Dear Rose - 19 months

Dear Rose,

My little snugglebun!  What a great month we have had!  We returned from our Hawaiian adventure, recovered from the jet lag, and have enjoyed the last part of August.

On the first weekend in August, we held our annual Farber-Lau BBQ!  Lots of friends, family, and neighbors came to enjoy a beautiful summer afternoon, and we ate delicious food, hung out on the hammock, and talked to everyone.  You had a fun time, running around with all of the other kids, and eating yourself silly.     

You have more words now; my favorite one is cheese!  You say it like this, "cheeeeeeeeeze" and get so excited whenever we offer you some.  You are also saying "shoe" and "doggie".  Tonight we went to the park and you said "play!" very clearly.  We have spent some time on the front porch, too, with the sidewalk chalk and bubbles.  You are learning how to blow bubbles, but they mostly drip on to you!

We have been spending more time in water together, too.  You are sometimes nervous in the water, but it appears that each time we go to the pool, or hang out in the "warm" tub, you become more confident.  We are signed up for swim lessons this fall, Rose!  I hope that you learn to enjoy the water, and how to be safe around it.  The water can be so much fun to play in!  I want you to feel comfortable and confident around it and in it. 

You and I went to Como Zoo and Park and had a great time visiting all the animals.  It was the first time I recall you actually noticing the animals, pointing, talking about them, and showing your excitement to see them.  After the zoo, we went over to the Como Town, where they have rides and you rode the little cars - twice! and the tea cups, too.  At first, you were not sure what to make of this thing, but then, once it started, you were smiling and enjoying the ride.

Sweet Rose, let's enjoy this fall - the fair is coming up, and apple picking, and lots of fun!
All my love,
Mama

30 Days - First Project

My first 30 day project, doing (at least!) one fun thing a day concluded a few days ago.  It was a wonderful experiment, and reminded me to be present during my daily life.  Some days, the fun was spontaneous and just happened as events unfolded, like Day 7, having an afternoon treat at Starbucks and Day 20, going to Hudson to have dinner with Rich.  Those fun things were good reminders that there is always fun to be had, each day.  Other fun things were planned events, and so the anticipation was almost as fun and joy-inducing as the actual event, like the annual Farber-Lau BBQ and my day off with Rose.

Here's a quick list of the 30 fun things.  Whee! 

Day 1:  Dinner with Amy; made a list!
Day 2:  Swimming at neighborhood pool with Rose and Aunt Sarah, followed by a sushi date with Rich.
Day 3:  Hair cut!
Day 4:  Swimming with siblings, Rose, and Rich, followed by nachos!
Day 5:  CSA delivery.
Day 6:  National Night Out in the neighborhood with Rose.
Day 7:  Afternoon Starbucks coffee treat.
Day 8:  Taco night!
Day 9:  Shopping for popsicle molds - power hour!
Day 10:  The Annual Farber-Lau BBQ!
Day 11:  Diner at IKEA with Rich and Rose.
Day 12:  Final lunch of the summer with Sarah.
Day 13:  Winning on my scratch-off Slingo game!
Day 14:  Eating lunch outside, enjoying the sunshine!
Day 15:  Dinner with Breanna, discussing my business idea.
Day 16:  Dinner at Tanpopo with Rich and Rose.
Day 17:  Breakfast with Rich and Rose, winning two games of Scrabble.
Day 18:  Homemade strawberry ice pops!
Day 19:  Hanging out in the "warm" tub with Rose. 
Day 20:  Spontaneous trip to Hudson, WI to have dinner with Rich and Rose.
Day 21:  Lunch on the rooftop of Crave in Minneapolis.
Day 22:  Realizing that Thursday was my Friday!
Day 23:  The entire day with Rose:  we went to the zoo, rode rides, had lunch, napped, went to the pool, dinner at Eddington's, laughed in the hammock, bathtime, books, bed. 
Day 24:  Waking up early, having the house to myself.
Day 25:  Grocery shopping with Rose, seeing how excited she was to ride in the race car shopping cart and have a FREE COOKIE.
Day 26:  Dinner on the patio.
Day 27:  Eating homemade pickles.
Day 28:  Talking with Sarah about teaching a community ed class.  Also, visiting the planners at OfficeMax.
Day 29:  Trip to Costco.
Day 30:  Staying up late to watch a movie with Rich.

Now, the next adventure begins!    

Homemade Strawberry Pops!

This afternoon, I whipped up a batch of homemade strawberry ice pops.  They were delicious and healthy!  Rose devoured one, and then immediately asked for more! 

The recipe:
Homemade Strawberry Ice Pops
Into the blender or food processor toss:
2 cups strawberries, hulled and cut into quarters
Lemon juice (about 1/2 a lemon's worth)
3 T sugar

Blend it together - add a little water if needed to get the blender going.  When ready, pour into molds (or paper cups).  Freeze.  A few hours later - enjoy!  (You may need to run warm water over the mold to loosen them).

Yum!