Weekend recap

This weekend was filled with lots of water and family time. I say it over and over again, but I miss my husband terribly. That man is putting in a LOT of hours and the only full day we get with him is Sunday. This past Sunday happened to be our two year anniversary and while we started out thinking we were going to have my sister babysit Silas so that we could spend some alone time together, we scratched that and really just wanted some quality time all three of us. So we headed to the pool! Portland has a community center in every neighborhood and they all pretty much have outdoor pools. We headed to a cute little neighborhood called Sellwood and there pool is seriously amazing. It has a walk in shallow end so it was perfect to lounge in while Silas splashed next to us. He was in heaven that little water baby. We packed a cooler full of snacks and my sister met up with us. I just have to say, this neighborhood is #1 on my list for house hunting next year. I am in love! The day before I went to a yoga class and the boys hung out downtown and waited for me to finish up. Then we walked on over to a little water fountain/splash pad called Jamison square and let Silas run around a bit. It definitely isn't my favorite spot (I like our park/splash pad a lot better), but I had been wanting to check it out anyway. So that's how our weekend ended up, lots of pics below :)

Summer time

The heat this summer has been unbearable. If I was 23 and had an endless amount of time to spend at the river I'd be overjoyed with the 20 straight days of 90+ degree weather. Well, that's just not the case. I have a rambunctious 16 month old who needs to get outside and that type of heat just doesn't do us any good. The majority of our days have been spent indoors this summer and that is such a bummer. If we want to get out it has to be early morning or late evening. There has been a lot of reading, block building, kicking a ball around in the house, and it's wearing on my pregnant soul. I am really looking forward to fall and being able to get outside a bit more. We were pretty lucky to have it cool down some this week though and made it out to the splash pad at the park nearby. Silas is obsessed and it's just the silliest thing to watch him run around with other kids. I am looking forward to him going to preschool next year and getting to do that regularly. Here are a few pictures from our day!

Pictures from the weekend

 This weekend gets an A+. It felt like we got a lot of family time in even though we only really have 1 full day with each other. Nick is working Saturday afternoons (BOO!) at the moment so we only get to see him in the morning for a few and then before bedtime. We ended up going out to dinner and our little boy was an angel! I can only imagine how hard it is for him to sit still while we eat dinner out, but he did it like a champ. He made some friends with the table behind us and these two 4yr old twins kept him busy so that Nick and I could actually eat and not stuff our faces in a hurry. Made me verrrry excited for his sibling. Everyone keeps telling me how nice it is for them to have a buddy to play with and how nice it is for the parents as well.

He was covered in strawberry juice and dirt after. It was adorable.

Strawberry + Rhubarb deliciousness

Sunday morning we woke up and went strawberry picking! It was so much fun. I love that we live the city life, but that we can head 15 mins out of town and be in the country, surrounded by farms. After an amazing lunch at the farm we picked at, we hauled our 6lbs of berries home and I of course had to bake a strawberry rhubarb pie. It was so damn delicious. I was so sad for the weekend to end. Nothing makes me happier than when my little family is out and about together. We miss Nick like crazy during the week. But this week/weekend is looking just as great...baby #2 appointment with my midwife which is always something to look forward to :)

What's for dinner?

This week I totally failed at my normal grocery list/meal planning. Honestly, I was just too tired. When things get crazy like this I tend to just head to the store and grab the basics and that way I don't have to think very hard about what I'm making, I have a bunch of possibilities. I try to stay away from doing this though because then it means I spend a lot of $$ and I tend to make multiple trips to the store to grab items. By planning out our dinners for the week it keeps the reigns a little tighter on my wallet. This week was a great week for leftovers though. I try to make dinners that are great (or even better!) the next day for lunch.

Poulet au citron et lavande. This is by far my most favorite chicken dish. Chicken thighs and drumsticks are so cheap so this is a great dish because it's easy on the wallet and absolutely delicious. It has honey, lavender, and lemon. The recipe is by the lovely Rachel Khoo, one of my favorite chefs. I really look up to her style in the kitchen.

Salade Nicoise. French theme this week? This was my take on the traditional Salade Nicoise. I cooked up a salmon filet and served it with a dill vinaigrette. All of these componets were made ahead of time and that makes dinner so much easier!

Hawaiian style pulled pork with coconut rice. We had leftovers from this for almost 3 days. The pork was made in the crockpot so all I had to do was make the rice and roast some veggies. So easy.

Falafel with a mint + dill yogurt sauce. I was not in the mood for cooking the other night so this came to mind. A healthy and light salad made easy with falafel mix that I get in the bulk bins at my grocery store.

Happy cooking! xo

Summer: Now & Then

The weather this week in Portland is going to be nothing short of amazing. Lots of park time is the plan :) It's crazy to look back at what life was like last year around this time. Our summer this year is shaping up to be quite different. Silas is walking/running all over the place and it's just so fun to watch him explore. Load on some sunscreen, pack a bag with the essentials and off we go on an adventure outside. Last year it was a frantic "Do we have everything?" moment before we left the house. And believe me, we not only had everything, we brought everything. I am throughly enjoying this moment of motherhood and the stage where Silas is at. He's no longer this fragile little being, but turning into an independent little boy. I like the fact that I can sprawl out on our blanket at the park and let him wander (not too far!) and discover some things on his own. It's freeing for me and I'm sure it is for him as well. I'm so proud of this little person. I can't wait for him to experience all that Oregon has to offer this summer!

Cabin fever

Back when Nick and I were young and adventurous the summer was our time to shine. Hiking, camping, we did it all and usually a few times a week. Long hikes to find the perfect secluded camping spot were our specialty. The past two summers we have been unable to indulge in our beloved adventures and I'm missing it bad. This summer though, it's happening. Adventures all around I tell yah. Silas will be a little over a year so I'm thinking he'll be good to go. Plus, the kid loves his hiking backpack so we are so set on that front. I'm finding myself daydreaming of a cabin in the woods with a long hike preceding it. Maybe even a jaunt up to Ecola State Park on the Oregon Coast, which is a favorite of ours. Whatever it is, I can't wait to show my little boy a true Oregon summer filled with lots of roaming the outdoors.

(all photos were pulled off pinterest)

Bare ankles and Iced dirty chai's

I'm not usually one who gets the itch for warm weather. I love the rain and when winter rolls around I am usually ready for it and I can go awhile without the exclamation of "I am dying for summer!". At this very moment though, I am seriously craving sunshine, dresses and shorts, beach time, river time,  and long summer nights. I'm not sure if this is a reaction to the frigid temps we dealt with on our Michigan trip, or if it's the "late night" (5pm) stroll that Nick and I went on to go get a coffee (dirty iced chai for moi). When we stepped outside it was a) somewhat warm out and b) still light out!  It felt like heaven. 10 degrees warmer and I would have been in ecstasy. Anyways, us kids over here can't wait for this summer and all of the iced coffees and long summer night strolls that are surely to accompany it.

The frozen mess that is Portland

Soooo my husband hasn't been to work in two days. Snow day and then freezing rain on top of that. It has been so much fun having him home (but the place is a mess! I don't get any cleaning done with him around). The city has completely shut down so we had to get creative with our venturing out the other day. Silas was placed in our hiking backpack and we packed on our snowboarding gear and out we went to go gather our supplies for the night. It was so awesome to see cross country skies lined up outside of the bars. When a city that isn't used to snow gets a ton of it, it is a treat.

He has been loving our snowy walks around the neighborhood.

Oh, man. I want to eat him up. He has been parked at this window the last few days watching it snow.

First time "sledding". We pulled him around the block in a laundry basket.

Off to get supplies! Thank god for our hiking backpack!

Food pic for good measure. Totally digging this clementine, kale, shredded beet, and pepitas salad from our grocery store.

On a separate note, Silas and I are headed to Michigan! This trip has been in the making since August when we were originally supposed to go. I am terrified to fly with a 10 month old, as I think we all get annoyed when we are stuck with a crying baby on a plane. Our flight is broken up into two separate flights with a 45 min. layover in between. I did it this way in the hopes that I could hop off, change a diaper, get us cleaned up, and hop back on. I also found a flight that works with nap time so we *hopefully* have that going for us. Thinking of bringing ear plugs for my fellow passengers just in case though. Silas is just so sensitive to strangers. Keeping my fingers crossed though for a smooth flight! And I seriously cannot wait to snuggle my mama and hang with my brothers. I am really sad that the hubby isn't going to be able to come though :/ we are going to miss him so much. I told him to try and enjoy his 12 days of sleeping in and diaper duty freedom. Anyways, we have Silas's 9 month (even though he's almost 10 months) check-up this week and I can't wait to see where he is at weight and height wise! We are also waiting to hear back on whether or not the offer we submitted for this house is accepted. It's driving us crazy not knowing whether or not we can go ahead with this purchase. The planning has already begun on what we would do to the inside (we need to gut the kitchen and bathroom) and it's just making us so excited!

Can't wait to update you on all this goodness! xo

ps. we get our family pictures back this week!

That one time it snowed in Portland.

Rain boots. Whatever works, right?

Ohhhhh, Portland. As a Michigan girl, I am used to massive amounts of snow every winter. I lived across the street from my high school and would wear flip flops to school in the winter. I know, I know. It sounds like I'm one of those grumpy old men, "I walked 3 miles to school in blizzards!". But, really...I did. Here in Portland that sh*t don't fly. I'm pretty sure our city does not own a plow and you are not allowed to salt the roads.

Pancakes on a snowday seemed appropriate.

Yesterday, watching the snow fall. Obviously not amused.

Morning reading time. This picture is now a part of my top 10 favorite photos.

So here we are in a winter wonderland and the city is shutdown. By the way, I think we only got maybe 5 inches. It's supposed to snow more tonight and to be honest I am really loving it. It's so bright and white out. There is no one out, so on my walk to the little mart up the street this morning (I neeeeeded cream for my coffee!) I walked in the middle of the road, enjoying how peaceful it was. Let's hear it for snow days (and hopefully my hubby getting out of work early)! xo

Oh, Oregon. You sure are pretty

Oh, man. Today was a good one. We spent our day out in the Columbia Gorge doing a little hiking. You see, here in oregon Winter is a grey and rainy mess. But, sometimes we get days like today that sneak their way in to remind us that a beautiful Spring is just around the corner (not like Spring is any drier, but yah know). When we left for our hike this afternoon there was some serious fog here in the city (um, hello?! Twilight?!). When we got to the Gorge though you could just tell that blue skies and some rays of sunshine were considering an appearance. And they did just that. And it was wonderful. We went with our amazing friends Jen and Max, their little guy Harley and lovely pup Simba. It was a perfect hike with beers afterwards. Cheers to more Tuesday's like this one!

This kid...he is so awesome.

Going in a frame. Along with the rest of these.

The mama's and Simba killin' it. Waterfalls make every hike better.

Love my crew.

Us + Max & Harley.

Taking a break for some boob...

And some sunshine.

 Thank you Oregon for sharing your beauty with us today! xo