A Vegan Thanksgiving

So, I recently went vegan. It's been over a month now and I feel terrific. I'll save listing my many reasons for doing this, but I will try to convince you that it is a delicious way to live. So, what does a vegan Thanksgiving look like? Here you go :) I had to start with dessert first, so look above.

Roasted Brussell Sprouts
courtesy Ina Garten

Wild Rice Salad
courtesy Ina Garten

Butternut Squash and Pear Soup
courtesy of my dear friend Kim

Add some vegan mashed potatoes, and yams
(made by my amazingly accommodating friends Scott and Marissa)
and what does this all add up to?

One happy little family....Daddy, we know you would have loved it too!
Happy Thanksgiving!

Are Blogs Out?

Did I miss the blog trend completely? No one seems to be updating frequently anymore. Is the trend dying out, or is it that everyone is just insanely busy? Not sure what the answer is. Well, cute Mom, and sisters, my loyal blog supporters, here are some updated photos of the children as well as a low down on life at our house.

The past week has been, well, hard. With Thanksgiving fast approaching though, I am reminded of all that I have to be grateful for. A daughter who yells "I want a new Mommy!" and stomps out of the room because she has the ability to talk and the ability to walk. A son who says "No!" and pulls my earrings out, or pulls my pants down out of frustration because he has words and strength. Toilets to clean, floors to mop, and laundry to fold because I have a home. Groceries to buy, fruits and veggies to wash, and recipes to follow because I have food to eat.

I am learning on a daily basis of the many blessings I have in my life. They are poured out like waterfalls at times, or trickle slowly around me, but they are there. Here are just a few of those blessings captured on film.....

Happy Thanksgiving from Rapunzel and our little Honeybee :)

Utah!

We are here! It has been a great visit so far with the following milestones:

Cole:
- made it through 6 and half hours on an airplane without completely falling apart (just partially)
- is saying "fish, cookie" and "shhhhhh"
- has eaten almost a whole watermelon rind
- has slurped lemonade off of concrete (not his lemonade by the way)
- is driving a car
- has put one toe into a swimming pool
- has discovered the lazy boy car seat in Grandpa's car is way more comfy than his own!

Lily:
- made it through 6 and a half hours on an airplane without "losing her lunch" as in flights past :)
- completed Fairy Dance Camp
- has heard the "snap, crackle, and pop" from her bowl of rice krispies cereal
- has successfully experienced the good ol' slip 'n slide for the second time
- has discovered the power of her words by telling me tonight "I wish I had a different Mommy!"
- has roasted a marshmallow to perfection in Grandma and Grandpa Roberts' back yard (then proceeded to smack Mommy in the head with the marshmallow stick leaving nice ooey gooey marshmallow in Mommy's hair)
- has watched Disney's Tarzan a total of 8 times already

This pretty much sums up how we feel about being here...and it's only been two weeks!

Lily's Tea Party! She is Four!

She turned four! Four years ago, life changed forever as we welcomed little Elna Lily into our lives. She was so excited for her birthday and is very interested in what it means to be 4!

We started off the day with breakfast and presents in bed....

Then we were off to the fish store to get Flippy! Our new pet....a beautiful pink beta fish!

One of her favorite gifts was her huge bubble wand! She could have played with that all afternoon. And thank you for the darling butterfly dress Grandma Suzi!

We ended the day with a special dinner out for Lily!
She was so excited about the mammoth piece of chocolate cake!

Again, our amazing friend Michelle pulled through to make Lily's beautiful cake!!!
Perfect for a tea party!

Look at our fancy ladies at tea!!

She blew out her candles in one little Lily breath!!

We love you Lily! Happy Birthday to our little one, who isn't so little any more!

Aunt Monica Comes For a Visit!

We love all of our Aunts and Uncles and were so blessed to have a visit from Aunt Monica this last weekend! Cole was smitten and kind of had a crush we think!

We took Monica to Brookside Gardens and we were so overwhelmed by the azalea bushes!

After 5 minutes of walking uphill, Lily was pooped!

A picnic on the Mall! How perfect!

We had such a wonderful time with you Mon! We miss you already!

Easter x 2!

Yes, it is true....the Easter Bunny visited our house twice this year! He came one week early while our Daddy was still in town, then again the next week
(thanks to Grandma Debbie leaving some extra Easter treats for the kids!).

You would think this photo was of our second Easter, but no, this was the first! Priceless expression on our Lily!

Cole was more interested in the Easter grass, but this bunny on wheels was quite fascinating too!

Yeah for Easter!

We stayed pretty busy Easter weekend (you have to pack the days in when you are adjusting to the first weekend of many without Daddy for a bit.....)
So, we dyed eggs.....

Made delicious sugar cookies....

Made a beehive cake....

...and to top it all off, indulged in a yummy Easter feast!!!

We had a wonderful holiday and are so grateful for the true meaning of Easter.
We love you and miss you Daddy!

(you gotta love self timers...Cole, not so much)

Cole is One!!!!

One year ago our little buddy joined our family!

Over the past twelve months, I have learned some things about my little boy....

1. He throw things, instinctively
2. He eats, and eats, and eats
3. He loves to cuddle
4. He loves the box of Efferdent in the bathroom (don't ask why I have Efferdent)
5. His favorite place in the world is Lily's room

Our good friend Michelle made his cake....one big one for the family, and a special little cake just for the birthday boy! We think Michelle should enter the Food Network's cake competitions!

Not so sure about the party hat, but LOVE the cake!!!

The best part about being a parent :)

Super Target....not so super

So, remember that great scene in You've Got Mail when Kathleen Kelly (Meg Ryan) is in the big Fox Books store eavesdropping on an ignorant sales clerk?

I had such an experience yesterday. Target has a book section you know. I thought, maybe, just maybe, they have Jane Eyre. It is a classic, and new movie.....

One employee tried to help me without luck. She then spoke to another employee, a young man. This was their exchange:

"Hey, do we have Jane Eyre?"

"Who?"

"Jane Eyre."

"Whose that?"

"No, it's a book!" (the employee and I said this at the same time).

"Oh, what? I don't know books dude!"

I was laughing my head off. The first employee then said to me, "You know there is a Barnes and Noble right around the corner."

Right, I thought. So much for my one stop shopping at Super Duper Target.

I wish I could go to Kathleen Kelly's Shop Around the Corner :)

Family Photos

Yeah for professional photographers, and amazing ones at that!

We had an incredible experience the weekend before Ryan took off with Stacey from Labor of Love Photography. If this sounds like a testimonial, it is. We highly, highly recommend her to anyone in our area! I only wish she lived closer to everyone I love. She captured our family perfectly and helped us create amazing memories that we will never forget.

Here are some of our favorites. Enjoy!

There are about 145 pictures total...you may just see a few more show up here from time to time! Happy weekend to all and to all a good day :)