Reunion Ladies Picnic

We are having the yummiest, most beautiful and fun family reunion!! Teton National Park is incredible! It truly is one of the most beautiful places on Earth. We are staying in a fun 3 story condo with 2 babies, 2 kids, and 12 adults. Each time all the family gets together we plan and have a "Ladies Picnic" that one of is girls plans, this year it was on Paige. She did an AMAZING job! Her theme was "Around the World."

The table was decorated so fun and Paige thought of every little detail possible,

Adorable little suitcases were made for each of us with mini altoid boxes.

She had a country for each of us to "travel" to with a ticket, passport with facts and in flight nuts and water bottles.

Paige thought of everything! The food we enjoyed was from all over the world. My favorite were the decadent desserts she created. She needs to start a little cafe, cause this was the most special picnic ever! And the view was spectacular of Jackson Lake and the Tetons!!

The Garden

Oh how fun a garden can be!!! We have been so blessed to inherit garden boxes and drip system materials to do our first garden together! My sister Lara and her husband Jayson are moving (which still saddens me greatly!), and they were so thoughtful to think of us! We've planted tomatos, cucumber, zucchini, beans, peas, carrots, lettuce, okra and peppers. James had never done a garden and it has been so fun having him help me and learn with me. My mother is an amazing gardner and my dads not too shabby with the green thumb! Growing up watching them enjoy tending the garden has always left an imprint on me.

Planting little tiny seeds into the ground and seeing them become something is absolutely incredible! The whole process really is awesome when you think about it. I hope that our little plot of land produces lots so James can feel proud of his hard work with me and so we can stuff our faces with veggies :). I carved a sign to mark our garden and love looking out my kitchen window at the lovely site.

For the Love of a Child

Jane has a talent of keeping herself up even when she's super tired. She'll make the funniest noises, toss her head, arch her back and spit her binky out. So the nap/bedtime routine includes lots of rocking, singing and holding that binki in. I think she must have a lot of Mama Cahoon (Grammy) genes :). She loves to stay up with her mommy and daddy.

Before....

After ;)

She also loves to hold our fingers! She'll grip her little hand on tight as to say, "you better not try and sneak away!" It's so cute. One thing I've learned being the mother to this sweet girl is how much love a child needs. Not just the feeding and rocking...but real, deep, patient unending love.

Children grow up in a world of hustle bustle when all they really want is YOU. They want to sit and stare in your eyes, lay on a blanket with you and observe the blue sky and trees. Listen to your voice talking and singing to them. Building with blocks or playing with toys. They have a yearning to be close to the one they love and trust.

How many times have you told your little ones you love them? Are there moments you stop all the errands and things YOU want to get done and sit to play or talk with your child? Can you remember the last time you had a tickle fight or read a board book? There is great joy in the simple life...the way life's meant to be lived. Our children aren't only a blessing sent from Heaven, they are what make earth a piece of Heaven. Become like a child. Slow down. Take part in the simple things in life. And make your children feel like they are the tops and that they are so special! Cause they are!

I loved this great Bloggers article on helping your children feel built up an confident in who they are:

http://www.handsfreemama.com/2014/05/20/to-build-or-break-a-childs-spirit/

Water Baby Day

Jane got invited to her first swim date! It was so fun to get her dressed in her suit and sun bonnet. She was a good sport being in the hot sunshine and dipping her little piggies in the cold water. I love being in the water and it made me really miss swimming :) and being closer to lakes, rivers, waterfalls, the ocean...I love the sound of water and how it livens my soul. 

Janes little elephant suite and hat just made me smile! She looked so sweet! I love little girl clothes so much and we've been greatly blessed to get so much from family and friends! What fun it is to dress a baby!

Gardening 101 happened this week! James has never planted a garden so it will be exciting to see what we can produce! We've got tomatoes, peas, beans, peppers, okra, lettuces, cucumbers, carrots and herbs. I also got to plant a few flowers and such in our front window boxes. Hopefully I can keep everything alive in these hot Idaho summers! I love the sunshine but the heats not my friend or Janes I'm discovering. No AC is going to be a challenge with helping her to rest. Hurray for summertime! The outdoor time, gardening, swimming, and sweat :).

Tutu & Dulce's

Interesting words you might say. My Great Grandma and moms Grandma was named Ethel. But her first grandchild called her Tutu and the name stuck. For the longest time I had no idea she had another name, it was always Tutu. This amazing woman grew up in the time of history that experienced the most changes and modern inventions. 

She watched cars come into the world, airplanes, computers, phones....and lived when the Titanic sank and two major world wars happened. She lived through the Great Depression, the Stock Market crash. She learned the jazz dances of old and wore 30's clothes. 

So many historic moments in life were lived by her! And then in her older age she traveled all about and was an asset to her community. When my mom was growing up she recalled Tutu coming out on the back porch of her large yard and letting out a loud roll of her tongue to tell all the grand kids to come in from playing. 

I remember her cookie fairy tree she would string fudge striped cookies on. And she was a party girl. She would throw big fun parties for our huge extended family that were incredible. The only one I quite remember was when I received a carousel music box as my Tutu gift. I still cherish it. The very last time I remember seeing Tutu was after her leg was amputated from a sickness and she was laying in bed. She gave all of us grand kids jelly-bellys out of a little glass bowl on her bed stand. And that's my last memory of this sweet woman.

Each year I look forward to May 22nd when I get to honor Tutu and her love of tradition and family. Another fun thing she did was Dulce's. This basically is vanilla ice-cream on a cone then rolled in sprinkles/dulces. It's such a fun memory of doing this when we were little with my mom. It's one of those moments I look forward to each year! There is such a legacy left by a life, one life, your life, my life, Tutus life!

Energy Bites are a Delight!

These little round bites of goodness are addicting! I made them twice this month and we are in love. They are such a versatile treat/snack that you really could add anything to. We may start some fun variations like using mini m&m's instead of chocolate chips and crushed almonds instead of flaxseed...I might start adding a sprinkle of cinnamon as well! These are a quick and easy treat to make and you can say they are healthy and just call them a snack to give you energy :). That's what I say after I've eaten 3 or maybe 4 in one day....yes I'm confessing! They are just that good! Make a batch today!

Recipe found here:

http://smashedpeasandcarrots.com/no-bake-energy-bites-recipe/

Spaghetti Squash Alfredo

Spaghetti Squash Alfredo was the dish of tonight! And let's face it....you can't go wrong with Alfredo (and mix it with our favorite vegetable, and wahlah... perfection!). I switched/added a few things differently to the ingredients. Since I had fresh basil I snipped that into the mix rather then the called for herb. Plus basil is always my herb of choice :). Then I didn't have red pepper flakes so I used several sprinkles of crushed red pepper. I had mozerella cheese left over from a previous meal so used that in place of Parmesan. Then I also sprinkled a little bit of Italian Seasoning on top as well. My squash cracked too much while cutting it open so I didn't get the pleasure of serving them in the shell. I used a pie pan instead. Which frankly was a bit easier to mix it all together anyway. If I had sausage I think I would have cooked some up and added that to the mix as we'll cause we felt it needed some meat. But yet again, another easy, delicious and pretty spaghetti squash meal. Yum yum! 

Recipe Link here;

http://www.tenacitysolution.com/2014/01/spaghetti-squash-alfredo.html?m=1