FIRST POOL EXPERIENCE

And I thought Addison loved taking a bath. OMG...she LOVED the swimming pool.  She wasn't sure what to make of it at first, clinging tightly to me, panning the pool anxiously.  Every now & then she would splash one hand at a time, look at me, look at the water, look at me & then splash again.  Eventually the occasional hand slap turned into full on flailing & water was being splashed everywhere.  Once she figured out the acoustics in the swimming area she was happy as could be, making sure everyone knew she was having a good time.  Such a cool moment.  Her little bathing suit wasn't so little. It was gigantic on her but she still looked so darn cute. Crossing my fingers that it & the 3 others I bought her fit her a little better before Hawaii next month.  In the hustle & bustle of rushing out of the house I brought the Nikkon but left the battery in the charger so unfortunately the only pictures we were able to capture were from the iPhone but hey, at least we were able to take some photos of her first pool experience.  I cannot wait for this summer at the pool!

THIS WEEK

 
This week...

• I discovered a new yummy pairing for my morning eggs...kale & turnips...OMG DELISH
• Addison was in rare form (silly/wild), keeping me laughing all week
• Our rose bush bloomed with TONS of beautiful red roses
• Addison tried pears for the first time & loved them. 
• We also figured out that in addition to her amber teething necklace, frozen apple slices are great for teething
• I figured out a new & improved dairy/grain free protein packed pancake recipe
• Our fence was moved...
• I got a flat tire on the BOB & had to have it replaced so Addison didn't get to go on as many runs
• I wrapped some gifts for an upcoming baby shower
• I had coffee with a great friend that I miss dearly
• I dyed my hair a little darker brown
• was great 

GRAIN/DAIRY FREE COCONUT-DATE CRACKER

I've been playing around with new recipes lately & can't get enough of these nutty almond crackers. It's super easy & only 4 ingredients {perfect}. It got me thinking what if I subbed out coconut oil for the sesame oil & sweeter spices like pumpkin, cinnamon or nutmeg for the salt.   The first batch I made that was all I did & they were fantastic.  So then I started thinking what if I added other ingredients.  The end result is yummy little snack in the shape of a cracker with it's crispness & taste of a cookie.

What you need:
2 TBS cinnamon
1 C almond meal
1/4 C water
2 TBS flax meal
2 TBS unsweetened coconut
1/4 C dates
1 TBS coconut oil
Baking sheet
rolling pin
2 pieces of parchment paper the size of baking sheet
pizza cutter 

Preheat oven to 200 degrees.

Add water, almond meal, cinnamon, flax seed meal, unsweetened coconut & coconut oil to bowl.

{you can make your own almond meal by processing raw almonds in a food processor & sifting. Be sure not to process too much or you will have almond butter}

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{I make my owl flax meal by processing raw flax seeds in the food processor until I get my desired texture}

{I buy my unsweetened coconut by the lb from Whole Foods but you can buy bags from Vitacost, WF & other natural food stores}

{If you have never used coconut oil before, don't be alarmed of it's "shortening" like texture.  Take a TBS out & melt it in the microwave for 20 seconds or so}

Next pulse your dates in a food processor until they have a "mealy" texture. Line your baking sheet with 1 piece of parchment paper.

Add the dates to the mixture.  Stir until you have a dough ball formed. Place the ball on your parchment lined baking sheet.

Place the other piece of parchment paper on top & roll until flat & even on baking sheet.

Next score your dough.

Bake for 2+ hours depending on thickness of dough & desired texture {I like crunchy}. When they are finished allow them to cool on parchment paper & remove them.

I like them just the way they are but I am sure they would taste great with some raw, unsalted almond butter or even a banana slice.  You can also crumble it to make granola.

GAP CASTING CALL

So I did one of those things that I sore as a parent I'd never do...I entered Addison in a photo contest.  I know the chances of her winning are slim but I figured what the heck & entered her in Gap's Casting Call. Voting begins May 21st so don't be surprised if there are a few nagging posts encouraging you to vote for Addison.  Here is the link to her entry Addison Grace.  I am not sure if you are aloud to change the photo or not...if so I might change it & use a photo from her photo shoot this coming weekend.  I know a lot of people "silently" read my blog based on my stats.  Thank you for your support.

UNFAILING LOVE

Well...Addison's Easter outfit didn't go quite as planned.  I bought her an adorable 3-6 month aqua & navy dress from Janie & Jack a long time ago. When 3-6 months came and went & she couldn't fit into it, I thought Easter would be the perfect occasion for it.  The dress is aqua with a fantastically J-Crew-ish navy ruffled neck & little navy bows on the pockets.  It has sort of a vintage/Parisian flair.  I even sewed a navy bow headband with lace to match.  Every week I have put the dress on in hopes that it would fit but to no surprise it's still too big. I hunted all week & found plenty of cute dresses but never could find Addison's size.  Last night before Addison went to bed I was frantically going through her closest & came upon a precious white lace dress that our friends Eliza & Marcello bought Addison for Christmas.  Although it was a little big, it fit much better than all the other dresses she tried on.  I had to cinch the waist in so I made her a little belt (which actually matched my outfit).  

Last year I wrote to Addison about our church's egg hunt, Jesus, picturing her dressed up for Easter & painting my belly in the "Happy Easter" post.  Although she had "wardrobe issues" her first Easter was exactly as I pictured. I am excited for the day that she will experience Jesus' unfailing love & come to an understanding that we celebrate Easter because of the death & resurrection of Jesus Christ.  While I look forward to taking her to egg hunts & picking out pretty dresses, I am even more excited about teaching her the true meaning of Easter.  Like I have blogged before, I love  Pinterest. I have found so many creative ways to do so.  Here is an example of an activity I would love to do with Addison as she grows up to teach her about Jesus's unfailing love for us:

Mommy's Idea Book

I was slack & waited until the very end of the day to take her picture so she looks sort of disheveled but still so darn cute.

THE BIG HUNT

Approximately 850 people turned out @ Clayton Middle School for "The Big Hunt" not including the 150+ volunteers & their families that participated.  This was the 2nd year our church sponsored a free egg hunt for the community. Each person attending was given a ticket which provided them with a food/drink, bag of candy & entrance to their appropriately aged egg hunt where they could win prizes like a Wii, leap pads, giftcards, etc. There was a rock climbing wall, inflatables, game stations, music, some pretty sweet prizes & gymnastics obstacle course.  I love doing things for our community, showing love through action.  We don't pass out tracks or promote our church.  Our volunteer shirts only have our church website...they don't even have our church name.  Most people probably think it's sponsored by the middle school. It's why we call our community events "love out loud" events.  It's awesome to just do...it's simple, like Jesus was.

Obviously this year Addison was too little to participate in the egg hunt but she had a blast nonetheless.  She LOVES watching people & was able to spend the day outside. 

{note the drool on her chin}

{trying to be tough & what not}

{checking out the Chick-fila cow}

{nom nom...phone}

{seriously mum...another picture}

THIS WEEK

This week...

• was just a typical week spent mostly at home
• Addison tried rutabaga & LOVES it
• a tooth FINALLY broke through her gums 
• her amber teething necklace came in the mail
• i made kale & walnut pesto...to die for
• my body took a beating thanks to Crossfit, my legs are covered in bruises (i love it) 
• i made Addison parsnips, plums, pears, apples, turnips, kale & asparagus
• philip planted some new herbs in our herb garden
• i made cinnamon, date & pumpkin muffins using protein powder & almond meal (they are already gone) :(
• addison was a party animal & stayed up past her bedtime every day
• we had some quality grandma tabor & grammy & puppa time