Sunday photo

Our little garden

I'm pretty proud of our little garden this year. The seeds we planted in May have become beautiful, lush plants. (Confession…I bought tomato and basil seedlings at our local garden center. The rest…from the seeds the girls planted.)

Click, keeping watch from behind the fence

So much pesto in our future

Future baby tomatoes

Mani-Pedi

Or, wait…should I call it a "Granny-Pedi"??  Sorry, Mom. I couldn't help it! ;)

We invited my parents over for dinner Sunday night. While Kyle grilled kabobs, my mom and the girls painted their toenails. Super cute to watch the three of them.

Sunday photo

Lego bomb

Pajama shorts

I've been sewing lots of pajama shorts around here these days. 

These two pairs are the girls' favorites…

Star Wars on the left and 

"Keep Calm and Eat Bacon" on the right.

Evening ride around the block

We don't have air conditioning. It's been HOT the past couple of days. Last year, Kyle found a great way to cool the family off before going to bed…a golf cart ride around the block. It's kind of nice to spent 20 minutes together, air blowing through our hair, winding down before heading off to dreamland.

Sunday photo

Sunset from Uncle Ben's backyard

Recipe: Quinoa Wraps

These have become a favorite. The recipe can be found here at Marine Mama Cooks. I've made these for dinner, then had enough left over that Kyle and I both ate a wrap for lunch for the next three days. Best of all, they are really, really versatile. I've replaced veggies I didn't have, added a few extra that we did have (sweet corn anyone?) and they turn out great every time. One suggestion…they are a bit spicy with the full tablespoon of crushed red pepper, our spice-loving girls couldn't eat them that hot. I've cut back to a teaspoon. (It's easy to sprinkle the peppers on your individual wrap or shake on some hot sauce. No use making the girls sweat through dinner!)

Big pan of everything before the quinoa cooks

Big pan of everything after the quinoa cooks

The recipe doesn't call for it, but I like to add a grilled chicken breast

Cilantro…it's a tie between cilantro and basil for favorite fresh herb smell

Add a little cheese, sour cream or Greek yogurt, maybe some Tabasco

Yummm…

Josie and Kenai Run-A-Muck

Josie's best friend, Kenai, invited her to run the Run-A-Muck kids' 1-mile obstacle race last Sunday. I really wanted to watch the two of them run down trails, jump over fallen trees and jump through mud pits, but I had an obligation at church that morning. Thankfully, Kenai's mom took a couple of pictures as well as a great video of the big mud pit/hill climb. Looks like they had so much fun!

Josie (left) with great form and even better running outfit!
Kenai, in black, running just ahead.

The best part of the race? Katie texted to say that once through the mud pit and over the hill, the girls held hands and ran through the finish line together. They placed fifth place at the same time, so each of them brought home a trophy. Sweet little kiddos!

World Record Sundae

Arial shot taken by the LFD

Ellie loves reading the Guinness Book of World Records, so when we had the opportunity to be a part of a world record attempt…we took it!

Last Saturday we drove up to Ludington to help The House of Flavors build a half-mile long ice cream sundae. (You can read about the "not-official-yet" record here.) Our group of seven (our family, Kyle's mom, and two of the neighbors) was divided between two tables – two Scoopers and five Toppers. Amy and I were Scoopers and had five minutes to empty one of those giant ice cream containers (the type you see at the ice cream shop) over 4' of sundae. Next up, Kyle had an 8lb. container of chocolate that he poured over 8' of ice cream while Jessica, Zack, Ellie and Josie covered it all in whipped cream (in less than a minute!) The final step was a cherry place on top every 12" or so.

Once the entire sundae was built we waited for the officials to video document the entire half mile of dessert before we could dish it out to the more than 12,000 hungry people that were hovering behind us. We spent two hours waiting for the assembly, five minutes putting it together, then ten minutes dishing it out. Intense, but so fun!

Our sundae-building group: Ellie, Josie, me, Kyle, Amy, Zack and Jessica

Waiting for our supplies

We have ice cream…waiting for the horn!