Things that make you go hmmm...

So much has happened in the last couple of weeks--we really have some catching up to do on here! We'll have to get to that in the next day or two, so stay tuned.... :)

For tonight, I just had to get down in the memory books Brenner's 2-year-old intuition:

He is always saying "thank you" when we answer him, pretty much no matter what we say, and it always cracks us up when we say no to a request, and he still says, "Thanks!" So today when he asked me for permission to do something (can't recall what), for some reason I had to say, "No, Brenner, not right now." He promptly replied, "Thanks!" and began to walk away.

After a few steps he turned and came back. He looked up and me and said, "Mommy?"

"Yes, Brenner?" I replied.

"You just said 'no' to me and I said 'thank you'." He got a quirky grin on his face and walked away again.

The Thoughtfulness of a 2 Year Old

Background info: Mommy has a bulging disk in her back and has not been able to do much lately...

Story:
Brenner and Mommy are walking across the lawn holding hands, and Brenner says: "Mommy, can you pick me up?"
Mommy: "I'm sorry Brenner, but I really can't."
Brenner takes his hand back and continues walking, shoulders slumped in dejection.
Mommy: "Do you want to race to the car?"
Brenner, in a sad tone: "No..."
Mommy stops walking and holds her hands out: "Come here Brenner. I'll try to pick you up."
Brenner stops walking and looks up at Mommy. After a few seconds, he says: "No, it's okay. I don't want to hurt your back." He reaches up and takes Mommy's hand and they finish walking to the car.

My little boy is so soft-hearted, he just melts my heart sometimes! :)

Yummy (and Healthy!) Snack Idea!

Our local health food store used to make these scrumptious wheat sticks, and we were all quite saddened when they discontinued them. They now stock some from a different bakery, but they are quite spendy. Lucky for us, we know someone "on the inside" :) who was willing to share the original recipe of our beloved wheat sticks! So today we tried making our own for the first time, and WOW were we pleasantly surprised! These are better even than the ones we used to buy, and so much cheaper! Yeah!!

We are willing to share our tweaked recipe with anyone who would like to try these yummy snacks:

Wheat Sticks

2 C whole wheat flour
1/2 C brown sugar
1/3 C olive oil
1 t salt
3/4 C chopped walnuts
1/2 C cold water

Optional:
1-2 T flax seed meal
2-3 T coconut
1-2 T wheat germ
anything else you think might be yummy, like cinnamon, dried fruit, etc.

Combine all ingredients, using only enough water to make a stiff dough (I had to add a touch more than 1/2 C). Roll out to 1/2 inch thickness. Cut in strips 1x3 inches. Bake in moderate oven at 325 degrees until done and browned (about 15 minutes for me). Yields a little more than 2 dozen. Enjoy! :)

Aileana's Summer Fun Milestone!

Aile decided to get a little adventurous in the pool this weekend, and asked Daddy to help her learn to do the "Doggy Paddle!" Here is a short clip of one of her efforts! She was very excited! :)

Fishy, fishy, swim in the water...

We spent the day at Aunt Mary Jane and Uncle Don's house, looking forward to starting off the swimming season with a bang! A little rain in the morning did not deter us, and by afternoon, we were enjoying some fun in the sun!

The water was a bit chilly at first, so Aile and Brenner splashed around on the steps to get used to it:


Brenner tried to balance on the floaty, but was not quite coordinated enough to steady himself without Daddy's help:

This floaty was much more his style! He kicked all around the pool in this one, even doing a few nosedives trying to get himself moving!

Aile tried all the different flotation devices, and liked kicking around with this one. But this is only the beginning of her adventure...

After she abandoned all the floaties, Aile discovered she is now tall enough to reach the bottom! With that confidence, she even tried a few swim strokes across the pool!

Cookies from Kentucky?

Tonight while I was putting Brenner to bed, he wanted to call and say good night to his Daddy, who is on the road. He asked Daddy, "Where are you going?" Daddy said, "I'm going to Kentucky." Brenner's eyes got wide and he said, "You're getting cookies?! For my mouth?!"

Silly Salamander

Sean walked out of the house this morning and a salamander darted out in front of him. Aile and Brenner loved the little guy! Aile has no qualms about holding squirmy little animals, so I got a couple pictures of her with him. Brenner loved looking at him and leaned in real close, but when we put the salamander in Brenner's hand, he held his hand way out and declared, "I don't want him!"