Our Little Ballerina

Brooke took a little princess dance camp this past week, so we could see whether or not we wanted to put her in dance class this fall. She liked it and had fun dancing with her friends. It was fun to see her dance in her recital. The girls were all so cute, three year olds are not known for their ability to follow directions for a reason, but they all did a great job!
So, part of me feels like I want to get Brooke in some kind of a class this fall, where she can work on following directions and interacting with other kids. But another part of me feels like she is still too young and we should wait one more year for classes. We are doing a pre-school co-op, but I am just not sure about classes. Also, I'm debating whether swimming, soccer, dance or gymnastics would be best. I just can't decide. Any thoughts?

Kitchen Adventures

I decided to take some of our delicious blueberries and make some delicious freezer jam (thanks for the idea Adi). I've never attempted jam before and I was pleasantly surprised at how easy it was. I'm thrilled to be able to have yummy jam all year long now!


I also decided to try my hand at making homemade babyfood. I didn't ever make any with Brooke and I thought I'd give it a shot this time. I just did carrots and sweet potatoes, and it was super simple. I just steamed them and then pureed them in the blender and then froze them in the mini muffin pan (because we don't have ice trays). It really didn't take very long and was way cheaper. And as those are the only two vegetables that Owen will actually eat I guess he approves!

Science Night

Last night I randomly told Reid that we should show Brooke how to make a volcano, when Reid informed me that he had never made one. Now I thought the whole baking soda and vinegar volcano was a staple of childhood, we had to remedy the situation. So we made a volcano with red lava (decorating sugar). Reid also showed us how when you mix just a little vinegar and baking soda the carbon dioxide can put out a flame. Not that we were competing but I think my experiment was totally cooler:)!

Happy 4th of July

My sister Marti came down from Illinois for the 4th and we had a fun, busy weekend!
We met her in KY on Friday morning and went hiking in the Cumberland Gap.




Then that night we went to a Smokies baseball game. It was a fun game and they had a preety cool fireworks show after the game.






Saturday morning, we had a bike parade with some friends.



Then Saturday afternoon, we barbecued and then went downtown for the 4th festival and fireworks show. They had a ton of fun kid crafts and there was a concert by the Knoxville Symphony.









We are so glad Marti got to come down and hangout with us. We had a great time! Happy 4th of July everyone!

Yummers!

One thing is for sure, we love food in our family!
Owen loves food! As soon as we started solids, he's just been gobbling it down!


We've been eagerly anticipating blueberry season! Delicious!



Happy Birthday to me with a delicious strawberry cheesecake!