garden update

We have reason to believe the "required space" per plant as allotted on the back of the seed packages was not quite accurate...either that or this once pig pen is creating a steroid effect on our garden.  Either way it is awesome...and slightly unmanageable at the same time.

aaron trying to make sense of the butternut & delicata squash

a view from the butternut patch

quite possibly 100+ tomatillos per plant...or little green lanterns as isabelle called them today.
can someone say salsa verde??

all these veggies is giving us crazy eyes...demonstrated here by isabelle
swiss chard spanakopita (replacing the spinach w/ chard) tomorrow night...

yes.  3 plants each of summer squash and zucchini is far too much for this family.
but don't worry, we are determined to eat or freeze it ALL.

squash leftovers 3 different ways.  grilled, stuffed & gratin (winged).

holy. amazingness.
chocolate zucchini cake

Beach babies

Just a few pictures of the kids enjoying the sun and the salty air. Summer beach days are a beautiful (and tiring) thing with little humans!

Happy Birthday Maggie!

On Isabelle's 4th birthday her best pal from Idaho, Miss Maggie, posted a video on her mama's blog for her - it was is super special and to this day Isabelle loves to go back and watch it (you can check it out here).  Today is Maggie's 4th birthday and Isabelle (and I) wanted to return the favor with a video just for Maggie on her 4th birthday.  

Happy Birthday Maggie, we hope you have a fantastic birthday and we miss you so SO much!

Keep your eyes out in the next few days for a package!!

xo,

Isabelle & family

Pickled

The garden is producing faster than consumption abilities.... Especially with Aaron out of town (he is in costa rica chasing monkeys... Yes really...). So what to do with the surplus? Pickle and pesto it! Sounds like a theme song in my head... Below: pickled radish, zucchini & summer squash, and cucumbers. I think I also made my most favorite pesto yet... Mixed greens, arugula, garlic, toasted almonds, olive oil, s&p, lemon juice and nutrition yeast (we were out of parm)....so so so good. We are in Rhode Island for the next week and can't begin to imagine the piles of veggies that we will be returning to...thankfully someone will be picking for us every other day so I don't come home to base ball bat zucchinis...

Oh dear...

Insert big mama sigh here.....

7 months and the milk saga...

Owen showing off plank

that goofy tongue

...chasing sister (not really crawling yet...one of his legs still doesn't get it...but my...so close!)

Not much new to report...creeping, trying to crawl, pulling himself up, enjoying a few pushups...this is our 7 month old boy.  So yes, my milk saga continues.  I have written 2 posts about it but decided not to share until I could refrain from wanting to type multiple profanities.  It was a bad month.  Long story short...Owen went in for his 6 month appointment and had barely gained 3 ounces in 2 months (not good for babies) and at the same time I could tell he was not being fulfilled at all by nursing (side note...owen still really just is face painting with solids...no real appreciable calorie intake is going on).  Milk supply was down again...and seemingly just getting worse...he wouldn't sleep at night for more than an hour....and this went on for a few days.  Thankfully my pediatrician, who know I'm really committed to nursing for the first year, recommended I take domperidone (a drug not approved by the FDA but widely used in canada & europe to boost lactation).  And it worked...after a few days my supply was back up, Owen still barely accepting solids and after 2 weeks we went in for a weight check and he gained almost a pound!  This was great.  As the doctor and I chatted Owen creeped all over the room, from one thing to the next, she told me that in all her years she had only seen 4 other babies move the way he does at this age.  It is no wonder he isn't gaining...he just never stops moving.  There is no lack in development...Owen...may not be growing like all the others but he sure is moving like he is a few months older than he is.  We are not suprised ... Owen has always been wide awake and ready to go...

look out dive team...here she comes!

new goggles

Isabelle got a pair of goggles today and hasn't taken them off...  Only if they are extremely fogged up will she let me remove them from her head so I can clean them and put them promptly back on...  You see, Miss Isabelle, is in no way shape or form about to stick her head under water but hates water being splashed in her eyes.  And yes, goggles protect our eyes...so it dawned on mama today that going to the river or lake might be just a tad more enjoyable if she had some "eye protection" from the incidental splashes of other kids and adults.  And boy was mama right!  Isabelle seemed to have a bit more confidence today at the river, plunging in without worrying about her eyes...and even asking about the mechanics behind dunking her head under water (not trying quite yet but thinking about it!).  She also got a set of dollar floaties to go around her arms and thoroughly enjoyed them.  She went just a bit deeper (with mama by her side of course) and was full of giggles over her new pink plastic "arm muscles".