Dear Summer I love you...and Sunday Night Dinner Picture

Late evenings - lazy mornings - flip flops - sundresses - lot's of sunshine - leisurely walks - the scent of sunscreen - popsicles - ice cream - sprinkler - girls giggling and laughing...that is summer to me. Today we spent a perfect summer day here in the heart of Portland, Oregon. We all (!) slept in - that is past 8 a.m, whoo-hoo :), and spent a winderfully lazy morning at home. Friends came over around lunchtime the four kids and three adults took a leisurely neighborhood walk downto ?Porque No? Taqueria. Guacamole & chips, Rice & beans w/o cheese/sour cream, for our girlies, quesadilia for the other kids, and ceviche, tacos, for the adults. - Leisurely walk back home where we found some yummy, delcious raspberries for dessert:)...turned on the sprinkler at to cool off...

So dinner was not much this evening..just pasta with olive oil, lot's of Parmesiano Regiano and some delicious broccoli :) - The perfect ending to a perfect day!!!

PS.: yes, that is green eye shadow Mia Rosie is wearing....

There is more to our Saturday Night Dinner...

...see this?! My friend also made dessert for all of us. The girls were so excited when they found out that the cupcakes were milk free :). These are delicious, vegan cupcakes my friend made for us...This recipe is by Chef Chloe who won first prize with it on the Foodnetwork's Cupcake Wars. Here is the link to this recipe http://chefchloe.com/sweets/chocolate-strawberry-shortcake-cupcakes.html and to her Blog where many recipes are :)

Alena ended up eating two cupcakes :)))

Saturday Night Dinner...it is....

...another Garden BBQ party - summertime has arrived in Portland, Oregon. My good friend and her husband hac us over for dinner tonight. She was one of the first people who had held Alena when she was not even quite a day old. At the time - so seems in retrospect - She had a gut Feeling that something was not OK. My friend has many nieces and nephews. I clearly remember her telling us how she had never seen a baby eat so little. Which was true, Alena did not want to eat, and spat up most of it. It was almost like my friend had a gut feeling that something was not right, and Alena "knew" that the formula could kill her...Aye, so how did I get from talking about our dinner to this story?! Oh yes, right - so my friend knows about Galactosemia and the foods they can eat. Needless to say, the entire dinner was safe for the girls. Veggie chips, cucumbers, carrots, a delicious vegan lentil dip, and pita chips as a snack. Amazing BBQ chicken, potato salad, and a green salad with blueberries for dinner. And yes, there was also one dio the girls could not eat but that was no big deal for them...
Anyways, it was an amazing delicious fun evening spent outside with great friends :)

Friday Night Dinner - Kids Night Out...

...at Paygroundgym in NE Portland. The Kids get served pizza from Pzza Schmiza and since they do not have a kitchen we brought our our - already baked - cheeseless pizza. The girlies wanted sausage and olives; this time we got Hotlips Pizza and I wa told it was delicious :) BTW - for those really wanting cheese, Hotlips now also carries vegan cheese. Both of our Giros however prefer cheeseless pizza. I think it is probably because that is what they generally hav an neither of them likes vegan cheese on pizza :)

Anyways, all parties involved had a fantastic Friday night! Girls had lots of play at the trapeze, climbing wall, tree house, etc. While we also had a fun dinner date!

Have a great weekend!

By the way the pizza was from Hotlips http://hotlipspizza.com/ delicious :)

Thursday Night Dinner

...no dinner photo tonight :( this is Mia Rosie this morning...We were at a really fun party and got home late. There were sausages as well as French bread for the girls to eat. Most of the other foods were off limits. It is amazing to me to see the girls ask to determine which foods they can eat. Even if something looks good and they find out that it is not safe, neither has an issue. There were many desserts. Brownies, delicious cakes and unfortunately not one of them safe. Both girls wanted me to come along and check it out. Alena was a little disappointed, that she could not have a brownie. But you know what? It was OK - both girls understand that there are many foods that are not safe. Truth be said, the fact that we brought along delicious Soy Ice Cream :) Today we brought So Delicious Neopolitan - vanilla-chocolate-strawberry all in one :) http://www.turtlemountain.com/products/product.php?p=so_delicious_org_qt_neapolitan.

There is a final thought to all of this. The diet is managable - Eating out, Parties, travel it all is possible. There are no limits. The only limits are those that we set ourselves. It just takes planning, asking, and some trust!

Wednesday Night dinner...

...Wednesday is the day of the downtown Portland Farmer's Market. Look at the delicious veggies we got! Farm fresh heirloom tomatoes, sweet onion, two types of summer squash, zucchini, garlic, and homegrown (by me) basil - all baked to perfection as a delicious ratatouille. Served with polenta, and lots of grated Parmesiano Reggiano - Alena loves to eat it just by itself, but not on top of polenta, veggies, pasta etc, I had however added some already to both :) - Mia Rose loves it on the food and also by itself. Yay for lots of calcium!

This is such a delicious, healthy meal and to me it just spells summer! I hope you all have a great summer too!

After school/camp snack...

...al fresco in our back yard. Oregon blueberries and cherries, hummus and chips, along with OJ for Mia Rosie and chocolate Soy Milk for Alena :). Alena wishes all "peace on earth"

Batteries were recharged for another couple of play before dinner time :) And yes, our do eat all fruits and veggies; no exception but for the ones we do not like ;)

Tuesday Night Dinner...

...another good-bye party for friends moving back to Europe. The Patty was at the McMenamin's Roadhouse. Lot's of grass and open spaces for the kids to run around. The girls wanted a burger with tater tots. The bun was not "safe" and we ordered the burger without the bun. It was no big deal - not for the restaurant, nor for the girls :) they wrapped some of the lettuce around the patty :) I think the photo of Alena with her plate speaks for itself :)))- The other kids ate pizza but it was no issue for our girls, or the other kids that they ate different food. Our girls are used to it and it is just a fact of life for them that sone food items are off limits. - We all had a fun evening :)

Here is the link -> http://www.mcmenamins.com/200-cornelius-pass-roadhouse-home

Monday Night Dinner is...

...meatloaf (yes, with ketchup), oven roasted potatoes, and tomato salad spelled all around dinner success tonight :) - Mia Rose started with the meatloaf, had a second helping before eating her potatoes, and the salad. Alena on the other and started with potatoes, had a second helping before moving on to the meatloaf and tomato salad. It is so interesting how different their taste buds are....

Do you want to know how I make the meatloaf? It's easy - 2/3 lean ground beef, and 1/3 pork. 2-3 crushed garlic cloves, 1 egg, Panko crumbs, salt, pepper, paprika, tarragon, and Italian herbs. Mix it all up throughly then shape into a loaf and place in rimmed baking form. Top with ketchup and bake in oven at 375 F for about an hour.

A lovely lazy Sunday

I just hope that I will not jinx it, but it appears that summer as finally arrived in Portland, Oregon - Finally sunshine and warm - but luckily not too hot - weather :)

We spent most of the day outside. We took a long neighborhood walk - the girlies rode their bikes - to two different playgrounds, and then headed over to Porque No? It is a fantastic Mexican restaurant, fun atmosphere, low key and delicious - as well as safe - food. Guacamole and chips; rice & beans and a chicken taco. Now guess who was eating what?! Alright, alright I will not keep you in suspense :) Taco for Mia Rosie, and rice & beans for our bean lover, Alena. We passed on dessert, but they do have sorbet. Whoo-hoo. Is that not fantastic?! Here is the link to Porque No? -> http://www.porquenotacos.com/

The way back home was a little more challenging for the ladies as we live on top of a hill :) So once we arrived back it was time to hop through sprinkler, and enjoy a fruit popsicle for dessert...

Sunday night dinner...

...pasta of last resort and salad. Since we had a big lunch it was time for pasta of last resort :) Onions, hot dogs chopped and sautéed, some lemon zest, pepper, salt, paprika, pasta, and a bit of Toffuti sour cream...

Saturday Night Dinner...

...more friends are leaving for Germany so we hosted them for great Planked Sockeye Salmon, spinach, roasted potatoes, and mixed salad with nectarines. OK - the kids tonight did not share our meal, but all four girls ate hot dogs, and fries. For dessert all girls shared wonderful Oregon berries - blueberries, raspberries, and blackberries - and So Delicious Vanilla Bean Coconut Milk ice cream. Delicious :)))

Here is the link to this delicious ice cream -> http://sodeliciousdairyfree.com/products/product.php?p=purely_decadent_cm_cherry_amaretto

Have a great Sunday :)))

Friday Night Dinner...

...it was performance day today for Alena and afterwards we went out to dinner to her favorite restaurant. Do you know what it is? Want to guess? - OK, do not worry I will let you know :) She wanted to go to Hopworks for dinner, it was a hot dog with fries for both Alena and Mia Rosie. They even had a celebratory root beer, which both of them love and I absolutely do not like...check out Hopworks on the web at www.Hopworksbeer.com. Play area for the kiddos, good food and beer :)

But what about the picture? That does not look like a brewery, you are right! Alena has been wanting to eat ice cream for a long time. So today was the day! There is one dairy free choice "Mango Tango" and the ladies topped it with marshmallows, skittles, and coconut flakes. As you can see, they both enjoyed their dessert :) Here is the link to the Swirl Website http://swirl-frozenyogurt.com/.

As a side note, I am amazed at all the options we find. It seems that most places always have a dairy free option. This is such a far cry from what I envisioned seven years ago. Back then I would have never thought that trips to restaurants, or even ice cream parlors would be possible...but look at us :) So exciting - there is always lemonade :)))

Have a great weekend!

Thursday Night Dinner - Mia Rosies' Wish granted

This morning Mia Rose asked if we could have Wurst, noodles, and greens for dinner. How could I resist, right?! Plus it's another fairly quick meal to make. So this is the result - fresh garlic Bratwurst from New Season's Market, noodles, sauteed Lacinato Kale, and mashed Garnet Yam. I have to admit that the yam's were my wish as I love them :) It was another dinner success here in our home in Portland, Oregon :)

Have a great night!

Lacinato Kale & mashed Garnet Yams

We love greens - our sides with dinner tonight. Are the colors not gorgeous? Vibrant green, and warm sunny orange.

This is how I made the Lacinato Kale

- Splash of Olive Oil
- 2 cloves of garlic - chopped
- 1 bunch of Lacinato Kale (or other Kale) chopped
- Salt & Pepper to taste
. Warm the Olive Oil in a pan or Wok
. Add garlic and stir (just a couple of seconds)
. Add Kale in batches - toss frequently and as it starts to get vibrant green add more
. Sautee at medium heat until all of the Kale is bright green, and soft
. Add salt and pepper to taste

Enjoy!

Wednesday Dinner...

...Taco Wednesday :) - I am still not quite over this nasty cold, so tonight was another quick and easy dinner. Tacos - beef, guacamole with garlic & tomatoes, fresh onion & tomatoes, refried beans, Toffuti sour cream, and - for a change - spanish rice. Alena ate four...or maybe even five tacos. Refried beans, guacamole, and Toffuti :) Mia Rose ate her fair share but as usual she prefers beef, Toffuti, guacamole, and plenty of fresh onions :) Actually both of our kids love fresh onions...

Have a great evening!

Wednesday morning breakfast is served...

...Emmenthaler, banana slices, Oregon cherries (pitted), ham on toast with chocolate soy milk for Alena, and OJ for Mia Rosie. A breakfast to fuel their bodies for a fun, sunny summer day :)

Tuesday Night Dinner and dessert

...homemade chicken noodle soup. Made with carrots, onion, garlic, celery, parsley, and - of course - chicken. Added cooked noodles to the plate, fill up with soup and sprinkle with parsley. Exactly what I need to feel better as I am still recuperating from a nasty cold I caught last weekend. There is a reason why I am a fair weather camper :)

The girlies love soup; they finished their meal off with a dessert of Rice Dream Bites :) http://www.tastethedream.com/products/product/2429/205.php. Now who said there wasn't any fun food ;). They are very delicious, the company also makes Almond Dream Bites which I think are actually a little bit better. Both a yummy so!!! Have a great evening.

Monday Night Dinner...

..when Mama is sick, it is Papa's turn to make dinner. Such a day is today. I must have gotten this terrible cold on our last camping trip. There is a reason I am only a fair weather camper :) Anyways, today was such a day and Ron made dinner. A stop at New Seasons and voila...Turkey Meatballs, Black Bean & Corn Salad, and Tabouleh. Alena, of course, preferred the Black Bean Salad while Mia Rosie preferred the Meatballs :)

Have a good night, all!

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Click on link above for details!

Look what Mia Rosie found...

...a star fish :) which she put back in the Pacific :))

Saturday night dinner in Bandon, Oregon...

...Hamburger and French Fries. Shared sisterly :)

Weekend camping trip with a twist...

...yes, it is true there were no dinner pictures for Friday, Saturday, and tonight. Not to worry, I will fill you in :). So where did we go? Do you want to know? Yes? Then read on :) - We went to...can you guess? See the size of these trees? Amazing...we drove to see the Redwoods this weekend. So amazing. Such great energy, just wonderful beyond belief. It is a magical place.

We left Thursday afternoon and spent the night at a hotel in Grants Pass. Truth be said, I was a little worried about breakfast and having no options for the girls. That however proved out to be false :) While certainly there was no soy milk to be had, there was plenty of juice, cereal, bagels - thank you for having the label on hand :) - jam, and even peanut butter. The staff was just wonderful in finding out what the girlies can eat. Yay!!! - Next stop was in the Redwoods. Took a mini hike, and them to the campground. Our site was just across the playground so guess where the girlies went? Yup, off to the playground - so much fun. We met up with friends who came to our campsite, and Friday night dinner was...sausages off the fire, baked beans, and baguette. Dessert was...yes, I know that is a hard one to guess...s'mores. Yummy!!!

Now, let it be known to all this mother is a fair weather camper and it rained on us that night :(. So the next morning, the girls had to eat their favorite camping breakfast - bacon - inside the tent. Not so much fun, but we then went on to a great hike through the magical forest, climbed through a tree, envisioned fairies, and magic everywhere...amazing :) We got back to the camp site which was still damp, but it was no longer raining. We made a quick decision to break down the tent, pack up the car, and follow our friends to a hotel in Bandon on the Oregon coast. Ahhh, did I mention that I am a fair weather camper ;) - yes, that is what we did. We booked a room, and off we drove to Bandon, We met our friends at the hotel, and went out for dinner in Bandon. A table for four girls, and a table for four adults. We all had so much fun - the girls sat side by side with their friends who ate foods neither of our girls can eat. Our girls shared a hamburger and fries :) -> Saturday night dinner. Above I will post a picture :) - breakfast this morning was much the same as on Friday. We checked on the safe items which left the girls with a bagel, sausage, fruit, and cereal. We brought our Silk Soy Milk, and a box of Nesquick chocolate - that was first try and such a hit - voila breakfast was on. Again, our girls sat side by side with their friends who drank "Kuhmilch", ate cake, but it all was a non-issue. Everyone was just excited to be together and have fun :))) - so there is o e more picture from Bandon...

Oh, and dinner tonight? Sunday night dinner? You will not believe it..really..the girls ate jelly sandwiches - Alena, cannot stand peanut butter :)))

Ok - that was it our wonderful fun weekend. Thank you for reading :). Have a great week!

S'mores

Are you ready for the weekend? I know we are and we love to go camping. We have now finally figured out to make great s'mores. We use Trader Joe's Dark chocolate, Trader Joe's Graham Crackers, and - of course - marshmallows. Wrap it up in foil and put on top of grill. Yummy!!!

Thursday Night Dinner...

...Pizza for all of us :) Pepperoni, Black Olives, no cheese for the ladies, and a Pizza for the adults. Gotta love Oregon!

Wednesday Dinner is...

...Faulenzerkrautwickel, mashed potatoes, and mixed baby green salad. In Case you are wondering Faulenzerkrautwickel is - sauted onion, one carrot, add to it ground beef until it is crumbly. Add salt, pepper, caraway seeds, and paprika. Then add one head of green cabbage and saute on med/low heat for at least 30 minutes. Add Toffuti sour cream to taste. It is yummy and the kind of "Stick to your ribs" Kind of meal.

Have a great evening all!

The Power to Empower - another conversation overheard...

...2011 seems to be the year when many of our friends move back to Europe. Just last week another set of close family friends left. So we - luckily if I may add so - inherited a bunch of stuff from them including some food items. The food stuff included also a couple of cans of Campbell's Dora Soup. So here is the conversation I overheard:-

Mia Rose after Looping at the can closely and pretending to read the label... "Look Alena there is Dora Soup but we cannot eat it" - Alena responds "You are right it has Kuhmilch (milk) in it" Both girls calls me "Mama look they mistakenly gave us that has Kuhmilch in it!"

Whoo-hoo - it so wonderful to see how the girls learn and understand what they can and cannot eat. It shows to me the importance in having them involved with shopping. This is where they learn that labels must always be read, and that a lot of the foods geared towards kids is not safe for them. The soup issue came up on our last trip to Fred Meyer a couple of weeks ago when we saw the fun soups. Both were excited to see it, and both remembered that they cannot eat it.

Here is to empowering children :) The Sky is the only limit!

Tuesday Night Dinner and a story

Oh, what a day! Not the night to make dinner...so we went out to HopWorks in Southeast Portland. There is a great playarea for the kids, plus good beer, and good food choices for all of us.

Alena decided to order herself - here it goes paraphrased "I would like the Hot Dog without cheese; no dairy please..." Now that makes this mother proud! It proves to me that being around foods they cannot eat both girls learn to always ask. It also proves that empowerment works. We could have gone the other way. Shield them from any food items they cannot eat, portray them falsely of victims of a delibitating illness, falsely feel sorry, and conveying a negative image. But that is not what Galactosemia is. This is a Metabolic disorder that is managable; and after living through a bout of E.Coli Mengengits this - with all it may bring - is certainly managable. Our children must be empowered, and they can only be empowered by parents conveying a positive message, and giving them the tools to understand their diet As well As the disorder.

Galactosemia does not define our family. It is part of our life, but that's it!!! There are no limitations in their abililities - the sky is the limit. There will only be limitations if children belive they are limited, because of CG defines them... Ok - I could go on for a while but rest assured I will get off my soap box for now.

Monday Night Dinner -

Pasta with Broccoli, Edamame, and Walnuts. Served with Parmesiano Regiano. Nice, Fresh, and green :))) The recipe is from "Simple Suppers" by the Moosewood Restaurant.

It was delicious and guess what Alena's favorite was? - Can you guess it? Yes, right Alena tried to eat every Edamame in the dish :) She is such a bean lover...and what do you think Mia Rosies favorite part was? Now that is a much harder guess, I admit. OK - I will let you know. Walnuts hands down were her absolutely favorite. And yes, both girls also liked the Broccoli :)
A Monday Night Dinner success at our little house in Portland...

Camping cooking

...Ron is warming up the tortillas

Camping Dinner...

...Fajitas - made on the fire :). So yummy and easy!!!

Where did we go last weekend?

Our first tent camping of the year :) We drove out to the Columbia River Gorge and camped at Memaloose State Park -> http://www.oregonstateparks.org/park_163.php It is a fun but rather loud campground. Interstate 84 is right above it, and the rail is right below the campground. It is still fun, there is a playground and great Junior Ranger Program. Just so nice to spend time outside :) - we stayed for two nights. Camping dinner on the first night was the old staple of baked beans, and - this time - Brats. For the second night Ron made Fajitas for us :) We brought along the rest. Soy milk, bread, etc.

While there we went on an amazing hike in the Gorge at Rowena Crest. http://www.nature.org/ourinitiatives/regions/northamerica/unitedstates/oregon/placesweprotect/tom-mccall-preserve-at-rowena.xml - Both girls actually enjoyed the hike and we were busy exploring. We finished the day with a visit to the Gorge Discovery Center http://www.gorgediscovery.org/ before heading back to the campground. On our way back to Portland we stopped for Lunch at the old stand by Burgerville :), then crossed the Bridge into Washington. We heard about Schreiner Farms where there are Zebras, Camels, and Giraffes and took the detour. Amazing to see these animals roam here with Mt. Hood in the backdrop http://www.schreinerfarms.com/. Then there was one more stop for another quick hike at Catherine Creek http://www.wta.org/go-hiking/hikes/catherine-creek.

There you have it - our entire weekend in a nutshell...

Sunday Night Dinner - on a summer day...

...Ratatouille and Polenta. A perfect dish on a summer day, and great ending to a wonderful weekend. - zucchini, tomatoes, peppers, summer squash, onions, and garlic tossed in olive oil baked to yummy sweetness and perfection at 450 for about 50 minutes. Sprinkled with fresh basil and served with grated parmesiano reggiano to taste along with comforting, smooth polenta.

Have a great week :)

Summer =

More watermelon and hugs :)

Summer =

Watermelon

Summer =

Cherries :)

Saturday Night Dinner

...sorry to disappoint. Again no picture tonight because we are...Guess where we are?

Friday Night Dinner...

...is a mystery. Do you want to know?

Have a great weekend all :)

Alena the Circus acrobat...

...Look what Alena learned in Circus Camp :) - I am - of course - quite impressed :)

Thursday night dinner is...

...pasta and salad. Plain with olive oil, and parmesiano reggiano for the girlies; with meat sauce for us. Oh, and it is only different because a of recent both girls decided that they n longer like tomato sauce. Silly girls :)

Thursday night mystery dinner...

...guess what?!

Wednesday Dinner - al fresco...

...I will call it a pseudo cheaters dinner :) it was a wonderfully hot day here in Portland. Certainly not the day to spend a lot of time in the kitchen. Therefore, I got a couple different marinated chicken skewers from New Seasons to put on the BBQ. Alena selected a couple of different salads to go along. One was a quinoa, corn, and pepper salad, and the other a chickpea salad with marinated lemon zest, and olives. Both were delicious and this mothership did not spend a Minute cooking and I therefore call dinner tonight he pseudo cheaters Dinner :)

Tuesday evening dessert...

Yes, dessert on a weeknight. The most amazing strawberries - Oregon Hood with home grown mint. So delicious and we all love them :)))

Taco Tuesday...

...need I say more?! It is refried beans, guacamole, onions, and Toffuti tacos for Alena. Beef, onions, and Toffuti tacos for Mia Rosie. So fun and perfect on a summer evening :)

Dinner on the 4th of July, 2011

We actually had dinner out today with good friends of ours at the Hedgehouse in Southeast Portland. Good food, nice outdoor area for the kids to play, and good adult beverages :). The girls eat the Avocado, Bacon, Tomato, and Lettuce Sandwich. Followed by a visit to Pix, where they all enjoyed ice cream. Two vegan options today, coconut-chocolate, and lemon. Now guess who chose which flavor?

P.S.: Alena wants me to tell everyone that each kid also got a tatoo :)))

Cow and milk conversation overheard in the car this morning..

Ron likes to run the Sauvie Isand Half Marathon every 4th of July, and this year was the first time we joined him to hang out. Sauvie Island is on the Columbia River and is about 45 minutes away from where we live in Portland. It is where we go berry picking, to the pumpkin patch, and for an occasional hike. Beautiful especially on a sunny day with blue skies. In any case, we left bright and it being an island there is only one road to take you to the start of the race. We sat in traffic, next to herds of cows roming on their pastures. So here is the conversation...

Alena "oh, I Love cows so much. They are beautiful"
Ron "Why do you love cows"
Alena "Because they give milk"
Mia Rose "but Alena we cannot eat cows milk"
Alena "I Know, but other people can and it is good for them..."

I was amazed and - I admit - proud...

Sunday dinner on July 3rd, 2011 was...

...Asparagus Risotto again, with - of course - baby mixed green salad. Can you tell that we like asparagus?! We are really taking advantage of it...both girls like the asparagus and risotto :)

This is a perfect meal even on a summer night. Quick, easy, and yummy. Great to way to end a fun day :) Today we took advantage of the summer weather by taking a hike at the Oaks Bottom Wildlife Refuge - http://www.portlandonline.com/parks/finder/index.cfm?PropertyID=490&action=ViewPark - to the Oaks Park Amusement Park - http://oakspark.com/ - and back along the Springwater Corridor through the Refuge to the park. Both girls walked the entire way, and yes, there was some griping involved on the hike back to the car :) At the park, each girl got to go on three rides, and ate a hot dog. So yes, risotto is the perfect ending of this lovely day! Happy 4th to all of you. :)

Dear summer we heart you :)

Another beautiful sunny day in the great city of Portland. Perfect to work in the yard, play outside, ride the bike, and go to the playground. Also a perfect day to walk to a pizzeria for dinner, and play at the playground for half dessert. Just lovely - the girlies are like little monkies on the playground :) Monkey bars, twists, climbing they had so much fun and going home is not fun. But, we have dessert at home. Yummy, delicious "Rice Dream Bites". Chocolate on the outside and vanilla rice cream on the inside. Delicious - they are also available made out of Almond milk which I actually prefer :) - So fun and as you surely can see on the picture, both girls love them.

The All American Dinner on a sunny, dry Friday night..

...and yes, this is just a picture of the girlies and I hanging out on the couch while I ponder this post.

Summer seems to have finally arrived in Portland. Alena was in garden camp today and Mia Rose and I accompanied the group on a walking field trip to the nursery. We (Mia Rose and I) then met a couple of friends for lunch and then went for a playdate at our house. Afterwards we picked up Alena - now what more perfect dinner is there on a summer night than the all American hamburger :). Yes, that is right, we cooked out hamburgers on the grill. A fun time was had by all :)
N