I have been on a cooking kick since we got here. Seth has teased numerous times that he is worried I am secretly pregnant and nesting.  I am not pregnant. I am nesting though.  Last yr I was so big pregnant and uncomfortable that I didn’t feel like I got to really enjoy everything! So, this yr I am soaking up the seasons and having some cooking fun!

I have been using cooking as a much needed outlet from motherhood. I am loving motherhood but sometimes my brain needs to think productively in a different way. My recipes may fail but they most certainly do not talk back or require discipline, therefore I am enjoying the outlet!

The latest new things we have tried are fondue and Panera’s French onion soup!

fondue dippers- mushrooms, bread, potatoes and green apples!

the good stuff! cheese blend, Riesling and garlic. Come on over, we will make you some!

homemade minestrone and a big pot of homemade applesauce!

First halloween for Owen…kind of puzzled about posing with pumpkins

we cut these and dropped our coins in the bucket! one of the many things I am loving here!

the river by our house

gorgeous leaves in our neighborhood (this is our neighbors house)

snuggle bug

ragamuffins going on a bear hunt in the woods near our house..don’t think they found a bear but the house sure was peaceful while they were gone!

Wow, 2 months later I am finally sitting down to catch up a bit!!

Spring is here and we are loving it. The Farmer’s markets are back and the flowers (and allergies unfortunately) are in bloom. For Mother’s Day the boys got me The Southern Living Farmer’s Market Cookbook. Everything in it looks delicious! I can’t wait to get to the market on Wed! I love the book, especially because it goes season by season so you can make what it actually available..asparagus and strawberries are the current produce that seem to be everywhere. I already have my eye on a few recipes to try.

For the past 2 months we have been busier than ever with playdates, going to the park, swimming lessons (to be highlighted in the next post with some fun pictures) and enjoying lots of long walks. We have had some hot days and some chilly days.The changing of seasons is so refreshing. I am amazed I survived in Bogota with the constant climate. That must be why I moved our furniture so much.

Seth is still polishing off his German. He is really enjoying it and studying hard. He was just given an extension along with his classmates to be able to stay until the first week of July.  We were originally going in June, that got bumped up until May 10th and now it is officially July 7th. I really prefer to refer to it as “tentatively official” because with each year in the Foreign service we are increasingly more aware of the unpredictability of our lives! It remains Seth’s dream job, hence the continuation of the chaos!

A few weeks ago we planted our first mini-garden. Ruthie, my niece, came over to help Jackson and I work. Amazingly enough things are sprouting! I’ll post in a separate post about the garden so you can see how it’s grown! This was day 1! The watering pails were too slow for toddler standards so the first garden watering was more like a flood! They decided to turn the watering cans over and dump!

I just started the Couch to  5k running program. One week down. It looks so easy, peasy on paper but after having 2 babies and spending every waking moment caring for those babies I am finding it to be really challenging. I am appreciating the time to get some fresh air and think a little more clearly without my 2 loyal sidekicks!  In addition to taking on running again I have been on a cooking high. Not that everything turns out good kind of high just that I am really enjoying it and hunting through blogs and my recent magazines for anything that might be fun and delicious. Pioneer Woman is one of my new best friends! And Stephanie, my sister-in-law, just lent me her Artisan Bread in 5 mins a day cookbook so that will be my next baking adventure. I will let you know how I do! Notice that none of my recent endeavors include German.   It is one of those constant stressors but one that I am having a hard time focusing on with the boys.

this was a chicken I made using as recipe from The Pioneer Woman blog…I took it to a friend a few weeks ago! Don’t ask why I took a picture I just thought it looked pretty yummy.

Stay tuned for posts on Swimming lessons, Easter and all of those other important things that have passed me by!