Hello Fall.

Even though it is now just officially Fall, summer pretty much ended for me towards the beginning of August, when school started up again! My mornings start at 5:30 and the day ends by 10 and don't include many extra minutes. We have been out of town 3 of the last 4 weekends.
But Life has been beautiful. I can't complain. I love my job at school and my job at home, even though both leave me exhausted by the end of the day. God has given me so many blessings. Two of which are the sweetest little boys you will ever see. I am so thankful for the love they show each other!
Tonight Alex wanted to read a book to Liam. If you know the story, you know he did a pretty good job of it!

Hopefully one of these days I will have time to write about the most amazing {and easy} ice cream recipe ever or show how I recovered the rocking chair, but for now I will be grateful for the first day of fall, and all the fun that will bring!

Make your own Pancakes

We eat a lot of pancakes in this house! 

"Cancakes" are one of Alex's favorite breakfasts and he loves to sit on the counter,  help me mix up the batter and then me cook them. 

I always use this recipe as the base but we love to add in all sorts of things in them. (Bananas, Chocolate, Coconut, Cinnamon Roll and mixes of all of those!)

So when my brother, sister-in-law, and her brother came to visit, I decided to put out a little bit of everything and let people make their own pancakes! 

Even with six basic ingredients, the possibilities are endless! 

(Note: for cinnamon roll mixture melt 2-3 tbsp butter in a bowl. Add in 2 tbsp brown sugar and 2 tsp cinnamon. Mix together.)

Then let people start creating!

Then on the table have out a bunch of toppings--jams, syrup, butters, powdered sugar etc! 

It is a super easy, good-for-a-crowd kind of breakfast!

We were so busy eating I forgot to snap a picture of the finished product!

Blueberry Peach No-Churn Ice Cream

 Next up is Ice Cream! (See the recipes for blueberry buckle and blueberry muffins here and here.) This summer I really wanted to make ice cream, but I didn't really want to have to buy an ice cream maker...I kept my eyes open for a good deal on one, but couldn't find anything I liked, so I was super happy to find a recipe for ice cream that took out that step! It was from a Woman's Day magazine and took no time to make at all! The magazine had a couple of different options, but I had just been blueberry picking and had a bunch of peaches on hand so I decided to make blueberry peach ice cream!




You need:
2 cups very cold heavy cream
1 14oz can sweetened condensed milk
1 tsp vanilla extract
6-7 medium peaches
handful of blueberries
blueberry jam

• cut up peaches and put in blender to puree
• using a mixer, beat cream, condensed milk, and vanilla in a bowl until stiff peaks form.
• Mix peach puree in
• Spoon half the mixture into a freezer safe container. Spoon a spoonful or two of blueberry jam and the blueberries on top and then swirl in. Add in the rest of peach mixture and repeat with the blueberry jam and blueberries.
• Freeze for at least 4 hours. It makes a ton! 
• Eat up! 

 Alex enjoyed it! But I think he enjoyed the cone more! ;)

Blueberry Buckle

After a fun blueberry picking trip I had lots of blueberries to use!

This was actually how I finished up the rest of my blueberries...by making Blueberry Buckle. Basically a coffee cake but with blueberries! I think I may have in the past eaten it as a dessert, but it makes a great breakfast too! :) This is a favorite family recipe! I remember making this for my grandpa after going blueberry picking one time. fun times.

You need:
1/2 cup butter, soften
2 cups flour
1 1/2 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp salt
3/4 cup sugar
1 egg
1 tsp vanilla
1/2 cup milk
5 cups blueberries (I used 4 cups and that was plenty!)

for the streusel topping:
1 tsp cinnamon
1/4 tsp salt
1 cup flour
6 Tbs butter

• Heat oven to 350
• butter/flour a 10 inch round pan (or springform pan)
• sift together flour, baking powder, and salt in a small bowl
• cream butter and sugar for 3 minutes, then add egg and vanilla
• alternate adding flour mixture and milk (start and end with flour)
• fold in blueberries
• pour batter into pan
• for streusel--mix dry ingredients together. cut in butter until fine crumbs form. Using hands, squeeze together mixture to form large clumps
• Sprinkle topping on top of batter
• bake for 60-70 minutes or until toothpick comes out clean and streusel is light brown
• ENJOY!

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Blueberry Muffins

Make blueberry muffins of course! Will loves blueberry muffins as long as I don't try to make them too healthy! ;) I learned that last year, so this year after we went blueberry picking, I made sure to make a more normal, less whole wheat flour one! He was happy!

It was a pretty easy recipe and Alex was more than happy to help! I found the recipe here.

You need:
1/2 cup butter, softened
1 cup sugar
2 eggs
1/2 cup milk
2 cups flour
2 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp salt
1 tsp cinnamon
1/4 tsp nutmeg
2 cups blueberries

• Let your toddler put muffin liners in the muffin pan (it will take forever! :) ) and preheat oven to 375
• cream together butter and sugar
• then add eggs and milk and mix well.
• in a small bowl stir flour, baking powder, salt, cinnamon and nutmeg.
• add to milk mixture and stir it up.
• fold in blueberries.
• fill muffin cups. (I ended up making about 18)
• sprinkle some sugar on top of each muffin
• bake for 30 minutes or until tops are light brown!

enjoy! they will disappear quickly!

Blueberry Picking

What I love about summer is how the days kind of run together so I really have no idea what day it is, and we have so many fun-filled adventure days mixed in with laid-back, stay-at-home ones and so when I think about the fact that we only went blueberry picking a week and a half ago, I can't believe how many amazing things we did between then and now. 

Summer. It makes you think and act in run-on sentences. Because life is that good.

Anyways. Blueberry picking. Last year I had done two trips. One with the family and one by myself.

So this year part of me REALLY wanted to pick a bunch of blueberries to freeze, 

but I also REALLY wanted to make it a fun family function.

 (Although, I really don't know how much any of the three boys I am with really cared!) 

So of course we all went together. 

 I was actually a little bit nervous about how Alex would enjoy it. He was in such a TWOs mood in the morning. But, thanks to the magic of blueberries, He was quite in awe of all of the berries...especially the ones on the ground!

But we got him on the right track and he started picking blueberries!

...Until it got hot.  

And he was done. 

He chugged water, and ate all of the snacks, but blueberries were of no interest!

But he had fun...

...and Liam did what he does best {sleep!}

 We barely picked 4 pounds, but it was nice to be together.

And although it was SO hot, we all survived. 

And of course...

{I will be dragging the boys}

We will be coming back next year!

 Instead of freezing we used them all up in four fun recipes!

{coming soon!}

clockwise from top left: 

Blueberry Buckle

Blueberry Mango and Peach Smoothie

Blueberry Muffins

Peach & Blueberry Ice Cream

Alex: Take Me Out to the Ball Game

I am not really sure when Alex's love of baseball started. It all began when he got a T-Ball set from my sister, and he would spend ages hitting with a variety of bats that Will had. Then on one library trip, Will got a several baseball books and that seem to seal the deal. He was hooked on baseball. It is really so cute hearing him say the word even. And then he and Will started singing Take Me Out to the Ball Game. 

PRECIOUS!

Here is a video if you are interested! :)

As he developed this interest, so did my wish to take him to a baseball game. But USC's season was just about over, the Braves were to far away for a toddler, so I had settled on a Columbia Blowfish, the local team, game; but it wasn't really what we wanted because we weren't very interested in the team. Then, as we were planning our trip to Ohio, it dawned on me that we should go to an Indians game... So we did! The Indians have had low turn out this year, but when they heard we were coming, everyone else wanted to as well! Hehe, they were actually playing the Detroit Tigers, who had just overtaken them in their division so it was a big game... that we lost!

 Our tickets were actually for seats in the left hand corner of the picture...we never sat there! We went straight to the kiddie section! :)

 Alex is too preoccupied with the field to look at the camera!

 Mesmerized!

 Of course, 9 innings is a little long for toddlers! They enjoyed a hot dog...

 ...popcorn, and juice!

 We also enjoyed the great play area!

 This was our view from the kiddie area. I was thankful for more leg room, space for the kids to move around, and a net to keep them contained! :)

Our Family!

 Post game!

Of course, we paused Alex's play time to make sure he was paying attention to the seventh inning stretch. He was a little overwhelmed with all that was going on, and you really can't hear him sing, but towards the end he caught on. I think they needed to sing it one more time for him to be able to sing too! 

 This was another adventure where Liam did what he does best:

eat, sleep, and look around. 

Thankfully loud noises don't bother him too much. It will be fun when he can enjoy all these adventures too! 

 I can't wait to take them to some more games!

Summers in Ohio

Growing up in Japan, summers always meant Takyama, camps, going to the pool parks and lounging in the river pool. Kakigoris, ice cream treats, fans, a matsuri or two, all sleeping in the living room which was the one air conditioned room in the house (my sister just sent this great article on surviving the heat in Japan!). Even now, if I see, hear, or smell a particular thing, I am transported back to the good old summers in Japan.

For the first time since living in the States, I realized what makes a summer for me in America. I thought it was the grueling summer heat of South Carolina (but at least we have air conditioning), hearing the cicadas, and grilling. But no. In the beginning of July we went up to Ohio to see my sister and her family before they move out west. Maybe it was my first summer as a parent of a child who actually now enjoys various activities etc, or maybe that it was my first trip to Ohio in a while that didn't feel rushed. But as we enjoyed various experiences with Alex and the rest of my family, I finally felt like I was "at home" for a summer in America. We always returned to Ohio in the summer, usually to my grandparent's house and as we experienced culture shock and jet lag, we also enjoyed summer back in the states. It was the place where our family would always come back together after being separated by several states, oceans, time zones. And that is still what Ohio is to me. I think it was so fun this time seeing Alex experience some of the fun things that remind me of my childhood...

Family time:
Ohio Grass. (It is so much nicer than grass in South Carolina.) Grilling with the extended family. Sitting outside and chatting until it is too dark to see outside. Seeing big cousins play with the little cousins (once removed!). Desserts. Catching up on each other's lives.

Fireflies (or Lightening bugs):
Finally at this house in SC we have fireflies, but they are all over the place in Ohio and we had fun catching them.

Baths with cousins:
We have more pictures as kids of taking baths with our cousins when we were together for a couple of days. Of course that continues with our kiddos.

Baseball games:
Nothing says summer like a trip downtown to Cleveland for an Indians game. Of course, since we are not with my dad, we don't leave two innings early to avoid traffic! ;)

Kiddie Pool time:
grassy water, freezing cold. Because in Ohio 80 degrees is hot.

I am glad I figured out what Summer is in the States, and that I got to share that with Alex. As Will and I talked about summers on our {LONG} trip home, he commented on how his cousin's farm in Sumter represents summer to him. It is funny how we connect certain places and memories with the seasons. Summers are a wonderful thing. I am thankful for so many good memories.

Popsicles Take two

I got the new popsicle molds yesterday and had to try a new popsicle right away! 

Put 4 plums (skin off) 1 cup raspberries, and 1/2 cup apple juice in a blender

Puree until it is blended together.

Put tops on and freeze for 3-6 hours.

Enjoy!! Alex liked these ones! They were a little heavy on the raspberry taste, so I will probably use a little less next time! :)

Katie: motherhood

Today was one of those days.

One of those days where one minute you are ohhing and ahhing over 

how sweet and silly your toddler is being with the newborn. 

Then you are feeling the fit of rage because YES that two year old did say NO to you right in your face AGAIN. 

Then back to a state of disbelief because that same child said please and thank you without being asked. 

One of those days where your child refuses to nap, 

your infant sounds terrible with a cold, 

and you are still in your pajamas at 3 in the afternoon,

 AND you have made coffee twice, poured a cup twice, and not tasted it until it was cold... twice.

One of those days that, at the end,

you just have to sigh and be thankful because

HIS mercies are new every morning.

It was one of those days.

Normally things are much easier, especially in the summer. Will is the one who stays home with the boys during the day, and since I teach I have the summers off, so we are home together. It is an arrangement I like. The tag teaming makes things a whole lot easier! 

But there have been several days that Will has been gone with sports, and those seem to be the days that Alex likes to show out the most (he knows back up is far away!). Its sometimes these days where I feel totally incompetent as a parent, even though we have many great parts of the day and I always survive... and so to my kids. But I think Alex and Liam show me how weak I really am, and that I can't always rely on myself but I need Jesus to walk me through these days because I can't do everything on my own.

Don't get me wrong. My students have a knack for reminding me of my inadequacies as well. And actually thinking that come fall, I will have to spend a day with 16 kids at school and then have to go through these kind of days with my kids at home too... I am already praying for supernatural strength! ;) But my boys really make my inadequacies personal!

For some reason I thought it would be a little different with my kiddos. But its not. And while sometimes I want to cope by hiding by the freezer all day sneaking spoonfuls of ice cream, I remember two things:

1. My mom raised 5 kids, maintained her sanity, and still encourages me through these moments.

2. HIS mercies are new every morning.  Thank you Jesus! 

He has called Will and I to the amazing profession of parenthood, and He will not leave us or forsake us if we continually call on Him. There have been several key moments in our journey as parents that have given me a better understanding of what God has done for us. How difficult and painful parenting can sometimes be. Yet, because of his steadfast love for us, he has endured all that we put him through. And not just with two kids but the whole world. And because he has, he can give me what I need.

Grace has a whole new meaning. {so does justice, but mostly grace! ;)}

And so as I head to bed, I choose to keep the precious moments with my two rascals in my head

(and not think about how much sleep Liam will let me have tonight or all the rascally things Alex did today)

 also a favorite quote from my favorite Anne comes to my mind:

(total side note: I often wonder if I will ever be able to read that wonderful series to a daughter... 

I don't think Will is going to be thrilled if I read it to my boys! haha!)

isn't it nice to think that tomorrow is a new day with no mistakes in it yet?

I love knowing that after having "one of those days" 

tomorrow is a new day with no mistakes yet, 

 but instead it is already full of grace and mercy. 

{for me and my children}

thank you Jesus, for getting us through yet another day.

Alex: Popsicles Take 1

This is take one because Alex didn't really love this batch... so we will try again later. They were still yummy (to me!) and a very easy process! Here is Alex to show you the steps.

1. Get some popsicle molds (these are from walmart)

Insist on eating the blue one first.

2. Mix up the ingredients.

This was 2 cups greek yogurt, 1 Tbsp honey, 4 strawberries cut up, and a handful of blueberries.

3. Take popsicle molds all over house. Protect the blue one, even while reading a book. 

(My yogurt had accidentally frozen in our fridge...it has issues. So we were waiting for it to melt a bit)

4. Put the mixture in molds, and put the tops on.

(and keep insisting that you are going to eat the blue one!)

5. All ready to go in the freezer! It took a good 3-4 hours to freeze.

6. Taste Test: (You should have seen his face after every bite! It wasn't quite sweet enough for him! :) )

7. Discover the little straw thing at the side to help slurp up the bottom part.

8. Only want to eat the popsicle that way...

FAIL.

I learned two things from this first attempt. 

1. Juice popsicles will probably be more what he would love to eat. (with an occasional chocolate one!)

2. These popsicle molds still make a mess! My sister bought these ones and loves them so now I have a set in the mail too! :)

More popsicle fun to come!