Overnight Guests!

Last Thursday, our dear friends and cousins, Dale and Meg, and their two girls, Maria and Hanna, came to visit. They were traveling from the Chicago area up to Minnesota, and Milwaukee happened to be a stop not too far from the concourse. We were blessed to have them as our overnight guests--it was such a fun time! Maria and Abe especially hit it off and had a blast!

They arrived around lunchtime on Thursday, so we packed a picnic and headed to a nearby park to eat and let the kids play. Maria and Abe seemed to really enjoy the playground as well as a game of follow-the-leader with Dale! Some park pictures:

Headed to the park!


Maria:


Abe:


The crew:



After a few hours, we headed home so Abe and Maria could take naps; the adults rested/read/emailed/knitted/chatted/etc.!! After Ryan got home and the kids woke up, we loaded up to head downtown. We ordered dinner to go at the Public Market and then went to the beach.

After enjoying our yummy dinner, we let Maria and Abe head down to the water to play. The water was frigid, but oh my, did those two have fun! They eventually got brave enough to fall into the water, despite its temperature. They also seemed to thoroughly enjoy rolling around in the sand in their wet clothes! My bathtub and washing machine got quite a rude awakening! Pictures from the beach:

Maria:


Abe:


Hanna got to sit in the sand and play too!


Ryan guarding our stuff and Charlie :)


Playing together:


Back home, Charlie and Hanna fell asleep quickly, and after some fun in the tub, Maria and Abe tuckered out too. We enjoyed talking with Meg and Dale for a time before we all got some rest. It was wonderful just to talk with them about parenting, our kids, the future, the Lord--what sweet Christian fellowship!

The next morning we had a fairly early breakfast, as Ryan had to head out to research for the day. A few hours later, our guests were loaded up and ready to head on to Minnesota. Though it was short, it was so special and so much fun. Thank you so much for coming, Koch's! We so enjoyed having you here!

Bread, Butterflies, and Boys

Bread: Quite some time ago, I saw a video tutorial about "artisan bread in five minutes a day". After wanting to try the recipe for months, I finally got around to doing it myself last week, and it was amazing! The result is a beautiful, golden loaf of bread, crusty on the outside, tender and soft on the inside, just like you would find in a bakery! It truly does only take five minutes (or less) to make, and it's really, really good. According to my rough calculations, each loaf costs me around 40 cents to make, and I would pay at least $1.99 for a similar-sized loaf from a grocery store, probably even more from a bakery. It isn't the healthiest bread, as it's made entirely with all-purpose flour, but, it is good in that it's all natural ingredients: flour, salt, water, and yeast. It's delicious just spread with soft butter, but it also makes a killer grilled cheese! Isn't it pretty?!?!



Butterflies: The kids who live downstairs have been raising some caterpillars for a while. Just last week, they came out of their cocoons and were ready to be released! They called us up to see if we were home and if we wanted to join in the action. We said, "of course!" Abe was so excited--it's something I think I may try to do with him in the future. It was really neat to watch them slowly come out of the cage, pump their wings, and finally fly!







Boys: Charlie is getting soooo big! Check out this photo comparison--this is Charlie just a few days old vs. nearly 4 months old:





They are just so sweet together. Abe is actually very good at eliciting smiles from Charlie! I can't wait to see how they interact as they continue to grow.

Charlie is starting to laugh, which is possibly one of my favorite milestones. There is just nothing like a little belly laugh coming from such a tiny little person!

Charlie at 3.5 months:



Abe has really gotten into photography lately. Here is a sampling of his work:







I've been trying to teach him, and he's finally learned to face the camera away from his face and keep his finger off of the lens. Mostly, we've had some very "artistic" shots of things around the house. He did manage to get this one of us on Father's Day though! Pretty good!



He has just been so ornery lately. The other day, I was changing Charlie's diaper in their room, and I heard a crash. Abe came running saying something about the curtain. Upon entering our room, this is what I saw:



That same day, I spent the better part of the boys' nap scrubbing crayon off the dining room wall. Despite the mischeviousness and difficulty knowing exactly how to discipline him when he's just trying to explore and figure out right vs. wrong, I love that he's a rambunctious, rough and tumble little boy. I mean, what would my experience as a mother be if I never scrubbed some crayon off a wall?! He makes us smile every day!

Here is a photo of all my boys on Father's Day...I just feel so blessed to have these three:



I guess that's all for now. Thanks for reading!

Our Fun Weekend

We had a busy weekend last week, and it truly felt like summer! The weather was in the upper 80's, a sudden heat burst from the warm but mild temperatures we've been experiencing.

I was reading Emily's blog Friday evening, and I saw that they went to North Beach, south of Milwaukee in Racine, WI. She said that it was really nice and less crowded than the city beaches, so we decided to give it a try on Saturday. She was right! The beach was much more family friendly; the downtown beaches are often sprinkled with a few families amidst a sea of college students from the various universities, so it was a nice change of pace. We probably won't frequent it, since it's around 50 minutes away, but we'll definitely head back from time to time! Abe had an AMAZING time.

Walking down to the water:



The water was pretty chilly, but with the temperatures that day it was actually quite refreshing. Abe was quite the daredevil, splashing and falling into the water, laughing hysterically each time. It was so much fun! His little teeth were chattering by the end, but we could hardly pull him back onto shore!

He was really excited about using his new beach toys that he got for Easter. He has a little to learn in the art of sand sculpting though--Ryan and I both tried to build him castles, and each time the conversation went something like this:

"Abe, come look at this cool castle Mommy built for you!"
"Oh, a castle? Let me see..." and then his foot proceeded to land squarely on top of said castle. Oh well, he seemed to be content just scooping and dumping!




Sweet Charlie:






I finally got to use the HUGE canvas bag I received for Christmas! I remember Ryan teasing me when I got it because it was so large, but by the time you put beach towels, sunscreen, change of clothes, diapers, wipes, snacks, drinks, etc. inside, it's a perfect fit!




The boys were both wiped out when we finally got home, and they both took great naps. We headed over to Shayne and Emily's for dinner that evening and had a wonderful time.

Abe and his buddy, Brady, eating their dessert:



Sunday was church in the morning and a CMA leadership dinner at our house in the evening.

A fast-paced but fun-filled weekend!

Finally, The Grocery Series is Over!

It's the last post in my grocery challenge!

The last week (only 3 days) of May, here is what we bought:

Pick 'n Save
1 gal. Skim Milk: $1.99
Total After Tax: $1.99 (no tax on most grocery items in WI)

That's it! I was almost at the top of my budget, and I didn't really need anything anyway, so it all worked out! The only "perishable" item I could have bought was a bit more fruit, but I still had plenty in the freezer (I chopped and froze it from earlier in the month-great for smoothies, mixing into muffins, oatmeal, etc.), so we managed without.

Our meals:

Breakfasts:
oatbran muffins with peaches
cereal, strawberry slush

Lunches:
ants on a log, cinnamon toast
leftovers

Dinners:
chicken, spinach, and parmesan meatballs, barley risotto, peas
brown rice topped with mexican black beans, tomatoes, lettuce, and cheese sauce
big pasta salad with veggies and shredded chicken, bread

Snacks:
popcorn, funny cake, teddy grahams, frozen blueberries


And for the final verdict:

The grand total: $149.68!!!

To most of you that doesn't seem like much, I'm sure, but it works really well for us now. We do recognize that as our boys get older, even in a few months when Charlie starts on solids, that the amount will need to increase. This month was unusual in that I didn't need baking powder, cocoa, spices, quinoa, oatbran, etc., items that I only purchase periodically, so that allowed us to enjoy a few special items, like ice cream, juice, and lunch meat. We don't buy soda, and I don't buy organic produce, though this is one area I would change if I could. While I don't think it's necessary on all produce, I would buy it on those items that have particularly high pesticide use, such as berries, apples, and greens. Our meals certainly aren't gourmet, but I do try to include new recipes and add extra flavor by incorporating strong spices, fresh herbs, and uncooked produce. Overall, I was pretty pleased with our meals for the month!

I confess that the whole "cash only" thing was pretty much a complete failure! While I still managed to stay within our budget, I swiped my debit card on a number of occasions--I had the cash right there in my wallet, but I guess I'm a creature of habit--I just pulled out that card! I really should have just left it at home, but I kept forgetting! I think when I'm preparing for the store, my focus is on having my list and coupons and making sure I have plenty of snacks, diapers, etc. for the boys.

Regarding the "Once a Month Shopping" approach, I'm not so sure. Had I actually spent the suggested 70% during that first major trip, I wouldn't have been able to take advantage of some awesome deals later in the month. But, I did like the freedom it gave me. Because I knew I had enough staples for our meals for a whole month and only needed to buy produce, eggs, milk, etc. to supplement that, I knew I could go ahead and splurge on a few extras and contribute to a stockpile in the freezer.

I think that sums it all up--thanks for following along with me!

Grocery Update #3

We're nearing the end, and things are looking good! Actually, seeing as it's already June, the final tally for May has already been written, but I'm just a little behind on posting it! Here are the past week's buys--again, Pick 'n Save prices are after coupon discounts.

Aldi
1 gallon Skim milk: $2.19
All-Purpose Flour: $1.59
Pineapple: $1.19
Blueberries: $2.49
Strawberries: $1.19
Bananas: $1.16
Peaches: $1.99
Total After Tax: $11.80


Pick 'n Save:
4-pk. Ocean Spray Sparkling Juice: FREE
2 bottles Ocean Spray juice: $2.00
Bush's Grillin' Beans: FREE
2 bags Wacky Mac pasta: $2.00
2 bags Kraft mini marshmallows: $1.00
1 bag West's frozen sweet peas: $1.00
4 cans Old Orchard juice concentrate: $2.00
2 pkgs. Oscar Mayer Selects Applewood Smoked Ham: $1.00
2 8 oz. blocks Kraft Mild Cheddar: $3.00
1 gal. Skim milk: $3.00
1 lb. salted butter: $1.49
1 bag flat leaf Spinach: $2.49
Total After Tax: $19.48

Grand Total So Far: $147.69


Our meals:

Breakfasts:
baked oatmeal with blueberries
whole wheat pancake-sausage muffins, fruit
fried eggs and toast
cereal, fruit
golden pancakes, pineapple
smoothies

Lunches:
pb&j, carrots, apples
pasta with veggies
dinner leftovers

Dinners:
homemade pitas stuffed with falafel, spinach, tomatoes, cucumber, roasted red pepper sauce
cilantro-peanut pesto pasta with chicken, bread
breakfast casserole, southwest skillet potatoes, fruit
tilapia with mango salsa, green beans
sloppy joes, baked mac and cheese, spinach salad
out to eat for ryan's birthday

Snacks:
tortilla chips (baked from leftover flour tortillas), mango salsa
teddy grahams
fruit
popcorn
fruit crisp

In the next post, I'll give the final details and my thoughts on how it all went. Thanks for reading!