Conversations With My Son

Gavin was playing football outside as the sun was setting. The sliding glass door was open so that the boy and dogs could come and go as necessary. I was in the kitchen with an ear toward the backyard and an ear enjoying the radio, preparing tilapia fish tacos for dinner. Casey was working late, but would be home soon. The chickens were cheeping and roaming the backyard. A typical peaceful evening in our small corner of the world.

"Mommy!! Come look."

Walking outside I see Gavin standing on the patio, looking and pointing up to the sky, with a gigantic smile on his face - his eyes wide and happy.  I crouch down on one knee beside him and he instinctively comes over to lean on my knee.

"Look mama, the clouds are pink and blue."

"You're right, they are! Isn't it pretty?"

"Yes. I didn't know the clouds could be..." thinking and speaking slowly, looking up at me for reassurance , "co-ler-ble like a rainbow."

"The clouds are very col-or-ful right now. Do you know why the clouds are pink and blue right now?"

"Nooo?"

"Because the sun is setting on the horizon and the light from the sun is being scattered across the sky."

"Rainbows come from the sun too, mama. Did you know that?"

"They do?" I reply incredulously.

"Yes, the sun goes down and...and...and," while demonstrating with his hands, "like this...and...then then light goes likes this out of the sun and makes a rainbow."

"Oh, I see."

"But I didn't know rainbows could be inside clouds also."

My heart melted, I pull him close. Pressing my lips against his chubby cheeks.

"I love you so much. I wish you could stay my sweet little boy forever."

My only regret is that I didn't take a picture of that beautiful baby shower sky with its long soft streaks of pale blue and pink. But then I would have had to walk away from my sweet boy and that perfect moment. My memory and words will have to do.

The Neverending Valentines' Celebration of 2013

I don't think we have ever celebrated Valentine's Day as much as we did in 2013. It's started with the days leading up to Valentine's Day when Gavin and I made cards for his classroom party.

Later that evening we went over to our friends' house for a Valentine's Day potluck dinner. There were a total of five families, each of us in charge of part of the meal. The Ms brought a charcuterie, the Ws brought bruschetta, the other Ws prepared a festive salad, the Cs made chicken sausage and asparagus risotto, and we were in charge of dessert - apple pie cake with vanilla ice cream. Everyone brought either wine or craft beer. The boys ran around like the crazy hooligans that they are and we were all up entirely too late. There was no picture taking at this event, we were all too busy stuffing our faces and enjoying each others' company. It was a great Valentine's Day. Friday morning came way too early.

On Friday Jessi and I met up after work to make the photo backdrop for our sons' annual preschool Valentines' Dance. This is the second year the Parent Activity Council has hosted the fundraising event. Jessi and I were coordinators and though our efforts were a labor of love, it certainly made for a long week. 

Which brings us to today's festivities, the dance. It was a smaller turnout than last year, but still a great time. We'll end the love fest on an early note when we all meet up for a breakfast picnic to cheer on our friend who is running in the Livestrong Austin marathon. 

Broccoli Love

We harvested our broccoli today. The temperature dropped this week, making tonight perfect for broccoli, cheese, and shells soup. It was fantastic. One of my favorite local farms will be having their annual spring transplant sale soon. Hopefully our schedule allows for a visit to the greenhouse. 

Valentines Day 2013: You Color Me Happy

I've been wanting to tackle this craft since last year. Hooray for finally doing it! It was relatively easy and Gavin was able to participate, which is always part of the goal. First he helped me collect all his broken crayons and duplicate colors. We had a lot of blues, blacks, and grays, which made the finished product darker than I had originally envisioned. Then we unwrapped, chopped, and distributed the broken pieces into the heart molds. And then, after 15-20 minutes at 150 degrees, voila heart-shaped crayons. Perfect for a candy-less Valentine's Day exchange.

Side note: the off-brand crayons, i.e. not Crayola, are infinitely much easier to peel. Crayola uses alot of glue on the crayon paper and peeling the crayons was far more tedious and time consuming than Gavin or I had the patience for. One of these days we'll replace the printer we got rid a few years back and I'll be able to print the cards, but for now sharpies and my doodling will have to do! Overall I think they turned out really cute and Gavin and I were able to make a few memories. xoxo Happy Day of Love.

Conversations With My Son

After repeated hugs and kisses, and as Dad and Lad walk out the front door to work and school. Walking down the front steps Gavin is holding his toy F-15 in the air, making swooshing noises, pretending to fly his fighter jet out to the car.

Mother: "Bye boys, I love you! "

Son: "Mama, we’re Ninja boys!"

Mom: "Oh OK, bye ninja boys, have a good day, I love you!"

Son: "Bye ninja girl, have a good day, I love you!"
 

I smile and close the front door to the sound of trailing giggles and grunts as Gavin climbs into his car seat.

Birthday Party at the Austin Zoo

I am on a blogging roll this weekend! I don't know how I managed to actually complete so many posts, but I am glad I did. We're entering a very busy time of year for our family. There are so many exciting happenings on the front.

This weekend we finally made it to a birthday party for one of our school friends. Usually by the time I get these invitations we've already made plans with our extended family or have some kind of outdoor adventure planned. I was thrilled when I realized we were going to be able to make this birthday party. It was great to see Gavin and his school friends play and interact outside of the classroom and playground.

The Austin Zoo is a rescue zoo, between Austin and Dripping Springs. Its a great learning environment and it even has a train, which is a big plus for a bunch of 4-year olds. Our friend Lincoln had a Dinosaur Party.

Urban Farming: The Garden

Early in the fall Casey and I built a small (3'x4') raised garden bed along the west fence in our backyard. It's the only place we get any sun, with the exception of the side of our house in the front yard. We live on a heavily shaded lot. This is not something I am complaining about given how hot the summers are, and I have several farmer's markets to choose from throughout the growing season. But it would be nice to grow my own garden too.

Given the timing of our bed construction, I experimented with cool season crops - several varieties of kale, garlic, and broccoli. I think because of the lack of overall sun, my vegetables are not doing as well they could be, but it has been far from a failure. I've been able to incorporate fresh kale into our meals all winter and finally - the crown glory - my broccoli is here. It needs a bit more time before harvest. To be fair, this is actually Gavin's plant. I am hopeful that he will be more inclined to eating it. Afterall, he picked it out and helped me plant it. He's been going through this phase where he tells me only has to eat his vegetables when he is at school, specifically broccoli. What a weirdo.My garlic is doing OK. Again, I think the lack of adequate sunlight is stunting its growth.

Once the broccoli is harvested, I am turning the garden under (with the exception of the garlic) and getting ready for the spring. I have started a few potatoes in a pot, I may transfer those over and I will probably grow more herbs. Right now my  patio cilantro and rosemary are doing great. I am cautious about planting anything that requires all day sun in my raised bed, but I may test a plant or two just to see what happens. Maybe egg plant or cucumbers. I won't bother with planting tomatoes in the bed, but I think I may give containers another go and place them on the side of my house where there is plenty of sun.

My pineapple was doing great, believe it or not, until I left it out during a freeze. I'll be starting that experiment over.

Speaking of growing things, this little guy is growing like a weed. 

G's natural athletic ability and love of sport continues to amaze us.  The quality of this photo is terrible, but it's clear enough to see Gavin's form as he kicks a football across the yard. After four long years, yes you read that correctly. I know he's just a little guy and four years really is not a long time at all, but in Gavin years it's a lifetime - literally and figuratively. After four long years this kid is finally enrolled on a sports team. It's all we've heard since the child could speak. "When will I play on a big boy team?" "Mama, when I'm a big boy and I play on a team..." "Mama, when I turn four, I'm going to play on a team, right?" Good Lord, it's what he eats, sleeps, and breathes. Well the little all star is finally enrolled on a team. He begins soccer practice in two weeks and his very first game is on the same day as his birthday party. Its going to be a crazy beautiful day. He will be deliriously happy and excited and as a result will have no nap and be a crazy person. 

Cheep Thrills

So far so good. We haven't had any major chicken issues. The gals are growing and cheeping and getting acquainted with their new space. We moved them outside earlier in the week, which I think they love and we do too. We turned our dog kennel into a mini chicken run and flipped their cardboard box upside down, giving them shelter. This way they could be outside during the day when we are at work. When we get home and on the weekends we let them roam the yard.

What's funny is that the kennel is more for keeping predators out, than for keeping the chicks in. Right now they are small enough to squeeze through the holes. Every now and then they do, but not often.

Over the weekend Casey finished the coop, minus the work he wants to do on the flooring. He is making it into a removable tray for easy cleaning, etc. Its a good plan. I'm excited. The next big coop day will likely be when Casey removes part of the dog run fencing and moves the coop inside the run, adds the chicken ramp, and then puts the fence back up.  My coop involvement will likely be painting it - giving it  a nice homey touch. I am brainstorming various combinations of wacky colors and perhaps signage. Or maybe it will be an elegant modern looking coop.  We'll see, the ideas are still embryonic at this point.

We moved the chicks into their new coop Saturday afternoon. Casey had a hard time finding straw/hay. Our local feed and supply store suggested rice husks. So we're giving that a try.

Home Sweet Home

 The girls in their new "forever home."

Rice husks 

Putting Fitness and Health First

Please excuse me while I shamelessly pimp out my blog again. This time I want to give a special shout out to my friends over at 5 Fitness Training and Yoga.

My recent fitness history:

It's been a while since I have done any kind of cross training. Once we started raising a family, time and money quickly grew scarce. Running became my primary outlet and even then my regime was sporadic or consistent only in spurts. Registering for a race event made some difference but occasionally I would still have to back out at the last minute either due to a lack of funds or time.

Fast forward to now. Four years after the birth of my son, I've dropped back down to my pre-pregnancy weight, however, I have yet to regain the toning, strength, and overall fitness level I had. Once I reached my 30s the places I carry my weight changed too.

Thanks to my awesome coach and the flexibility of 5 Fitness, I am back on the crazy train to better fitness and health. The studio and staff is small. I like that, its a much different vibe than the large national chain gyms. The entire 5 Fitness staff is friendly, professional, and extremely knowledgeable. Their encouragement and positive attitudes make it easy to push myself.

The upper body strength training has been the biggest challenge, but a challenge that I have been craving. The kettle bell workouts are my favorite, its when I feel like I am getting the most out my efforts. I've graduated from girly push ups to regular ones. I have not yet achieved my goal of doing a pull up, but I am hopeful.

Conversations With My Son

While watching Happy Feet for the umpteenth time.

Gavin: "Can I go under water like that?"

Mom/Dad: "Yes."

Mom: "We can practice going under water this summer when we are at Deep Eddy and Barton Springs."

Gavin: "No, I want to go under water when I'm a penguin."

Grace and Appreciation

These are the two areas I want to work on in 2013. I know I am month late making my New Year's resolution, but I wanted time to really think about it and come up with something that resonates within me - something I think about often.  Exhibiting grace in challenging situations and being more appreciative are qualities I admire in others and would like to see more in myself.

Superbowl 2013: Buffalo Bites and Quality Family Time

I am so bad at Superbowl. Don't get me wrong, I love the features and editorials. The stories. The underdog. The Game. The commentary.  The commercials.  It's all great fun. However, it's not unusual for me to not even know who is playing until game day. I can get completely caught up in the story of two brothers battling it out in a national championship and never really commit which teams they actually coach to memory. What kind of football fan am I? The kind that is more interested in the stories and what kind of food is being served at the party kind.

Which brings me to my latest post. What did we do for Superbowl? Well, originally we had planned on attending our friends' party. We had an early productive morning. Casey worked on the coop and I finished our grocery shopping. Gavin played endlessly in the backyard. By the time we needed to start getting ready it was clear that, without a nap, Gavin was in no shape for a his first Superbowl party. So we stayed in, but my plan of making baked "buffalo bites" was still a good plan. I stayed the course.

I also saw no reason why I had to endure the confines of my home while my men, dogs, and chickens enjoyed the beautiful pre-game weather. I brought the prep work outside.

Originally adapted from a recipe I found on Pinterest, I subbed crushed tortilla chips in place of corn flakes. I think crushed saltines might be a great substitute as well.

Not the best photos. As you can see, my hands were occupied. Casey was a great sport and took some pics with my phone.

Rolling the balls. The chicken mixture was made with shredded chicken, green onion, cheddar cheese, cream cheese, and hot sauce. See the bottom of this post for the complete list of ingredients and cooking instructions.

While I made the buffalo bites and Casey took a break from throwing the football, Gavin used the chicken coop as his own personal jungle gym.

Breading the balls. Flour, egg, crushed tortilla chips - in that order.

Coating balls in egg.

Tah-dah! Buffalo bites and veggie tray. The perfect treat for our low key Superbowl celebration.

The only thing I wish I would have done is make the ranch dressing. Ranch dressing is never as good as when it is made fresh. Alas, its all I had on hand and I wasn't about to go back to the store on Superbowl Sunday. 

Ingredients:

1 rotisserie chicken, skin discarded (I fed the skin to my dogs), meat shredded
1/2 cup hot sauce (we use Frank's)
1/2-1 cup chopped green onion
4 oz cream cheese
1-2 cups shredded cheddar cheese
3-4 cups crushed tortilla chips or saltine crackers
4 eggs
1 cup flour

Directions:

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Skin the chicken, pull and shred meat off bones. Place in mixing bowl. Mix hot sauce, cream cheese, shredded cheese and green onion  into the chicken. Line cookie sheet with parchment paper. Roll chicken mixture into bite-size balls. I used my hands, but an ice cream scoop or melon scoop would have been a handy tool! Using three separate bowls, coat each ball in flour, egg, and crushed chips. In that order. Place prepared balls in one layer on cookie sheet. Bake for 25 minutes. Yum!

Urban Outdoor Adventure: Barton Creek

Spring is definitely in the air around here. While other parts of the country are covered in ice and snow, we're  breaking out the shorts and t-shirts and gearing up for another warm season adventure extravaganza. Today we took advantage of the phenomenal weather and ventured south to Austin's Barton Creek. Barton Creek cuts through much of the city. It goes for miles and some of Austin's most beloved swimming holes are on this creek - including Barton Springs.

It was warm enough today for the boys to splash around. I was not prepared for that, or I would have made sure both Gavin and I were wearing our water/trail shoes and brought an extra pair of clothes. Like most labs Holly LOVES the water, and being on the trail always energizes Rocky. He is a trail dog for sure. If Holly were a human she would be more of a beach side resort kind of gal - happy to frolic in the water for a while, and then lounge poolside in a cabana.