Saturday, July 30, 2011

Flying High

We live near the worldwide headquarters of EAA (Experimental Aircraft Association) and its annual AirVenture, an incredible festival and convention for aviation enthusiasts. In under a week, it draws nearly 500,000 people and 10,000 planes from around the world, which is pretty incredible given Oshkosh's small airport.

Will loves airplanes, so I was really pumped up to take him out to EAA this year. I had never been, and I actually hate flying, so I wasn't sure what to expect. But it was awesome! Will absolutely loved it, and Ben and I had a blast. I think it's literally one of the best days we've ever had as a family. Unfortunately though, I have no photos to share because I left the camera at home (fail).

Despite the hot weather, we did a lot throughout the day. My brother-in-law, sister-in-law and I ran a 5K on the EAA grounds in the morning, then Ben and I brought Will out to the festival later in the afternoon. We checked out the vintage warbirds, toured the exhibition area and caught an incredible air show. Many of the booths and exhibitors were way over our head, selling super technical aviation equipment. But it was a good time nonetheless.

Although Will enjoyed walking around the grounds, the air show was by far the highlight of our day. The look of astonishment and excitement on Will's face when he saw the planes in the air was amazing. He'd grin from ear to ear and follow them across the sky. It was such a fun shared experience. Sitting on the grass with him, pointing out the planes and watching him gasp and giggle. 

For us as parents, it was pure joy. We'll be flying high on this day for awhile.

Thursday, July 28, 2011

Bye-Bye, Boys

Oscar (left), Petar (center), and Will (right)

A few of Will's best buddies are moving to Eau Claire today and we are so sad about it! We just love Oscar, Petar and their family.

We had a bye-bye play date yesterday, which was both fun and bittersweet. The boys are exactly one month older than Will, so it's been great to have their mom to talk to about baby stuff (not to mention she's just an all around cool person). We will genuinely miss seeing them on a regular basis.

Bon voyage, Oscar, Petar and Rose! Don't be strangers. We will miss you!

Toddling
Snack break
Buddies

Monday, July 25, 2011

Cherry Rhubarb Crumble

Remember when I used to post recipes? Yeah, that was cool. Time to bring that back.

If you've been following the blog for awhile, you may remember my first attempt at canning from last summer. It was actually really fun, but super labor intensive. So my jars of cherry filling have been reserved in my pantry until I could come up with something truly spectacular. Enter: Cherry Rhubarb Crumble.

When our friend Mike was visiting from California, he was kind enough to bring us some fresh rhubarb from his parent's garden. Rhubarb has long been a favorite of mine, so I knew this was the perfect excuse to break out the jars of cherries.

Mmmmm... smells as good as it looks!


Cherry Rhubarb Crumble
Serves: 8-10

For the fruit:

16 cups (two Mason jars) of cherry pie filling
8 cups of fresh rhubarb, chopped
1 cup granulated sugar

For the topping:

1 1/2 cups flour
3/4 cup granulated sugar
3/4 cup brown sugar, lightly packed
1/2 t. kosher salt
1 cup oatmeal
2 sticks unsalted butter, cold and diced

Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Grease a large baking dish (I used a 13 x 9-inch) with butter or nonstick cooking spray.

Toss the fresh rhubarb in granulated sugar to coat. Toss sugared rhubarb with cherry pie filling. Pour the fruit mixture into baking dish.

Combine the flour, granulated sugar, brown sugar, salt, oatmeal and butter with an electric mixer or food processor. Combine until the mixture is crumbly and the butter is the size of peas. Spread evenly over fruit mixture.

Bake for 45 minutes or until the fruit is bubbling and the top is browned (you may want to put a pan underneath the baking dish to catch bubbling juices). Serve warm or at room temperature with vanilla ice cream. Enjoy!


Based on a fruit crumble recipe by the Barefoot Contessa - one of my fav cook book authors and chefs!

Wednesday, July 13, 2011

Stuff I Love And You Should Too: July Edition

Note: I am no way endorsed or compensated by the businesses and products below. These are just things that I legitimately love, and you should too!

I love when other bloggers to do this, so here are a few things that I'm coveting this month...

1) Goody Spin Pins

Photo courtesy of Beauty Scribbler

I love these things! For someone who wears her hair up almost every day (like me), they are heaven sent. Cute up-do in half the time, with far fewer bobby pins. Fabulous!

2) Sephora Perfecting Cover Foundation

Photo courtesy of Lazy Beautiful

I've never been a huge makeup person. I want to look polished, but I never want to look done up. Most days I just wear moisturizer and mascara, but as I get older, my skin isn't as flawless as it used to be. So I find myself needing foundation to cover dark eye circles and even out my skin tone. I can't stand most foundations, so I had been using a tinted moisturizer. But I really need something with more coverage. Enter: Sephora Perfecting Cover Foundation.

I just started using it last week, and let me tell you: this stuff is amazing. It's light, blends well and gives me an even, dewey complexion. It covers everything, and is oil and paraben-free. It's my new go-to foundation. Love!

3) Magnetic Cabinet Locks

Photo courtesy of Amazon.com

A dear friend recommended magnetic cabinet locks after baby proofing for her son. We just ordered these for our new house, and they are fabulous. No pinched fingers (a la traditional cabinet locks), plus they are baby safe and adult friendly (which I honestly can't say about most other cabinet locks... you practically need a PhD in engineering to use them). If you're in the market for cabinet and/or drawer locks, I highly recommend.

4) Heartfelt Yarn Wreaths

Photo courtesy of Heartfelt Yarn Wreaths

I came across this Etsy shop a few weeks back, and it was love a first sight! Katie is based out of Manitoba, Canada, creating some beautiful and stunning wrapped yarn wreaths. We bought a grey and yellow wreath (titled "Sunshine and Smoke") for our new house. Simply stunning!

She does custom orders, but her pre-made styles are super fab. With Will's first birthday coming up, I'm coveting some of her new birthday wreaths. Be sure to check her out!

Friday, July 8, 2011

Fourth of July Fun

Here's a look at how we spent the fourth. Hope yours was just as festive!

All-American boy
Watching the parade with Daddy
Our coordinating family ensemble

Thursday, July 7, 2011

Ten Months Old


Dear Will,

I know I'm beginning to sound like a broken record, but oh my gosh, you are sooooooo busy. You're here! Then there! You want to see this! Now that! Up, Mama! No, down! Let's play with this now! Etc, etc. This busy-streak also means you are super fun, but I literally collapse in bed every night after you go to sleep. Parenting a ten month old is exhausting!

Because you're so busy, diaper changes have become a bit of a challenge. You twist, turn and roll as I try and wrestle a cloth diaper on you. Needless to say, it's a workout for both of us.

Though you're still not crawling on your hands and knees, you started "naughty crawling" when you're trying to reach something you're not supposed to have (i.e. Stella's dog toys, Mama's cell phone, miscellaneous small items that somehow end up on the floor). You drag your belly on the ground in hyper-drive, giggling and gasping in excitement. This actually draws more attention to you, meaning I'm almost always able to intercept you before you get to whatever you're trying to reach. But it's really cute.

You have a complete and total obsession with dog bowls. Wherever we are, you manage to find the dog bowl and want to inspect it. You know their exact location at home and at Grandma's house, and will try anything and everything to get someone to take you over by them. Your persistence is admirable.

You love water, which likely drives your bowl obsession. You love to splash in the tub, put your hands under a running faucet, or swim in your "wimmy pool" at Grandma's house.

You haven't been the best eater in the last month. You literally will not touch anything that resembles a vegetable, insisting on only fruits or yogurt. We attempted to introduce meat purees this month, which was an epic fail. You hated the texture, and actually vomited after trying chicken. I felt so awful.

You play with your food now more than you eat it. You love to play tiddlywinks with your puffs and drop food on the floor for Stella. You want to bang the spoon on your high chair more than eat with it. And finishing a bottle takes forever since we have to stop every few ounces to bounce or play.

You share food now, which is so sweet. I'll ask you, "can Mama have puff?" And you'll smile really big, gingerly pick up a puff and put it in my mouth. I'm so proud that you're sharing already.

You started clapping on your own this past month. Usually in response to other people clapping, or Mama and Daddy saying "yay!" You love the sound you hands make, and always clap with a big smile on your face.

You're starting to pull to stand, but tend to get your legs and feet tangled up beneath you. Right now, you try and pull up entirely with your upper body, so getting up is a bit of struggle. When you succeed (or when Mama helps you) you are so proud of yourself. You love to stand perched by the coffee table or in your crib.

Grandpa calls you "Bam Bam" because you bang objects on everything. Doesn't matter what it is, if there is a flat surface to hit, you find something to hit it with. You also like to put objects in things, namely your blocks in an old Charlie's Soap container, which we were using as a make-shift drum.

We read every day. I love how you snuggle into my lap and touch the illustrations on each page. "Very Hungry Caterpillar" is still your favorite book, but "Hello, Bugs!" and "Does A Kangaroo Have A Mother Too?" are also very heavy in our rotation. When we're reading, you turn the page when I ask you to (and sometimes before). I love to see you engaged with your books.

Every month, I am amazed by how much you accomplish. It's such a joy to watch you grow. I love you so much.

Love,

Mama