A Day for the Boys

A couple weeks ago The Durham Bulls had a fanfest at the stadium where you could come and check everything out. Mark took Ezra and they had a day for just the boys. They got to check-out inside the locker room....

The dug-out

And explore the field.

Ezra practiced his impressive baseball skills

Taking it all in. 

Catch Dad!

They were treated to a complimentary lunch. Which I think for Ezra meant chips. :)

Ezra even learned how to move the ball with his mind. Just kidding. Ha! It does look that way though.

Ezra had a great time and even scored a cool baseball cap. One of our friends who use to play for the Bulls but, now plays Pro for the Tampa Rays was there and signed Ezra's hat. I'm sure he will appreciate that later.  What a little stud in his polo and cap. Everyone had a great time!

18 month cuteness

I could just eat this boy up with a spoon. Blue eyes, and blonde wavy hair. He's dreamy for sure. 

Sister helped to "make him happy" so I could get a few smiley shots. 

Still none of his infamous cheeseball grin but adorable none the less.

Seriously, what is that look? He's probably thinking, "You girls are crazy!"

Apparently being shirtless makes him happy. 

Sneak Peak

Dorothy...Coming Halloween 2012

Take my picture

"Mom, take my picture!"

"Mom, take my picture!"

"I wanna see."

"Mom, take my picture!"

"Take it again!"

So we took her picture. :)  Rapunzel hair and all. 

Ezra 17 months

I better hurry up before and update Ezra at 17 months before he turns 18 months. Literally this week. I'm not really sure how that happened because it seems like last month it was his birthday. But, apparently the summer came and went. Ezra is talking up a storm these days. Sometimes we will hear a little voice speaking and think it's Emerson talking but, it's Ezra. Ha! His new words include plane, bug, bible, color, hot, water, popcorn, cracker, and cookie. Apparently he is motivated by food. There is nothing like your toddler barreling into the kitchen screaming popcorn. He has been trying new food like a champ and eating much more than I had expected. Recently he has tried fish and loved it! He has really enjoyed my Chicken Butternut Quinoa Stew last week. Something incredibly flavorful you would never expect a kid to appreciate and he did. He also is obsessed with spring rolls filled with cabbage. He is now much to my surprise saying please and thank you. He holds his finger up to his mouth and says, "shhh." Ezra loves to tickle and will hold out both hands and say, "tickle, tickle, tickle." I think it cracks him up more than anything but does love to tickle dogs and babies. He has a such a sweet and tender heart. He gives us so many kisses. When it's time to go to bed he wants to kiss everyone a couple times, then blow kisses on his exit. Even to the dog! He loves playing with his sister and doing whatever she does. He really thinks he is three too. When she has dance on Wednesdays he will push his face against and look so sad that she is having fun without him. He absolutely loves to play outside. Although I dread any kind of playground because of his dare devil tendencies. But, he loves to play ball and push cars around outside. Lately his favorite toys have been the little people farm, and play food and dishes. At the gym he really enjoys the train table. He has even started to show interest in puzzles. After starting to say Mama pretty frequently back in May he now calls me Daddy all the time. I'm not really sure what that's all about. But, needless to say I adore him anyways. He makes me laugh all the time and really is a sweet lovable boy. He answers questions with either an uh-huh, or nah-uh. It's funny to have a conversation with him and realize he knows what we are saying.  Now, if he would just stop climbing onto the furniture we would be golden. :)

Review: Homemade Pumpkin Spice Latte

I love fall. I really love pumpkin. Pumpkin spice lattes from Starbucks are heavenly. But, unfortunately pricey and not so healthy. When I saw a pumpkin spice lattte on pinterest I knew I had to try it.

This is the latte from the Averie Cooks Blog who came up with the recipe.  It has pretty simple ingredients. Nothing pricey. I bought a huge can of pumpkin for $2 at Walmart and I've been using it all week long. I opted out of the milk and got heavy cream instead. Just in case it was decadent enough. My creamy mixture didn't end up staying on top like the picture but it was still delicious.  Here is the recipe. Try it and enjoy not spending $ at Starbucks. 

Pumpkin Spice Latte (Vegan, Gluten Free)

1. Make coffee (a pot, a cup, in whatever fashion and however you prefer making your coffee.   The stronger the better)

2. Make Pumpkin Milk

1 c milk (I used almond milk but use any kind you want from half and half to rice milk)

1/4 heaping cup pumpkin puree (more if you really love pumpkin)

2 tsp pumpkin pie spice blend, or to taste

1 tsp cinnamon, or to taste

1 tsp vanilla extract

sweetener of choice, to taste (I suggest 2 tbsp agave or 2 tbsp brown sugar or a pinch of stevia to taste; or try honey, maple syrup, etc. to taste)

Optional: pinch of ground nutmeg, ginger, garam masala, cardamom, or other warming spices to taste

Directions: Combine all ingredients in a small bowl and whisk well by hand or blend all ingredients using a Vita or blender

Optional: Warm the finished pumpkin milk mixture in the microwave or on the stovetop (I do a quick nuke of about 1 minute)

3. Pour 1 c of brewed coffee into a mug and pour half the pumpkin milk mixture over the top of the coffee and enjoy.  (Optional: Finish by garnishing with real whipped cream/whipped topping such asCoolWhip or TruWhip; and a sprinkle of pumpkin pie spice/cinnamon on top)

The other half of the pumpkin milk mixture is for the refill you know you will want.  If you truly don’t want a refill, refrigerate it for up to a few days and use for your next latte, in a smoothie, or drink it as is. As long as you’re dirtying dishes, I always make a little extra for refills or for later.

Notes:

The spices will not “blend” or entirely dissolve.  This is to be expected and normal.  If this bothers you, this may not the recipe for you and you may want to experiment with other recipes or techniques.

All spices and seasonings are to taste; in this case, mine.  If you want to reduce the spices (or increase them), obviously adjust everything according to your own taste preferences.  Some people may find the amounts I used a bit strong, but I like robust flavors.

Rapunzel, Rapunzel

Spotted: Rapunzel at the park

Emerson is full swing back into the Rapunzel phase. Not that she was ever completely out of it, but since netflix had pulled the movie she had lost some interest. I borrowed the movie to see if she still liked it before finally buying it. Seriously, she has also told every stranger we have met that her Rapunzel movie doesn't work anymore. Well, turns out she still loves Rapunzel. A lot. I can't even count the times we have watched it in the last couple weeks and she is now wearing her Rapunzel hair everywhere, and quoting the movie all day. So I think Rapunzel is here to stay for awhile longer.

Side note: I've also been moonlighting as a disney princess artist. 

Ball Boy

Ezra has started his own exercise routine 

Push-ups to tone the arms

Ending with some balancing and stretching. 

Wordless Wednesday: My Girl

It is finished...finally!

Once we got Emerson's big girl bed then came the fun of picking out bedding. I was motivated to make her room fun, pretty, and bright. I had fallen in love with this bedding from Land of The Nod.

It's even prettier in person. I ordered a sample, (which is free by the way) only to confirm what I had thought. The fabric was gorgeous, and brighter than it appears here. A combo of pink, orange, red, and turquoise. LOVE. But, with a $79 price tag I hesitated. I explored the idea of purhaps making my own duvet. After all I had sewn my way through college, it would be simple, right? After discovering I could not buy that specific fabric since it was designed for Land of the Nod I began to search. I knew I really wanted pink with red. It was so fun, vibrant, and not the typical little girl color scheme. Luckily Emerson and I have similar taste as far as color. While searching on etsy I came across fabric by Dena Fishbein. I loved it. After looking up all of her fabric I discovered I recognized several of her designs. 

I was drawn to this moroccan pattern. Since the tutorial had a combo of three panels I could use a contrasting pattern. I was having trouble picking something out. I kept going back to a turquoise color.  But, nothing felt right. Emerson picked out this stripe. It worked. It was a small enough scale compared the large pattern to balance it out, yet was vibrant and continued the rainbow of colors. 

 So after I got the fabric, you think it would be a couple days then it would be ready to go. Wrong. It took me two months from arrival to completion. Thankfully it is summer and Emerson doesn't mind sleeping with just a sheet. Although it was "just straight lines," the duvet took a lot of time from cutting to sewing, to enclosing it. Plus, I did french seams for fun. I had a slight hiccup in the end so it has a messed up spot in the corner where the fabric gathered. But, I think the overall look is adorable. Plus I plan to draw the turquoise and red out to add a boy side of the room since they share. 

Now, she must use it for the next 5 years. :)

Fabric by Dena Fishbein here and here

Tutorial by Design Sponge here