Thursday, May 26, 2011

simply beautiful

Our family of robins has been quite busy this month of May. The four blue eggs hatched early in the month, and both Mama and Papa robin worked tirelessly for 2 weeks to keep them fed. Then, just a few hours shy of their 2 week birthday, all four babies were out of the nest and hopping into the wild new world of adulthood. I'm so glad we have a bit more time to grow up before we have to fend for ourselves!

These little guys grew so quickly!

Mama's poppies.
I've always wanted a field of poppies.
...but at this point in life, I'm thankful for a flowerbed full. :)

Isn't this orange color jolly?!


These cheerful flowers have been such a sweet sunshine to our front bed. I love seeing how perky they are when the sun shines radiantly. When the skies are grey, they stay closed, patiently waiting for the clear blue sky and sunshine to return.

Another sign of the better days now here is home-made hummus. While my (Erik) cousin, Liz, was visiting recently, we experimented with three new concoctions that all turned out to be quite different, but all very delicious. Here's the run down (I can send more specific recipes if anyone is interested):

Each batch had the same base - garbanzo beans, garlic, lemon and lime juice, tahini, olive oil, water, salt and pepper. The first added roasted red pepper, artichoke hearts, curry and extra lemon and lime juice. This was my favorite.


The second included cucumber, cumin, fresh cilantro and a little yogurt. This gave it a Greek taste and had a much thinner consistency.

The third and final included ricotta cheese, balsamic vinegar and a little extra olive oil and salt. This was Jane's favorite.

Wednesday, May 25, 2011

Portland, ME


Meredith and I just spent 6 lovely days in Portland, ME with our dear friend, Madeleine. :) We had a wonderful time together. Here are some photos of the highlights.


...at a beautiful and very windy beach :)


Meredith entertaining us with her "wide eyes"


bath time = fun for everyone!

Madeleine working wonders in the kitchen making her delicious homemade soup (full of every kind of goodness).

cute Madeleine :)

Fish Market - we ate sooooo well!


Here we are at 158 - the cool, local homemade bagel spot. Wow - so yummy!



Thanks for such a great visit, Maddie!

Sunday, May 22, 2011

Tent

Jane scored a HUGE bargain at a recent yard sale in our neighborhood. Take a guess at what she paid for this practically new Coleman tent. $10? $5? Nope, not even $1. She put down two quarters for what turned into Meredith's play area for the afternoon! Oh, and two camping chairs on the side for another 50 cents. I think we're set.

MJ loved her new home for the afternoon!

"Yeah, I know, I have a pretty sweet pad. Want to come in?"

"What do we have here? I think my lawn needs to be mowed."

"Oh look! My neighbor, Mr. Robin!"


No day is complete without a little peak-a-boo.


Monday, May 16, 2011

Liz comes to town!

Erik's cousin, Liz Nizick came for a visit this past weekend. She hung out with us all day Friday and we had so much fun with her! She got some sweet videos and photos of MJ while she was here, and Meredith absolutely adored her. They scooted around on the floor together for hours!




Meredith is really into tickling right now. So fun! The other day she followed me around the kitchen floor and kept tickling my toes while I prepared dinner! As you can hear in this video, she tries to say, "tickle, tickle, tickle..." when she tickles toes...although it sounds more like, "diddle, diddle, diddle..." :)


Come back soon, Liz! :)

Saturday, May 14, 2011

Saturday with Friends

We are a week behind in our posts! So...these photos are from last Saturday (5/7) actually. We had a lovely day in a beautiful park north of us. Jane and Sherry Clippenger set up their craft/art booth and it was great to have visiting time with Sherry and Tim.



Cheryl, Sammy and Lydia Keifer stopped by during the afternoon - our favorite customers! :)






Later, we spent the evening with our dear friends, Adam and Jenny Deiffenbach. Meredith had a great time chasing their kitties and playing with A and J.

Monday, May 9, 2011

Bath Time

Bath time with MJ has been getting even more fun as she now has hair to play with! Check out these expressions after Daddy pulled those curly locks straight.



Immediately after these photos, we caught on video the sounds MJ has been making quite often recently. Everything seems to have an "Uh-Oh" attached to it, whether it be dropping something, pointing at a bird, or just scooching around the floor.


Saturday, May 7, 2011

Swings

This weekend Meredith had her first swing ride. :) She LOVED it!



...and Erik and I had a lot of fun too!




Hoorah for spring!

Thursday, May 5, 2011

two cuties!

On May 5th, Meredith turned 13 months and her sweet little "boy friend", Vincent DeRienzo turned 5 months. Here they are - all smiles, giggles on their special day.


I still can't get over how Meredith reached for Vincent's hand when we sat her next to him - and she held it for all the photos!!

Thanks for taking these sweet photos, Jenna!