The kiddos really look like little farmers now.
Shepard for sure has a passion for tractors. Ava loves to drive. These cute tractors also come with trailers, so we fully anticipate getting some help around the yard. Their Grammy and Poppy found a sweet deal on these tractors from Wal-Mart and surprised them. Their Mimi and Granpy Rob picked out their cowboy hats and not pictured are their cowboy boots from Nana and Papaw. In conclusion, all the grandparents know these two kiddos are country kids.
These two have to spend so much time with each other. We are truly amazed we don’t have to break up more arguments than we do. I think they are just getting more use to each other’s personalities, which are vastly different. Shepard pretty much learns everything from Ava. If I ask him to say a word, I occasionally get him to repeat it. But if Ava asks him to say anything, he always repeats it. Of course that can be great, but sometimes a pain. We hear the word “booger” a lot right now. Ava, like a lot of toddlers, think it’s such a funny word. We will be driving somewhere and their whole conversation will be saying booger to each other and laugh every single time. As parents trying to keep their sanity we hope they move on to actual conversation or at least a more pleasant word.
Making sand cookies and sand food has been a big hit for the kids all summer. We pretty much have an outside shower system now just for the sand cleanup, but well worth it to keep them busy!
This Week’s Books
“It’s Not Hansel and Gretel” was another favorite for Ava. It’s from the same author as “It’s Not Jack and the Beanstalk”. I didn’t end up reading “If I Ran The Zoo” probably because Scott read it so well that it was only requested for him to read. Ava has recently started reserving certain books for me to read and certain books for Scott to read. I feel almost like we are being graded now when we read. Scott was interested in “What Will Fat Cat Sit On?”, but Ava requested it for me. We threw her for a loop though and took turns reading through it.
We found “Big Boy Underpants” to encourage Shepard with potty training. Ava loved her “Big Girl Panties” book when she was potty training, so we thought we’d give it a try and now they can both read about one of their favorite topics….underwear.
Gluten Free & Dairy Free Menu
- “The Daddy Lunch” – Cheesy turkey dog, rice with broccoli, avocado, & cheese, and green olives.
- Beef burrito with cheese, black beans, and honey roasted corn
- Chocolate cake donuts with white chocolate frosting & sprinkles.
I have no doubt the kids get tired of Mommy lunches, so Daddy scored big with what we are calling his “Daddy dogger lunch”. Instead of hotdog, Shepard calls them hot-doggers. It’s so cute we can’t stop using it, so there it is…the daddy dogger. It was a big hit, so we shall see what Daddy comes up with next.
I had the kiddos help me bake some donuts to celebrate Labor Day weekend. I am not a huge white chocolate fan. Wal-Mart substituted my dark chocolate for them and I obliged. I tried to figure out the best use for them and how I could best tolerate it. Donuts came to mind. We love some cake donuts in this tiny house!
- Spaghetti Squash topped with my “pizza pasta” sauce and steamed carrots.
- Tuna patties topped with jalapeños and sautéed butternut squash.
- Grilled chicken topped with avocado, basmati rice topped with sautéed green beans & bacon with habanero ranch.
We like spaghetti squash. I make mine in the instant pot, so I don’t have to wait an hour plus for it to bake. It’s been good with the kids too because it’s easier for them to twirl with their forks than regular pasta. I will share my recipe for my pizza pasta sauce later. Since we are are gluten and dairy free, we don’t eat a lot of pizza. Not for the lack of trying. I’ve tried several recipes for pizza dough and crust. Nothing has been just amazing. This sauce however is pretty much our favorite parts in a pizza, so it’s like eating all the toppings and no crust.
I grew up with my mom making tuna patties and I loved them. I tried a gluten free version this week and they were pretty good. Ava said she loved them, so we may make these a regular addition to their lunches. My new favorite combination I discovered this week is basmati rice, sautéed bacon with green beans, and habanero ranch mixed together. Yum-o!
Farm Animals
These two are precious! Best buds! They are enjoying their new playground this week.
The chickens are going after what is left of our summer garden. They left it alone all summer long until now.
These cuties are taking field trips outside of their brooder now. These quackers grow so much quicker than chickens. We definitely weren’t getting the chicks out of their brooder at this age yet, but these guys seem like they need it. They are much more active and lively. We have a mixture of breeds in our flock. We have 4 black Swedish females, 4 blue Swedish females, 2 buff duck females, 2 pekin females, and our drake is a Welsh Harlequin.
Workouts
I squeezed in my four workouts for the week. That’s what has been working for me lately..doing more extended workouts for four days and taking three days off. I still stay active those three days, but don’t have a scheduled workout regime for those days. One of my faves over this summer has been Cathe Friedrich’s Legs, Glutes, & Core. She is definitely not an easy trainer and I have yet to find an “easy” workout created by her, but that is something I appreciate. There is always something to strive for and challenge yourself.
I hope everyone had a great and safe week! God Bless!
