Monday, September 29, 2014

Game #4 {Weekend Update}

This weekend Malone traveled to play Tiffin. It was a pretty good game. The lead went back and forth a few times, but in the end the Pioneers could not pull out a win. The final score was 21-23.

Since I'm going to be doing a lot of traveling in the coming weeks (for work) I decided not to take the kids to the away game. Instead we took advantage of the wonderful fall weather and went to the zoo with friends.



 Sawyer going down the underwater otter slide.

Nora and our friend Ella on the otter slide.


Kolter turned 6 months on Saturday. He did great at the zoo. He didn't make a peep and just enjoyed watching all the wildlife (animals and those crazy humans he lives with).


After a morning at the zoo. I put the kids down for a nap and I nervously listened to the game.

Following the game a friend came over for dinner and then she graciously offered to watch the kids so I could have a break. That was such a blessing. I just ran errands but it was nice to be kid free. I don't know why, but I can handle the kids being around 24/7 all week, but if Kyle is gone all day on Saturday (i.e. an away game) I have a really hard time coping and often become overwhelmed. So, it was so thoughtful of her to watch the kids so I could get out of the house for a few hours. Kyle even got home in time to meet for a mini-date.


Friday, September 26, 2014

MeMa in the House

Last weekend Mema was in town!


Can you tell the kids were excited!? They had not seen her since early June and they were chomping at the bit for her to walk through the door.


An added benefit of Mema coming over was getting to play with cousin Cadence. Kolter and Cadence are only 1 month apart. I see a fun friendship developing soon :)


While Mema was in town we went apple picking (more to come in another post), shopped big consignment sale, a football game and we went to a local school that was hosting COSI on wheels.

COSI is a wonderful interactive science museum in Columbus, OH that I can't wait to take the kids too. So, when I saw a flier for a traveling COSI exhibit I figured the kids might have fun. And it did not disappoint. It was the perfect size exhibit for smaller children and as you will see Sawyer had tons of fun (he probably would have stayed all day).









This was probably Sawyer's favorite activity creating a trail for the marble to travel from top to bottom.

Our visits are always too short, but we all had fun hanging out with Mema! And now we are counting down the days until we see her and Papa again!

Wednesday, September 24, 2014

Game Day Gear

With football season upon us it was time for me to plan out our game day apparel. When I looked at our selection I knew something had to be done. Sawyer did not have any Malone gear that fit. Nora's football dress from last year had seen better days. And I was getting bored with my small selection of t-shirts.


So I pulled out a few t-shirts and started creating. For Sawyer I used a youth t-shirt that was too large for him. I took it in on the sides and cut off the sleeves to create a baseball style tee. I used the tutorial from Make It and Love It.


For Nora's I once again used an oversize t-shirt. Then I had to add some girly touches. Nora and I went to the fabric store and she picked out a red and navy blue fabric. The navy fabric features sparkly silver hears which is so Nora. I created 2 ruffles at the bottom, cut off the sleeves and added 2 ties to the neckline.


For my new shirt I utilized 2 of Kyle's old shirts to create a baseball tee. I followed the same instructions as I did with Sawyer's shirt. I'm really loving a baseball tee right now and this project was pretty simple since I used original hem on the bottom of the shirt and the sleeves.

And here is my girl modeling her dress. 


I did not make anything for Kolter, but don't feel bad he has an MU onesie I originally made for Sawyer. However, for the 1st game I dressed him a navy and red striped shirt and I just LOVE it on him. His eyes really pop.

Monday, September 22, 2014

Game #3

Malone had their 1st night game of the year this Saturday as they took on the Wayne State Warriors. It was a beautiful evening for football. As the game began the Pioneers gained momentum with the defense recovering fumbles and making interceptions. It was an exciting first half and the Pioneers went into half-time with the lead 15-10.

However, the Pioneers didn't fare so well in the second half as they fell to the Warriors 39-15.

On the bright side the kids LOVED having Mema at the game! I'm always a little apprehensive about night games since they don't start until 7 pm and once the sun goes down my kids often melt down. But they actually did pretty well. 


Sawyer enjoying the game with his friends and Nora sad that Mema has to leave after the game.


Kolter chilling in his car seat in the 1st half and sound asleep in the 2nd half. 

Kolter was enamored with the lights and band.

In the 2nd half I broke out the iPad and the kids swarmed. I don't typically bring electronics to games, but considering it was way past their bed time I wanted to avoid any meltdowns. Toy Story did the trick :)


Greeting Kyle/Daddy after the game

Sawyer stole someone's helmet

Nora still sad to see Mema go…she really wanted to fly to the farm with Grandma :(

and an attempt at a family picture at 11 pm…oh boy!



Friday, September 19, 2014

Black Bean Dip



This recipe was born out of a couple of things:

1) I love Trader Joe's…but we don't have one nearby. One of my favorite things at Trader Joe's is their spicy black bean dip.

2) We ran out of TJ's black bean dip and I needed some asap.

3) I messed up the recipe I found online when I accidentally poured in ground cayenne red pepper instead of cumin :)

I'm really only posting this because Kyle loved it and wanted to make sure I kept the exact recipe I used. But it really is good and if you like black beans or are looking for a healthy snack this might be a winner for you.

Spicy Black Bean Dip
Adapted from Savory Sweet Life Spicy Black Bean Dip

Ingredients:
15 oz can black beans, drained and rinsed
1/4 cup salsa (I used hot)
1/4 cup cilantro, including stems
2 tablespoons lime juice
1 teaspoon cumin
1/2 teaspoon garlic salt
1/4 teaspoon ground cayenne red pepper
1/4 teaspoon salt

Directions:
Place all ingredients in a food processor (I used a blender) and pulsate until blended. Add up to a tablespoon of water if it is too thick.

We used chips for dipping, but if you really wanted to be healthy you could make your own corn tortilla chips. It can also be served with veggies.

Wednesday, September 17, 2014

All business...

in my suit


Kolter 5 months


I can hardly handle the cuteness!




and just for fun here's a picture of Sawyer in the same outfit:


Sawyer at 7 months

Monday, September 15, 2014

Game #2

On Saturday Malone took on Michigan Tech. The first half was not so good. The score was 0-37 at halftime. The second half the Pioneers played well, but the final score was 6-39. Not much more to say, so we'll just show pictures from the 1st home game of the season.



Kolter and his many adoring fans

Selfie of Sawyer and me, catching him eating is about the only way I can get him to sit still for a pic

Sisterly love

the girls of the group

sometimes she is just too cute!

and he is pretty cute too

Kolter and Daddy on the field after the game (baby holding is a guaranteed way to make daddy smile after a tough game)