Saturday, September 24, 2011

Pumpkin Pancakes

Well, here it is, what seems like the end of summer in Washington.  Yes, I know, we are more than 24 hours into autumn, but the weather here was mostly warm and sunny today.  As I lay on the couch in a silent house, I here the soothing sound of raindrops starting to fall outside. Ahhhh...candles, pumpkins, hoodies, and boots here I come!

What a summer it was, though!  The girls and I had so much fun hanging out at various concerts, parks, and beaches.  We played with friends, visited the zoo, and picked lots of berries.  As a family, we went to Orcas Island twice, and Disneyland, too!  It seems that most of Grace's friends have summer birthdays, so we attended several parties, and singing happy birthday never seems to get old at our house.

Grace hasn't stopped talking about Disneyland since we got back.  She loved seeing Mickey, Minnie, Goofy, and all their friends.  She enjoyed riding in the rocketships, boats (small world), and the choo choo train.  She loved singing zip a dee doo da and eating ice cream every day (yes, really!when in Disneyland...).  We were so lucky to have both Nanas there, and Grace even ran her first race, then Mommy ran a 5k and daddy and Nana Carol ran a half marathon.  It was awesome.  Emma did great on her first airplane trip, and she kicked back in the stroller like a champ at Disneyland.

Orcas Island was pretty awesome, too.  We did some walking in the woods, found some pretty waterfalls, went on some scenic drives, and of course rode the ferry.  Grace loves the ferry boat.  She also loves seeing a lot of deer and other wildlife.  She could play and run outside all day, and I love that.  Can't wait until she and Emma can chase each other around!

Emma is rolling over now.  She is eating solids - loves apples, pears, prunes, sweet potatoes, and carrots.  Not a fan of pureed peas, but really, who is?! She is always happy - seriously, she is!  She gets a little grumpy when she is super tired or super hungry, but even then she usually cracks a smile.  She's just so darn sweet.  And loud....she is very loud.  Maybe she is trying to compete for attention or something, I don't know, but the girl has definitely got a set of lungs! 

Now that fall has arrived, we are back at Little Gym every week, MOPS every other week, and of course volunteering at Tobey Jones once a week, as well.  This leaves a couple days open for us to veg out or hang with friends (and we typically hang with friends!).  Emma is working on a good napping routine, and Grace and I are working on spending some one-on-one time together and even doing a little homeschool preschooling.  So fun to watch her learn and become fascinated with the world! She loves to help me bake and cook, and tonight we made pumpkin pancakes for dinner.  I love how she pushes a chair right up to the counter, climbs up, and jumps right in.  Her favorite thing to do is crack the eggs....but she's not very good at it quite yet! She's good at licking the spoon, though.  Really good!

I constantly feel like I never have a chance to catch my breath, and wonder if I ever will.  But, I suppose that is what life is like with two little ones.  I'm so glad that I have been able to get back into running and working out, as that really helps relieve stress.  But I find very little time for myself, so quiet moments like this are definitely appreciated!  I love my family, and I love my me-time too!  I suppose I should probably get up and clean the griddle and mess in the kitchen...or maybe I will watch a chick flick and paint my toenails instead!  I think I'll go with the latter.

Until next time...

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