Dallas County Fair

The Dallas County Fair was in Adel the 2nd week of July.  Since this was "Roy's County Fair" during his growing up/4-H years we thought it would be fun to take our little man.  We made it a family night.  It was a nice evening and we took it all in.  There were several "perks" of this small fair, including...

...free admission

...no line at the rides and inexpensive rides

...not many people

...low key and relaxing 

...animals, food, entertainment, and farm machinery all within close proximity

Hudson, as you can probably guess, had a BLAST!  He was in heaven and just LOVED checking everything out.  He is a farm boy, through and through.  I can't imagine why?!  Ha!  

He had his first official "ride" and thought he was pretty cool being the train conductor and ringing the bell.  

We checked out all the farm machinery...of course!  

Even the "big boys" have fun trying out all the equipment.  :)  

We looked at all the animals (baby chicks, sheep, horses, pigs, cows, rabbits).  

 And he got super dusty in the corn pit.  Do you think that is Pioneer corn?!  

DM Library

We recently had a family outing to the Des Moines Library.  We had lunch plans with Nana Sue at Lutheran Hospital so we took advantage of our trip downtown and made a morning stop at the library.  Hudson and I are on a mission to go to every library in the area that we can, check them out and compare, all to find the "best one."  :)  We fixed puzzles, played the computer, read books, and explored with new toys.  We love libraries!  

    

Reading books in the cool triangle chairs.  

We find puzzles of all kind almost everywhere we go!  :)  

Take note of the book title I picked out for Roy and Hudson to read...Cowlick, how appropriate (like father like son).  

Learning letters on the computer.  Hudson thinks the "puder" is pretty cool.  

i created :: homemade granola

If only I would have kept track of the number of times I have made this granola recipe, I'm guessing I would surprise myself.  If I remember right, it was originally shared with me by my sister, as she is always coming up with delicious things to bake in the kitchen.  I have tried different recipes over the years, but always come back to this original one, as its the best (I think).  My love for homemade granola began several years ago, but it came to a peak during my "nursing days" of Hudson's first year.  It was my "go to snack" and when one batch was gone I often made another one so we always had it around.  Today I certainly don't make it as often, but it gets requested and complimented often when I make/share it with others.  Therefore, I decided to pass the recipe along.  Served with some vanilla yogurt and fresh berries makes for a tasty parfait.  It works as breakfast, a snack, or even a dessert.  Enjoy!  

Homemade Granola

3 cups rolled oat (old fashioned)

1 cup slivered almond

1 cup cashews

3/4 cup shredded sweet coconut

1/4 cup plus 2 T brown sugar

1/4 cup plus 2 T real maple syrup (regular pancake syrup works fine too)

1/4 cup vegetable oil

1 tsp almond flavoring

3/4 tsp salt

1 cup raisins or craisins (optional)

Preheat oven to 250 degrees.  In a large bowl combine the oats, nuts, coconut, and brown sugar.  In a separate bowl, combine maple syrup, almond flavoring, oil, and salt.  Combine both mixtures and pour onto 2 sheet pans.  Cook for 1 hour, stirring ever 15 minutes to achieve an even color.  Remove from oven, cool, and transfer into a large bowl.  Add raisins and mix until evenly distributed.  

i created :: baked oatmeal

I have made several batches of this baked oatmeal lately so I decided it was a good one to share.  Its pretty simple and doesn't have lots of ingredients and can be thrown together quickly.  Plus, it offers a little change in routine to the breakfast rotation (for us at least).  It tastes well served with a bowl of fresh summer fruits; strawberries, blueberries, and bananas being my favorite combination.  The recipe was passed along to me by my good friend Geselle and it has become a "classic" breakfast recipe for our family.  Enjoy!

Geselle's Baked Oatmeal

1/4 cup oil

1/2 cup sugar (I usually just do 1/4 cup)

1 egg

3/4 cup milk

2 cups quick oatmeal

1 1/2 tsp. baking powder

1/2 tsp. salt

1/2 tsp. cinnamon, optional

Mix first 3 ingredients, add milk and stir well.  Add remaining ingredients and stir well.  Pour into greased 8x8 baking dish.  Bake at 350 degrees for 25 minutes.  Serve with milk.  This does well as leftovers reheated with milk in the microwave.  Double the recipe for a family and place in a 9x13 pan.  

iPhone & the Perry Parade

A big event happened in my life on July 1st.  I purchased an iPhone.  Yep, that is right folks!  You read it correctly!  I left the dinosaur age and entered 2013, along with most everyone else.  :)  My "dumb phone" died a quick death and I was left to make a decision, upgrade or sign up for another "basic phone" for another 2 years.  Oh dear me!  I'm quick to admit that I am LOVING it, yet still learning how to use it.  I totally understand now why they are called smart phones!  Ha!  I have made a new friend who can make my grocery list, manage my daily agendas, take pictures of my sweet son, and get me to anywhere through her fantastic navigation system.  All of this to say, I'm still getting used to the fact that I can take and send pictures from my phone (I could before too but it didn't go quite as smoothly).  This also means I have more than one place where I am collecting pictures, which I am still trying to manage.  Therefore, this post should have come before the previous one.  All for a good cause...right!  :)  And yes, its fine to laugh at me about this.  Yet, I'm pretty sure many of my friends were just as excited for me, if not more excited for me, than I was about my latest purchase.  Love it!  And here is the proof....

Hudson and I joined Sue and GG Ells for the 4th of July Parade in Perry.  Roy couldn't join us because he had to work.  :(  Hudson had a blast and loved the parade!  He literally sat in his little chair for the entire parade, soaking it all in.  The big green tractor was his favorite (no surprise there) and the semi's were a hit too.  He got his first opportunity to collect candy, which was a fun new game for him.  After the parade we played in the park, enjoyed a picnic lunch, and checked out GG Ells house for a few minutes before heading back home for nap time.  Fun 4th of July memories!      

"I'm ready for the parade to start!"  

"Nana Sue and GG Ells are two of my favorite people!"  

"Loud semi....cool semi...big semi."

  

splish! splash!

The evening of July 4th we headed over to enjoy a BBQ with some good friends.  They are a busy family, with 3 children 5 and under, but Hudson seems to fit in just fine and embraces all the activity and excitement.  They all had a blast playing in the little pool after dinner and we captured some silly face shots of Hudson.  Love it!  Grateful for summer nights, water fun, silly faces, and beautiful children!  So many blessings!  

a family gathering...

On a beautiful Sunday evening in June we had an extended family gathering at Louise's house.  "Cousin Gene" was visiting from Texas so it was a good excuse to gather together.  Louise always does a great job of getting people together and coordinating an event.  Thankful.  The food was delicious (of course) complete with summer salads, homemade ice cream, and popcorn, naming a few of my favorites.   Hudson had a blast playing with Uncle Ben's "little tractors" so was easily entertained (plus he is the only "little one" in the group so gets plenty of attention).  We snapped a few photos throughout the evening, including some family photos and even a picture of Chelsea (the dog).  Grateful for Sunday evenings, a perfect time to gather with friends and family.  

Reiman Gardens - 2013

Near the end of June we made our annual trip to Reiman Gardens in Ames.  We went on a Friday that Roy had off of work and made a morning of it, complete with lunch at Hickory Park (of course).  Its becoming a summer tradition of ours.  Here are a few pictures from our time...

Hudson became an expert at spotting unique butterflies in the butterfly garden.

I think I actually took this picture!  Usually Roy takes all the good photos.  :)

My two favorite boys...just crazy about them!  

Up, up and away in the ISU hot air balloon!

Checking out "the pulley" display and seeing what it can do.  

Learning about weight, pushing, and inclines through another hands-on activity.  

A second father and son shot.  So handsome!  So proud!  

I'm king of the hill!

A view of the beautiful gardens and our handsome boy.

Listening to the campanile playing its chimes, and other patriotic songs, at 11:00am.  

Hudson thought they were pretty loud.  Silly boy!  

Check out this huge grasshopper!  And yes, his eyes are made of headlights.  

Recreating our picture from last year, same spot.  

It took him awhile to get the hang of it, but he soon figured out how to jump, dance, and make music with the bells below.  A favorite stop in the gardens.  

We had a blessed morning together as a family and already anticipate next years trip!   

a firefighters surprise

Establishing an attitude of service, and sharing God's love with those around us, are important values we strive to instill in our son.  I randomly came up with this idea, to serve our fire department, and had fun putting it into motion.  The week before the 4th of July I made a batch of my moms "famous" Monster Cookies, using red, white, and blue M&M's.  Then we purchased a patriotic basket and balloon at the dollar store.  I made a little thank you sign and Hudson put on his firefighter hat and shirt and we set "off" to the fire house in Waukee.  I was anticipating just dropping the treats off and going home, but a fireman offered to give us a tour of the station.  Sure!  We saw the different engines, fire gear, tools they use, and even sat up in the drivers seat of one of the engines.  Awhile later another fireman came along and offered to take Hudson and I for a ride!  Are you serious!?  "Yes, please!" was Hudson's response.  :)  So, we got our own personal ride in the front seat of the firetruck and Hudson even got to blow the horn.  Awesome!  If I had any idea this was going to happen I certainly would have been prepared with my camera.  So, a word of encouragement to all of you moms out there to give it a try...make some treats and bring them over to your local forestation and/or police station.  Who knows what kind of surprises will come your way!  You may just be surprised on who serves and shares God's love with you!  

Blank Park Zoo

On Saturday, June 22nd, we went to the Blank Park Zoo in Des Moines with the Scherer family.  They have a zoo pass so we were blessed to get in free as their guests.  Yeah!  Here are a few pictures of our morning together...  

playing the drums in the Africa exhibit...

watching the giraffe eat leaves from the tree...

Check out that LONG neck and LONG tongue.  

"driving" the jeep...

I love how their little heads with baseball caps are the only thing you can see.  

watching the seal swim and do spins...

 feeding the goats...  

All aboard the Blank Park Zoo train...choo-choo!

so many fun animals to see along the track...

We had been to the zoo last summer, and it was just as fun and exciting this time around.  There were new exhibits and new animals to see, and there were even a few things we didn't take time for.  We love the zoo and are amazed at God's creation!  Grateful!