My Big Boy Is 2!

It's been a hectic week with two birthdays in four days. Here are a few shots of the sweet birthday boy...

A brand new soccer ball for our ball lover. We've already had lots of fun kicking it around the house. Daddy was able to be home for breakfast, so we enjoyed waffles with hot blueberry syrup - Ryder's favourite fruit.

In the evening a couple boxes arrived from Pop and Mimi. Ryder was so excited to finally be able to open them.

Here he is trying out his new sleeping bag and lantern. We can't wait to go camping this summer!

After helping me bake his cake in the morning, Ryder blew out the candles and we enjoyed a delicious chocolate cake - served on a new cake platter I received for my birthday!

Happy Birthday to our sweet firstborn!  

Ryder is a lover - persistent, sensitive, and eager to please. 

We love you Ryder boy!

Celebrating 28 Years Fiesta Style

Friday was my birthday! We were all able to enjoy a family day that began with breakfast in bed - on new Shamrock Green Fiestaware. Someone knows the way to me heart...

After breakfast we headed out to the park to play in the beautiful sunshine. Ryder's courage has really grown in the last little while. It was so fun to see him climb up ladders and pushing himself down the big slides. Where has my little boy gone?

In the afternoon I was able to leave the sleeping boys with their Daddy and head out for haircut and eyebrow wax all by myself. That used to not be a big deal - boy did I take that for granted - but I enjoyed every minute of peace and quiet, as well as no carseats to buckle and unbuckle.

Back at home, Braden grilled steaks wrapped in bacon for dinner followed by a game of Scrabble and Oreo Blizzard ice cream cake. 

All of this plus calls and texts from home and more Fiesta dishes from my in-laws made for a pretty special day. 

Look forward to celebrating another special birthday in the morning!

Our Gourmet Dinner and Not So Gourmet Life

I had only eaten asparagus once before I was married. I was probably 10.

BLEH!

A family member had brought a beautiful dish of the green stalks wrapped in ham to a family hotdog roast in our backyard. We grew up pretty simply on meat, potatoes and the regular vegetables. You know, what grows in the garden - corn, peas, green beans, carrots, etc. Never asparagus. But, after being told to at least eat one, I took a deep breath and bit into the by then cold foreign vegetable. Needless to say, it didn't stay down long before coming back up and out. Yuck!

So, when I was married and my husband requested asparagus (trust me, he doesn't request veggies often!) I decided to be brave and give it another go. As it turns out, asparagus broiled with olive oil and parmesan is actually quite palatable.

Because it does happen to be a favourite of Braden's I'll occasionally seek out a new way to serve it with dinner. Last night we sampled a new dish (all credit goes to Pinterest) of Quinoa with Asparagus and a Fried Egg. I've decided that most things topped with a fried egg - runny yolk and all - become exponentially better! Light quinoa, crisp pine nuts, tart lemon, fresh oregano, savoury green onion and garlic...are you hungry yet?

Ryder certainly had no trouble putting his plate away.

And just in case you get the impression that we live a gourmet lifestyle, you should know that my laundry room is still overflowing with both dirty and clean clothes.

My chapstick found its way into a still full bottle of water - yes, there's a toddler in this house!

And with potty training in full swing, my life is far from glamorous. 

But I wouldn't trade it for anything!

Resurrection Sunday

HE IS RISEN!

That's what it's all about anyway, right?  As with most holidays there's always the temptation to let the minors become major and get caught up in the pastel outfits, baskets, eggs, bunnies, and chocolate of Easter. While I'm not advocating the dismissal of fun traditions that are associated with the holiday, I do want to remind myself, and now my children, the true reason for the excitement of the day. 

For Christians, today is a day of hope.  

And if Christ has not been raised, your faith is futile and you are still in your sins....but thanks be to God, who gives us the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ.

1 Corinthians 15:17, 56

HE IS RISEN INDEED!

With that in mind, here are a few snapshots of our Easter - the highlight being a wonderful morning of worship with our local church. So thankful for the believers at Grace Bible Church!

Spring Planting

This is the second year that I've attempted a little garden. Back in Washington, I put a lot of muscle and sweat into removing sod and turning the soil by hand. Just for fun, here are a few photos of that work in progress...

Unfortunately, the hottest two weeks of summer last year happened to be the two weeks we spent in Alabama. Without water, we lost just about everything but the peas, beets, and beans. The rest of what survived (pumpkins and squash) went to the new homeowners. 

Spring is here once again. Our new backyard certainly isn't as green, but I'm determined to have better results this time around. I have a little bit less to work with, but the two raised beds in the back now have soil, fertilizer, and one of them is already seeded with the more hearty vegetables - snap peas, beets, carrots, lettuce, and kale. 

Before...

...and after.

I found this big galvanized metal tub at a local antique store, and after Braden drilled a few holes in the bottom for excess water to run out, I packed it full of topsoil and so far have just the green onion planted. Once there's less chance of overnight frost, I'll get the rest of my seeds planted. 

Hopeful for some fresh produce this summer!

Easter Traditions

Today we continued the Enns tradition of breakfast out on Good Friday. Growing up, this was the only time I can remember that we ever ate breakfast out - after all, what could be better for you and more economical than porridge?! ;)

There is one other tradition I remember fondly from my growing up days. This one comes from my Mennonite heritage. Paska!

For those of you who haven't been blessed with pasta all of your life, I'll explain... It's a sweet yeast bread made with orange and lemon and then iced. Due to the huge amount of time required to make it (rising 3x) I can be thankful that we only enjoy it this time of year. I did, however, make a full recipe (5 loaves worth) so that we could freeze and toast it for just a couple more weeks - if it lasts that long. 

Here are my lemon and orange about to be pureed with warm milk and butter.

When Ryder heard the word 'bread' he perked up and became a very keen helper!

First the salt.

Then the sugar.

With over 8 cups of flour, I sure am glad that I stocked up last time we were at Costco.

Maybe it's time for a bigger KitchenAid?

Risen dough for the second time - can you tell that it's getting late?
 

I ran out of loaf pans, so we ended up with some mini loaves. 

 And then this morning, just for fun, I experimented by making my own powdered sugar for the icing. I had seen something on Pinterest about homemade brown and powdered sugars and since the regular stuff is so much cheaper and more readily accessible, I gave it a whirl. Our Vitamix did a great job of powdering the sugar and with butter, whole milk, and a splash of homemade vanilla, they were frosted and ready to eat in no time.

Traditionally, it's decorated with coconut and jelly beans, then slathered with butter, but I had to substitute Carrot Cake M&Ms for jellybeans since we didn't have any at the house. 

Paska anyone?

Family Visits!

It's been an interesting week and a half. Braden had to be out of town for work and so I got a crash course on parenting two under 2 on my own. Whew!  We made it, but I sure am glad to have my partner back. <3

Sanity was held onto (barely) by more meals and visits from the gals at church and lots of walks with these two and Dixie. Ryder's vocabulary has increased dramatically since the weather warmed up and we were able to start taking more walks outside. He points to every animal he spots ('kitty cat', 'puppy dog', 'turtle', etc.), flags, different coloured vehicles, etc. It's a lot of fun to hear his little chatter as we walk.

This little peanut just keeps growing. It's hard to believe that tomorrow we'll have enjoyed his sweet company for a whole month! We love you Baby Lynden.

But the highlight of our last week was a quick visit from two dear uncles and aunts - all the way from BC. They were in Arizona and I know better to believe that Fallon is 'on the way' from anywhere, but they were sweet enough to come out of their way and bring dinner and gifts for the boys on Sunday night. 

Ah, my heart was full to see such familiar faces and to know that we are loved by so many.