Helping Families to Connect and Thrive

2019 Eagle Crest Vacation Highlights

08.18.19

Hot sun, desert walks, lizards, snakes, deer, raccoons, rock collecting, swimming, eating, cocktails, roasting marshmallows, board games, new nicknames, laughing, laughing, and MORE laughing! Our getaway to Eagle Crest in two words: summer perfection. The very best part was sharing all of this goodness with our very dear friends. Thank you, Hansons! Time with you is always effortless, hilarious, and so good for our hearts!

How cheerful are the kids’ Sunshine Maker t-shirts?! They are so perfect for the summer, and I feel like they’ll add a little extra brightness to the gloomier winter days that will be here before we know it. We seriously love all the shirts and pullovers The Wishing Elephant creates!

It’s safe to say that Cole was completely tuckered out after our desert walk and ready for his nap!

“Pay baseball?”
Our little slugger is obsessed with the new t-ball set his Nana got him and it is super fun to watch him play (or “pay” as he says) with it. He’s pretty left hand dominant with most things, but already appears to be a switch hitter!

These two.
This moment.
It makes me a puddle of mom mush.
Seeing them together like this brings me more joy than I ever knew possible! They genuinely love spending time together and their bond grows stronger every day. I never ever want to forget the way they interact at this stage. The way Cole lights up when he sees Isla each morning. How much Isla enjoys reading to Cole. The sweetness in his face when he asks, “Snuggle I-ya?” The sparkle in her eye when she proudly tells others she “speaks Cole” and interprets words they don’t understand.
They have their own routines and inside jokes. They snuggle, dance, and chant, “Ready? Set? Charge!” before racing down every long hallway they encounter.
These two. They are something special.

When we’re at the park I search for a long, thin bark chip to hand to Cole so he can pretend it is a key.

We enjoyed lots of pool time during this trip, and our little mermaid learned to float! We haven’t spent much time in the water this past year, so that really put a halt on Isla’s swimming progress. We were super excited to see her exhibit such bravery with a skill that she has always found scary. This accomplishment has her feeling totally inspired to keep learning, so she is already looking forward to swimming lessons this fall!

We caught Cole sneaking supplies while we were roasting marshmallows for our brickle s’mores. This kid never misses an opportunity!

Also, have any of you ever roasted marshmallows over your grill? It works quite well if you don’t have access to a campfire!

How many of you are able to plan trips with your best friends? We set aside time every summer to travel with friends and go on girls’ or guys’ getaways. There is something magical that happens when you spend time with your closest people outside of the routine of your everyday lives. The adventures are more exciting, the conversations are richer, and the laughter comes from deeper in your belly.

Peachy Keen Breakfast Popsicles

08.16.19

Last summer we came up with the idea of making breakfast popsicles for Isla and Cole. They provide the same nutritional benefits as their morning smoothies, but in popsicle form, so our kiddos think they are getting a big treat! Plus, they are super easy to whip up. Win-win-win!

We’ve been experimenting with different breakfast popsicles this summer and the Peachy Keen is a favorite for all of us. Busting with sweet peach and strawberry flavors and accented by a hint of creaminess from the yogurt, it is a hard combination to beat! Isla loves to help add the ingredients to the blender, and is eager to enjoy any leftovers in smoothie-form once the popsicle molds are filled.

Peachy Keen Breakfast Popsicles:
2 C frozen peaches
1 C strawberries
1 ripe banana
1/2 C oats
1/4 C whey protein powder
1/2 C plain full fat yogurt
1/2 C unsweetened almond milk
3/4 C peach juice (we used the Simply Peach juice)

Add all ingredients to a blender and puree until smooth. Fill popsicle holders according to their individual instructions and put in the freezer to harden. We make ours in the afternoon or evening so they are ready for the next morning. Enjoy any leftover Peachy Keen mix as a smoothie! YUM!

National S’mores Day!

08.10.19

National S’mores Day just a day after National Book Lover’s Day?! How did these days celebrating two of our favorite things both manage to sneak up and surprise us? Well, we are on top of things for 2020– both celebrations are now marked on our family calendar!

In honor of National S’mores Day we are excited to share a favorite new s’mores recipe we created in honor of our recent Goonies Day, and inspired by Sloth’s famous candy bars– Baby Ruth!

Baby Ruth S’Mores Ingredients:

Chocolate graham crackers
Marshmallows
Chocolate bar
Caramel Sauce (recipe below)
Salted peanuts, chopped

Caramel Sauce:

This caramel sauce is super easy to make, and unbelievably tasty! Trust us when we say it is worth it to make this from scratch.

1 C granulated sugar
6 T butter (broken into 2 T chunks for easier melting)
1/2 C heavy whipping cream

To make the caramel sauce, heat sugar in a small pot over medium high heat. As sugar begins to melt and caramelize begin to stir. Once all of the sugar is melted, amber in color and free of lumps, add butter to the pan and continue stirring. The mixture will bubble and may even feel like it is seizing up, but don’t worry. Just keep stirring, just keep stirring… After the butter has been incorporated, turn off heat and slowly add the cream. Stir caramel until smooth and then set aside to cool. We recommend putting the cooled caramel in the fridge for a half an hour or so before you make your s’mores so that it can set up a bit.

Baby Ruth S’mores:

To assemble the s’mores, spread a spoonful of caramel on one half of your chocolate graham cracker and spread it evenly to all the edges. Sprinkle chopped salted peanuts over the caramel. Lay a piece of chocolate over the peanuts and caramel. Next add your roasted marshmallow, and top with another half of chocolate graham cracker. Trust us, this recipe will have you shouting, “Hey yooooou guuuuys– this is so good!”

Favorite Summer Books For Kids

08.10.19

We just discovered that today is National Book Lover’s Day! How fun is that?! Being a family who definitely LOVES books, we thought we would share some of our very favorite summer picture books!

Honey. Our absolute FAVORITE new book! A charming story about the sweetest bear experiencing summer as he patiently waits for his favorite sweet treat. Cole is crazy about the book and Cole loves to recite the honey descriptors along with us as we read– “spicy, sweet, aromatic…”– it is just the cutest! (Leaves features the same bear during his first fall and we also adore this story!)

Jabari Jumps. The story of a young boy who works to overcome his fear of jumping off the diving board thanks to his father’s tender reassurance and his own bravery. One of Isla’s very favorite stories!

Stories from Bug Garden. Perhaps the most endearing collection of whimsical stories that we have on our bookshelves! Each little bug’s personality is unique and captivating, and the illustrations are beyond darling. This is a frequently enjoyed book all spring and summer in our household and Isla has memorized the vast majority of it, word for word!

And Then Comes Summer. When poetry and childhood nostalgia come together to create a story this is what you get. Absolutely lovely– I swear I can smell the hear the thrum of a lawn mower and feel the sun on my shoulders whenever I read this book!

Pairs! In the Water. This lift-the-flap matching book is filled with the sweetest illustrations and darling poems about each underwater animal and their habitat. In addition to the matching the animals under flaps, readers are encouraged to identify the odd one out, and find a certain number of additional creatures within each illustration. Pairs! In the Garden is another favorite of ours as well. We love these books and frequently check on Amazon to see if any new titles in this series have been released!

Let it Shine. This is one of a 4-book series that highlights the magic and excitement of each season. Each book follows the same rhyming pattern. We have all four books and love them all!

The Bear Ate Your Sandwich. The cutest book ever. Period.

We have started a new Pinterest account where you can see more of our Favorite Summer Books for Kids! Come and follow along with us!

2019 Summer Fun Leaves

08.09.19

Our summer has been filled to the brim with focused family time and fun activities with our loved ones! This season happens to be our busiest work-wise as well, so we chose a very intentional method to make plenty of time for ourselves to enjoy these sunny months: we created a summer fun list and displayed it as a tree on Isla’s door! We have found the act of writing goals significantly increases our chances of achieving them, and having them displayed in a place we see them regularly keeps them in the forefront of our minds.

We’re excited to share more below about how we develop our list items, the simple steps for making a Summer Fun List Tree, and what’s on our list this year!

To make the tree I bought a roll of brown kraft paper from the Dollar Store. I sketched a tree with pencil, outlined in brown marker, cut it out, and used rolls of tape to attach it to Isla’s door.

To make the leaves Isla painted a green watercolor wash on watercolor paper (this is our favorite!). Once dry, I used my Silhouette Machine to cut out the leaf shapes. You could easily hand cut the leaves if you don’t have access to a Silhouette.

Isaac did all of the beautiful hand lettering and designs on the leaves, and we LOVE looking at them! In addition to being beautiful little pieces of art, we have found the drawings helps Isla (who cannot yet read) understand the meaning of each leaf on her own. You certainly don’t have to take your own leaves to this level, but if you also enjoy the process it can be a really fun way to exercise your creativity and design skills. Simply writing the words, a basic drawing, or having your kids write and decorate the leaves are great options as well.

When creating our list at the end of spring, we all work together. We included Cole in the process this year, even though he is not yet able to contribute, because we want him to experience involvement at whatever level he is able to understand. He had fun listening to us excitedly share ideas and chimed in on words he understood– “popsicle” being one of them!

We work to make our list well-rounded, but I’ll be real honest with you and admit that the summer treats portion is usually the first area of inspiration for our family! Ha! In addition to listing favorite food items we hope to make and enjoy, we make a list of places we want to visit, events we would like to attend, things we would like to create, and ways to get outside and enjoy this season of beautiful weather. We also try and think of how we can include our family and friends in these activities, and often assign individual activities to specific people (for example, we get fresh fruit milkshakes with Nana and Papa and we pick berries with Piper’s family).

Our 2019 Summer Fun List:

Go swimming at the pool
Make popsicles
Make ice cream
Fruit milkshakes with Nana and Papa
Go berry picking with Piper
Go to Conestoga Park Area
Go hiking
Go to a fair
Make summer collections
Build a playhouse
Make a campfire dinner
Have a picnic
Make strawberry jam
Beach forest hike and pick blackberries- make blackberry peach skillet cake
Go peach picking with Nana
Go for a kayak ride
Do summer art projects
Visit a new beach
Ride the train to Rockaway
Play in tide pools
Go to a fly in
Invent a new kind of s’more
Eat Hawaiian food and shave ice

This has been our second year with a Summer Fun List Tree (see our 2018 list here) and we have enjoyed how this creative project has allowed us opportunities to collaborate and spend time together! We have a super cute way to “check off” the items we’ve completed on our list and will share it with you soon!