Happy 4th of July 

from our two little firecrackers! 

So "Angry Bunny" on the right- is that not the cutest thing you've seen! Happy bunny is darling but angry bunny- well it just makes you happy! Anyways we had a wonderful easter! Our holidays have always been busy but adding in a baby makes things busier and even more fun! We enjoyed a quiet morning at home then later headed off to all the grandparents houses for dinner and egg hunting! Nova was of course spoiled rotten by all of her grandparents with an entire easter basket at each of their houses! And we are always grateful our parents still have adult easter egg hunts for us! And Thome of course was thrilled to go around collecting eggs and opening them before all the little ones could pick them up! 

Hands down my favorite thing about labor day weekend- the sheepdog trials. This event has become one of the top sheepdog trials in the world and these dogs are simply amazing! The dogs have 13 minutes to bring 5 wild sheep 700 plus yards down the side of the mountain through a series of gates. They must separate the sheep into 2 and 3 and still maintain control of both groups- then to finish they herd them into a gated corral. The dogs do this only by listening to their owners whistle commands from the bottom of the hill. Its awesome- every year the festival gets bigger and bigger and we enjoy it more and more. After all we are slightly partial to sheepdogs! 

happy independence day... 

 

Sometimes a birthday is best celebrated with fresh powder on a cold mountain side. 

(and here i am checking mr. dogs teeth and eyes- seriously i call him my "lemon"-

 the dog is about as accident prone as they come!) 

We're blessed to have 7 (soon to be 9) little ones in our life. And since we love these little people just about more than anything- we always try to find them memorable christmas presents. This year i came across the idea for fort building kits and i knew thats what we had to do! (seriously growing up we were always building forts- once we made one that covered the entire basement) So I thought i'd share our DYI version of a build your own fort kit! 

Rope (used to tie things- possibly blankets or possibly your siblings )

Lantern (great for reading AND those midnight bathroom breaks) 

S'mores (oh yeah- and so far this little jar of stickiness is getting rave reviews) 

I used chalkboard spray paint for the tops of the mason jars just to make them a little more personal!  

Flat sheet(s) (i sewed heavy ribbon on all the corners and midlines so it could easily be tied to bedposts and dressers- you know the important things)  

Clothes Pins (for added support)   

And we must not forget the most important part of fort building- getting to do it with all the little ones we love!   

If you interested in my tags just leave me a comment with your email and i'd be happy to send them right along! 

Thought i'd share this tasty granola recipe! It makes a wonderful holiday treat/neighbor/co-worker gift! And as an added bonus it makes your house smell so yummy! 

Apple Cinnamon Granola 

 3 1/2 cups old-fashioned rolled oats
1/2 cup ground flax seed
½ cup unsweetened applesauce

1 ½ teaspoons cinnamon

½ teaspoon salt

pinch of ground ginger

½ cup honey

1 cup maple syrup (the real stuff) 

1 cup almonds

½ cup walnuts

1 tablespoon melted coconut oil

Mix all ingredients together in a large bowl until well coated! 

Pour mixture on a cookie sheet lined with parchment paper. Bake at 300 degrees for 50 to 60 minutes. Turn granola over every 15 minutes to prevent burnt edges! 

Cool and enjoy! Its especially yummy with some dried fruit and vanilla yogurt! 

Did you know you cannot take a basketball into Disneyland? Yep- we learned that one the hard way. My word you would have thought we were terrorists with all the fuss we caused over a single basketball! Other than the basketball episode and the typical wet jeans issue after getting drenched on splash mountain we had two fun filled days in happiest place on earth! Oh and california adventure- it might just a little bit better than disneyland! 

(and please excuse the picture quality- they were taken with the good old point and shoot)