Babysitting

Although the weather has chilled a bit now, our first few days in Washington were hot, hot hot!  We made sure to soak up the warmth. 

Kyle washed our bug-coated car…while I cheered him on from the sidelines  😉

Sunshine + NuNatural lemonade/water + The Help + my shirtless fiancé = my perfect summer day

And then it got even better!

The kiddos arrived!  Oh my goodness, they are even more adorable than I remembered, and growing up so fast. 

I was like a psycho paparazzi woman…but it’s hard to not go camera crazy around such cuteness…and around such amazing eating techniques!

Have you ever seen anyone swan dive into a corn on the cob? 

Now that’s the kind of grubbing that makes me proud. 😀

And now for the big kids dinner…

Foiled up corn & a basket of veggies grilled on the BBQ.

On the left are the pre-grilled onions/bell peppers/shrooms; and on the right are the post-barby products.  It’s amazing what EVOO and a few herbs can do to elevate the flavor of veggies.  Kyle’s bro, Mat, was the chef extraordinaire to thank for this feast.

The carnivores had herb-rubbed grilled chicken tenders, and then there was a big salad for everyone.

Mixed spring lettuce, spinach, tomatoes, celery, carrots, and sprouts (with cucumbers on the side).

Here’s serving number one.  The beautiful grill marks on the corn deserve their own shout out, but it was the grilled veggies that had me coming back for seconds.  Delish.

The next day we woke up bright and early because it was our day to babysit.  I was SO excited!

In case you didn’t know, turquoise and pink are the “it” colors in sleepwear this season.

Twins? 

After breakfast, everyone got dressed, and then it was time to go to the park.

The future’s so bright, I gotta wear shades.

To all the mommies out there, holy cow, I have mad respect.  I’m going to have to second Pea Daddy – I don’t know how do you do it!  There were three adults manning these two kiddos and by noon I was ready for nap time!

Instead I made a couple of snack plates while the girls were asleep.  Apples, falafel balls, veggies, and some deep breathing.  Phew!

The reprieve was short lived though, because as soon as they woke up they were back to their energetic selves.  Where does it come from?!?  No idea.  Several soggy diapers, marker stained clothes, and chalked up sidewalks later, it was time to say goodbye. 

I was exhausted! 

And yet, Kyle and I still managed to muster up the energy to take the dog for a run.  It only lasted 20 minutes, but boy was I ready to collapse by the end of it.

We celebrated our successful day of babysitting with a sushi dinner.  YUM!! 

I didn’t bring my camera 🙁 but I have to say, I was pleasantly surprised by Lynden’s newest sushi restaurant.  Formerly known as The Loft, U–Mi Asian Bistro is the newest restaurant addition at Bender Plaza in Lynden.  The restaurant burned down a while back, which was a huge loss for Lynden’s sushi enthusiasts, as it was (pretty much) the sole provider of Asian cuisine for the town.  It re-opened under the new name (and in the new location) a few months ago and has been getting nothing but spectacular reviews.  I have only the best things to report (and that’s saying a lot considering how blessed my taste buds have been).

Seaweed salad = love.