the rest of our weekend...

Saturday morning I was supposed to be in a race, but with a downpour of rain, opted out. So having some unexpected family time, Michael whipped up some waffles for us. He added some cinnamon to the batter, which gave them a really good flavor.

Isabella was a fan.

That night we drove to Yukon and ate at Alfredos.

(Proudly sporting OU gear regardless of the outcome!)

Then we headed to over to the Yukon Christmas lights for more December fun and to cross it off my 30 list. You should know there are three ways to enter the lights and each section shows a different part of them. It is worth it to see them all. Since we were driving about 5 miles per hour we let Isabella get out and ride on my lap so she could see better. She was very impressed! When she sees lights she says "ooooo".







Their lights were great. It's been a couple of years since I have been to the lights in Midwest City, but we will have to go to compare them. One thing that is better in MWC is you drive through the whole thing on one rode rather than going around to three different entrances.

After getting ready for bed Iz opened her 3rd of December book. She is getting better at opening the package each day.


Sunday was a bit crazy with Isabella unrolling a whole roll of toilet paper and breaking the toilet paper holder in the bathroom before we left for church. Then having some horrible diapers throughout the day, that shouldn't be mentioned- I've already said too much- and some fussiness. I think she might be starting to get some of her molars. Merry Christmas to us!

The end cap of our first weekend in December was going to the Canterbury Christmas Concert. I was nervous about how Isabella would do after her day and she was pretty tired. She was very wiggly, but mostly quiet.

Watching the show with my Mom.


They have the biggest Christmas tree at the Civic center. It must be quite impressive to someone that is 2 and 1/2 feet tall.
The weekends always go by so fast and I was kind of hoping for a snow day today so we could have another day at home together. Michael gets two weeks off for Christmas and we are looking forward to that. But there is no snow, and Monday is here. So I'm going to get geared up. Bring it Monday! Have a good week!

10. Run a 5K

I checked running a 5 K off the list this weekend. I had been preparing for several months for this run, and it was fun to have worked for something and enjoy it. The weather was great, and there were thousands of people there!

Here we are coming down the last hill toward the finish line! It was fun to see Michael and Isabella standing at the finish line! Now to train for a 10K!

Sunrise at the ocean

Apparently I should have got up to see the sunrise while we were in Padre earlier this summer, because where we were in FL the sun does not rise OVER the ocean. #20 on the list is watch the sun rise over the ocean. Which is why this post is sunrise AT the ocean. I am still counting it toward the list because it was magnificent AND I got up at 5:30 to go see it! Beth braved the early morning with me.


The sun just starting to burst through the sky.




The reflection of the sun on the clouds and ocean made red and orange colors.


Huge storm clouds at sea.


Hard to see, but a rainbow started appearing in the clouds over the ocean.


Daylight breaking.




The rainbow kept getting bigger!




GOOD MORNING!




After the sunrise we did our morning run on the beach. By this time the rainbow was stretching out over the land. It was gorgeous! After about a 1/2 mile it began pouring down rain. So we ran back and sipped coffee on the back porch of the cabin, listened to rain, and watched a deer run by. It was a great morning!

Peach cobbler

#24 on my 30 list was: "Buy fresh peaches and have my Mom teach me to make her peach cobbler with a lattice top".
My mom came over today and we tackled #24. After boiling, shocking, skinning, and chopping, the peaches they were ready to be made into cobbler and the rest to be frozen. We made the crust following my Grandma Hartman's recipe.

Line the bottom of a glass pan with the rolled out dough.


Mix up the fruit: We followed the recipe from the old red Betty Crocker cookbook for peach pie. Sugar, some flour, cinnamon= goodness.


Pour over pie crust.


Roll out more dough and cut into strips.


Weave lattice top. This was a little tricky. Easier with two hands.


Dust with a little sugar, cinnamon, and add 1T of cut up butter.


Bake at 425 about 35 minutes until bubbly and crust is golden.


MMmmmmm!

Perhaps you are wondering why this one made the list...what's the big deal? I guess it was just a recipe I have never made, that reminds me of my mom, that I wanted to add to my repertoire to make for my family. And some day I'll teach Isabella and she will teach someone else, and the legacy of our family traditions will be woven throughout time.

Summer lovin' had me a blast...

Love, love Meg's Summer list found here. Seems like her list is popping up on several blogs I read. Great ideas of things to do with kids. Love the chalkboard and colors!

I love making lists, doing fun things, and making memories, and her list got me excited for all of the fun I will have with Isabella some Summer. But for now I am relishing our simple list of reading as much as we can, enjoying our morning play times, using our zoo pass, and swimming as much as we can.


Intently playing yesterday.


Rarr!




I asked Michael if there was anything special he would like to do for father's day. He said he would love to go to a movie. We rarely go to the movies these days, so it is a special treat. We went out to dinner, then home to put lovey to bed. My cousin kindly sat at our house while we went off to the movies and our baby slept. I had to text just once during the movie to see if everything was OK, and was relieved to get a "not a peep" text back. Other than the movie, my favorite thing about going to the movies in the Summer is when you exit the theater and the exchange from freezing to heat. It reminds me of youth group days and all the movies we saw in the Summer.


#25 on my 30 before 30 list: "grow herbs". We picked some up at the farmers market a few weekends ago and I just potted them today. I just got basil and cilantro. I was tempted by the rosemary and oregano, but I decided to go with two I knew we would use. I will be using the basil to make Oprah's favorite grilled cheese, and one of mine too. Although, I just use one type of cheese, whatever we have on hand. I'm not quite that fancy!




Zoo fun


Deep in thought- or melting in the triple digit heat.


First time to play in the water at the zoo




She liked it!


Chomping rocks.
She almost gave me a heart attack when she found a small rock and clamped it down in her mouth before I could get it out of her hand. Thank you Katie for pulling the rock from her mouth as I was stunned and trying to recall how to perform the Heimlich on an infant!

Book and Restaurant reviews

Books I read in May:

Perks of being a wallflower - We read this book for book club. I thought it was very similar to Catcher in the Rye. I didn't love it, but I also kept reading to see what would happen. It was a quick read. I felt very differently about the main character after everything that is revealed by the end of the book.

The Skinny: How to fit in your little black dress forever- My sister was reading this on vacation and loaned it to me. I really liked it! It was a super fast read full of realistic ways to be healthy, while still enjoying food. The main take away I got was to plan what you will eat based on what you have already eaten that day or what you know you are going to eat. For example, if you know you have a big dinner out, have a healthy breakfast and vegetables and salad for lunch. If you have a brunch to go to, plan to eat light healthy things the rest of the day. Not rocket science, but being mindful and purposeful of the choices you make.

A thousand gifts: I read Ann Voskamp's blog and had been wanting to read her book for a while. It is beautifully written and inspiring. That said, I did struggle with the writing style some, and got lost in the wording at times. Overall though, I enjoy reading her blog and her book that inspires me to grow as a Christian, wife, and mother.

Hunger Games: I've heard on and on the legend of this series and so vacation was a great chance to give it a try. This young adult book is dramatically written, with a cliff hanger at the end of each chapter. Almost to a ridiculous point. But I loved it! :) Finished it in less than 24 hours and can't wait to read the second book in the series.


I finished up my "10 new restaurants" with these two:

Kamps 1910 Cafe: I have been there twice now, and tried two different sandwiches, a salad, and two different desserts. Everything was great! I would definitely go back!

Nhinja sushi and wok: We tried this place on our last date night. I am not huge into sushi, but Michael really likes it. We had California rolls, a spider roll, and a dragon roll. It was all really good, and I would actually like going again.



Even though I completed my 10 new restaurants, I plan to continue trying new places. It keeps life interesting!

And just for fun:

A blurry pic of my sweet girl in what we call "her big girl jammies". :)

Our week in pictures

Isabella's second tooth came through...


Lots of play time!




George turned 8!!


Lots of Daddy time- which they both loved!




#5 Play with my daughter in the ocean: CHECK!




Lots of pool time




Reading with Aunt Flower


Great dolphin cruise again!



The week was such a blessing!