best. dad. ever.

Too bad for the rest of you, but my boys have got him, and since there can be only one, all your children are hooped.  That's right. We've got the very. best. dad. ever.

Don't ask me where I got this idea. It was on a blog, somewhere. I'd love to remember, so if you know, tell me.  But, in any case, the t-shirt we made Jared for Father's Day really sums it up.  I'm a lucky wife, and my boys are even luckier. 

Love you Jared!

Jenny

The Greatest Raw Chocolate Dessert EVER!

If I haven't convinced you to try a raw food recipe yet, please let this be the first. You won't be disappointed, I promise!  I have being trying to write this post for months now, but the problem is, every time I make this recipe it gets eaten long before I can take any pictures.  But, finally I remembered to have my camera on hand while I made it.  Trust me, the pictures don't even come close to doing this justice.  My sister, Alice, came up with this recipe, and she will forever go down in history as the creator of this fantastic dessert. We love you Alice!

This recipe is fabulous for so many reasons.  First of all, it is good for you. No, it's not just not bad for you, but it is good for you.  Do you know how healthy coconut and raw cacao is?  Don't trust me, do some research and you will be eating this all day, every day.  Also, the ingredient list is simple and can be made with just a bowl and a spoon. Many people may not have almond butter or coconut oil on hand, but both are easy to get a hold of.  I use cacao powder, because it's raw, but it can certainly be switched for cocoa, and vanilla extract can be used instead of powder.  Alice likes it best with maple syrup, but agave nectar would be just fine. You get the point.  As I tell Jared often, raw food is an art, not a science.

Make it, and enjoy!

Raw Chocolate Fudge

1 cup - raw almond butter
1/2 cup - coconut oil (warmed to liquid state)
2 cups - shredded coconut
1/2 cup - agave nectar or maple syrup 
1/3 cup - cacao powder
1 tsp - vanilla powder
1/2 tsp - salt
1/2 cup - ground almonds/almond flour (optional)

 Mix together all ingredients in a mixing bowl.  Place the mixture into a 9x9 or similar sized pan. Place in the freezer for at least two hours before serving.  Keep in freezer, if you don't eat it all at once!

Tide Pool Exploring

Why it hasn't been blazing hot at all here in Victoria, I don't know. Instead, we never leave the house without sweaters, and the place where we go most often and want it to be warm the most, the beach, is usually the chilliest, due to that pesky wind.  We did manage to find one empty beach though, with beautiful, sandy, warm tide pools, full of all sorts of "sand creatures," as Eli calls them.  We didn't bring our swim suits, so the boys stripped down and relished in the warmth. 

 

And, because we all know how much I love breastfeeding pictures in beautiful places:

He's FOUR!!!

How can one not be madly in love with this kid?  I honestly don't know.  It's been four years since I was transformed from who I was into who I am, and I wouldn't go back for anything.  Eli makes me smile every single day.  He has taught me more about myself, my relationships, my God, than any classroom could ever teach.  He has completed rocked my world!  Today will be a day of crazy pirate adventures, treasure hunts, and eating what ever he wants, but for now I just want to declare to the world that I. LOVE. THIS. KID!

Swimming in Potholes

On Sunday, after church, we went for an afternoon picnic in the park. We are trying to see everything we can while we are here in Victoria, and we'd heard the "Sooke Potholes" were worth the drive, so we loaded up and headed out. Turns out a chilly Sunday afternoon, while not the most ideal time to swim in the Sooke Potholes, is definitely the best time to visit the Potholes if you want them all to yourselves.  It was beautiful, and there were so many perfect skipping stones that Eli almost didn't mind not jumping in.

I spent the time playing around with the settings on my camera! 

"Look mom, this rock looks like a nose!"

 Don't eat the rocks, Silas.

 Eli's idea of dunking himself in the water. 

 I can't get enough of this profile. I love this boy!

 "I'm the leafy treetop!"

And, for the few moments I wasn't snapping pictures, I was enjoying the afternoon from here.

Spider Man Visits Victoria Harbor

We happened to pick the most perfect day to explore Victoria Harbor.  The weather was gorgeous, we found facepainters who were painting for donations (fit our budget perfectly) and there was a bagpipe band performing on the lawn of the legislature building. It really doesn't more perfect than that, now does it?

 I'm not sure what the "Legislative Grounds Protection Regulations" can do, but I think if they don't want a tree climbed, they should probably not have the most fabulous climbing tree accessable to everyone who walks on the grounds.  So there! Spider Man does what he wants, when he wants.

 I've been told that this hotel is where the royal family stays while they are in Victoria. I'm thinking that doesn't happen all too often, but hey, if they need a claim to fame, I'll give it to them. I've also heard that they have the greatest tea EVER (maybe that's why Queeny and her family like to stay there...).

Buccaneer Days in Esquimalt

Celebrating birthday week is a ball!  On Saturday, mohawks cut, pirate costume on, we sailed for the fine port of Esquimalt for their celebration of Buccaneer Days!  Fabulous pancake breakfast, a Buccaneer parade, an overly expensive midway and a free child's pirate den made for a day we couldn't complain about!

"Arrrghhhh!"  Eli opened his first present in the morning. Of course, being the good mother I am, I "wrapped" it in a Planet Organic grocery bag, didn't take any pictures of the event, and he had watched me making the entire thing earlier, so there really was no surprise.  In any case, he got a pirate costume, and couldn't have been happier.

Want to make a pirate costume for your own little?  Well, let me tell you just how easy, and cheap, it is.  We went to Value Village and picked the very cheapest white shirt.  I didn't care what size or how dirty it was, I just wanted cheap, after all, pirates don't care about size or cleanliness, right?  I got this one for $2.  Then I picked off the top three buttons, used a seam ripper to make a few more "button holes" on both sides of the shirt (four total on each side), strung some leather through, and tied a knot.  Then I cut off the arms all jagged like, and called it a day!  The bandana was from Michaels for $3, and he just wore some dark shorts.  If I had found some for less than $2, I would have bought some black pants and cut them off the same as the arms, but I had no luck in that department.  He be a mighty fine pirate, don't ye think, mateys?

Then we headed off for the Buccaneer Day's pancake breakfast.  Let me tell you, it was no Stampede Breakfast, but it was fun none the less. I don't know why I  got such a kick out of this, but check out our "juice" options. I'm not sure if there was any apples or oranges in attendance at this breakfast.  We gave them to the people sitting next to us and stuck with our water.

Then we watched the parade.  Again, shame on me for comparing, but it was a far cry from the Raymond July 1st parade (very little candy...), but we were entertained.

 Arrrghhhh!

 I have no idea.  Pirate Jedi?

 No candy, but we did get paper pirate hats.

After the parade we walked through the midway, quickly decided we weren't prepared to spend $5 on a single ride, and found the Child's Pirate Den, where everything was free, and the boys were totally happy. 

 What kind of pirates would they be without tattoos? Not very good ones, I would venture. 

 Yeah for Buccaneers!