long weekend.

We are having a sort of sunny, sort of cloudy long weekend here in Moscow.  Despite the weather the weekend has been filled with lots of things so far.  Saturday morning we did lots of gardening... harvesting lettuce, spinach, and tons of kale.  We have decided to par boil the kale and freeze it as we just can't keep up with it (and think it will come in handy for hearty winter soups).  The broccoli has just started to flower, cabbage is starting to get huge, and just about everything else we planted has started to sprout or take off (carrots, beets, potatoes, onions, garlic, radishes, brussel sprouts, snap peas, green beans, swiss chard, fennel, tomatoes, cucumbers...I think that might be it all).  This year Aaron started almost all our plants from seed in the basement (aside from the few tomato plants we bought at the farmers market).  It sounds like a lot, and well it is a little of a lot... we can't wait for the day when we have a huge garden...  In the mean time we (mostly Aaron) are working hard to get the most out of our garden space, doing cold hearty veggies for a longer growing season and harvesting and replacing plants as soon as we can.

broccoli

lettuce and a bushy beard

while she may currently be obsessed with pink, purple, tutus, ballerinas and princesses she is not afraid to get muddy...thank goodness

Saturday morning we also had our first visit with our midwife, Sue, and we were able to hear the baby's heart beat.  Isabelle was really excited to hear the baby (we didn't bring her to the ultrasound so this was her first "encounter" with baby).  She tested my blood and pee for iron and ketones/proteins/sugars etc.  Everything looked great aside from the fact that she could tell I'm not drinking enough water... I suppose I will have to work on that...

Isabelle showing off her new crocs... they turn purple in the sun

thanks grammy & grampy!

peonies about to burst

and Saturday continues... we found a deal we couldn't pass up on craigslist for a double chariot and once we found out it was still available (they go very quickly so we are learning) we rushed up to Spokane to pick it up.  We are sooooo thrilled to have found exactly what we wanted used and for a lot less then what we would have spent on it brand new.  It even came with all the attachments (jogger, bike hitches, and an infant insert for when baby comes along).  For now Isabelle shares the extra space with her stuffed kitties and blanket.  We decided that since we were up in Spokane we would check out Riverfront park and put the chariot to work.  She works great!  We love our small Maclaren stroller but it just isn't the best on rough bumpy and uneven surfaces.  Isabelle even got to go on the merry-go-round 2 times and to my delight it is an old merry-go-round, not as old as the Watch Hill one but equally charming with rings to catch and beautifully painted horses with real horse hair tails.

if you look closely you can see the tutu that Isabelle mysteriously came home with from Maggie's house... it has been under all of her outfits this week...

the chariot

Sunday morning we hitched up the chariot to Aaron's bike for her maiden voyage.  We were getting ready to set off to meet our friends Laura & Karen for some breakfast at the new (delicious) breakfast place downtown, Bloom, when I grabbed my helmet and pulled it over my head and.... crunch... rush of heat and pain to my shoulder and lower neck....oh NO!  Yes, I managed to really do a doozy on my shoulder.  Usually I can manage the recurring shoulder injury with ibuprofen and ice but unfortunately with baby in the belly the former is just not possible.

So here I am (Monday morning) still as stiff as a bored and grouchy to boot.  I am hoping tomorrow I can find a massage therapist in town to give my upper back and neck some love (where is Judy when I need you!...oh right close to 3000 miles away...hmph).

For now I plan to spend the day on the couch with an ice pack and soak up the smells of freshly baked bread coming from our kitchen.  Not too bad.

Hope you all have a wonderful long weekend!

and then there were 4

Many of you have already heard the big news but we are pleased to announce that we are expecting baby #2 in early December - which makes me just over 12 weeks at the moment.

Aaron and I went out for mexican food prior to the ultrasound and we think the baby liked it... he/she was dancing all over the place!

Pregnancy thus far has been different...  I have felt continuously nauseous and overwhelmingly tired.  And well the only "cure" to the nausea is eating so I have also put on a few pounds I'm not so crazy about.  Good news is it seems the nausea is starting to go away and I am feeling a little more energy every day now.

Pregnancy is also very different this time because it was planned!  While Isabelle was the biggest surprise of the century and also the most wonderful gift we could have ever asked for she was not exactly planned (not that we would ever change a thing!!!).  There is a subtle sense of calmness and confidence about having this baby that Aaron and I are both really appreciating at the moment.

Isabelle isn't too sure what to think yet.  She seems to think the baby should be a girl so she can have a baby sister and sometimes just ignores us when we talk about it.  And sometimes when she is silly or making herself laugh she tells me that the baby is laughing too...

We are also choosing to have a very different birth this time around, for lots of different reasons (that maybe I will divulge into some other time).  Aaron and I have chosen to have a planned home birth with this baby with the help of a midwife (hopefully none of you are gasping for air...).  We are really excited for the opportunity to have a birth our way in the comfort of our home (and for those of you that might of gasped a little... don't worry there is a hospital less than 2 miles away).

friends.

I have been very busy these past few days but wanted to post a picture of these two that Melissa captured yesterday while she watched Miss Isabelle for us.

friends, blankies, and lots of smiles

Thank goodness for friends.

...does that make sense?

I finally finished a sweater for Isabelle I started this past fall... it came out really well other than the fact that it is far to big for her.  Which isn't really a problem, just means that it will be tucked away until she grows a bit (maybe a year or two...).  The pattern is from Reynolds Kid's Collection Hopscotch and I bought the yarn at CDA Yarn & Fiber... and can't seem to locate one of the yarn tags...once I do will note the brand of yarn.

Isabelle reluctantly agreeing to let me try it on her for just a minute...

Another good reason it doesn't fit:  Isabelle only likes purple colored clothing at the moment and in her own words "mama I don't really like blue, sorry, I like purple... does that make sense?" (she is on the "does that make sense" kick lately... I suppose Aaron and I use that one a lot on her)

*sigh*... well hopefully in another year she will love teal as much as I do...

and now onto smaller projects...Happy Friday!

cinnamon swirl bread, bok choy, ice cream...oh my!

Yesterday was a great day for Isabelle and I.  We walked all the way to Co-op Kids (it took us close to 25 minutes...she refused to let me take the stroller) and enjoyed making art with beans and grains.  After making her mosaic, Isabelle sat with her friend Maggie and they chatted over cinnamon swirl bread while I helped some of the other children and made sure supplies were fresh.

photo courtesy Melissa (Maggie's mama)

We then happily hitched a ride home with our friend Rebekka (25 minutes downhill would have been potentially a long trip back up the hill).  I harvested 5 or 6 heads of bok choy from the garden and prepared a lunch-to-go.  We jumped in the stroller (Isabelle decided it would be ok to take it this time) and headed to Maggie's house for a play date (yes the two are inseparable).  The girls ate their lunch, played with markers and jumped on the couch...and afterwards we went home for a well needed rest (by mama and Isabelle).

For dinner we made a stir fry, with what else...? Bok Choy!  And man it was delicious!  We love using veggies grown right out of our backyard!

Chicken stir fry w/ bok choy and shitake mushrooms

...served over buckwheat udon noodles...my mouth is watering just looking at it

------------------------------------

Recipe:

2 heads bok choy (about a 1 lb) sliced thin (looks like a lot but wilts down)

1 cup shitake mushrooms sliced thin

1 chicken breast sliced thin (pork, tofu, or tempeh would be equally delicious in this as well)

1 package of buckwheat udon noodles

Canola oil or vegetable oil for sauteing 

Sauce:

3/4 cup chicken or veggie stock

3 tbs oyster sauce

2 tbs honey

1.5 tbs rice wine vinegar

1 tbs soy sauce

1 tbs corn starch

1 tbs fresh minced ginger

1 tbs fresh minced garlic

Put on some water to boil your noodles and cook according to package directions.  Combine sauce ingredients and whisk together, set aside.  In a wok or large pan add enough oil to cover and saute chicken until cooked through.  Remove chicken, add a little more oil and add mushrooms and cook for about a minute.  Add bok choy and cook until wilted (stirring occasionally) about 3-4 minutes.  Add your chicken back into the mix, stir the sauce again and then pour it in.  Bring to to a simmer and cook, stirring occasionally for another minute or so.

Serve over your udon noodles and sprinkle with toasted sesame seeds if you have them. Yum!

This recipe has been adapted from a few different recipes I found online... so I think I can sort of call it my own...

------------------------------------

After dinner we headed to JoAnne's Fabric for a jean patch for aaron's pants - $3 dollar fixes...gotta love them.  And well since we were in the vicinity, we got some ice cream.  Apparently a double scoop means an ice cream the size of my face.... and for those who know me well that was no problem at all...

yum...

A walk in the woods...

We had an amazing hike this past weekend at Kamiak Butte, a small county park with a great 3.5 mile hike that gives awesome panoramic views of the Palouse (at the top we were at about 3,600 ft...keeping in mind we are already at about 2,000 ft above sea level).  We decided to forgo Isabelle's backpack and see how far we got... and well believe it or not she hiked almost the entire way (yeah...3.5 miles)!  Not only did we have stellar views of the Palouse but we saw tons of wildflowers.  I think the flowers fueled Isabelle's feet- she happily trotted along pointing out all the flowers along the way.

Larkspur (?)

Shooting Stars (Dodecatheon alpinum)

Arrowleaf Balsamroot (Balsamorhiza sagittata)

Western Wake Robin (Trillium ovatum)

Indian Paint Brush (Castilleja applegatei)

Blue Bells (Mertensia oblongifolia)

Grass Widows (Sisyrinchium inflatum)

Glacier Lillies (Erthonium graniflorum)

Fairy Slipper (Calypso bulbosa)

Isabelle & a view of the Palouse

Isabelle & Daddy love

p.s. if I have misidentified any of the flowers above let me know!

New Hair Cut!

Yesterday Isabelle got a haircut!  She sat perfectly still in the chair while the gal at the hair dressers cut her hair, let's just say the first time didn't go as smoothly....  Even though I said shoulder length and it came out chin length I would declare the cut a success!

Isabelle was pleased too...

Yesterday started out crummy but ended with some sunshine we tried to enjoy.  The trees are starting to leaf out and the grass is green.  All is good.

Furio trying desperately to ignore me.

Happy Friday!

Tuesdays

Tuesdays tend to be busy days for Isabelle and I.  Even though it is my "day off" it is always filled with lots of fun things to do that can tend to be sort of exhausting.
Every Tuesday we start our day with  Co-op Kids.  Co-op kids is a weekly "Waldorf-ishy inspired" craft time at the Moscow Food Co-op.  We not only attend but we volunteer!  As of September, Isabelle and I became the official co-op kids assistants and help set up the craft and clean up.  It has been an awesome way to meet other moms and kiddos in Moscow and a great way to get a kick-butt discount at our favorite grocery/life store.  You can even check out an article the co-op news letter did on us a few months ago here.

Isabelle and her felt necklace at Co-op Kids (this past winter)

After co-op kids we decided to have a lunch/play date with Isabelle's friend Maggie.  We had a nice picnic out in the back yard followed by the girls playing doll/kitty (Isabelle's not so into dolls these days... she uses all her dolly items to pamper her stuffed kitties) and kicking an old ball around.

Isabelle & Magnolia

Nap time was followed by a delicious burrito dinner that we shared with our friends the McClory's.  The weather was just perfect to have an outside dinner and the kiddos all played hard (and slept hard).  Sorry no pictures of that, we inhaled the food all too quickly.  I'm still learning to pull my camera out more often.

Post # 1...

Welcome!  This is our first official post!  I never thought I would be a "blogger" and don't really intend to be one.  Instead I'm calling this our online diary.  A place where the Weed (/Macglaflin) family can stick pictures from our week and recap on all those silly things that happened - many of which I forget when talking to people on our once a week, month, year phone call.

Isabelle sniffing some tulips

Our first official harvest - lots of lettuce

Aaron working in the garden

Bok choy!

Meow!

As you can see we have been busy getting ready for spring, even though Moscow seems to be holding back on us right now, trying to take some time to enjoy flowers, and well of course being a pink and purple cat is one of Isabelle's most favorite things in the world.