I loved the heat wave we had last week, but now I’m back to freezing my cinnamon buns off. I had a friend laughing at me the other day because I think below 50 degrees is too cold to go running. Even if I’m warm from sweating and working hard, I don’t like it if my hands and legs are cold or if my nose is running off my face. I’m trying to get as much outdoor running in as I can before it gets too cold for me. When I’m feeling too lazy to run I’ll add an elevation climb to my route, usually in the woods. The other morning I climbed down this rock face, which looked significantly scarier than this picture lets on. As I was climbing down I had to jump from the final ledge which was about five feet. Don’t worry mom, I didn’t break a thing!
We had an unusually busy weekend. On Friday evening we stopped by the farmer’s market where I befriended the local honey man (although I still can’t get my hands on the honey I want) and picked up some raspberries. We walked down the street to a restaurant so we could let the kids smear peanut butter on someone else’s chairs for a change, and then found our way to a tiny street performance of some local musicians my husband knows.
By the look on that kid’s face you’d think he was about to punk those guys. And by punk I mean perform daredevil stunts involving jumping off a four inch curb over and over while people are trying to listen to their music.
Our city is known for it’s huge Oktoberfest celebration (none of which we really participate in), and it was interesting being downtown with the kids at that time. They loved hearing the music though and they even got some free hot dogs for second supper. This girl wouldn’t stop asking me to take her picture. I’m gonna need some mustard to go with that ham.
On Saturday we drove way too far to pick apples at an orchard and then only took pictures of them with pumpkins. It was unnaturally hot out and everyone ended up pretty tired and crabby. After a little nap we joined my mom and sister’s family at a new-to-me restaurant to celebrate my sister’s birthday (happy birthday Casey!!). The food was great but the service was seriously lacking. If you’ve never made a toddler wait two hours past his normal meal time while strapped to a chair I highly recommend it (I do not).
On Sunday we had a gas leak at our church so we had to meet outside. And of course all I could think of the whole time was that part in Arrested Development where everybody is just lazing around and Michael asks if there is a gas leak in there. We had another birthday to celebrate that afternoon (Jeron’s grandma – 92!) so it was more cake and late naps for the kids. We were excited to just relax around the house that evening and watched The Lego Movie with the kids. A lot of people had said it was really good, which it was, but I think I got my hopes up too high. I enjoyed it but it wasn’t everything I was expecting it to be.
One of the interesting things about eating out with the kids so much over the weekend was it really made me appreciate how different each of their tastes are. Of course at a restaurant they can order whatever they want instead of eating what I make for everyone. Most restaurants offer macaroni and cheese, but I try not to let that be an option every time (because it’s obviously the favorite). It’s just so disappointing to pay $5 a kid to see them split a $1 box of Kraft.
It’s easy to focus on how picky my kids can be, but I’d like to take a minute to appreciate the interesting foods they do enjoy. Lola loves fish in all it’s heart-healthy glory. Fried, baked, or broiled, she loves it. Cas truly appreciates pizza and anything that can be dipped with chips or bread. Strummer loves most vegetables and complex dishes like enchiladas that the other kids won’t touch. He’s definitely my most adventurous eater right now and I hope that doesn’t go away as he gets older.
Speaking of vegetables, I picked up the NutriBullet
I bought for my dad a while back. I’ve been making the kids smoothies (extractions if you ask the instructions) out of leafy greens and fresh fruits. I personally hate smoothies (it’s a texture thing) but so far they’ve been a pretty big hit. Strummer especially gulps them right down and screams until he gets more (it’s a very enduring quality, oh wait no it’s not). Lola and Cas will drink a bit, but I think they just find them novel and fun to have around. I guess a few sips of spinach juice is better than nothing. If you have any good recipes for extractions share them in the comments below, so far I’m just winging it.
I recently found out I’ll be attending MixedCon in November! I had such an amazing time last year and can’t wait to return to the resort. It’s really more like a retreat. If you’re headed there as well let me know so we can meet up! I’ll also be in Kansas City for Chopped in just a few weeks (also very excited!) so let me know if you’ll be there as well!
One final thing, some of our dearest family friends are trying to raise money to adopt a baby. You were all so generous when I shared my dad’s needs that I wanted to extend this page to you if you feel led to help them financially. They are already great parents and are some of the loveliest people I know. They will make an amazing home for a new baby!
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