Beach

I really had intended to get to the beach more this summer but this is just the second time. The weather was perfect and Owen had a great time digging and then jumping into and rolling around in the water.

Mwa ha ha!

I made Pat eat tofu. And he liked it! Hooray Tofu Lasagna Rolls!

Ham Sammies

What's the definition of a sammie anyway? A mini sandwich? I saw a picture of these on someone's blog and immediately wanted to eat them. That doesn't often happen with sandwich pictures so I thought I should listen to that voice inside my head (and Pat's voice, agreeing that they looked tasty) and make them! Glad I did! Super great. I didn't have ground mustard (so I left it out) or the cheese it called for (so I used Colby Jack) and I didn't use that much butter but they came out great anyway, and made the whole house smell good too! If you're a vegetarian you should still make these (without the ham) just because the bread/topping is most of what makes it good.

Recipe here.

Softball

I really had a great birthday yesterday for a lot of reasons and because of a lot of people. We ended the day with Pat's softball game. They played three games but Owen and I could only stay for one. It actually ended up being a pretty intense game, there was an accidental barreling into the catcher incident which was then returned by an intentional arm hitting Pat (which I totally missed) which then caused an uproar (not from Pat). Pretty exciting stuff for a league full of accountants:)

Back to the Westside...

Remember how I wanted to go to the Westside Market every week? Well...we finally went for the second time. I'm going in with a plan next time, I get overwhelmed by the options and end up not getting much!

We were a bit more conservative with our purchases this time around. Caramel-Apple flavored popcorn (super good!), more sourdough bread (less exciting this time around) and a turkey wrap (blah-tasting, what you see in the picture is about exactly as much as Owen ate).


Enjoying the music outside. There were two fun people dancing that kept the whole crowd entertained. The band (wearing cowboy hats/boots) was pretty good until they tried to do a Nirvana song and Pat declared that they were butchering the song.

Feast!

This is my 300th post! Woo hoo! Here are some pictures from the Feast in Little Italy.



We had some peach-mango gelato after finishing off our cavatelli and meatballs. Owen left some evidence of his meal on his shirt. When we got home I realized that I actually brought a bib to the Feast and totally forgot to use it on him.


Exciting fire truck ride.

Click here for pictures from last year.

Jamie!

We've been out and about this week with Jamie while she's visiting here from Georgia.

Owen's Pictures

Owen took a couple of pictures on the way to our car after the fair.

This stroller picture might seem random but it was actually well thought out. We were trying to get Owen to take a picture of us but he insisted that he get one of the stroller first. Lovely.

I think this one is hilarious for obvious reasons but it is also the only picture I am in from the fair so I'm glad Owen got it:) I'm also impressed that we're centered and the camera was straight.

Cuyahoga County Fair

We made a last minute decision last night to go to the Fair and it ended up being a really fun time. If nothing else, the fair is always good for some people watching but there was actually a lot to see and do besides eat and play expensive games with bad prizes. We did get to see the Banana Derby but it was so crowded I couldn't get a picture. So sad!
Click here for pictures from last year.

We fed some animals that seemed a little crazed and starving...


Pat finally got his funnel cake! Last year he accidentally ordered an elephant ear and was sorely disappointed.


Owen the astronaut...with a little help...


Listening to the roosters crow

We waited until the end to put Owen on a ride and he loved it. As we walked out he kept looking around and chanting "Ride that!" At one point he nearly made it into a funhouse before we stopped him!

Browns Training Camp!

It rained pretty steadily during our visit to the Brown's Training Camp but I think it actually made it more fun. We also filled our stomachs at Olive Garden beforehand so that probably helped too. There was a bigger crowd than I thought there would be and even a couple of hecklers who are always amusing to listen to.

Big Truck Day!

We drove out to the Warrensville library to attend Big Truck Day yesterday. Owen thought the whole thing was fabulous. Me? I was expecting more trucks! They had a fire truck, police motorcycle, police car, RTA bus and then a red sports car. Not very many "trucks"...

Owen playing it cool next to the policeman...


Sitting in the bus. That's right, that's his second badge in one week. Owen is now a junior officer in Warrensville and for the Metroparks! Congratulations Owen!

Budding Photographer

I finally took a moment to show Owen how to take a picture without putting your finger over the lens and this is what came from it. Not too bad! We'll see if he retains this information...

The Badge

We went for a walk through the metroparks on Sunday and ran across a group of about four police cars stopped on the side of the road with their lights flashing. At Owen's suggestion, we stopped to stare impolitely. Luckily, they were just getting in their cars and started to drive away so we waved goodbye and were planning to go on our way when one of the cars pulled over by us! The policeman got out, chatted with Owen for a second and left him with this super awesome fancy badge (sticker). Owen was super excited, and let's be honest, Pat and I were too! Here's Owen's version of the story!

A Visit!

Some friends came over for a fun (although too short!) visit over the weekend! Here is the obligatory group shot...


Owen liked Julianna but still made sure to keep a close eye on her.

Old Food

Here are some things I made semi-recently that I never posted about.

Peanut Butter (and Jelly) Muffins-The recipe didn't call for jelly but I added it to a few on a whim since they looked boring. I'm glad I did because the ones that didn't have jelly also didn't have any flavor. I've since lost the recipe I used but you've at least been warned!


Chocolate Chip Pretzel Bars- I think I was actually making these to give to someone but they were too soft and gooey to cut so we ended up eating them all...They tasted like butter. With some chocolate thrown in. Super good but I'm not sure I should ever make these again...

Giraffe!

Apparently Giraffe has a secret life we don't know about! With Nicole Richie's daughter! What!? Click here to see Owen and Giraffe

Camp

Camp was great fun and a little different now that Owen is older. He was great all day and enjoyed being fed various chips and desserts by everyone he walked by. We stayed in the "lodge" due to our lack of appropriate sized tent and so Owen could go to bed earlier. He went to sleep fairly easily but then fell out of bed and never quite got back in the groove so we had to leave around 1 am. There was also a new game we had never played before (see below) and lots of great food!
Group Shot!


Playing Frisbeer...or Beersbie...


Mom and the Camp Director (Aunt Marlene!)


Lounging in a tent before packing up!

Field Museum

Last post about Chicago! The Field Museum was our last stop before we headed home. It was actually a really great museum that you could probably spend the whole day in...if you aren't with a 2 year old. Owen did really great but didn't last as long as we hoped.

Chatting with a pirate


Brave, brave Owen. I don't think pirates like being touched...


Owen knows all about DNA now


I'm pretty sure this was Owen's favorite spot. He kept running back here every chance he got. It was a "bus" with a tv in front.

When we ran out of energy/patience with Owen (meaning-when he started having crazy tantrums) we headed to the Corner Bakery for snacks. Cookies for Pat and Owen and rugelach for me.

You can't tell by the picture but we had to carry Owen out screaming. He was much happier outside on the steps. So were we. It was a beautiful day outside.

Around Town

You didn't think I could drag out a two-day trip into so many blog posts did you? I still have one more after this one too!
We sprung for a hotel suite with the hopes that we wouldn't have to go to bed early with Owen. There were two separate rooms and a refrigerator which ended up being great for the milk I hoarded from the free breakfast bar:) Owen was tricky with the sleeping situation though. The first night he got me to sleep with him on the pull-out couch and on the second night he commandeered the comfy king-sized bed for himself. We surrounded him with pillows so he wouldn't fall out.


We had a great day for walking around the city...here are some random buildings...


An awesome fountain, perfect for taking some group pictures.

Playing Around

We went to a nature preserve near our hotel that ended up having a really great playground. Owen had fallen asleep so we actually had to wake him up so he could enjoy it.

This was a big circular rock wall that you could climb. Every chunk of playground had a sign noting the ages each activity was appropriate for, which no one paid attention to.

Owen tackling the rock wall, with some help


Once you got to the top there was a slide to bring you right back down.


Pat challenged me to climb this boulder. No easy feat in my flip flops.


Fun dinosaur rocker thingie.

At some point we saw a double-decker bus. I was very excited. Probably a little too excited. I thought these only existed without roofs and to use for tours, not freeway driving!