We headed to Kansas last week to see family-it was a great trip!
It was also a first-we bought four tickets! Whew. :) But the kids LOVED it. Having their own seats was wonderful and only once did I need to switch seats to help O with something. And Robin...I did have a chance to read 2 chapters of my novel on the plane. :)
Each time we boarded the plane the kids had to review the safety cards. It was pretty cute. They practiced buckling and unbuckling their seat belts and also checked over and over to see if the lights and air vents worked. Yep, they worked!
Lily the doll came with us and was a bit fussy Katie said.
I think it is super comical that Owen is mimicking Katie so precisely.
Loved flying with you two! But thankful on the way back Daddy flew with us!
Will update soon! We are in KS to see everyone and for Aunt Brandi's wedding! We've been busy flying into Wichita then driving to Salina to stay at my sisters house...driving to Eudora to stay with my parents...driving to Lawrence to stay with Nana/Papa....driving to KC to stay in a hotel and celebrate a marriage! Will be back in NC soon. :)
Momma Seago and kiddos came to visit! What a treat!
They flew in to DC-for a conference and to see family-from Dallas, then decided to make the trip down to see us and a few others. We were thrilled to see you guys-we played with Nahum, held Sophia and laughed with Brandy.
Thanks SOOOO much for driving down-and sitting in traffic on the way back up.
We LOVED it and you all.
Come back soon-you're always welcome.
Katie was at VBS and so the boys dived into the sprinkler. I think they had fun.
Running so that they could jump over the water.
I love this photo....Nahum's priceless eyes.
And could our boys look any different? But they played so well together and Brandy and I enjoyed that!
Hi there precious Sophie! We DO love you!
And we ended our time at Jubala with Iced Vanilla Lattes. The company was great and so was the drink. :)
Brandy-thank you again for coming down. I loved that we got to pit two massive bags of cherries together, eat cereal for dinner and just be together.
Our tribute to those who serve! Thanks to 6 adults we were able to come up with this! :)
Getting ready to eat our yummmmy food! Of course one should act like animals before eating-elephants!
Buddies. We are so thankful for our friendship with Noah, he is a few months younger then Owen, but we are excited that Owen has a friend that is a boy!
And boys are supposed to eat watermelon with their shirts off, right? :)
I. Heart. This!
I think I may frame this.
Owen, you are SOOOOO strong!
Hi Ms. Annie! We are so glad you could join us. This little one is only a week or so old. AMAZING!
We love your bow and you!
KRISTEN AND AARON! You are a ray of sunshine in our neighborhood. Thanks for hosting and for being our friends!
Hi there! We met some new friends and for the life of me I know the wife is Jessica, but I can't recall the husbands name...maybe Keith? But it was super nice to meet you!
:)
Waiting for fireworks
oooooohhhhhhh
Every kids joy (and Daddy too)...jumping through smoke bomb smoke!
Our first sparklers.
Hey there Ms. Personality-look who's rock'n the air guitar!
Nope, wait, she is a cheerleader.
Handsome little boy
Trying his hand at sparklers, just not lit ones. :)
Running through fancy fire
Hanging out on Buscot Ct...my three loves
And we ended our celebration with homemade blackberry cobbler and coconut vanilla ice cream.
Our weekly shopping experience includes our beloved Trader Joe's and since this Monday morning was almost empty I let Owen push his own cart while Katie carried in her Ergo, Lily. They LOVED it! ...I on the other hand had to make sure O didn't run into my heals and that Katie wasn't starring off into space while she 'bounced' her baby doll. :) But I have to be honest they did a great job and did it very adorably! Katie is doing a great job being a 'Mommy' and Owen in his own words, is doing a 'great job being a Daddy'.
I hope when they are our ages they still love shopping with their kids at the store! And I hope they never lose the excitement of finding TJ the squirrel at Trader Joes. It can be intense until we find him hanging out in the milk freezer, holding onto a kite or eating some puppy food. :)
An idea for food planning: Justin and I were able to attend a local food demonstration at the Savory Spice Store, yesterday, and met the chef from Tarheel Foodie, Susan Sink. She is very down to earth and has some great recipes. 80% of what she makes is local and in season. I think that sounds pretty fun! The meatloaf we tried was wonderful as were the potatoes and grits. So if you are looking for a way to prep and cook 3 meals in one, the article might give you some great tips and recipes! Article (from Tarheel Foodie) very helpful for meal planning!
This article, written by my friend Kristen was a good reminder to me. Even if your hair is stick straight, it is worth reading. Jump over and be encouraged to be who God created you to be...
I got a date with this handsome little boy! It was a great time. I think one of our best dates.
We grabbed a fun drink at Starbucks then headed to watch the construction at the new McDonalds.
He loved it and so did I.
I loved watching him explore everything with his eyes and then tell me all the machines he was seeing. I don't think he stopped talking for more then 10 seconds. Love you O!
I rigged our camera up in the tree to get this shots and i. love. it.
For a week Katie went to Bayleaf Church VBS. She LOOOOOOOVED it!
We have listened to the VBS CD, to many times to count and I was so excited it made an impression on her heart. "Awesome God, Amazing Power". We want her to have a big view of our God.
There was one day, I have to be honest, I left with some tears. Katie is growing up.
And watch out Aunt Brandi, she has some new moves for your wedding from the choreography. :)
The Praise Team that Katie still loves to minic in her dance moves, every. single. day.
Anyone else remember choreographing moves to songs when they were younger?? Even though I didn't have much rhythm (still don't) ...I still tried to make up dances. :)
Katie and her new friend "laney" in the blue shirt.
My toaster oven. Even though we have a microwave we don't use it really at all. I love that the toaster oven can cook my eggs for smashables in the morning. It can reheat our left overs making them toasty and not turn into rubber. I can toast 4 pieces of bread at once. And I can even cook some other tasty treats leaving my kitchen much cooler then if I had turned on the regular oven!
Friends and pools. Thankful for these things as the last 7 out of 8 days have been over 100!
Still a staple in our house...ice cream for dinner anyone?? :)
Plus, if we have leftovers they make great milk shakes with a little almond milk and pb. OH YUM!
LLBean tote bags. They last forever. I bought our this spring with a gift card. I have the medium and a large. I love both, but for a family the large bag with a zipper and handles is wonderful! Works great as a library bag, pool bag, overnight bag, you name it, it works for anything!
(the second from the left is the large)
Cold Brewed Coffee. Even though I am limiting my caffeine because of being sensitive to it...I LOVE some decaf coffee made this way! It lasts in the refrigerator for 3-4 weeks, is super smooth not bitter and easy to make. All those are a winning combo for us!
Any music by Sara Grove.
Summer Flowers bring such color and joy to our home. I love sunflowers, hydrangeas, dahlias, daisies, purple cone flowers, baby breath, lilies...the colors are bold and beautiful!
This amazing photo was taken in CO from google images. Breathtaking!
And Granola.
I have finally made a good batch! I tried a few times throughout our marriage, since Justin LOVES granola and it has always be unsuccessful.
Here is the recipe that has worked. YAY! I now feel a bit more confident and might try another version soon!
PB Granola Recipe.
Makes a lot!
I normally make a whole recipe then bake 1/2, saving the other 1/2 (in the frig.) for the following week to bake.
Make sense?
1.Mix:
12 cups rolled oats
1 cup unsweetened coconut flakes
optional-1 cup walnuts or 1 cup pecans or 1 cup sunflower seeds
2. Melt in a pan on the stove:
1 1/2 cups coconut oil, raw
1/2 cup maple syrup
1/2 cup honey
1/2 cup peanut butter
3 T vanilla
2 T cinnamon
3. pour melted mixture over dry mix and blend until completely mixed and wet.
4. Bake at 320 for 20+ minutes-I usually do mine closer to 25 minutes, stirring it 1/2 way through
5. Remember when you pull the granola out of the oven it won't be crunchy yet. After it cools it will be delicious and crispy!
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