Mama's little helper

I have to admit something.  I have a love affair on the side.  And, actually, Mo is quite aware of it and supports it wholeheartedly.  I love my crockpot.  Well, actually I now have two of them.  Three, if you count the little dipper, which I've actually never used, but I've heard it's great for fondue.  I have to let people know about my little obsession because I happen to think that everyone should be converted.  I am on a mission.  I am not the only one.  In the last month or so I discovered A Year of Crockpotting.  This is a blog by a woman whom has committed to one year of using her crockpot everyday.  I think I have only made a couple recipes and there are loads I want to try (the chicken and rice one today looks pretty tasty), but I have to check it everyday just to see what she is up to.  I think our favorite recipe around here lately is making steel cut oatmeal overnight by steaming it in the crockpot.  You wake up to warm, yummy oatmeal without having to take the time to cook it in the morning.  The girls will even eat it.  We call it porridge around here,  so that helps with the persuasion.   

Happy Birthday, Mo!

This is a little belated in getting posted due to me having trouble on the actual day, but better late than never, right?  

A lot of blogs post photos of the delicious food served for a special occasion.  Don't get me wrong, I probably would've done the same had I remembered to grab the camera amongst the chaos of getting dinner on the table tonight.  I am particularly proud of my homemade butternut squash gnocchi that I made for Mo's birthday dinner tonight, but I realized that it is the chaos and the mess that takes up most of my time.  Given this, I decided to show you the mess.  There was so much chocolate cake on the ground I even secretly allowed our dog with food allergies to sneak bites off the ground every now and then until I decided to shoo her away.  Bad doggie mama! 

So, happy birthday, to my Mo.  It is chaos and love around here everyday and nothing is different today, except today we celebrate you.  We celebrate the love, creativity, and stability you bring to our home everyday.  Our girls cherish you and love you so much as do I.  Life hasn't been particularly easy lately and I hope you know that we always love you.  

A glance back

                                                                                                 On our trip we took the girls to the Monterey Bay Aquarium, which is always a favorite for everyone.  I love watching the joy appear across their faces as they explore the water, see all the amazing colors of the ocean, and watch the fish, penguins, otters, and all the other animals play.  These photos are of Emma at almost one year old, on her first trip to the aquarium, 

and of Molly, at 18 months old, on her second trip.  It is fun to see how this one tank can captivate them so much.  

Summer is almost over

The girls enjoying time with their Aunties.

There is nothing quite like coming home after a long trip away.  Especially, when you cleaned the house before you left and it starts raining right after you arrive.  We've come home from sand, sun, and long, sunny days, to be greeted by the smell of fresh rain.  As Emma would say, "it feels so cozy here."  We had a great trip seeing old friends and spending time with family, and getting the opportunity to spend long, lazy days with our girls.  But, it is always good to be home.  I will post more photos of our trip as I upload them to the camera.