Blueberries for Eli

On Saturday, Eli and I made our way out to a local, organic U-Pick farm to pick blueberries. It was hot, but we knew it would be and were prepared to sweat.

We hit the peak of the season. The blueberries were beautiful and plentiful.

And they tasted delicious, right off the branches. We were told when we got there that they don't charge for the berries you eat...wrong thing to say to Eli at snack time.

Every time I turned around, he was popping a few more in his mouth. Picking and eating...

...or just eating right out of the pail. He took full advantage of sampling and tasting as he went.

Think of it as quality control. I was honest when we went to weigh our berries and fessed up to an additional pound of berries in his BELLY. They held true to their word and did not charge us for them.

Eli quickly got the hang of berry picking...

and learned to look for the big, plump, dark blue ones.

Always seeking out the perfect berry.

We weren't sure how many blueberries we had or how many we should pick,

and it was hot! We decided to call it quits when our bucket was about 1/2 way full. I was so afraid to pick more than we would be able to use, but once we got home and sorted them out into cup-sized portions to be frozen, I realized quickly that we didn't pick enough. We've already gone through half of what we've picked making blueberry pancakes and this little treat:

Easy Blueberry Cobbler(<--- linked to the recipe. THANKS for the tip, Jill!) This was so delicious, that our dinner guest last night, Fr. Chris, said that one of the ingredients must be "magic!" It was indeed that good and is surprisingly almost finished already. Bottom line: I need more blueberries!!!! I think we will be headed out to pick again (at a different farm) this week. I want to make that cobbler for the 4th of July weekend and still have more for snacks and other fun treats. This time, I'll know what to expect and how many to pick. Watch out blueberry bushes....Eli and I are coming back for seconds!

Summer, Slow down!

Hard to believe that June is almost over. Summer, S L O W D O W N ! We are in the summertime groove, and it is sad to think that it is almost halfway over already. This week, Eli and I kept our days busy with fun outings to the pool, Zoinks, and the library for story time and puppet shows.

Thursday night was Daddy's last softball game of the season. We did not make it out to many of the games, but were glad to get to the final one to cheer on Daddy.

Eli, of course, had a blast running the bases after the game.

And Friday, after a great puppet show at the library, we were invited out to the Brown's farm for lunch and a swim. Eli did NOT want to get out of the pool...he is swimming better and better and getting more and more brave each time we are in the pool. We were able to coax him out of the pool with the promise of going out to see the horses.

E gave this one a yummy apple snack...see it on the ground? I think he was in a serious conversation with the horse at this point. It was a wonderful afternoon, and we hope to be invited back again before summer is over.

Happy This and Happy That

It was a weekend of celebrations for us at SGI this weekend. Thankfully, the oil has still not made its way onto the shores of our little piece of paradise. We felt lucky to squeeze in this visit oil-free, but I feel our 4th of July weekend may be doomed. Boo.

On Friday evening, as we pulled in, Eli was prepared with a new knock-knock joke:

Knock, Knock!

Who's There?

Abby.

Abby, who?

(sing) Abby Birthday to you!

It was the perfect way to greet Aunt Lindsey who had arrived earlier in the day to kick-off her birthday weekend celebration.

As usual, we celebrated with a feast (full of shrimp, burgers, and all kinds of fixings) and ice cream cake.

Sunday morning, Eli was sure to wake me up in plenty of time to make homemade blueberry pancakes for Daddy in celebration of Father's Day.

We love you, Daddy! Hope you had a very Happy Father's Day!!!

The beach was hot without the usual June breeze. I kept saying it felt like August already! Needless to say, a lot of time was spent in the water. It was SUPER clear, and the sandbar was wide.

The boys had a fun time catching blue crabs and letting them go. Steve actually reached down and grabbed one with his hat. Eli FREAKED out and actually squealed in fear. He was so afraid someone was going to get pinched by the crab. He loves looking at sea life, but from a safe distance.

Sea turtle nesting season has begun....as evidenced by the nests on either side of our tent.

And Daddy had a pretty awesome idea after being inspired by a water feature at the Brevard Zoo last weekend. He went to Home Depot and picked up a couple pieces of PVC, all kinds of connectors, a valve, and a bucket.

It provided Eli with TONS of entertainment on the beach....making all kinds of connections and then pouring water in and watching where it goes...over and over and over again.

We made it back to town in time for church and another Father's Day celebration for both Daddy and Grandpa at Ted's. Mmmmm!

Hope everyone had a HAPPY weekend too!

Back with More VBS Fun

Back again with some quick videos of Eli's self-professed favorite part of VBS...the singing and dancing.

Check out those hips!

As I was dropping him off for his final day, he was sure to tell me that he had brought his singing and playing powers. He also assured me that he had not forgotten his friend-making powers again. Sweet boy.

I got a little emotional as I watched him sing the theme song amidst 200+ kids today; singing and dancing his heart out for God. Silly pregnancy hormones....I can blame them, can't I? He was sad it all ended today, and has already asked us if we will sign him up again. Too bad he doesn't understand the concept, "next year." I think the shock of it all being over so quickly will hit next week.

We're off to the beach to hopefully squeeze in some days in paradise before the oil hits. SGI is still ok....for now.

And while I'm at it....HAPPY BIRTHDAY to my sisters, Lindsey and Theresa!!!

Let's GO!

Eli is having his first VBS experience this summer.  Our church has an amazing turn out with over 200 kids participating.  While the first day, he had a rough time saying good-bye to Mommy, Eli quickly wiped his tears and jumped into the entire experience willingly and with both feet.  (It definitely helped that the first activity had him putting M&Ms into a snack mix!)

He is having fun, and after forgetting his "friend-making powers" (as he referred to them....) the first day, he has been making friends and loving it. He has come home singing all of the songs and doing the dances.  We got a CD of the songs they are learning, and it has been on repeat in the car all week long.  I love hearing him saying to himself, "God's Word is TRUE!  Let's GO!"  He tells stories about Peter being in jail and the man who couldn't walk being carried to the temple.  VBS has been everything I hoped it would be.  I am just sorry it isn't longer than one week.  (And Mommy has been enjoying her mornings to run errands and meet friends for breakfast too....just an added bonus.)

An All-Star Weekend

We went to Melbourne this past weekend to meet up with Pap Pap for the Minor League All-Star weekend hosted by the Brevard County Manatees.  We got in Friday evening in time for the Gala dinner, and from there, the weekend took off.

Breakfast overlooking the Atlantic; followed by a couple of hours of pool time.  The hotel pool was fabulous, and Eli swam like a fish all morning.  It is always awesome when you can see the ocean while floating around in a pool.  I wanted to stay in all day.

With our recent travels, we have stayed in a couple hotels, and Eli is a fan.  He loves to explore them and then kick back and relax.  He loves the key cards to get into the rooms and always wants to carry his own.

That afternoon, after Eli's nap, our friends Kevin, Debbie and their boy Andrew drove a couple hours north to be able to see us and go to the game that night with us.

Eli and Andrew became fast friends and were very sweet to each other.  Andrew is a tall kid; maybe an inch shorter, and 11 months younger.  Eli also very quickly introduced Andrew to boat rides on blankets.  Lucky Kevin got to give several rides around the hotel room.

Saturday evening's highlight was the baseball game....the reason we made the trip in the first place.  Eli loved taking it all in and held tightly to his ticket.

The Rainbow Ice Dippin' Dots were a hit, and as you can see, Andrew had his eye on them. The chocolate his mommy had gotten him didn't seem near as tasty as the colorful ones. I am happy to report, that Eli willingly shared half of his bowl with his new friend.

Eli didn't want to sit still for much of the game, but when he did, he was full of questions about baseball and everything else around.

Actually, it was more like the same question over and over again...."Is it time for the fireworks yet?"  He overheard that there would be fireworks after the game.  This little guy stayed up WAY past his bedtime to be able to seem them.

He was super excited, and did well watching them.  He only kept his hands over his ears for the first few, and then he put them down to watch in awe and wonder.  "Wow," he said over and over.  Needless to say, he crashed on the drive home.

Sunday was full of more adventure as we met up our friends again for a trip to the Brevard County Zoo. We started in the water.

It was a very HOT day.  And after the water play, the hands on play areas, and the petting zoo, the boys didn't make it much further before nap times loomed.

We saw a couple sections of animals and then stopped for a quick bite to eat, a train ride to see a few more animals,

and finally a popsicle before heading home.  I guess it was a long, and fun-filled weekend, as boy was pooped.  As we hit the highway, Eli quickly dozed, and slept a good 2+ hours in the car as we headed back home. 

Thanks for inviting us to join you, Pap Pap!  We had fun and look forward to your visit to the beach with us this weekend.  Yay for summer weekends of fun!

Blogworthy Recipe

Since becoming pregnant, most types of meat or protein don't taste very good or sound very appealing to me.  This means we have been eating a lot of pasta. I tried a new recipe from my Cooking Light cookbook on Monday that is similar to the tasty shrimp and pasta dish I ate so much of last summer, but this one has a Mediterranean twist to it.  A nice change and another one that will join my rotating recipe list.

Mediterranean Shrimp and Pasta Salad

Vinaigrette: 

1/4 cup extra virgin olive oil
1/4 cup fresh lemon juice
2 tbsp sherry vinegar (I couldn't find any at the store, so I subbed a nice red wine vinegar & it worked well.)
1 tsp Dijon mustard
3/4 tsp kosher salt
1/2 tsp freshly ground black pepper

Salad: 

6 cups water
2 bay leaves
1 pound medium shrimp, peeled and deveined (I actually used more like 1 1/2 lbs.)
1/4 tsp kosher salt
1/4 tsp freshly ground black pepper
6 2/3 cups cooked cavatappi (4 cups uncooked short twisted pasta)
1 cup trimmed arugula
1 zucchini, halved lengthwise and thinly sliced (about 1 cup)
1 cup yellow bell pepper strips
3/4 cup (3 ounces) crumbled feta cheese
1/2 cup vertically sliced red onion
3 tbsp chopped fresh parsley
3 tbsp chopped fresh basil
1 tbsp chopped fresh oregano

Directions: 

1. To prepare vinaigrette, combine first 6 ingredients in a small bowl, stirl with a whisk, and set aside. 
2. To prepare salad, combine water adn bay leaves in a large saucepan; bring to a boil.  Add shrimp; cook 3 minutes or until done.  Drain; rinse with cold water.  Discard bay leaves.  Sprinkle shrimp with salt and pepper.  Cover and chill.
3. Combine shrimp, pasta, arugula, and remaining 7 ingredients in a large bowl (it makes a lot!).  Drizzle vinaigrette over salad; toss gently to coat.  Makes about 5 servings.

It was well received....except by Eli, but I anticipated that and served him the pasta and shrimp without the vinaigrette and veggies mixed in.  He'll eat some veggies, but not these..  I served it with a Tomato Basil Soup (also from Cooking Light and also delish).  I won't be making the soup again for a bit as I burned my arm and a spot on my eye lid pretty badly after putting the simmering tomatoes and juice in the blender to puree to soup consistency and the top flew off.  OUCH!  For the time being, I'll be eating Tomato Herb V8 Soup....it tastes pretty close to my homemade version.  Definitely less painful.

Enjoy!

Sunshine

You are my sunshine, 

my only sunshine.
 

You make me happy 

when skies are gray.
_

You'll never know dear, 

 
how much I love you.
_

Please don't take my sunshine away.