Strawberry Pie

The boys saw a picture of miniature cherry pies on the cover of a food magazine recently and hadn't been able to get the idea out of their heads.  Sullivan would carry the magazine over to me every couple days and point to the picture and say "eat dis?"  And Max asked me multiple times when we were going to bake pies.  

The answer would be "never" if I had my way.  I'm not really into sweets.  And I'm definitely not a baker.  But I know how it feels to get an idea in your head about food.  I can't watch a commercial break without catching a major craving for something...especially these days.  Even if I fast forward through the commercials.  All it takes is one quick image from Outback Steakhouse and we'll be having filet for dinner.

Anyway, I had a spare pre-made pie crust in the freezer and half a container of deteriorating strawberries, so I figured I was out of excuses.

Pressing out the crust.

Cutting out circles for the mini pies. 

Adding the filling we made with sugar, cornstarch and strawberries.

By the time we were finished filling the pies it looked like a crime scene.

Ready for the oven!

Ta-da!

Sullivan loved them and ate three.

Max was a little pickier since strawberries are on his "no thank you" list these days.  I think he had more fun making them than eating them.

 I ended up being pleasantly surprised with way they turned out and finished off the rest with Sully.  Not that I'll be baking again anytime soon :)

Independence Day

We had a traditional, all-American July 4th this year.  A parade, lemonade, swimming, sunburns (for momma at least), grilled food, bomb pops, fireflies and fireworks.

Max had his heart set on seeing and/or being in a parade.  We had no specific parade plans, which didn't make Max very happy.  However, I did have some festive streamers that had been packed away in a box for years (I don't even remember when or why I got them.)  So I dug them out and told him we were going to put on our own parade for the neighborhood.  

They got busy decorating their tricycle and toy tractor.   

We set off down the street, Max ringing the bell on his tricycle.  Sullivan decided to carry streamers rather than ride the tractor.

 We were lucky that there were actually quite a few people out on their front porches to witness the parade.  Carley, their babysitter, was even outside her house with some friends.  The boys felt so cool. They smiled and waved...thinking everyone was there just to observe their parade.  

We also spent a good portion of the day with some friends at their club, swimming and eating.  Once the boys were good and pruned-up and cranky we headed home.

No Independence Day would be complete without red, white and blue bomb pops.  Max devoured his immediately, but Sullivan took his time.  He was nice enough to share the rest with Max.

Bathed and jammied, we let the boys stay up and wait for the sun to set.  

Max was all about the fireworks, but Sullivan wasn't too sure.  

"Too loud!"

 Max kept asking for more.

We ended the night catching fireflies and listening to the boom of nearby fireworks displays.  

I put my sweaty boys to bed way too late, but I could tell that they enjoyed the extra time and freedom.  And, after all, that's what this day is all about. 

A room fit for big brothers.

It wasn't long ago I posted the below pictures of Max's room in our "new" home.  We were just weeks away from welcoming his baby brother and I quickly put together his new digs.

 Now, just two years later, that baby brother is rapidly catching up to Max and they're best friends.  Even if we didn't have a third baby on the way we'd be putting them in a shared room.  They're inseparable and beg us to let them sleep in the same room every night.  They finally got their wish.  The transition was surprisingly smooth.

  We bought a bunk bed from Ikea, but decided to leave Sullivan in a crib for awhile longer.  I like to keep them contained as long as I can :)  In fact, Max being on the top bunk is a great solution for still keeping him contained.  He won't get out of the bed unless we come get him :)  Once Sullivan starts trying to climb out of the crib, we'll move him to the bottom bunk.   But for now, he's not even two yet...and Max moved to a big boy bed at 3 1/2...so we'll see how long we can go!

I'm really happy with the way their new room turned out even though nothing really matches.  In fact, the more random stuff I added to the room, the more I liked it.  I see it as a challenge...to take a pile of seemingly unrelated items from different places and making them look like a cohesive, curated space.

My favorite thing about this room (and our home in general) is that most pieces have a story behind it. I love the feeling of living among the things that really make us, "us".

The stained glass pieces below are gifts to each of the boys from my parents.  They had them made for each grandbaby.  Max's is the Murray family crest...his name is written inside the lock in the middle.  The horse hanging in the corner and the pillow are from GG.

My Uncle Kent, who passed away when I was in elementary school, painted the Indian in the canoe when he was in school.

Billy gave me the below poster last year because it has the name "Byron" on the drum, which is my Grampa's name. 

The "Max's Kansas City" poster below was a 1st bday gift to Max from one of my best friends, Jocelyn.

The boys love to sit on the top bunk together.  Max was so excited that I hung his little flashlight where he could reach it easily at night if he "needs" it :)

 I decided to use old wooden hangers to hang the artwork after pricing out the cost to get all of the prints in the room matted and framed.  I think Plan B actually turned out better anyway.

 Now that the boys are comfortable and happy in their custom momma-designed room...on to decorating the NURSERY for new baby!  

Here's a sample of a few things I've pulled together so far.  The colors are grey, mint green, pale yellow (and we'll add some pastel purple in there if its a girl)

Art al Fresco

"Art can permeate the deepest part of us, where no words exist."

The weather was gorgeous this past weekend so Billy brought the boy's easel up from the art room for them to paint al fresco.

I love watching the boys create.  Seeing how they thoughtfully choose colors and decide where to swirl the paint...and where to stab the paint brush into the paper repeatedly :)   It's a process.   When they're painting I don't interrupt them or offer suggestions.   I just sit back and let them go for it.   

Sullivan found some random strips of ribbon and added them to his painting.

Super serious faces.

Even when Max turned to his little work bench and decided it needed a new coat of paint I didn't say a word.  He told me that he wanted to change the color because he was tired of orange.  It made me smile because I saw a little bit of me in him at that moment.  He's seen me paint and repaint so many pieces of furniture.  Its humorous how normal he thinks it is to just put a new coat of paint on something :)

I recently asked Max what he wants to be when he grows up.  He said, "I want to be an artist."  He paused for a second and then said, "Well, I already am an artist actually.  So when I grow up I'll be a Daddy."  Both answers warm my heart.  Especially since my grandfather was an artist for a living.

The rose Max painted for me.

 The easel is still up outside and has been revisited many times over the past few days.  Paint splatters cover the deck and outdoor furniture.  Billy looks at the mess and a just shakes his head.  It'll all wash off eventually :)

"Messes are opportunities for creative expression, for delight and discovery, and for pleasure and celebration.  Messes are real.  They are how we live.  And they can be beautiful."
--Amy George Rush
{thanks to my friend Liz for posting this quote the other day...it really speaks to my heart :)}