Updated!

We've been having such an adventurous summer!  Admittedly, in early June I thought... SUMMER?  Whatever shall we do all DAY and all NIGHT while Dad works long hours?  And, then it dawned on me. Make the very best of it- explore, laugh, visit, play, relax, run, swim, blow bubbles, eat and enjoy our summer together and with our friends. NOW is the time to GO and DO! And, let me tell you we've been on the move. Nothing too crazy, but we've been swimming, wadding, raspberry picking, carnival riding, farm petting, zoo attending, play dating, running, park hopping, museum perusing, VBS singing, ice cream eating and much more. We made a list this Summer, so I knew what mattered to Hanna (sorry, no Disneyland this year) and to help me from wondering "whatever shall we do today?" The list is slowly coming to an end as "school" resumes late August. We will still have our adventures, but less regularly.  Until then on the docket there still remains: a lemonade stand (proceeds for a cause TBD), reptile zoo visit with friends, a hike to a waterfall and dancing the night away at an outdoor concert or two (okay, both are for Casper Babypants). We really enjoy his music. Check him out!  I would really love to post once a week (it's a goal..keep me accountable), so if you'd like to check us out here is the best place for it! Enjoy.

Morning walk to Haystack Rock with Nanny and Grandpa.  The girls absolutely love the water- just like their Dad!

Our big brown-eyed blondies. They're so sweet together (when they want to be).

Harper aka the "puddle jumper". She was soaked despite my best effort. Did I really think that I could keep her dry?
Luckily, I brought a change of clothes.

Many trips to the Green Lake wading pool.  I've enjoyed running around the Lake with the girls, playing at the park and eating at one of our favorite pizza places (Woodlands).

Seafair Parade (Hanna was so excited to see the "princesses").  She was, by far, my favorite one!

Harper enjoying all the items being hurled her way!

Checking out the salmon (and the boats) at the Locks! And, climbing on anything and everything that we can find!

Some of my favorite peeps on the BOAT that we leased for the summer! We've enjoyed cruising around, mooring at our dinner spot for the evening and seeing Seattle from a different vantage point. Truly a beautiful city!

Inside the boat's cuddy (lots of cushions, thankfully)! They will willingly stay in there for a couple of minutes. Just enough time for Scott and I to launch and park the boat. (Grin)

Recent trip to the Pacific Science Center. The butterflies habitat was my favorite!

And, this spunky 4 year old has learned to swim this Summer! She even rode her first roller coaster, too!  She loves singing her VBS worship CD, anything that requires lots of movement and is only still for movie nights (and sleep).
She continues to bless and amaze me. 

And, this cutie!  Because she has an older sister she enjoys the "finer" things in life-- suckers, smoothies and ice cream cones. She is a skilful climber (not entirely an accurate statement), LOVES her big sister, and is always on the GO!

 

I can't wait to see what next week brings...

Chocolate chip cream scones

I'm certain that I've made this recipe hundreds of times-- for brunch, for Scott to share a breakfast goodie with colleagues, baby shower gifts, welcome and thank you gifts, holidays and well just about any occasion where coffee is served! I receive rave reviews and requests for this recipe all the time. As a result, I have copied it, typed it, texted it and written it out in long form. I was pretty sure that in one way or another I violated some copyright law.  So, I decided to look it up. In full disclosure, this is from the U.S. Copyright Office ;)

Copyright law does not protect recipes that are mere listings of ingredients. Nor does it protect other mere listings of ingredients such as those found in formulas, compounds, or prescriptions. Copyright protection may, however, extend to substantial literary expression—a description, explanation, or illustration, for example—that accompanies a recipe or formula or to a combination of recipes, as in a cookbook.

Whew-- sounds like I'm safe to share this recipe. I've altered it, shortened the "how to" and provided by own amateur photo.  But really... if you know me well enough, then you know that I'm a huge fan of American's Test Kitchen.  Not trying to take anything away from them-- just wanted to share one of our favorites with you! Enjoy!

Chocolate Chip Cream Scones

2 cups of flour (10 ounces)- yes, I use my kitchen scale
1 tablespoon baking powder
3 tablespoons sugar
1/2 tsp salt
5 tablespoon unsalted butter, chilled, cut into cubes
Couple of handfuls of chocolate chips (almost a cup) or dried blueberries
1 cup heavy cream

Adjust oven rack to middle position and heat oven to 425 degrees. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper. Place flour, baking powder, sugar and salt in the workbowl of a food processor. Pulse 6 times. Remove lid, sprinkle top with cubed butter and pulse for twelve 1-second pulses. Add chocolate chips and pulse once. Remove lid add heavy cream and pulse for another eight to ten 1-second pulses.  Transfer dough and any floury bits to the baking sheet. Form into a round ball, then flatten into an 8- inch circle. Pour heavy cream on top of the circle, spread it around and sprinkle the top with additional sugar. Cut into 8 wedges. Separate the wedges a bit before you pop it into the oven. Bake until light brown on top (12 min or so). Cool on a wire rack and let sit for 10 minutes.

Awaiting a new season

You never know when the last sunny, warm day will be in Seattle before the leaves change and the sky grows gloomy.  Today was sunny and beautiful with a hint of chill in the air (the marine layer this morning smelled like the ocean and I loved it-- this salty fragrance instantly drops my blood pressure).  It's time for transition, is it not?  I'm looking forward to trading our flip flops for rain boots, the kiddie pool for new venues designed for indoor fun and a "go wherever, whenever" schedule to one that is more structured.  I seem to function best this way.  Fall is my favorite time of the year-- the crisp air, pumpkins, routine, my red le Creuset on the stove, football and little rain boots and jackets.  I could go on!

This past weekend we took Jack to the Magnuson Dog Park-- it has been awhile since he'd been swimming and he loved every minute.  Hanna loves to play with Jack (and be in the water).  I think that she would have been willing to retrieve a ball along side him if we let her.  She enjoyed riding her balance bike to the dog run. It's so exciting to watch her learn and enjoy new activities.  Speaking of activity, Harper has learned how to stand and she uses everything to bring her into an upright position.  The girls are learning how to play (and share) together.  Sharing will.take.time. (deep breath, and repeat). When they do play and the bigger H shares - the girls giggle and that sound easily becomes the best part of my day.

Little, cute... and loud band!

Nice throw Han!

Doggie beach at Magnuson

Jack is an awesome swimmer. He gets all the other dogs balls too!

She's sitting..still... only for this photo!

 

I'm back

Time flies!  It's such a cliche saying, is it not?  But, the undeniable truth is that well, it's so true.  And, not only that, but it seems to be gaining momentum as the years go by. I'm not sure how it happens exactly? But, I'm hopeful that these posts will allow me to reflect, capture, share and soak in all of this life that God has given us.  It's a story that He has written and it is a privilege to share.

Since I posted last there have been a few notable changes: we live in Seattle, Scott has started a two-year facial plastics/reconstruction fellowship, we welcomed Harper Marie on December 29th (our girls share the same birthday) and Hanna started Pre-K. And, there you have it...well,for the most part.

We're loving life in Seattle!  We can walk to just about everything from our house (Greenlake, public library, post office, grocery store, coffee shops, restaurants and our church). 

Check out her sweet pink boots from Dad!

Green goodness from our Blendtec blender.

Waiting for the Mt Rainier Scenic Railroad train

Hanna climbing aboard at the MRSR train museum

Trip to Greenlake for a swim and bike ride!

Started Pre-K at Shoreline Christian!

How cool is this salmon slide?

Gotta come out the other end...

Raining, but fun Labor Day trip to Rainier.

Reading her card from Nanny and Grandpa! New school clothes!

How can you resist this face? Hanna always says "Oh, Harper!"

8 months old- two teeth and on the move!

Enjoying a snack while big sister plays!

Life played out in images

On a recent trip to Seattle to visit Scott, we stopped by Edmonds for some scenic views of the beach, time at the park and pizza!

Checking out the boats.  Notice the "war wounds"...gravel trail at Greenlake vs face.  Not a fair match-up...
no bueno :(

At the Children's Museum in Olympia with her friend, Jane.  A fun way the celebrate 18 months of life!

Cupcakes, too!

Showing off her 4th of July shirt from her Nanny and Grandpa

At the airport, headed to see the sights in Minnesota while Dad attends a conference

Fun in the sun and sand in Minnesota

Love this photo. Summer has arrived in Washington. 

It's been far too long...

Life, unlike this blog, has been exciting and in constant motion these past few months. It seems a bit too overwhelming for me to share all of our happenings. But, I can summarize fairly quickly. Hanna continues to make us smile with her increasing vocabulary (her most frequently uttered words now are "bye" and "no"), her friendly demeanor towards other people...and objects (buses, airplanes and trucks all receive an enthusiastic "Hi" along with a feverent wave) and her enjoyment of life as a full-fledged toddler. It's such a priviledge to watch her grow, explore her surroundings and learn new tasks! Scott started his away rotations in April at Seattle Children's Hospital. We've been able to see him about 1-2x/ week (on average). Grateful for the time that we do get to spend together and our evening FaceTime chats have been priceless. Now when I pick up the iPad, Hanna says "Dada"- totally sweet and admittedly, a bit sad. He will be home for the month of July! And, then back up to Seattle for the remainder of 2012. And, there you have it! Oh, as for myself? I'm truly learning to embrace every moment from every laugh, failed nap, trip to the park, morning run, outing with friends, trip to the zoo, Bible study, teary-eyed "good-byes", adventure to Seattle, day that I cook, clean, grocery shop and mop the floor (albeit, not in that order) each encounter/task is purposeful and a gift. Pics to follow soon...apparently, I need to download an app to upload pictures.

Kauai 5-0 underwater

It was hard to decide which pictures to post from our underwater camera.  Scott did an amazing job!  

The "end of the road" at Waimea Canyon and part of the Na Pali Coast

The "Grand Canyon of the Pacific"

Turtles!