Day 315 - Potions

My little guy loves making and mixing things. He got it in his mind that he wanted to mix spy potions. So to oblige, I juiced peaches, peas, carrots, oranges, lemons, apples, and grapes - adding food coloring to a few to make them a little cooler looking and let him go to town. He, sister, and a little buddy loved it! My guy especially had so much fun sampling along the way. He even enjoyed the "poisonous" green juice.

Day 314 - Fresh Jam

We made some homemade raspberry freezer jam this week, something I haven't done in a long time. I had forgotten how easy it really is. Thanks to this reminder, I am afraid we will have to keep it in stock all the time. It is so delicious!

Day 313 - Boys will be boys

Dressed like a pirate and holding a snail, just your average summer day.

Day 312 - Happy B-day

This little boy turned 60 this past weekend! Happy Birthday big guy!

Day 311 - Brave

This is me being brave. Letting my kiddos finger paint.

Day 310 - Butterfly kisses

Our Butterflies finally hatched and were released into the wild.

Day 309 - Sunny day

Enjoying a little sunshine, twirling in her fairy costume.

Day 308 - Cheerleaders

Cheering their papa on!

Day 307 - Happy Papa's Day!

We celebrated Father's day weekend cheering this guy on as he ran the Ragnar, a 192-mile relay race on the Wasatch back. It lasted about 2 days. He ran 3 of the legs of the race at all hours of day/night. He did an awesome job averaging a 8 min mile.

Day 306 - Scoot

Trying her best to scoot.

Day 305 - Play date

They played dolls, made necklaces, had a tea party, splashed in the water, played house, ran from pirates, and mostly importantly were super explorers. Here they discovered a bug. After several attempts to collect it in the net, sister just picked it up (a bit too severely I might add) and therefore they displayed a sad little dead bug in their bug collection. (Although they insisted it was sleeping.)

Day 304 -One and only

Brother enjoying a little treat on his one-on-one time with mom. He was an absolute delight to take- helpful, polite, inquisitive and only at the very end did he realize he missed sister a little. Guess it is good he wasn't an only child if he can't be away from her for a few hours without missing her.

Day 303 - Flag Day

Happy Flag Day everyone!

Day 302 - Waffle Attempt 3

We got a food magazine in the mail listing recipes of some of the most famous chefs in the country. One included his recipe for "yeasty waffles". They were actually very easy to make, but did have to sit for 2.5 hours or overnight. We just made them the night before and stuck them in the fridge. The problem was there really wasn't a "wow" factor. They were good, but not quite what we were looking for. My husband did make a raspberry compote (not pictured) to go on them that was divine though.

Day 301-The Terrible, Horrible, No Good, Very Bad Day

We all have those days when we are pushed way beyond our breaking point. Usually they are the culmination of several no good days stacked together. I had reached that moment with this child at about 6:30 a.m. I was so over the random crying, screaming, breaking things, getting into things, hitting, kicking, and general disregard for anything and everything. (This was all by about 6:30 a.m. so you can imagine the week I had had.) Unfortunately, we had plans this day and staying home was a devastating blow to a certain older brother. So I made a pact with brother, if he could help me (be the papa if you will... he liked the sound of that), then maybe, just maybe we can still keep the day going according to plan. Oh how he tried! Bless his little heart. He got her dressed (while she screamed and hit him) he put her shoes on (while she screamed and fought), he did her hair (end result pictured above and while she cried and yelled). All of this with more patience that should be possible for a 5 year old to comprehend. In the end though, it really was just not getting better. Sister was sleep deprived (of her own accord), mom was sleep deprived (as a result of sister) and brother just wanted to get out of the house. Luckily for us, a wonderful fairy grandmother (and also a real grandmother for that matter) Swept in and whisked the bad day away (and little sister). The end result was that brother and mom got to spend the day enjoying each other's company, sister got to spend the day with one of her favorite people in the world and we all got a much needed break from the Terrible, horrible, no good, very bad day! So a well deserved Thank you to Grandma!

Day 300 - Bedtime attire?

I asked them to get ready for bed. Apparently the tools were part of the accessories.

Day 299 - The Very Hungry Caterpillar

After weeks of anticipation, our caterpillars finally arrived at our house, only to be met with more waiting. Little did my two munchkins realize, is that it takes time to become a butterfly. It has been fun to watch them grow and change and now we are back to waiting for the little guys to make their new appearance.

Day 298 - Eek!

Found this in my laundry basket! Now I have two questions: Where did this come from and are there more in my house?

Day 297 - What could be better?

Homemade chocolate ice cream with chunks of heath bar in it. Mmmmm

(This is for Megan)

This recipe comes from Ben and Jerry's Ice Cream book:

Chocolate Heath Bar Crunch -

4 oz. unsweetened chocolate

1 cup milk

2 large eggs

1 cup sugar

1 cup heavy or whipping cream

1 tsp. vanilla extract

1 pinch salt

Heath bars (4 bars - we only had 2)

1. Melt the unsweetened chocolate in the top of a double boiler over hot, not boiling, water. Gradually whisk in the milk and heat, stirring constantly, until smooth. Remove from the heat and let cool.

2. Whisk the eggs in a mixing bowl until light and fluffy, 1 to 2 minutes. Whisk in the sugar, a little at a time, then continue whisking until completely blended, about 1 minute more. Add the cream, vanilla, and salt and whisk to blend.

3. Pour the chocolate mixture into the cream mixture and blend. Cover and refrigerate until cold, about 1 to 3 hours, depending on your refrigerator.

4. Transfer the mixture to an ice cream maker and freeze following the manufacturer's instructions. After the ice cream stiffens (about 2 minutes before it is done), add the candy, then continue freezing until ice cream is ready.

Makes 1 quart

Day 296 - Exhausted

This is her getting over the flu. I asked her to change her clothes. (The other ones were wet from a massive spill) After about 10 or 15 min. and she hadn't reappeared, I started calling her name, assuming that she was probably getting into some form of mischief. After no reply, my husband went to check on her and this is what he found. She has the shirt drawer open and making a nice pillow for her.

Day 295 - 2nd attempt

Here was my hubby's second attempt at recreating Belgium waffle goodness. This recipe was pretty good and included crystalized sugar that created crunchy, sweet surprises when you ate it. It is also coated in Nutella - delicious.

Day 294 - Buds

Here he is on the last day of school with his favorite buddy. (Note sister in the background running amuck - I believe she stole about 10 cookies while I was trying to take a few pictures)