waiting for the sun

It's been a hard Spring in terms of weather for us, so we have taken advantage all 3 nice days we've had so far. We have been exploring play grounds and enjoying playing in the grass. Both of Finley's grandparents visited for her birthday and and had lots of fun. I don't think she had any complaints about having two birthday celebrations.

I decided to leave my job and look for another one with better hours that is a better fit for my interests. We are keeping Finley in daycare for two days each week while I am job hunting. I am looking forward to spending more time with her, as she changes so quickly. She is just about walking now. She enjoys using her walker toy to help her with this. She is also beginning to play with toys more intentionally. She especially loves emptying and filling containers.

We started a new day care this week. I was a bit nervous because the kids have to sit at a table to eat and nap on little mats. Her report for day 1 was great! I was shocked that she stayed at the table to eat and slept on a mat on the floor. It was a proud moment for us.

She is 1! I'm going to keep taking photos, but probably not every week. I'll aim for monthly owl photos from now on.

We have never been to the tulip festival and so this was the year to finally go. It was well worth the traffic and long drive for the views of the flowers.

this is my favorite photo

The drive home

We have been checking out some of the playgrounds in Seattle. This is our current favorite

trying to let the dogs escape

as promised

We have been doing a lot of blog posts lately! Finley is getting closer to walking everyday, but she still isn't there yet. Maybe by her first birthday? We aren't in any rush, since she is already into everything! She loves to empty shelves and drawers. She also just discovered her neck muscles and has been bobbing her head to music or pretending to be a lizard...hard to say, but very funny.

With my crazy work schedule we haven't been doing a lot of trips and the weather has been horrible. It's always in the 40s and raining. We are very ready for some nice weather.

49 weeks

Finley in the tub!

Here is another video of Finley just goofing around. She is very perplexed that she cannot grab the string of water falling from the cup! Also, she just learned that splashing the water is a pretty good time. And check out the sickeningly cute look she gives us at about 55 second in.

THE VIDEO

More NEW Videos

Here is a VIDEO of Finley hiking with the dogs at Squak Mountain. It was a great way to spend a Saturday and the dogs had a great time running around the trails.

Here is a 5 minute VIDEO designed specifically for the grandparents. It has Finley crawling around the house, practicing the wave, sharing her bib with Mom and feeding treats to Reba the puppy.

Finley at Gymboree

Here is a VIDEO I made of Finley playing with us at Gymboree. It was a real blast!!!

I'm back

I am trying to blog more regularly to keep everyone up to date about what we are up to! Finley is just about ready to walk... I think it will happen any day now. Her current favorite things are throwing everything on the floor, especially if it involved emptying drawers full of clothes or smashing something that makes a loud noise. She also enjoys going to new places, being carried around, and eating a variety of foods. She doesn't like anything that involves being held down including the car seat and having a diaper change.

We are starting to switch her to cow's milk and cut down on breastfeeding. I am down to nursing her 2 times a day or sometimes more if she needs it. She will be having surgery on her eye to open her tear duct on the 18th. We are really nervous, but looking forward to having no goopy eyes!

I've been trying to get back into cooking to expand my skills and give Finley more food experiences. I'm hoping that the more she tries now, the more adventurous she will be later.


We have been taking the dogs and Finley hiking on the weekends as much as possible. Our favorite spot is in Issaquah at Squak Mountain.

We are very happy with our pack of 3 dogs. This seems to be the magic number for us. I'm not interested in adding another dog anytime soon. We always have an extra dog around for fostering or dog sitting and four is our limit.

Frances planted lots of primroses and they look amazing in our garden. So much color. I love coming home to this everyday. It makes me happy

We went to our first flyball tournament of the year and this is the only photo I got. I posted more details in my dog blog.

This meal isn't especially seasonal. Slow-cooked pork makes me think of winter and fall, but it's still cold out and I have been craving BBQ sauce. This was the best sandwich I've ever had. seriously amazing. I highly recommend it.

Pulled Pork & Slaw Sandwiches

adapted from a recipe by Tyler Florence

Ingredients

Dry Rub:

• 2 tablespoons paprika
  
• 1 tablespoon garlic powder
• 1 tablespoon brown sugar
• 1 tablespoon dry mustard
• 3 tablespoons sea salt
• 1 (5 to 7 pound) pork roast, preferably shoulder or Boston butt

Cider-Vinegar Barbecue Sauce:

• 1 1/2 cups cider vinegar
• 1 cup yellow or brown mustard
• 1/2 cup ketchup
• 1/3 cup packed brown sugar
• 2 garlic cloves, smashed
• 1 teaspoon kosher salt
  
• 1 teaspoon cayenne
• 1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
• Pan drippings from the pork
• 12 rolls
  
• 1 recipe slaw, recipe follows

Directions

Mix the paprika, garlic power, brown sugar, dry mustard, and salt together in a small bowl. Rub the spices all over the pork. Cover and refrigerate for at least 1 hour, or up to overnight.

Preheat the oven to 300 degrees F. Put the pork in a roasting pan and roast for about 6 hours. An instant-read thermometer stuck into the thickest part of the pork should register 170 degrees F,or until the roast it until it's falling apart.

While the pork is roasting, make the BBQ sauce. Combine the vinegar, mustard, ketchup, brown sugar, garlic, salt, cayenne, and black pepper in a saucepan over medium heat. Simmer gently, stirring, for 10 minutes until the sugar dissolves. Take it off the heat and let it sit until you're ready for it. Or just use a bottle of good BBQ sauce

When the pork is done, take it out of the oven and put it on a large platter. Allow the meat to rest for about 10 minutes. While it's resting deglaze the pan over medium heat with 3/4 cup water, scraping with a wooden spoon to pick up all of the browned bits. Reduce by about half. Pour that into the saucepan with the sauce and cook 5 minutes.

While the pork is still warm, you want to "pull" the meat: Grab 2 forks. Using 1 to steady the meat, use the other to "pull" shreds of meat off the roast. Put the shredded meat in a bowl and pour half of the sauce over. Stir it all up well so that the pork is coated with the sauce.

To serve, spoon the pulled pork mixture onto the bottom half of each bun, and top with some slaw. Serve with pickle spears and the remaining sauce on the side.

Cole Slaw:

1 head green cabbage, shredded

2 carrots, grated

2 green onions (white and green parts), chopped

1 1/2 cups mayonnaise

1/4 cup mustard

1 tablespoon cider vinegar

1 lemon, juiced

pinch sugar

Several dashes hot sauce

Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper

Combine the cabbage, carrots, and green onions, in a large bowl. In another bowl, stir together the mayonnaise, mustard, vinegar, lemon juice, and sugar. Pour the dressing over the cabbage mixture and toss gently to mix. Season the Cole slaw with the hot sauce, salt, and black pepper. Chill for 2 hours in the refrigerator before serving.