the scoot

though he can get himself up to hands and knees, he always reverts back to what he finds most efficient. 

why mess with a good thing, huh?

ratatouille

over my birthday in 2010, ben and I went to europe. 

and while we were there, we spent time in paris.

 ahhh. let's go back.

while birthday dining at the amazing le coup chou, 

I tried one of many french cuisine must haves: ratatouille.

it was perfection.  their version had amazing flavors atop a cornbreadish crust. just.lovely.

so when we planted our garden filled with ratatouille ingredients, I began the look for the perfect recipe.

 I read several and combined a couple that (with a little tweaking) 

will definitely be make again.

so in honor of julia child's 100th birthday (last week), and 

using our garden bounty, 

we dined.

nine

when the cat is away

the mice will do whatever they can to keep themselves sane from 6pm to bedtime. 

even if it means mcdonalds and a park.

they say...

...sometimes being a brother is even better than being a superhero...

and other times?
well...
it's just not.

silver lining

my sweet friend kendal was in town last week, and though ever so briefly and for a sad occasion (her grandpa's funeral), it was wonderful to see her.

that meant friday during the funeral was a big o' party here--with tess, ken's nephew gideon, and my two munchkins (we missed you graham!).

jonah loved having "friends" over and loved being in charge even more. there was a moment of weakness (did I tell you we're paci free here? we put them in a baggy and mailed them to The Babies). but when two new faces showed up--paci's in tow--I got a scowl and a:

"The babies have my pacis."

but we bounced back quickly once we realized we had an even larger audience and could start bossing.

"we don't touch the shades."
"we don't throw those balls."
"we don't hit."

and so on.

tess found the one girly thing in the toy box. mardi gras beads.

sweet tess and thatcher. about 6 months apart (tess being the more mature)--yet thatcher weighs about 5 more pounds. tess is such a sweet little peanut! ken and I always laugh at the size difference of our kids. I couldn't help myself with the photos... and 1) wouldn't these look fabulous in a wedding video?--just sayin'...2) I totally didn't mean to put that shirt on T.

london

all good things must come to an end. though I fear the inevitable withdrawal.
but at least I should be getting a little more sleep--now that nbc isn't keeping me up for midnight medal ceremonies.
'cus every fours years, I love me some olympics.

we've been faithful olympic watchers over the past few weeks. faithful. my two year old has been walking around singing that dramatic theme song (you know, the one that ushers in bob costas every evening?)
and we frequently break out in dramatic chants of "U-S-A!"
and on that day of the opening ceremonies? we marched around the house waiving flags and learning the national anthem.

and we've continued to sing it almost daily.

on the off chance I didn't have full view of the tv, I could always count on Jonah to be another set of eyes:
"Mom! water soccer is on!" (water polo)
"Mom! basketball won a gold medal."

I couldn't pick a favorite moment if I tried.

it's been a good one. we've laughed, we've cried, we've neglected educated our children.
see you in Rio!

our attempt at olympic rings

9 months

our Dutch Boy is holding strong in the 92% for height and just shy of 22 lbs.

and is officially on.the.move...army crawl style.

which in turn is driving his very particular brother a little crazy. and he finds it just hilarious.

he'll eat anything. and everything. and if someone around him is eating...he wants to be too.

there's lots of clapping. and the beginnings of a wave.

jonah is still the favorite. and might even be lengthening his lead--

it's always a "jump out of your arms" excitement when we go to get J out of bed in the morning.

joyful, social, laid-back

and this is what most of our picture taking looks like these days...

the Abstract

when you're two and a half, abstract is kind of your go to art form.
or when you're twenty-eight...if you're like me.
so we busted out the acrylics and some canvas and had ourselves a creative old time.

"I need a knife for this paint!" (I may or may not let him watch Bob Ross on occasion...)

and in the end our hands were a little painty, like my friend Jessica's, and we almost felt like real artists.
too bad our art wasn't quite like hers.

but we claim amateur status.
and will have to start making some wall space for our gems.

the fair

I think I may have mentioned it before, but my farmboy loves him a county fair. 

While we lived out east, it was only fitting that we lived within walking distance from the nation's oldest, and since moving back to the mitten, we've made the agricultural submersion of our children a priority. 

Plus? there are rides, cotton candy, elephant ears, and lots of people watching.