Outer Banks

The beach this year was different. We had a lot of wind, rain, and red flags. We still had a great time. The kids all get along well and really enjoyed the yard and the hot tub this year. Nights are always fun filled with games and plenty of treats. We love this trip and are so happy to have awesome friends to share it with!

I love all the squinty faces.

We were trying so hard to enjoy being down at the beach in the wind.

Our last two days were beautiful!

Cam's First Day

I am doing a preschool with some girls from out ward for Cam. He was so excited to go. He loves to wear his backpack or packpack as he calls it, even though he doesn't need one. He has been having a great time but he was so disappointed when he learned that he didn't get to ride a bus. Also, after the first day I picked him up and he asked if he was going to school. I told him that was school and he said, "No, that was Ian's house." I think he has the hang of it now.

ENOUGH PICTURES MOM!

He looked so cute I couldn't help myself. My baby is getting so big!

First Day of School

The first day of school has come and gone. The boys are all enjoying school and their new teachers. Spencer is doing Start again and Sam was thrilled to join too. They do neat activities. Nate has adjusted well to the changes of middle school. He has been so responsible and even much more organized than last year. He is still playing the viola in orchestra.

This is Nate not so happy that his mom is taking pictures as he gets off the bus.

Isn't that what mom's are supposed to do?

Dad stayed home this year to see the boys off.

Cam was pretty sad that he couldn't get on the bus with them.

Boy's Campout

Matt took the boys camping at Lunga and they all caught fish! They LOVE going with their Dad and I think it is pretty fun when they go too.

Cam lived up to his nickname Clod, as in DIRT CLOD. My dad named him that last summer because he was always so filthy while we were camping.

Sam wins the prize for biggest fish of the day.

5

Ever since I saw Ina Garten make this on her show I have wanted to try it. So when I saw those big plums at Costco last week I thought it was time. Then the boys, well, everybody was sick last week and so I didn't make it until Sunday. It was nice for a perfect fall day after watching conference.

Ingredients

• 6 peaches, pitted and cut into quarters or eighths
• 6 plums or Italian prune plums, pitted and quartered or halved
• 1/2 cup sugar
• 2 cups fresh raspberries
• 2 tablespoons orange juice

Directions

Preheat the oven to 450 degrees F.

Place the peaches and plums snugly in a single layer, cut side up, in 2 glass or porcelain oven-proof baking dishes. Sprinkle with the sugar, and then top with the raspberries. Bake for 20 to 25 minutes, until tender.

Heat the broiler and place the fruit about 5 inches below the heat and broil for 5 to 8 minutes, until the berries release some of their juices.

Remove from the broiler and sprinkle with orange juice. Serve warm, at room temperature, or chilled.

We had it with ice cream on top!

Monsters

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4--See, two in one week

I made this soup Sunday night. I have wanted to collect some recipes that a tasty using lentils and this one is a keeper. This came from my Aunt Sharon. She shared a stack of her favorite recipes with us one Christmas, and so it is also fun to see her handwriting and remember her and all the amazing things she does.

3

Made these for breakfast on Sunday morning. This recipe is from a friend who would share them when I went visiting teaching to her house. Yummy! Finally I made them myself. I like them because they are not too cakey. Do you know what I mean? They still taste like muffins and not a cupcake. However, I probably should have had the temperature at 375 because I used non stick pans and they got a little too done.

Chocolate Intesity Muffins

2 c. flour

3/4 c. unsweetened cocoa powder

1 1/4 c. sugar

1 T. baking powder

1/2 tsp. baking soda

1/2 tsp. salt

2 large eggs

1 c. buttermilk

1/2 c. butter, melted

1 tsp. vanilla

Preheat oven to 400 degrees and move oven rack to top 3rd position. Coat 12 cup muffin tins including top edges-these are sticky muffins.

Sift cocoa with flour. Add sugar, baking powder, baking soda, and salt. Combine well. Whisk eggs, buttermilk, butter and vanilla until blended. Pour liquid over dry ingredients and fold with spatula. Do not overmix. Spoon into tins. Bake for 20 minutes until tester is clean.

Adding 1 c. semi-sweet chips optional. (Not really if you ask me.)

Birthday Bees Game

On Spencer's Birthday we all went to the Bees Game. We have a lot of July birthdays in the family so we celebrated for Spencer, Zac, Carson, & Tom. It was totally fun to sit in one of the suites, but totally messy. Who knew popcorn could make such a mess?

The best part of the night -- Buzz came in to sing Happy Birthday with us.

Carson and Cam snuck over to the suite next to us and were having a great time!

Thanks mom for taking us!

Hoping to catch a fly

Woodland

We went for walk on a Sunday afternoon. I got a little crazy shooting into the sun but I still kinda like these.

3

Ok, so I'm a little behind but I'm not going to let this stress me out. Tonight I made Zucchini Brownies because first of all I wanted something chocolaty and second, I have several LARGE Zucchinis waiting to be use around here.

This recipe is from a Philadelphia friend, so if any of you Philly friends out there ever read my blog, give me a holler. It is about time I heard from some of you. Seriously though, we loved our time in Philadelphia and I miss it exquisitely sometimes. While there we compiled a Philly cookbook and I still use many of the recipes. Having certain foods take me back and remind of the friend who made it. Like having Michelle's Herbed Bread or Jodie's Spinach Dip or Janet's Coconut Shrimp or Margel's Hearty Mexican Soup or Janna's beautiful pies. You can thank Michelle Bishop for this recipe. I've been meaning to try this recipe for years now and I'm glad to have a little garden to supply me with zucchinis. I'll have to use this more often, especially because brownies with that much zucchini in them MUST be healthy!

1 1/2 c. sugar

1/2 c. vegetable oil

1 egg

2 tsp. vanilla

2 c. flour

3/4 c. cocoa

1 tsp. salt

1 tsp. baking soda

2 1/2 c. grated zucchini

Cream sugar, oil, egg and vanilla. Add remaining ingredients. Spray cookie sheet and spread batter out on it. Bake 20-25 minutes at 350 degrees.

(I doubled the recipe and made them in a jelly roll pan.)

p.s. Don't beat them too much, mine were a little more like cake than brownies, but still good.