Yep, these kiddos are always doing something crazy around here.

We could never complain about boredom. for sure.

we went to see Yogi Bear and loved every second of it.

Recently Andrew & I realized that since Graham had been born, we had never taken a family trip that was not to see our extended family. We began to plan on how we could squeeze in some type of getaway that wouldn't cost a lot or dip into Andrew's time off.

Enter Certifikid (think Groupon, but family deals for Pittsburgh, DC, Va Beach, Baltimore, Delaware, & Philly). A 2 night stay at Jellystone Park for less than 1/2 price! In Hagerstown, MD which was exactly 3 hrs. away.

When I reserved our weekend, I didn't even realize at the time it would be Mother's Day, but it turned into perfect timing. We seriously had the very.best.time.

The beauty of being away, in nature, no schedule, no computer, the kids getting covered in dirt & able to roam, it was blissful.

It is no secret I am not in to camping.

I have some rules.

#1: no children under age 1

#2: no tenting

#3: a real bathroom

So enters the Cozy Cabin.

Only one room, but also included a bathroom & full fridge.

 Yes, it was cozy, but it worked. That's the bathroom door aka Eden's bedroom. :)

I was thankful we at least had a quiet place to stick her! She thankfully has no trouble sleeping away from home. Graham on the other hand, can wake up anywhere from 6-10 times in a strange place. AGH! Thankfully night #2 was a little better!

The kids just loved being able to spend so much time outside.

Eden sampled both dirt & sand just to be sure how it tasted.

You can't go wrong with buckets & shovels.

 Most boys carry a stick. This one carrys an entire tree branch.  

 We had the perfect weather.

Warm & sunny, but yet it also stayed nice & cool in the woods.

 Much prettier than your typical campground!

 We missed the opening of the waterpark by one week.

 I guess we'll have to go back. =)

 There were so many included amenities including an outdoor theatre, mini golf, pedal carts, playgrounds, pools....it was just the perfect family place!

Just barely got all 3 in the shot. :) 

 He was loving' these things!

Every time we passed one, it was take my picture, mom. So no, I won't post all 20 pics. :)

Still working on just the head shot. :)

Yogi was a huge hit with Graham!
(they also got to say the Pledge of Allegiance and do Yogicize one morning with Boo Boo. And Cindy made some appearances as well.)

 the double marshmallow roaster

I'm not adventurous enough to cook all the food over the campfire yet.

The electric skillet was a perfect companion.

 breakfast 

 Once you've eaten yogurt on your pancakes, you might never go back to syrup.

So yummy.

Also a very special treat - watching cartoons on the 12 inch tv.

Read: no worry of theft. :)

 Bacon burgers over the fire. Oh yes.  

{Cholesterol counting: tomorrow.}

 3 yr. old grumpy pants. :)

 It's not vacation without a blue popsicle.

 Delighting in the gift of my children.  

Sign of a good time.  

The very best weekend.