Here it is...the 20-minute dinner. My baby sister turned me on to this super easy meal. Salmon, brown rice, steamed broccoli, salad & veggies. I guess I need to add in the extra 5 minutes to make Jared his hot dog....
Thursday, July 21, 2011
the 20-minute dinner
Here it is...the 20-minute dinner. My baby sister turned me on to this super easy meal. Salmon, brown rice, steamed broccoli, salad & veggies. I guess I need to add in the extra 5 minutes to make Jared his hot dog....
Wednesday, July 20, 2011
keeping cool...or trying, at least
Summer is in full-force around here...mid-90's all week and potential to hit 100 degrees tomorrow...that's before the heat index! It's really too hot to cook...too hot to sit outside...too hot for much of anything.
Owen's enjoying his week at Grammie Camp - they went to the movie today. Jared's keeping himself occupied with movies and his new DSi XL (he has swimmer's ear so no pool for him).
Our family is big into ice cream. We all enjoy a bike ride up to Cap'n Frosty for a cone. And the boys love to stop for a treat at the DQ Grill & Chill. They're even fine with a $1 sundae from McD's, which used to be an after-swim lessons tradition.
But I've recently discovered Blue Moon ice cream. How did I never know that this existed?! Maybe because I've been so drawn to the ultimate ice cream experience...chocolate peanut-butter. It's my go-to whenever we're out for ice cream, particularly the Peanut Butter Cup Perfection at Cold Stone.
So I bought the kids ice cream the other day when we were at Busch's. They both chose Blue Moon. Really? Blue ice cream?! After dinner that night, they begged for some, so I made them each a bowl, and figured I'd give it a taste. W-O-W!
That Guernsey Blue Moon ice cream is AMAZING! Never tried it? Do it...you won't be disappointed.
So...on a hot day like today...what better way to cool off while slogging through some data?
Owen's enjoying his week at Grammie Camp - they went to the movie today. Jared's keeping himself occupied with movies and his new DSi XL (he has swimmer's ear so no pool for him).
Our family is big into ice cream. We all enjoy a bike ride up to Cap'n Frosty for a cone. And the boys love to stop for a treat at the DQ Grill & Chill. They're even fine with a $1 sundae from McD's, which used to be an after-swim lessons tradition.
But I've recently discovered Blue Moon ice cream. How did I never know that this existed?! Maybe because I've been so drawn to the ultimate ice cream experience...chocolate peanut-butter. It's my go-to whenever we're out for ice cream, particularly the Peanut Butter Cup Perfection at Cold Stone.
So I bought the kids ice cream the other day when we were at Busch's. They both chose Blue Moon. Really? Blue ice cream?! After dinner that night, they begged for some, so I made them each a bowl, and figured I'd give it a taste. W-O-W!
That Guernsey Blue Moon ice cream is AMAZING! Never tried it? Do it...you won't be disappointed.
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| And really...how cute is that carton?! |
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| Perfect cone-making skills |
So...on a hot day like today...what better way to cool off while slogging through some data?
Monday, July 18, 2011
a rainy day
We finally had some rain today...not as much as we'd like, but some. We heard some amazing thunder and saw some frightening streaks of lightning. After such a long stretch of sunny (and HOT) weather, hopefully the grass and trees will green up a little bit over the next couple of days. Even with sprinklers, our grass has some seriously burnt patches.
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| Owen's Disney potted flowers are blooming! |
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| Puddles |
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| A few little tomatoes so far! |
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| My favorite hosta |
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| Daylillies |
Sunday, July 17, 2011
take me out to the ballgame!
It sure was a hot day for a ballgame! But we all had a great time despite the heat. It was "kids' day" at Comerica Park, so the kids walked in and were handed a baseball mitt - doesn't get much better than that!
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| We rode the ferris wheel! |
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| BBQ Chicken Drumsticks at Hard Rock Cafe |
Friday, July 15, 2011
Jared turns 10
I can't believe that he's 10...ten...TEN!! Ten years...that's a decade!
Ten years ago...
Top Songs for 2001: Music by Madonna; Superman (It's Not Easy) by Five for Fighting, Hit 'Em Up Style by Blu Cantrell; She Bangs by Ricky Martin; Desert Rose by Sting; Superhero by Sky; Give Me Just One Night by 98 Degrees; Who Let the Dogs Out by Baha Men; and Too Little Too Late by Barenaked Ladies
We were watching 24...The X-Files...7th Heaven...Friends...ER
One of the hottest new toys was the Razor Scooter...we've had four in our family so far - so it also had longevity going for it.
Another hot new toy was the Crawl and Cruise Playground by Fisher Price...gosh, how he LOVED that thing!
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He's always been a water baby, taking to baths pretty easily once we did away with that little tub business and let him into the big tub. Jared began swimming lessons at the ripe old age of 9 months. Ever since, he's enjoyed swimming at Uncle Kevin's, next door, in various lakes, and on the swim team. He goes through phases in his love/hate relationship with the pool and swimming (currently we are NOT a fan of the swim team, but swimming for fun is OK). A few of my all-time favorite shots of Jared in the water:
Jared has grown into a smart, funny, kind, and lovable kid. He loves to read - anything and everything! He's working his way through the Harry Potter series, spent several months on the Lemony Snicket books, and has read a few of the Percy Jackson books. He does so well in school and had a fantastic 4th grade year to finish out his elementary school career. Middle School in September!
We started celebrateing Jared's birthday this year with a pool party over the 4th of July weekend. Since he and Taylor's birthdays are so close together, we thought that it was efficient. And they both love to party together. :)
Jared chose pancakes for his birthday breakfast. We had some beautiful fruit that was ready to eat, so we all gorged on pancakes, Nutella, and a medley of peaches, plums, and raspberries. YUMMY!
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When they announced that the final Harry Potter movie would be coming out on July 15 of this year, Jared immediately decreed that we would be doing THAT on his birthday. He's talked of little else in the last several weeks. Fortunately, our theater in Brighton is showing both the 2D and 3D versions of the movie, meaning that crowds are split. We'll head up there after camp.
Yes...the boy chose daycamp on his birthday. It's tie-dye day, and he wanted to make a t-shirt. I'll pick them up early so that we have time to head up to the movie.
I can't believe that my baby is ten years old. He's sure turning into his own little person. I got the nicest compliment from one of his camp counselors just today - she was noticing that the boys are so different from each other, and she said "Jared's going to make the best husband one day...he's so sweet and kind and attentive to others" Awww...that sums him up perfectly. :)
Ten years ago...
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| Jared - 7/15/2001 - 9 lbs 2 oz - 21" |
Top Songs for 2001: Music by Madonna; Superman (It's Not Easy) by Five for Fighting, Hit 'Em Up Style by Blu Cantrell; She Bangs by Ricky Martin; Desert Rose by Sting; Superhero by Sky; Give Me Just One Night by 98 Degrees; Who Let the Dogs Out by Baha Men; and Too Little Too Late by Barenaked Ladies
We were watching 24...The X-Files...7th Heaven...Friends...ER
One of the hottest new toys was the Razor Scooter...we've had four in our family so far - so it also had longevity going for it.
Another hot new toy was the Crawl and Cruise Playground by Fisher Price...gosh, how he LOVED that thing!
By 2001, the Harry Potter series had hit the best sellers list. One of my all-time favorite Halloween costumes of Jared's is the year that he went dressed as Harry Potter. He was four, and we rounded out the perfect trick-or-treating trio with his purple pet dragon (Owen) and his Auntie Sarah (a witch).
He's always been a water baby, taking to baths pretty easily once we did away with that little tub business and let him into the big tub. Jared began swimming lessons at the ripe old age of 9 months. Ever since, he's enjoyed swimming at Uncle Kevin's, next door, in various lakes, and on the swim team. He goes through phases in his love/hate relationship with the pool and swimming (currently we are NOT a fan of the swim team, but swimming for fun is OK). A few of my all-time favorite shots of Jared in the water:
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| Running his own bath - May 2002 |
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| Uncle Kevin's - July 2002 |
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| Uncle Kevin's - July 2006 |
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| First Place! March 2011 |
Jared has grown into a smart, funny, kind, and lovable kid. He loves to read - anything and everything! He's working his way through the Harry Potter series, spent several months on the Lemony Snicket books, and has read a few of the Percy Jackson books. He does so well in school and had a fantastic 4th grade year to finish out his elementary school career. Middle School in September!
Jared likes to ride his bike. Last summer, he moved up to the "big" bike - a 20"!
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| June 2010 |
We started celebrateing Jared's birthday this year with a pool party over the 4th of July weekend. Since he and Taylor's birthdays are so close together, we thought that it was efficient. And they both love to party together. :)
Jared chose pancakes for his birthday breakfast. We had some beautiful fruit that was ready to eat, so we all gorged on pancakes, Nutella, and a medley of peaches, plums, and raspberries. YUMMY!
When they announced that the final Harry Potter movie would be coming out on July 15 of this year, Jared immediately decreed that we would be doing THAT on his birthday. He's talked of little else in the last several weeks. Fortunately, our theater in Brighton is showing both the 2D and 3D versions of the movie, meaning that crowds are split. We'll head up there after camp.
Yes...the boy chose daycamp on his birthday. It's tie-dye day, and he wanted to make a t-shirt. I'll pick them up early so that we have time to head up to the movie.
I can't believe that my baby is ten years old. He's sure turning into his own little person. I got the nicest compliment from one of his camp counselors just today - she was noticing that the boys are so different from each other, and she said "Jared's going to make the best husband one day...he's so sweet and kind and attentive to others" Awww...that sums him up perfectly. :)
Happy Birthday, Jared! We love you!
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| Jared - 3 months - Sept 2001 |
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| Jared - 10 years - July 2011 |
Thursday, July 14, 2011
ice skating in july
I took the boys ice skating today...yes, in July. The had gotten so good at it over the winter that I didn't want them to lose any of that progress! We had the rink practically to ourselves - there were maybe 12 other people there over the course of the hour.
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| Ready to go! |
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| Fresh ice! |
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| Getting the hang of it |
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| Carefully... |
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| An old pro |
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| Whoa! |
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| Helmet for safety! |
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| And...he's off! |
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| Down he goes |
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| Two exhausted little boys |
Wednesday, July 13, 2011
super summer dinner
Tried three new recipes tonight - all hits! (With the grown-ups). Summertime Chicken (thanks, Jillian!) with Brown Rice with Vegetables and Green Bean Salad with Maple Dijon Vinaigrette. And there's plenty of leftover sauce from the chicken to make pasta tomorrow!