A Quick Update, with Photos :)

I've been avoiding blogging since I've gotten so far behind. Both of my boys are napping right now, so I decided to do a quick catch up based on the photos on my phone :)

We tried some droissants (for the record, delish)


Rory finally realized rolling means he can get new places


Granny (Dalan's Mom) came to visit, so we put on our tourist shoes!

Ferry to Bainbridge Island




Some neat sites around the island







Took Granny to XXX Rootbeer


We went swimming, a lot


I took an obligatory Super Moon photo from my car (don't worry, I parked it first!)


The next week Meg and Steve came to visit, so we went sightseeing again


Gum Wall at Pike Place Market


EMP





We visited Remlinger Farms (posted previously thanks to Blog Press for iPhone)

Rory's hair is started to get out of control


We took a Sunday walk through the Bellevue Botanical Gardens


Rory started growing out of even more of his clothes


I entered a photo contest.

The winners were supposed to be on display at an art gallery, turns out they just showed all entries on digital picture frames and never choose a winner. (lame)


We met up with my Grandparents, Aunt, and Cousin at Point Defiance Zoo




Rory wished his Nuckle Bud a Happy 24th Birthday!


In other news:

• I've joined a volunteer Marketing committee for the Cougar Mountain Zoo. I've been doing some graphic design stuff for them. That seems to be where most of my blogging time has gone.
• We got family photos taken (hopefully I'll post the pictures next week).
• Rory had his 9-month appointment, he is 85th for height, 55th for weight, and 50th for head.

AND we are moving. We kind of knew this was coming for awhile, but we were planning on staying pretty close to where we are now. While looking for an affordable place, we stumbled across a house for rent that is basically perfect. The only problem is, Dalan will have a 40 minute and a 60 minute (he is now working in 2 plants) commute. We've decided that the plus of having a yard, large garage, and living in a small farm town of less than 5,000 people is totally worth it though!

Remlinger Farms

Thanks to a buy one get one Groupon for Remlinger Farms in Carnation, we decided to go check it out while Rory's admission is still free (under 1).
Rory did awesome! He went on a few rides and was smiling and laughing the whole time. Great prep for Disneyland (only 2 more months, woot!).
The Flying Pumpkins (I'm comparing it to Dumbo).




Spinning Barrel Ride (aka Mad Tea Party).




I actually found out after we got home that there was apparently a height requirement for each of these that Rory didn't reach (oops) but no one acted like it was a big deal, oh well...
There were quite a few more rides and it looks like they are going to be adding a few soon. they also had some pretty awesome playground equipment and a petting zoo. I think we will wait to return until Rory is older and can actually run around before we go back. Rory got tired pretty quickly after we walked around and checked everything out. So we headed out pretty eary, but saw some cool items in the shop/market on the way out.








Pickled sausage - blerg








- Posted using BlogPress from my iPhone

Ninja of Love

So as I'm sure has been mentioned multiple times. I absolutely LOVE Phineas and Ferb. After a Jungle Cruise Skipper, being a writer for Phineas and Ferb is definitely #2 on my 'what I want to be when I grow up' list.

I recently bought Rorasaurus a Phineas shirt to wear to Disneyland in September. We are going to be stylin' at the Rockin' Dance Party, too bad he wont be able to dance... or walk....

This clip is one of the best moments of the show. There is a semi-washed-up 80s rock band called Love Handle, and this is one of their hit songs.


Since Rory decided to take a 3 hour nap today, I got to work on creating a new print for our bedroom. Now I just have to find the guts to send it off to Costco, not really sure what the printer technician is going to think of my selection....

Burger Joint

We decided to check out a burger joint on our way home today.




One of the signs inside (should have taken a picture!) said they specialize in grease, salt, sugar, and caffeine.
The building was red and white stripes, pretty much like a giant popcorn bucket.




I really enjoyed the burger. The fries tasted like Warren's, I was really excited until I realized there was no fry sauce to accompany them :(




Ror really enjoyed the fries and being able to sit on the picnic table.
It was pretty fun for a random evening out.
- Posted using BlogPress from my iPhone

Splash Park

Wow! It has been so hot the last few days. We've been frequenting the swimming pool at our apartment, but it tends to get crowded. This weekend we decided to mix it up and go to a splash park I read about in an online article.

It was actually really difficult to find. The park has 2 sections, the upper and lower. To get from one to the other takes about a 15 minute hike via stairs (not quite stroller-friendly). The parking lot closest to the splash pad is down a street with foreboding signs like 'Dead End' we drove around for about 30 minutes before we actually figured it out.

It was about a 10 minute walk to the splash pad, there weren't any signs or maps and you couldn't see it from the parking lot. We just picked a random trail and got lucky that we ended up in the right spot.

I'm really not sure how Rory felt about it. He didn't love it, he didn't hate it.

He kind of just sat there and stared at the water.

At least we were able to cool down a bit. The ride over and back in the air-conditioned car may have been the best part. We might start going for a few more drives just to get out of our apartment.

Any tips for staying cool? We are melting over here!

Greatness

Rory is well on his way to greatness.

Hair Greatness.

I promise Dalan is the father.

Increasing my fluff stash

I've used Charlie Banana cloth diapers for Rorasaurus for about 3 months now, and I really like them. I have no complaints, but I also haven't tried anything else. I've needed to increase my fluff stash for awhile, but I've been dragging my feet trying to decide if I should try out a few new types/brands. I even have some diapers saved in an online shopping cart on a few sites, just waiting for that final click. Last Saturday I saw the Ahoy pack of Charlie Bananas at my local Target and fell in love! I put them in my cart and finished my shopping, only to put them back on the shelf at the last moment when I realized I should probably talk to Dalan before dropping $88 bucks.

Last night we were at Target (again) and I found myself browsing the baby section while Dalan was talking with an employee about a video game console. I admired the cloth diapers as usual, and noticed a big red clearance sticker on them. In fact ALL Charlie Banana products were around 50% off! I ended up buying the Ahoy pack, the Pastel pack, and this adorable Construction diaper. Total I ended up with 13 diapers and 26 inserts and I spent just over $100 after tax.

(inserts not pictured, schnauzer is a busy-body)

You should totally go check out your local Target and see if they are offering the same deal. It looks like everything is still regularly priced online, so I imagine they are just pulling from the brick-and-mortar shelves. Although we currently only use cloth 60%-70% of the time right now, I am a big fan! No with a total stash of 19 diapers, I want to try and use cloth closer to 90%.

On a related note, anyone know where I can get a cute wet bag that can hold 15ish diapers? I want a solid color like red, blue, or gray. Everything I've found in those colors will only hold about 6.

Pre-packed smoothies

Since Dalan and I are currently doing a Wellness Challenge we have to get in at least 5 servings of fruits and/or veggies every day. This is something we really struggled with before, but we've found something that is working really well for us. I thought I would share.

I start with some of the below ingredients. You can purchase frozen fruit at Costco for about $8-$11 a bag. Spinach at Costco is only $3.99! (let me apologize for the crazy shadows, we have stage lighting in our kitchen. I think it's to help ward of depression or something.....)

I freeze the yogurt in ice cube trays. This makes it easier to measure and separate later on. I used vanilla and blackberry yogurt this time. 

 

I add 5-6 yogurt cubes, 2 servings frozen fruit, and 1 banana to each bag. I'll mix it up by adding spinach and different types of fruit to each. The bag on the left has yogurt, spinach, banana, raspberries, blueberries, and blackberries. The bag on the right is yogurt, mango, pineapple, papaya, strawberries, and banana. Each bag is usually about 4 servings of fruit. After I make the bags, they just go in the freezer.

 

When I'm ready for a smoothie, I add the bag and about 1 cup of juice in my Ninja® Master Prep®

 

I really like this thing. It is SO easy to clean. Thanks Mom!

 

 

Then I just separate it into a cup for me and a to-go gup for Dalan so he can have it on his way to work in the morning. They will keep for about 2 days in the fridge, so I'll usually make them the night before so Dalan has something ready when he leaves @ 5:30am. 

TaDa! What helpful hints do you have to help you eat healthy?