fancy coffee

My barista at work

Jamie, the non-coffee drinker in our house, has become quite the fancy coffee maker. He has started experimenting with different flavors and has come up with a really yummy combination:

 

Put in the coffee press with about 2 c. water and let perk for a few minutes:

Coffee grounds,

1/8 t. cinnamon, ground

1 pod of cardamom seeds, crushed with the back of a spoon

1 heaping teaspoon of cocoa powder

¼ t. vanilla

 

After the coffee has achieve perfect brew-ness, pour into a large mug and add:

1-2 teaspoons of sugar

Chocolate soy milk to taste

 

This weekend he even got REALLY fancy, and whipped up some cream for the top! It did make it seem like something I should have to pay money for J The extra cream he froze in dollops on a cookie sheet and once solid, transferred them to a freezer bag. So now I can put a dollop of whipped cream on my coffee whenever I need that extra “something”.

 

What an act of love from a man that isn’t fond of coffee himself!

some of the ingredients

 

At the table - Aug 04

Doing some activities at the table…

I decided to try letting Thea string buttons on a thread..

she had a lot of fun...but I did end up re-threading the needle too many times to count!

Thad discovered the fun of the game Blokus

He placed, removed, and replaced the pieces quite a few times...and then had to get a little silly for the camera

pony rides - Aug 02

Thad and Thea got to visit the horse paddocks for pony ride day…

Thea

Thad

getting a little silly

 

fun with dominoes - Aug 01

Dominoes are a hit with all members of the family...

Thad's dominoes were a launching pad for a spaceship!

Thea's were a train track

Zeke's dominoes made some nice loud clapping noises

playground fun - July 31st

We had a playdate at the playground a couple weeks ago.

Thad had fun riding his bike (a recent gift from friends) on the basketball court--our roads are a bit too bumpy and rutted for him to ride on, so this smooth surface is a welcome place to ride!

Zeke with a friend

another of our smiley baby

He finds all sorts of interesting (and yucky!) things on the ground

Some kids came to watch the bike-riding

Zeke has 5 teeth now!

Thea trying on mommy's glasses

Thea LOVES to swing!

Zeke is 9 months old

Zeke is 9 months old - so we took a few photos on the weekend. Thanks for the cute shirts, Aunt Shelly!

Thad, Thea & Zeke

look at that tummy!

always happy to clap

There's that dimple

 

happy 4th birthday Thad

Thad turned 4 this month. We had a small party, our family and a some friends, to celebrate!

Playing "pin-the-eyepatch-on-Kwazii"

Mommy and Thad with the cake

opening some presents

trying to "cast" a fishing pole fish into the rope "pool"

Zeke and his friend

going on a treasure hunt - "that way!"

"now there"

The treasure hunters and their find--popcorn and Tootsie pops to eat...

while watching "Octonauts"